The Pinewood Derby is a parent-son project. Please feel free to
give guidance and minimal assistance to your Scout as he builds his
Pinewood Derby car. This is a chance for your son to be part of a team
(he and you), and to enjoy the spirit of friendly competition with his
peers. