Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

General topics of interest to racers and race coordinators alike.
AlabamaDan
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Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

I was talking to my wife about the design of my car that I intend to start tomorrow when she asked me about the racing divisions. Here's how the conversation went:

WIFE: "Uh huh. What division are you racing in?"
ME: "It's Akela/Sibling." :mrgreen:

WIFE: "So, adults and kids are racing together?" :scratching:
ME: "Yes the leaders, parents, brothers and sisters. We wouldn't have enough of any one part of that to have it's own division. It's basicially the non-scouts." 8)

WIFE: "So, you as Cubmaster are going to build a car to beat someone's little brother or sister? Maybe even your own daughter?" :thinking:

ME: meakly "yes?" :oops:
WIFE: "No."
ME: "No?" :idk:
WIFE: "No."
ME: "No." :cry:


Sometimes being the responsible adult leader is no fun.
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FatSebastian
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by FatSebastian »

Thanks for sharing, AlDan. I applaud your expert usage of emoticons! :)
AlabamaDan
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

I might as well get good at emoticons. No use in polishing axles.
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Scubersteve
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by Scubersteve »

time to make a new division...
If you don't take your fun seriously, who will?
AlabamaDan
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

Yeah... I'm just not sure we'd have enough to seperate siblings from akela. If we do....we will. If not....I'll bend a wheel. For now I've decided to build for speed! :angel:
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FatSebastian
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by FatSebastian »

AlabamaDan wrote:Yeah... I'm just not sure we'd have enough to seperate siblings from akela.
As Cubmaster, you are in an unique position.

Depending on your building skills, I wonder if the audience might enjoy an after derby spectacle to challenge the Cubmaster. Perhaps the Grand Champion could challenge your entry one-on-one. There might even be a fun consequence depending on the outcome, say, the winner(s) of the Challenge get an opportunity to throw a whipped-cream pie at you from a distance, etc.

You could even turn it into a Pack fundraiser if you wanted. $1 donation to the Pack for one try to Challenge the Cubmaster.
AlabamaDan
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

I knew there was a reason I shared.... GENIUS! Challenge the Cubmaster!
BallBoy
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by BallBoy »

I have been a Webelos leader for a couple of years, and a Wolf leader for several years before that. My scouts always look forward to racing my car in the free-for-all race after the official race. I have always built a car focused on creative design rather than speed (though I do polish the axles, have COM towards the back, etc.). I like the idea of a Challenge the Cubmaster event FatSebastian suggested.
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shovelhead
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by shovelhead »

Quick story.
We do actually have a race at the end of our pack finals and outlaw races.
It's called "Beat the Pack Leader". You can run anything you want. No weight restrictions or anything. Just has to fit on the track. Well I didn't know about this last year(our first year). But this year I decided to bring our last years district champ car and maybe race the Pack Leader. He hasn't been beat in 5 years they said.
If Pack Leader loses he has to wear a wig to the blue and gold banquet,(not during opening ceremonies and stuff. Just when he hands out achievement badges).
Well long story short, I beat him by 4 car lengths. Then he says," best 2 out of 3". I got him 3 more times in a row before he gave up.
That was almost best part of races.

BTW, the car that I raced is the one in my avatar. Probably the fastest car I will ever build. 5.0 ozs., extended wheelbase, one wheel up RR. Man, I love that car!
2010 Pack 621 champ
2010 Cherokee Trace champ
2011 Pack 621 champ
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Turbo_Python
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by Turbo_Python »

shovelhead wrote:Quick story.
We do actually have a race at the end of our pack finals and outlaw races.
It's called "Beat the Pack Leader". You can run anything you want. No weight restrictions or anything. Just has to fit on the track. Well I didn't know about this last year(our first year). But this year I decided to bring our last years district champ car and maybe race the Pack Leader. He hasn't been beat in 5 years they said.
If Pack Leader loses he has to wear a wig to the blue and gold banquet,(not during opening ceremonies and stuff. Just when he hands out achievement badges).
Well long story short, I beat him by 4 car lengths. Then he says," best 2 out of 3". I got him 3 more times in a row before he gave up.

That was almost best part of races.

