Pinewood Derby 2018

Hillview Ward Pinewood Derby

April 17, 2018

Was it too much to ask that our boys tie for First?  As it turns out, we had two boys race six times to determine who won third (plus the other eight races they both ran to tie for third).  Those six tie-breaker races proved to be unnecessary-- they won and lost the exact same number of races then, too.  We had a tie for third place!

It's always hard to watch the face of your child after their first race, if they weren't the one that had one the heat.  Such was the case for both of our boys.  Brennon's came in 3rd, Tyson's 2nd.  They believed, after all of the work they did on these cars, that they were really going to win.  Randy had been preparing them for many days about how they'd done everything they could, so they needed to be proud of their cars, even if they didn't win.  The Dirks did not come in 1st this year, as was the case a few years over the last 8 years of racers (Caden, Keilie, and Shelby have all won a Pinewood Derby), but we did have one boy place: Tyson took 2nd!

Randy bought a new belt sander and band saw this year.  These boys used the power tools to cut their own cars.  Randy felt much more comfortable with the new power tools-- he was always so nervous to let Caden use his old tools.  He was allowed to make a cut or two, but never allowed to do it all.  They drew out their designs on graph paper, traced their design on the side of the block of wood, and then cut out their cars with Randy standing over them to guide and protect.  They did an amazing job.

I also love that their cars mirror each others.

A fun 18 second slow-motion video of Tyson winning one of his heats.  It was the perfect moment kind of video.

Brennon came in 7 out of 19 boys.  They all raced 8 races, with each car racing twice on each of the four lanes against different opponents.  It was a really great night, even if our boys didn't tie for First.  I am very proud of their sportsmanship and craftsmanship!

1st place (winning each and ever heat)- Maxwell Evans

2nd place- Tyson Dirks!

3rd place- Roman Cleaves and Isaac Hammond (Brennon's best friend)