Greetings Pack Families,

It’s that time of year to start planning for turkey, stuffing, and pinewood derby cars.  Our annual derby will be held on Sunday, January 24th at 1:30 pm in the SAM Hall.  Even though this sounds like a long ways off, it is never too early to start designing the winning race car.  Your kit can be obtained from your den leader over the next few weeks (or contact Mr. Remley if you would like to pick one up this weekend).  Race day is a fun event for the entire family. 

Remember that all adults and siblings are also encouraged to participate.  Last year’s “adult” race winner is 12 years old now, and looking to defend his title.

For those Scouts and families new to the event, we will have a short information session to help you get started next month.  Details will be sent out separately.  Please click on the image below to get a copy of the official rules, and be sure to read them thoroughly as a few items have changed.  A few rules to pay especially close attention to:  

1. The wheels and axles must be obtained from the B.S.A. pinewood derby kit.  All 4 wheels must roll on the ground, and there are specific rules on how the wheels can be sanded.
2. Weight and dimension limits are strictly enforced. 5.0 oz is the absolute maximum weight.  You will want to get as close to this as possible.
3. A “stand” is purely optional, but if you create one, it must be within the specified dimensions if it is to be used.

There are plenty of ideas for designs in our photo albums, as well as on-line.  The best design, of course, is the one your Scout comes up with on his own.

There are openings this year on the official derby pit crew.  We need help with setup, decorating, race operations, food service, and check-in.  All of these roles do not take much time, and are highly sought after for the prestige they bring to any professional resume. Please contact Remon Girgis to sign up.   

Greetings Pack Families,

Derby car kits and rules for our 2015 Pinewood Derby were handed out at the pack meeting yesterday.  If you did not receive yours, please contact Paul Hinz as soon as possible.  Our pinewood derby will be held on Sunday, January 25th, and looks to be another fun day for everyone.

Remember that all adults and siblings are also encouraged to participate, and the entire family is welcomed to cheer on their favorite racer.   This is one fun event for everyone. 

For those Scouts and families new to the event, we will have a short information session to help you get started next month.  Details will be sent out separately.  A few things to pay especially close attention to on the rules (click on the image below for your copy):

1. The wheels and axles must be obtained from the B.S.A. pinewood derby kit.  All 4 wheels must roll on the ground, and there are specific rules on how the wheels can be sanded.
2. Weight and dimension limits are strictly enforced. 5.0 oz is the absolute maximum weight.  You will want to get as close to this as possible.
3. A “stand” is purely optional, but if you create one, it must be within the specified dimensions if it is to be used.

There are plenty of ideas for designs in our photo albums, as well as on-line.  The best design, of course, is the one your Scout comes up with on his own.

There are openings this year on the official derby pit crew.  We need help with setup, decorating, race operations, food service, and check-in.  All of these roles do not take much time, and are highly sought after for the prestige they bring to any professional resume. Please contact Warren Biederstadt to sign up.   

The pack’s annual Pinewood Derby was held this past weekend and it was yet another opportunity for our boys and scouting families to have fun and do their best.  Over 60 cars handcrafted by Scouts, siblings, and “big kids”, raced down the shiny track, and the 8 fastest competed in a final champion round.  Almost all races were very close, with only 0.0059 seconds separating the Pack Champion and second place.

City of Brea mayor and Rotary Club President Brett Murdock was on hand to present the pack with $500 for ongoing support from the Brea Rotary.

While we always have clever designs at our races, this year our boys came up with some really ingenious creations. The design winners for each category, as voted on by those who attended, are:

The Race Medal Winners from each den are:

Tigers: (1st place) Joseph T. (2nd place) Jack S. (3rd place) Daren L.
Wolves: (1st place) Isaac C. (2nd place) Christopher S. (3rd place) Jeffrey M.
Bears: (1st place) Ian R. (2nd place) Collin H. (3rd place) Mitchell D.
Webelos I: (1st place) Trent E. (2nd place) David L. (3rd place) Jackson N.
Webelos II: (1st place) Vinni P. (2nd place) Braden H. (3rd place) Matthew R.

Mack J. took first place in Sibling Race, and John Spielman took first place and bragging rites for the next year for winning the “young at heart” race.

