So a Pack mom emails me...

[Vitamin K]

I'm the Pinewood Derby Committee chairperson for our Pack. Because, I talk too much about the Derby. Anyhow.

So we handed out kits during November's Pack meeting. A few days ago, I sent out an email to the Pack parents, letting them know that I still had extra car kits and to please get in touch with me if their kid didn't get a chance to pick his up at our meeting.

So one mom emails me, to the effect of, "My son wasn't at the Pack meeting. I had been hoping he wouldn't care about the Derby, since he is a Webelos II, but he does."

Hoping he wouldn't care about the Derby..??!

But...but...who wouldn't care about the Derby???

I don't understand some folks.

[Stan Pope]

There are tool-impaired and competition-averse folks out there. They tend to look the other way while Jr does whatever to the block and despair his lack of results.

Scouting can provide secondary adult guidance that covers for some of the primary adult's shortcomings.

That W-II needs a mentor for this year... someone who can help him break the cycle of tool-impaired-ness. Got any Dad's around who could give him a hand?

[Vitamin K]

Well, I am trying to organize a Pack workshop day/afternoon, where people can come and get help with their cars, though we probably won't be able to do more than body cutting and ballasting. I did mention this in my reply.

If I can get a few words with her, I'll ask if she has any specific concerns and see what I can offer. I don't mind inviting folks over for an afternoon to work on stuff in the basement.

There are tool-impaired and competition-averse folks out there. They tend to look the other way while Jr does whatever to the block and despair his lack of results.

Scouting can provide secondary adult guidance that covers for some of the primary adult's shortcomings.

That W-II needs a mentor for this year... someone who can help him break the cycle of tool-impaired-ness. Got any Dad's around who could give him a hand?

[Stan Pope]

If I can get a few words with her, I'll ask if she has any specific concerns and see what I can offer. I don't mind inviting folks over for an afternoon to work on stuff in the basement.

Don't spread yourself too thin. Spread the joy of helping a youngster around to other Dad's and Mom's in your pack.

[Vitamin K]

If I can get a few words with her, I'll ask if she has any specific concerns and see what I can offer. I don't mind inviting folks over for an afternoon to work on stuff in the basement.

Don't spread yourself too thin. Spread the joy of helping a youngster around to other Dad's and Mom's in your pack.

I don't have a whole lot of go-to people, as of yet, but I'll ask around. Need to determine if she needs/wants help for her son yet. She could just...hate the Derby. I dunno.

[FatSebastian]

"I had been hoping he wouldn't care about the Derby, since he is a Webelos II"

I would have supposed the opposite is true: Webelos II is a boy's last opportunity to compete and do well in PWD.

[Noskills]

Vit K,
If you changed your rules as the chair be especially careful that the Web 2 read the rules. In my experience they are the most apt to miss a rule change. Happened to me when our pack adopted the district rules.
Noskills

[Vitamin K]

Hey NS, fortunately, almost all of the rules changes that I made only made things more permissive, as opposed to less. The only possible sticking point is that I added a 2.4 gram weight minimum to the wheels, which is a requirement put in place by the District race. In fact, all of the rules modifications were done to bring us closer in line with the district standards.

I don't suspect that anybody's actually lightening their wheels in our Pack, but I plan to have my version of Teeeman's wheel machine ready by check-in time...and I'll have a few tubes of stock wheels on hand, just in case.

Vit K,
If you changed your rules as the chair be especially careful that the Web 2 read the rules. In my experience they are the most apt to miss a rule change. Happened to me when our pack adopted the district rules.
Noskills

[DerbyAddicted]

"I had been hoping he wouldn't care about the Derby, since he is a Webelos II"

I would have supposed the opposite is true: Webelos II is a boy's last opportunity to compete and do well in PWD.

My son is a Web II, and he wanted to skip PWD this year. Not sure what the end result will be.