Speedy Scouts

Whew! I've been pretty nervous about today. It was JR's first Pinewood Derby with his Cub Scout troop and he'd been letting us know that he wanted to win. Of course I had no delusions that JR was going to win. I knew we were in trouble when Jason called out to me, "Hey! Where's the hot glue gun?" (Apparently hot glue works great on wonky Pinewood Derby car wheels.)

I got even more nervous when we walked in today and saw the seriousness of this race. JR kept asking me, "Can I just shove my car real hard at the start? That way I'll be sure to win!" Yeah, well, obviously JR wasn't the first kid to think up that little strategy. Not only did they have it fixed so all the cars start at the same time, but the finish line is electronic! I guess Pinewood Derby is right up there with Nascar.

Luckily, we had a wonderful time (wonky wheel and all). The kids got to race their cars plenty of times, and although JR didn't finish in the overall top 3, he did win a race or two (Praise the Lord!) And best of all, he handled his non-win better than I ever could have imagined. It helped that he was awarded a "participation ribbon" in the form of the award, "Most Scout-Like Car"...which I guess is what you win when you leave Jason and JR to the decorating...they painted the car navy. (I'll be sure to put in my design two-cents next year.)

Here are some pictures from the big day. JR is sporting some serious after ski hair and is missing his uniform since we drove straight from his ski lessons to the race.

The racers

Lining 'em up

Watching a photo finish

JR and his buddy Kelley