Shilo

It has been a few years since pinewood derby's. My son started derby running as a Tiger and ran a car every year through his second Webelo year. He did the work as age appropriate (the power saws were off limits to the tiger/wolf). Design, sanding, painting, and decorations were all his.

We have all the equipment a scout or parent could drool over ... and guess what ... Dad took the biggest ribbing when his cubby's car came in behind cubbys' cars who did not have dads (so guess who substitued as "dad"); the cubs were all treated the same ...

A couple of suggestions ... when guiding your cubby do not let the car be lowered, or narrowed ... cubs get more upset about their car not running the track than they do about not coming in first!

I have seen fire engines, green tanks, wedges, solid blocks ... painted, crayoned. Did not matter ... every participant got a "Derby Licence", Certificate, derby section, and ribbon. We gave out trophies and medalian medals; no scout got more than one trophy (if your car came in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, it was automatically disqualified from best of show, most whatever, ... and the judges of the non-winner type trophies were the parents or guardians of the race winners! Never heard a complaint.

The creating the derby is the cake and icing ... the race is just the package.

Our crew, after much discussion among the youth and advisors, adopted the Green Venturing Shirt, dark pants or shorts (no hip huggers or low riders), and dark or official venturing socks.

Our crew is tightly associated with a troop and sets the example and standard for younger boy scout youth to follow, so it was a very difficult decision not to go with the full recommended "offical" Venturing uniform. But for us safety became the overriding factor. We live in an area where year round, cotton Is Not Recommended; so the 100% cotton Venturing shorts/pants, are not advisable.

We travel to activities in Uniform and change as we hit the trail. Removing shirts for activity shirts (worn underneath) works ... changing out of cotton shorts or pants is a problem.

This is something our crew and troop have researched very carefully. The Venture book states any requirements done as a boy scout (and implies any registered youth group, girl scouts, etc.) can double for the Venture requirement as long as the requirements match and as long as the youth is registered as a Venture.

As already stated in this form, previously earned cerifications, As Long As The Certification is Current when the Award requiring the Certification is awarded, applies even if the cerification took place prior to registering as a Venture.

This is why our Troop encourages interested youth to co-register the buddy Venturing Crew (same council number, same charter) as soon as they are eligible. High adventure and other activities like COPE get credit with both programs. However the youth are counciled that earning the equivalant merit badge will not complete the same Venture item; Ventures have harder requirements! We also require the youth to focus on Eagle.

At this point we have youth getting Eagle who have a good start on Venturing requirements!