Gentlemen, Start Your Engines...

The annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby is quite an event. The scouts spent an entire morning earlier in January at a workshop cutting, sanding and weighing their race cars. Then, they have to bring them home to decorate. There's a division for adults and siblings, so of course Tony and Sophie made cars to race, too. I love this picture of Sophie. I think she's thinking, "why do I have to have brothers?"
Getting ready to paint - I made Andrew take off his white TaeKwonDo uniform first.
Sophie has been determined since December that she was going to make a car and it would be a pig. That's all she's said for several months. "When will we paint my piggy car?"
The boys also decorated diligently.
The finished products, from top to bottom:
Aidan's Speedy Express (it's supposed to be a train engine), Tony's purple car, Andrew's IU Hoosiers' Race Car, and Sophie's Miss Piggy.

Sunday was race day. I think Sophie was more excited than the boys. The siblings went first, so here's Sophie waiting for her heat.

Telling Daddy how to put the car on the track

This is Aidan's group of scouts. Most of them are first graders at our school, and I love them. They're a super bunch of boys!

Carefully positioning the train

Andrew's den (these are the guys crazy enough to follow Tony around as their leader)

Placing the Hoosier race car on the track

And, the results were...less than exciting. Poor Aidan placed last in all four of his heats. It's really because of his design - that train cab didn't exactly make his car aerodynamic. Andrew's car lost a wheel right before his first heat. Tony duct taped it back on, and Andrew ended up placing 4th. No trophy, but he enjoyed imagining what he could have done with four good wheels. Both of the boys were really good sports. Sophie's car wasn't very fast, thanks to the ears and tail, but she did win a prize!

Daddy got to give her the medal

She was so proud!

The highlight of the day were "open division" races. Tony's car wouldn't stay on the track. Of his four heats, his car only actually crossed the finish line once, and that one time was because they let him start it halfway down the track. It still finished last. The kids thought it was funny and it made them feel better about their cars. I said I was pulling my sponsorship and would like my $3 block of wood back, please.