A close finals round with some of the 8 fastest cars determined the Pack Champions:

First Place:  Vinni P. with his car “Veyron X3 P14”
Second Place:  Trent E. with his car “Blue Blazer”
Third Place:  Ian R. with his car “The Deathmobile”

Of course, this fun event could not have taken place without the dedicated volunteer pit crew led by Event Chair Warren Biederstadt. This crew took care of the hundreds of details required for such an event, including activities such as assembling, decorating, procuring, cooking, operating, printing, recording, calculating, announcing, cleaning, and inspiring. This crew included:

Warren Biederstadt, Paul Hinz, Amy Hinz, Peter Gambino, John DiMario, Matt Sikes, Brad Halderman, Shawn Jamison, Jo Rivera, Scott Wemple, Jeff McEntee, Patti Di Mario, Debbie Felix, Remon Girgis, Rowen Pastrana, David Ladjevic, Andre De La Cruz, Jim Remley, Steve Corona, John Koos, and many others who jumped in to help whenever they saw a need.

Photos of the event will be posted soon. If you have some pictures that you can share, please upload them for all to enjoy.  A printout of all race records is available here.

Congratulations Scouts, and thank you scouting families!  Here is a composite of this year’s creative designs:

Greetings Pack 811 Racers!

Our annual pinewood derby will be held on Sunday, January 12th. Click on the image on the right for the details and official rules. Note that all cars must be turned in on Saturday, January 11th.  Pinewood Derby kits will be distributed at this Sunday’s pack meeting to all Scouts.

There have been several minor changes made to the Pinewood Derby for 2014.

1. We added a few new design categories for our creative scouts to compete in. We will also be asking each Scout which categories he wants to be judged on (up to 2 choices).
2. We have limited the display stand size to 9” x 5” and no more than 4” tall.
3. Please be sure to read all the rules for a few other additions for this year.

We are once again including both siblings and parents in this year’s event. You can contact Paul Hinz if you need extra car kits or stop by the local Scout Shop in Anaheim. Scout entries should include their own “BEST” contribution.

A workshop will be held sometime in December for those that need a little help getting started. No one should feel intimidated or afraid to participate – our pack has plenty of experienced racers willing to share their expertise. Check the Pack Calendar for any updates.  Some useful hints can also be found on line. Check out the Resource Library for some links, and the Photo Albums for some pictures of creative entries from previous years. We are looking forward to another great event!

This event requires considerable volunteer help to make this an enjoyable day for our scouts.  Jim Remley and I will be actively recruiting volunteers to help with the following activities.

a.  SAM Hall set-up and derby car weigh-in on Saturday, January 11th. (4 volunteers)

b.  A photographer will be needed to take photos of each entry during weigh-in.

c.  Food services: hamburgers, hot dogs, snack table with beverages. (6 volunteers)

d.  Pit Crew for January 12th ( Staging cars, operating track, car retrieval after each race). (5 volunteers)

e.  Judging contest organizer

f.  Break-down & Clean-up (5 volunteers)

Each volunteer will earn a highly coveted spot on the official 2014 Pinewood Derby Committee.  Enough volunteers will be recruited to insure every parent will still be able to cheer on their racer on race day. If you are interested in being on the committee this year, please contact Jim Remley or myself.  We will have a meeting some time in December to prepare for race day.

Yours in Scouting,

Warren Biederstadt
Derby Committee Chair
warrencb58@netzero.com

Another exciting Pinewood Derby was conducted last Sunday, with nearly 50 scouts vying for the coveted first place race trophy and various design ribbons.  Even siblings and dads showed off their car building in their own races.  Never before have we had such creative designs, nor closer races.  Less than 0.007 seconds separated the top three finishers.  All scouts are to be congratulated for their handiwork and great display of sportsmanship.  In addition to the racing fun, scouts were able to try on a real dragster thanks to Eagle Scout Rick, and were entertained by yet more pies in the faces of Christian and Jim.  A great day was had by all due to the hard work of many of our great parents.  Check out pictures of the event in our photo albums.

For the designs, the top prizes went to:

Best Paint Job:
Ben W., Trent E., Matthew R.
Best Scouting Theme:
Ethan D., Jared D., Collin H.
Fastest Looking:
Luke C., Trent E., Steven G.
Most Origional:
Sam W., Grant E., Ben W.
Best Use of Stickers:
Chad H., Ian R., Noah G., Tyler B.
Scariest Looking:
Vincent P., Grant E., Alexander R.
Most Patriotic:
Braden H., Arthur N., Ian M.
Best Name:
Tyler B., Ben W., Sam W.

The race medal winners are:

Tigers: (1st place) Aiden H. (2nd place) Nicholas B. (3rd place) Matthew B.
Wolves: (1st place) Jackson N. (2nd place) Conner R. (3rd place) Jake Q.
Bears: (1st place) Tyler H. (2nd place) Braden H. (3rd place) Luke C.
Webelos: (1st place) William B. (2nd place) Mikal Q. (3rd place) John R.

And the Pack Champions are:

First Place: Mikal Q.
Second Place: William B.
Third Place: Braden H.

Congratulations Mikal!