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Post by docb on Feb 21, 2008 7:21:04 GMT -6
Hey Guys Thought I would share this pinewood derby story with you and get your reaction and comments.... A friend asked me this year if I would help him and his son build a car for their pack race (different pack and district from ours). I asked to see their rules before we started building but they were only given the derby kit with no rules. I asked him to try to find out if we can extend the wheel base, drill our own axle holes and how much we were allowed to do on the wheels. He could not get an answer but said his den leader said it would be ok. He was for it so we drilled new holes and extended the wheel base. Did not lighten the wheels, just the standard workup on the wheels. They had the pack race last week and blew the competition away. Nobody even close. His pack also had a Dad's race and afterwards he raced the fastest Dads, including one Dad who said he bought a car on Ebay that had lightened wheels and another Dad that said he has been using the same car for 4 years and never lost a race. Blew them away too. ;D Ok, here comes the inevitable.... Now keep in mind his car has already been weighed and passed inspection and allowed to race. Well, the all too familiar comments started flying..."that car is illegal" "It's too fast" Bla Bla Bla..... So in the end after passing inspection, being allowed to race, winning it all, the race is over and.....They told him "we can't give you first place" They told him his car was the fastest in the pack but they can't give him first place because his car is too "different" from everyone elses. WHAT? So after contacting the District and Council, he was finally informed that on the council website is a set of rules which state that you must use the axle slots provided with the block. As a consolation...they told the boy he could go to race in districts if he wanted. They were going to just wait till next year because his dad doesn't have the time or skill to build a new car like it before the District race. Well, guess what.....I have the time to help Stay tuned..........
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Post by Bubba on Feb 21, 2008 10:26:34 GMT -6
...So in the end after passing inspection, being allowed to race, winning it all, the race is over and.....They told him "we can't give you first place" They told him his car was the fastest in the pack but they can't give him first place because his car is too "different" from everyone elses. WHAT? From the rules in the box "After final approval, cars will not be reinspected unless the car is damaged in handling or in a race." Unfortunate that people can't read. I would consider having a trophy or plaque made to commemorate his blazing speed, maybe with a humorous touch. Something to sit on the shelf and remind him that he did well, even if the adults did poorly. You and Dad would have to gauge whether it would be received well or not. Good luck with the District car. I could send you a set of Tungsten cubes for it if you'd like Bubba
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Post by sappingtonr on Feb 21, 2008 11:04:33 GMT -6
Docb, Great story! It's amazing to me that this would happen at a Pack Race. If anything, they would be less rigorous at a pack event and more so at district... A Cub race is supposed to be a lot of fun for everyone- kids, parents, organizers, builders Let's see both the pack rules and the district rules here on this board! Was this the Boy's first year in scouts? a newcomer? if so, that may explain the animosity. On the other hand, hearing of this incident second hand, I am tempted to jump in with a letter to their council along with a petition signed by Cubmasters & Den Leaders from all over the U.S.!
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Post by fatboy on Feb 21, 2008 11:11:09 GMT -6
when your on top there is always someone that wants to knock you down
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Post by ProQuest on Feb 21, 2008 19:59:06 GMT -6
Bob,
That is sooo weird. The exact same thing happened to my son and I in his second year of Cub Scouts. Our pack handled it a little differently though. They gave two first place awards, one to my son and one to the kid who finished second, and then they bumped everyone up. They explained it as a computer glitch. Everyone was happy.
I agree with Bubba. Once inspection is over any car that passed with an obvious modification that should have and could have been caught easily during the inspection process is legal by definition. They should never dq a car under the circumstances you described.
My 2 cents.
ProQuest/Steve H.
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Post by Lucky 13 on Feb 21, 2008 20:17:08 GMT -6
This is very upsetting to hear !! Taking a boys award away after the racing is over I would have blown a fuse !! I hope you kick their butts at the District race just to prove a point. I also agree with Bubba, I would have a trophy made for him. I'd also go one step further and give the bill to the Pack and tell them to pay for it !! Lucky 13
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Post by Mr. Slick on Feb 21, 2008 21:48:03 GMT -6
PwdRacing could lend a hand for the cause. Does he want to race with us? I can promise that once his car passes inspection for Novice I will not DQ it.
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Post by Lucky 13 on Mar 22, 2008 0:05:24 GMT -6
Hey DocB, any updates yet Lucky 13
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Post by docb on Mar 22, 2008 6:16:14 GMT -6
Hey DocB, any updates yet Lucky 13Well it ended just as rediculous as it started. They drove to my house...over an hour away...and we built a new car, straight by the book, pure stock rules using the axle slots provided. Tested it on the track and it ran about the same times as the previous car. All set for districts right?? Wrong!!! I guess when they told the boy he could go to districts they meant as an alternate but he wouldn't have the opportunity to actually race. I think the dad complained all he could to the district and council but to no avail...They are ok with it though, we had fun buiding the cars and the boy learned a valuable lesson about what competition and sportsmanship are NOT! They also learned valuable techniques and tips on how to build a fast car and they asked alot of questions and took alot of notes so they will be able to use that information next year when they build a new car. ;D Also, there is a younger boy in the family who has yet to start scouting, so in total, this family will be racing in that district for the next 7 years. Thanks for asking....Is that not crazy???
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Post by Da Pine Racing on Mar 22, 2008 8:20:57 GMT -6
Wow, that is crazy The effort was made to go to districts, build a new car, then they walked in and had the door slammed in their face (so to speak). It would have thrown everything thing into a tailspin to add 1 more car? On the brighter side of things like you said, valuable lessens were learned and you guys got to hang out building cars and they have 7 more years Pass on my congrats to your friend's son.
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Post by Mr. Slick on Mar 22, 2008 14:32:27 GMT -6
that truely deserves an UFF-DA! I hop ethey aren't turned off of scouting or Pinewood Derbies after that circus. At the district race that I lead there is a policy that anyone who shows up with a car will be allowed to race, period.
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Post by Mr. Slick on Mar 29, 2008 14:47:43 GMT -6
Well, I had my own version of "post inspection DQ' last night. I noticed a car that was a couple of feet ahead at the bottom of the slope and mentioned to the guy beside me who was announcing the races that the car probably had lightened wheels. After the race the race officials got together and discussed what to do. I had to remind them that at the pack level they had passed inspection and could not be DQ'd after the races. He did win but not by too much. 4th place was .09 seconds behind. 3rd was .089, and 2nd was .053 seconds behind. (Average time for 6 races) I got to talk with the parent about not using those wheels at the district race because I would be doingthe inspections and they would be DQ'd at inspection time. He was rather irked that I would suggest such. I reminded him to double check the rules to verify that lightend wheels are not allowed, if they are allowed then he can race them and I will let them pass, but from what I remember about their rules, the lightened wheels are not allowed. He explained that he learned about them at the council race last year. I sure hope they weren't allowing any of those at that race! I guess I'll have to brush up on that district's rules before the 19th when I do their race. I get to do 4 district races this year for Cub Scout and 2 Girl Scout service Unit races (same as a Cub scout District) and possibly the Girl Scout Council race if they can find a date when they can have it and my track is available. . . .may be pushing it out to May.
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Post by ProQuest on Mar 29, 2008 23:40:28 GMT -6
Hey Warren:
For what its worth, the guy should not have been angry. He should have been grateful. His kid won this race, and your remarks could have saved him the embarrassment and disappointment of begin DQed at the next level. Kudos to you (and an "Exalt").
ProQuest/Steve H.
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