Craig Hauger one of Troop 118’s Assistant Scoutmasters is the Suwannee River Area Council Pinewood Derby Chair; with the help of Chris Brockmeier, Jeff Sanderson, Teresa Sanderson, Will and many other volunteers from around the council helped make this year’s event a success.
The Pinewood Derby is an event where dozens of Cub Scouts will pit their handcrafted, gravity-propelled cars against the others in a downhill race, and for the first time in history, girls will be competing for a checkered flag win.
The volunteers of SRAC organize the Pinewood Derby every year to enable the youth to learn elementary sciences, such as the role of gravity, in a competitive atmosphere while creating closer connections to their akelas, or trusted adult partners, promoting craftsmanship and good sportsmanship.
The 32-foot-long race track will be set up inside the mall alongside a scoreboard for keeping track of the race times. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in each race category will be awarded trophies including the first ever Champion’s Cup Trophy and the Mayor’s Choice Award.
“I have wanted to create the Championship Trophy category ever since I was a Cub Scout myself!” Craig Hauger, director of this year’s derby said, “We’re going to set it up just like the Indy 500 and allow the winning Cub Scout to drink either milk, OJ or apple juice in celebration of their victory.
This year, Mayor John Dailey will be joining us as a celebrity judge which is exciting because the Scouts loved meeting him during Scout Day at the Capitol earlier this year. They will love that he is invested in their successes on the track too!”
For the kids, the SRAC Pinewood Derby is an opportunity to get out and meet other units from around the council in a fun atmosphere. The competitors in this event built the winning cars from each of the packs in the council which spans 13 counties in South Georgia and North Florida.
“Educating youth through the Scouting program enables them to learn skills that they will be able to use throughout their lives,’” said Heather Rosenberg, Cubmaster of Pack 6 at Deer Lake United Methodist Church. “Pinewood Derby is one of those fun events that wraps science, engineering, math and fun into an event that draws out the best in friendly competition. With the welcomed addition of girls being allowed to join the program only expands the opportunities for young people to use those skills in a safe and fun setting designed to engage the creativity and energy of each child. Knowing that my daughter will be in the first class of girls who can theoretically go from Lion Scout to earn the rank of Eagle Scout and that she gets to compete in the council Derby is an incredible feeling.”
Cub Scouts is part of the Boy Scouts of America for those youth whose ages range from 5-11. Youth in the Cub Scouts participate in fun activities that also help them in their education. The program was created to develop positive characteristics such as cheerfulness, kindness, and helpfulness in young people who were not yet of age for the Scouts BSA program.
The Pinewood Derby’s name hails from the blocks of pinewood that the youth hand-craft into the small wooden cars used in the race.
To find out more information about the Suwannee River Area Council, Boy Scouts of America or to locate a Pack, Troop, Crew or Club to join please call the Scout Office at 850-576-4146 or visit https://www.suwanneeriver.net.
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