BTW, the car that I raced is the one in my avatar. Probably the fastest car I will ever build. 5.0 ozs., extended wheelbase, one wheel up RR. Man, I love that car!
LOL Awesome!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't get it with the whole(new)PWD race mentality. It seems people have somehow lost the entire spirit, and heritage of PWD. It's a RACE, and the very idea was centered around the father-son experience. And the idea of it has changed since 1953. Most packs allow the parents to enter a car at the end of the day. I personally never bother, because I always have to contend with an impatient little brother who's bouncing off the walls by the time my scout runs.

My response would be If you can accept a possible loss, then feel free and have fun. We're going to the districts in March. I have every reason to suspect a loss. I've explained it to my scout, that we'll be competing with the best in the county. So it would be a wise idea to be mentally prepared for a disappointment, and be glad we made it this far.
"I wanted to devise a wholesome, constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and
promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition."
Don Murphy, 1953 (Founder of PWD)
AlabamaDan
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

Oh don't get me wrong. Not everyone walks away from the Derby as a winner and I think one thing the derby can teach is how to lose gracefully and come back next year. My point was just not to have parents beating the kids.

My son, daughter and I all build cars and we enjoy building our cars.
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by dstory »

Another way to look at this is that every pinehead really never completely grew up. So in essence, it is still kid vs. kid. There is just a big difference in ages and potentially size.

Happy Racing
AlabamaDan
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

dstory wrote:Another way to look at this is that every pinehead really never completely grew up. So in essence, it is still kid vs. kid. There is just a big difference in ages and potentially size.

Happy Racing
:bigups: That's why they say I'm a good Scouter - because I'm just a big kid! I've decided to race with the kids.
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by Project Pinewood »

Hi all, I'm new to the group, actually this is my first post!!

I also am Cubmaster, and our Cub Committee Chairman set a good example for me over the past 6 years. We have always put the kids (cubs) first, this is their program we are just their support. Anyway when it comes to the Pinewood we only have about 5 - 6 boys total, so doing a double elimination would be rather short and really not to exciting. So we have just done open racing, everyone comes and races, everyone has fun, no hurt feelings, and it's all for the kids.

Basically anyone who wants to race brings their car, we run it down the track and use a "Hot Wheels" radar gun to clock it (on the 1/64th scale setting, the speed is more impressive and it actually seems to register better than the 1:1 scale), we keep the speed secret until later in the event, after everyone has been clocked, we do open racing, this is brothers, sisters, dads, moms, visitors, whoever wants to race. After all the fun of racing, we pass out awards for most creative, best use of green paint, .... (you get the picture, everyone gets some sort of award) and we announce the results of the speed/radar gun. So we still have the fastest 1st - 3rd, but without the sad faces because they were eliminated so quick, or they spent the night just sitting around. I can tell you that every year we have used this approach we have a constant line of kids (amazingly the adults don't really participate, but can if they want) waiting to challenge their buddies, brothers, sisters, etc. we even have them challenge me, and "amazingly" they always beat me ;) . My car is cut out in the shape of a "toe pincher" coffin (like you envision in the old west) and is meant to "bury the competition" but it is basically just shaped, no prep to wheels or axles, and it always "gets buried" by even the slowest Cub, my car isn't even weighted.

As I said earlier, this is ALL for the kids, I am just there to support them and help them to "Do Your Best", I have no problem with competition, I just let them choose it on their own on who they want to "beat". I think it sort of funny when the Cubs challenge a younger sibling (not in Cubs yet, or even a sister) and get smoked by them, it gives the sibling a huge smile, and it provides a night of continual "grudge matches" all in the name of having fun.

Maybe our approach isn't the best, and we are going to have to adapt/change over the next 2 years as we have lots of younger boys in the area coming up to Cub age, so our Pack is going to grow. But for now, we have fun, and no matter what the kids come first in our Pack.
AlabamaDan
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Re: Remember it's for the kids...Bummer.

Post by AlabamaDan »

Kids were safe from me in unmodified, but gosh my car looked good!

My modified was really cooking, until it broke a wheel. I let it go with a broken wheel and finished last.
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