How to Plan and Conduct a Pinewood Derby

1. How to Plan and Conduct a Pinewood Derby

2. History • First held in 1953 by Cub Pack 280C, Manhattan Beach California • First publicized in October 1954 issue of Boy’s Life • Article offered plans for track and cars “four wheels, four nails, and three blocks of wood” • Estimated that 35 million parents sons, and siblings have participated in actual races.

3. Timeline

4. Timeline (Cont.)

5. Location…Location..Location • Availability • Room for Track • Room for Spectators • Room for Pit Areas • Crowd Control Issues • Food Service / Dining Area

6. Staffing the Event • Race Master • Derby Workshop Team • Check-in Team • Weigh-in Team • Pit Crew • Registrar • Crowd Control • Starter • Timer • Master-of-Ceremonies

7. Maximum Involvement • Announce the details of the race at Pack Meetings (2 Months prior to Race Day) • Make sure you have the Pinewood Derby Car Kits available for purchase at 1 or 2 Pack Meetings before the race to give Scouts enough time to build the cars • Don’t turn the Pinewood Derby Car Kit Sale into a fundraiser • Remember, you want to make sure everyone participates

8. The Cars • Materials used to make the cars (BSA Pinewood Derby Car Kits; what’s allowed and what’s not allowed) • Car dimensions and weight guidelines • Remember, you want to make sure everyone participates

9. Derby Workshops • How many Pinewood Derby workshops you will have and where will you have them • On what date(s) and time(s) will the Pinewood Derby workshop(s) be held • Each workshop should last for 4 to 5 hours • Which leaders and/or parents will be able to help conduct the Pinewood Derby workshops • Make sure to announce the workshop details at Pack Meetings

10. Derby Workshops (Cont.) • Which leaders and/or parents have the tools necessary to conduct the Pinewood Derby workshops • You’ll need a band saw, belt sander, hammers, pencils, safety goggles, sandpaper • Pick 1 or 2 leaders/parents to man the band saw; no scouts allowed • Scouts can use other tools only with proper supervision from leaders/parents • Which leaders/parents will be available to help clean up after the workshop(s) • Remember, the scouts are supposed to do as much work on the car as possible

11. Before the Race • Determine Check-in and car registration procedures • What time can cars be registered • How many cars can each Scout race • How many, if any, trial runs is each Scout allowed • How many individual races and rounds • How scouts race each other (Method)

12. Before the Race (Cont.) • Sibling participation • Adult participation • What happens when there’s a tie • What category awards are awarded (Best Design, Most Scout Spirit, Most Patriotic) • What den place awards are awarded (1st, 2nd) • What overall place awards are awarded (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) • Will snacks and drinks be provided during the race

13. Race Setup • Prior to race day, make sure you identify leaders to help setup the track and verify system used to determine race winners • On race day or the night before, setup the track • Depending on your track, you should allow at least 4 hours to setup the track and verify scoring system • Use some cars from last year to verify track stability • Run the same car down each lane to verify lane equivalence

14. Race Setup (Cont.) • After the track is ready to go, make sure to setup a barrier around the track to prevent Scouts, leaders, parents, etc. from jumping over the track (A good idea may be some chairs turned with their backs to the track) • Decorate the racing area with flags and banners; give it the racing feel • If you plan to announce the race with a PA system, verify that the PA system is functioning properly

15. Race Setup (Cont.) • Setup an area that can be used as a last minute workshop • Bring your tools (hammers, hot glue, crazy glue, knife, drill, extra weights) because someone will need them • Setup the area where race participants can register and weigh their cars • Make sure that the registration and weigh-in area is isolated from the crowd

16. Race Setup (Cont.) • Verify that the weigh-in scales are functioning correctly • If you can, setup a projection system to show the audience the places in which each participant finished each race • If you’re having snacks and drinks, make sure you designate an area where snacks and drinks can be enjoyed away from the track

