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Cub Scouts whittle way to visions of glory
By JANE BOKUN WESTCHASE -- For Steve Silvers and his son Eric, it was the quarters. "They helped us win the Pinewood Derby last year," said the 39-year-old Scoutmaster. Each year Cub Scouts throughout the United States carve, chisel, saw, file and paint to create race cars from small blocks of pine. Their parents help by trying to figure out how to make the nonmotorized racers go fastest. Weights are essential in the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Grand Prix. Four quarters in the hollowed-out car bottom were the secret to 7-year-old Eric's success last year, his dad said. "I'm no engineer, though," Silvers said. "I just know that a car being pushed down a hill will go faster if the weight is toward the back." The Silvers and about 100 other members of Pack 46 will try their luck in this year's derby, starting at 1 p.m. today in the Westchase Elementary School cafeteria. The winner from each age group from first to fifth grade gets a trophy. Trophies also are awarded for best design, most unique design and best paint job. Winners then go on to a districtwide competition. The event is open to the public. "The cars come in a kit, but they mainly consist of a block of wood, axles and tires found in the official Cub Scout Pinewood Derby Grand Prix kit," said Silvers of the Greens in Westchase. Indeed, the carmaking specifications for cars reads like a handbook for NASA. "The cars cannot be more than 5 ounces," Silvers said. Maximum length must not exceed 7 inches, tires and axles must not exceed 23/4 inches and axle body width should be exactly 13/4 inches. Each car is weighed on electronic scales for added accuracy. Cars that do not adhere to the rules are confiscated at the beginning of the race and held until the end. Bob Doolittle, 41, and son Jordan, 8, remain undaunted by the stringent rules. "We've got some tips to make our car go faster," said Doolittle, who also lives in the Greens. "The problem is the 5-ounce cap, though. It's best to remain on the hairy edge of 5.001 ounces with your car." "It's not as complicated as it sounds," Silvers maintains. "A lot of the kids don't do much to their cars but round out the fronts with sand paper and paint them. Whoever wins is usually by the luck of the draw."
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