Newbie assuming derby responsibility - much advice needed
Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 3:37 pm
I am super impressed with the site and wealth of information it contains. As background, I am the Cub Committee chairman for a small (20-25) pack. My son is in BSA now, but I did the derby with him from 2010 to 2012. We won the derby each year, but it is more because it is not an ultra-competitive pack. Most parents are pretty good about letting their son drive the process and the majority of entrants do not do anything beyond polishing axles, making sure the car weighs 5.0 ounces, using lubricant etc.
With that as background, I was recently called as the Cub Committee chair and just assumed the responsibility for the derby last week because it was not coming together otherwise. We have an older wooden track, but outsourced the derby to a local vendor who had a BestTrack / Champ timer the years my son participated. I tried to convince the committee that buying a track was a better option as we spent $400-$500 each year on the outside vendor, but our troop is affiliated with a church and getting something like that funded is difficult. I was not present for the derby last year, but by all accounts it was a disaster. The pack used the old wood track and tried to have parents determine the winners by eyesight. Not sure who thought this would work as we saw with the vendor in the previous years that results are often decided by fractions of a second. As you might expect, we had some competitive parents who were upset, but the worst part and the ultimate result was a poor experience for the boys.
I recently assumed the responsibility as Cub Committee chair and found that the plan was to use the wood track again and find a timer that would settle the results. After doing some research, I am pessimistic about getting a timer in the next couple weeks that will work with our track. I am not sure I would be comfortable in my ability to properly work a timer and/or running the risk that timer is ultimately incompatible with our track even if went that route and got a timer like the Judge.
With that lengthy background (hope I still have a few people reading), I decided that I have four viable options. We can proceed like last year with the wooden track and no timer, we can try to find a timer that works with our track and hope everything works properly, we can outsource again at a cost of $400 - $500, or we can buy a new track and timer. I know how much the derby meant to my son and the thought of another derby like last year is unacceptable to me so I went ahead and just ordered a 3-lane BestTrack and Champ timer. The cost is significant ($1400 w/ s&h), but I am going to cover the cost out of pocket for now. I will see if the pack can figure out funding in the long run and will sell the track to the pack if they can, but will assume the risk that I may end up owning it myself. We have an affiliated pack in a neighboring town (our pack is sponsored by the LDS Church so we have another pack in the "stake" for those who are familiar with the setup) and I am hopeful that we might be able to fund the track and have both packs share going forward.
We handed out kits at the Blue and Gold last month and the only rules are the ones included in the kit. I was not involved in this and would have much preferred to issue an explicit set of comprehensive rules, but that ship has sailed. My specific questions are as follows:
1. How difficult is the initial setup with the BestTrack going to be? I am planning on spending the day before setting it up and conducting some tests, but we will not have much time between the arrival of the track and the derby itself so I am worried about something not working. I think the BestTrack / Champ / GPRM is the best option for getting something that works "out of the box", but am curious if this is naive or if anyone has suggestions to mitigate the risks.
2. I have already received calls from dads asking about specifics as it relates to the rules. The first question was whether wheels can be lightened. In reading the language included in the kit, the rules on wheels are that the wheels supplied with the kit must be used and they cannot be cut, drilled, beveled or rounded. They allow removal of the seam. I think many of the terms are open to interpretation, but want to be able to explain why making the wheels lighter by removing material on the inner portion or why using a lathe is not allowed (if it is covered by those rules). I see the language on "cut" and "rounded", but does that specifically mean making the wheel "round" with the use of a lathe or prohibit removing the material on the inner portion as that would be "cutting"?
I will obviously have a much more exhaustive set of rules with specifics next year. I am already prepared that this will be more of a learning experience this year and I will have the time and ability to make major improvements for the derby next year, but would really appreciate any and all advice that you think will help this year. Thanks in advance.
With that as background, I was recently called as the Cub Committee chair and just assumed the responsibility for the derby last week because it was not coming together otherwise. We have an older wooden track, but outsourced the derby to a local vendor who had a BestTrack / Champ timer the years my son participated. I tried to convince the committee that buying a track was a better option as we spent $400-$500 each year on the outside vendor, but our troop is affiliated with a church and getting something like that funded is difficult. I was not present for the derby last year, but by all accounts it was a disaster. The pack used the old wood track and tried to have parents determine the winners by eyesight. Not sure who thought this would work as we saw with the vendor in the previous years that results are often decided by fractions of a second. As you might expect, we had some competitive parents who were upset, but the worst part and the ultimate result was a poor experience for the boys.
I recently assumed the responsibility as Cub Committee chair and found that the plan was to use the wood track again and find a timer that would settle the results. After doing some research, I am pessimistic about getting a timer in the next couple weeks that will work with our track. I am not sure I would be comfortable in my ability to properly work a timer and/or running the risk that timer is ultimately incompatible with our track even if went that route and got a timer like the Judge.
With that lengthy background (hope I still have a few people reading), I decided that I have four viable options. We can proceed like last year with the wooden track and no timer, we can try to find a timer that works with our track and hope everything works properly, we can outsource again at a cost of $400 - $500, or we can buy a new track and timer. I know how much the derby meant to my son and the thought of another derby like last year is unacceptable to me so I went ahead and just ordered a 3-lane BestTrack and Champ timer. The cost is significant ($1400 w/ s&h), but I am going to cover the cost out of pocket for now. I will see if the pack can figure out funding in the long run and will sell the track to the pack if they can, but will assume the risk that I may end up owning it myself. We have an affiliated pack in a neighboring town (our pack is sponsored by the LDS Church so we have another pack in the "stake" for those who are familiar with the setup) and I am hopeful that we might be able to fund the track and have both packs share going forward.
We handed out kits at the Blue and Gold last month and the only rules are the ones included in the kit. I was not involved in this and would have much preferred to issue an explicit set of comprehensive rules, but that ship has sailed. My specific questions are as follows:
1. How difficult is the initial setup with the BestTrack going to be? I am planning on spending the day before setting it up and conducting some tests, but we will not have much time between the arrival of the track and the derby itself so I am worried about something not working. I think the BestTrack / Champ / GPRM is the best option for getting something that works "out of the box", but am curious if this is naive or if anyone has suggestions to mitigate the risks.
2. I have already received calls from dads asking about specifics as it relates to the rules. The first question was whether wheels can be lightened. In reading the language included in the kit, the rules on wheels are that the wheels supplied with the kit must be used and they cannot be cut, drilled, beveled or rounded. They allow removal of the seam. I think many of the terms are open to interpretation, but want to be able to explain why making the wheels lighter by removing material on the inner portion or why using a lathe is not allowed (if it is covered by those rules). I see the language on "cut" and "rounded", but does that specifically mean making the wheel "round" with the use of a lathe or prohibit removing the material on the inner portion as that would be "cutting"?
I will obviously have a much more exhaustive set of rules with specifics next year. I am already prepared that this will be more of a learning experience this year and I will have the time and ability to make major improvements for the derby next year, but would really appreciate any and all advice that you think will help this year. Thanks in advance.