Pinewood Derby Performance Mentoring the Mentors

A Presentation for Scouters who Organize Pinewood Derbys for their

pack,as well as those who like to make cars

go fast.

Copyright 2007 by Stan Pope

Session Goal

Provide organizers with ideas and resources to satisfy Scouting objectives

of PWD.

True or False?

The purpose of Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouting is

to have the fastest car!

True or False?

The purpose of Pinewood Derby in Cub Scouting is

to have the fastest car!

FALSE!!!

Purpose of PWD

The 10 purposes of Cub Scouting are:Character Development <<<<<Spiritual Growth Good Citizenship Sportsmanship and Fitness <<<<< Family Understanding <<<<<Respectful Relationships Personal Achievement <<<<<Friendly Service Fun and Adventure <<<<<Preparation for Boy Scouts

Huh?

Hey!

So, where does winning the races fit in???

Why?

Providing a framework for Scouts and families to race and try to win is HOW we try to accomplish the Purpose of Cub Scouting!

Scenario 1

How does this rule help or hurt the objectives?

“All cars are built by boys during den meetings.”

Scenario 2How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Cars are built during a workshop with experts

assisting boys at various stages, e.g. an adult cuts cars on a bandsaw, an adult preps wheels on a lathe, an adult adjusts wheel alignment...”

Scenario 3

How does this rule help or hurt the objectives?

“Rules allow use of purchased precision after-

market components such as wheels and axles.”

Scenario 4

How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Racing is done by adults while Cub Scouts watch.”

Scenario 5

How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Parent or grandparent builds car while Cub Scout

plays video games.”

Scenario 6

How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Parent or grandparent builds car while Cub Scout

watches.”

Scenario 7

How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Parent buys finished car e.g. on eBay.”

Scenario 8

How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Cub Scout builds car with guidance and advice from parent and with occasional

guidance from experts.”

Scenario 9

How does this plan help or hurt the objectives?

“Pack provides technical information, such as a

PowerPoint presentation available to all pack

members.”

Suggested Resources

Derby Talk: Internet forum at http://derbytalk.com/

Technical exposition, e.g. "Pinewood Derby Design PowerPoint Presentation" at http://stanpope.net/ppt/pwdesign.ppt

Internet websites, e.g. "Pope's Pinewood Pages Portal" at http://stanpope.net/pwportal.html

More Suggested Resources

"How to" books from various sources, e.g. "Pinewood Derby® Speed Secrets" by David

Meade, available for $12.95 at BSA ScoutShop (Note: this book suggests many treatments that

are not legal under many local rules.)

All resources should be sifted to weed out treatments that are not legal under local (usually district) rules.

Technical Note

This presentation was prepared using the “Impress” feature of OpenOffice.org 2.0.

OpenOffice is free for individual use through a project supported by Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Software is available at http://www.openoffice.org