17. Check-in Procedures • Make sure the Scouts know what to do when they first walk in to the racing area • Check in cars at check-in area so registrar can know how many cars to expect • Get 1 or more tokens that they can present to Gate Keeper to allow them 1 or more trail runs if permitted

18. Weigh-in • Show the Scouts where they can make last minute adjustments to the cars • Make sure one or more leaders is available to help with last minute adjustments • Have extra weights and super-glue available for use

19. Weigh-in (Cont.) • When a Scout is ready, ask and help him place his car on the weigh-in scale to verify its weight • If it’s over the weigh limit, he’ll have to make some adjustments • If it’s under, you can suggest that he make some adjustments to get closer to the maximum allowed weight • Once a car is weighed in and the Scout is satisfied with its weight, take the car to registration and place it along with the other cars that it will race

20. Registration • Determine a way to mark the cars with an identifying number. • Grouping cars by category/heat will speed up car placement. • Make sure everyone knows the last possible time to register cars • Make sure you keep people away from the registered cars and the track • Make sure you announce periodically how much time is left before all cars must be weighed and registered

21. Keep them Occupied • To avoid chaos before the race, plan some activities in which the Scouts can participate • Show a video or slideshow of various Scouting events in which the Scouts have participated • Show a movie the Scouts can watch in a designated area • If you’re doing snacks and drinks, let the audience know that they’re available

22. Race Method • Single Elimination • Double Elimination • Perfect-N • Stearns Method

23. Single Elimination • Only the winner of the heat advances. • All other cars are ‘eliminated’ but may compete for 2nd, 3rd place, etc. with other losing cars.

24. Double Elimination • Race the same field of cars twice. • The ‘winner’ is the car that finishes in the highest positions of the two races. (1st and 1st, 1st and 2nd, etc.) • Can be calculated by best times or by points. (3 pts. For a 1st place, 2 for 2nd and 1 for 3rd, etc.)

25. Perfect-N Method • Each car races the same number of times in each lane • Number of races is a multiple of the number of cars • (54 cars X 6 lanes = 510 Races) • Can be very time consuming but is considered the ‘most fair’

26. Stearns Method • Every car races every other car • Does not necessarily race on every lane • Not as time-consuming as Perfect-N method but can still take a long time

27. Race Categories • By Rank • By Den • Siblings • Adults • Leaders • Specials / Unlimited

28. Equipment • Official Scale • Track • Timer

29. The Track • Homemade or Store Bought • Wood or Aluminum • The infamous ‘Slow Lane’

30. Tracking Heats • Technology • Pad and Paper & Stop Watch • Excel Spreadsheet & Electronic Timer • Race Management Software with Integrated Timer • Be Prepared to use ‘Plan B’

31. BSA Accesories

32. The Race • When everything is ready to go, start the engines and let ‘em fly • Make sure all leaders are in the places where they need to be to perform their roles • Announce to the audience that it’s race time and explain a few of the procedures the Scouts will need to follow in order to race their cars • If and how to retrieve their cars to race • Where they can stand when their car is racing • Round by round, announce the names of the Scouts that are racing

33. The Race (Cont.) • Make sure to announce the place in which each Scout finishes for each race. Even the last place finisher thinks its cool to hear his name over a PA system • Don’t allow the Scouts that are racing to touch their cars after a race • Only the leader designated as the car returner should handle the cars after each race • Come up with a transport device to return the cars back to the starting gate • A cardboard box with some padding in the bottom works well

34. The Race (Cont.) • After each round, announce the winners for which you have awards • Call the Scouts for the next round • If you’re doing snacks and drinks, keeping announcing their availability until they are gone • This gives everyone something to do until it’s his turn to race • Make sure to place the cars of first place finishers together after each round in order to race the overall round • After all rounds are completed, call the first place finishers from each round to run the overall round

35. Recognition

36. Web Resources

37. ? Questions