Pinewood Derby!

How have I not posted this yet?

Jackson started scouts last year when he turned 8. This is an area of which I know NOTHING about, and I hate to admit it...but I don't really care to know anything about it either. So, I've made it clear that it's Jeff's deal. Jeff has to work helping him get things passed off, making sure he gets badges so he doesn't look like a loser at pack meeting, etc. So, the last Thursday of January, we attended our first pack meeting. The church gym was buzzing with excitement. Now, not having been to a pack meeting before this, I assumed this was no different than any other. 20 boys all running around like lunatics, plus 2-4 siblings per boy scout in attendance = total chaos. But no, it wasn't the boys buzzing with excitement, it was the dads. The pinewood derby kits had been distributed.

It was my sense immediately that this becomes the dad's project and the kids do nothing other than set it on the ramp on race day. Over the course of the past month, other dads have called Jeff to give him pointers, some dads bought special weights off the Internet, and you know everyone was googling how to best get that 5 oz. car down the track as fast as possible. Now, I'm all for not letting my kid look like a loser (see above), but I felt pretty adamantly that Jeff not do all the work. So, Jackson was able to design the shape of the car, and painted it. From there, I'm not sure how the responsibilities were split between the two of them. All I know is Jeff was sure to mention to me that he would have designed the shape of it differently, but because it's Jackson's car, he conceded on the design. (you know, so that I am aware that Jackson is the true mastermind behind the whole operation) Then there was the whole business of googling, weights and axles that I don't understand, but finally, on race day, our rastafarian car was ready to hit the ramp.

Prior to the race

During the title race (Jackson's car is the one on the left). This picture cracks me up because Jackson is the completely blurry figure on the right. He was evidently very excited to be winning. That's right...he's winning!

Here's the look of shock once he realized he'd won the whole thing. Apparently (I wasn't there) Jeff's face was equally matched in total surprise. Who knew? Beginners Luck?
And, here we have it, folks. First place. But no trophy to take home - just bragging rights. I'm wondering if there's a trophy I can buy from the BSA website. Question is...who gets it? Jeff or Jackson?