Pinewood Derby teaches sportsmanship, imagination

Union County Cub Scouts Pack 101 held their annual Pinewood Derby on Saturday, March 15 at the Haralson Memorial Civic Center in Blairsville.

Tigers, Wolves, Bears and Webelos gathered together to race their cars in front of family and friends. The Union County Kiwanis Club sponsors the Derby each year with members volunteering their time to organize the event, weigh the cars, emcee, judge the races and cheer on the kids.

This year's Derby included a special race for Scout parents. The adults were encouraged to make their own Pinewood Derby car to participate in a parents-only version of the race. The Scouts voted on the parents' car for Best In Show. Cubmaster Robert Atkinson won that title by a landslide vote with his red and white racer.

Each rank of Cub Scouts had their own racing session with one Scout in each group coming out on top.

The Pinewood Derby is designed to teach boys good sportsmanship and imagination, as well as the importance of following rules. Boys are instructed to build their own cars with the help of an adult using a Scoutapproved Pinewood Derby Car kit. The kit includes a block of wood and a set of wheels. Many different designs and styles were on display at Saturday's race, each showing the boys' tastes and talents.

Pinewood Derby racers (left to right) Nicholas Klopschinski (Webelo), Mark Cecci (Tiger Cub), Eli Dills (Wolf Cub) and Kaleb Hogue (Bear Cub) all finished first in their rank. Left: The Pinewood Derby track.

For more information about the Pinewood Derby or Cub Scouts, call Cubmaster Robert Atkinson at 706-897-0926.

Robert Atkinson (left) watches while his car is set to race against Mike Bittel's car in the parents Derby. Neither won the parents' race but Atkinson's car won Best in Show after the Scouts voted. Blake Holman watches as his car is weighed by a Kiwanis volunteer. The Pinewood Derby rules say cars can't weigh more than 5 oz. Some cars need last-minute adjustments. Bear Cubs Spencer Brundrett (back to camera) and Billy Smock are ready for their race to start. Pictured are just some of the Scouts' Pinewood Derby cars that participated in Saturday's race. The format of the race has cars racing two at a time with double elimination. The final round is held between the boys who win first in their rank. Eli Dills' car came in fastest of all in the final round. His car is pictured above, the red car in the middle photo.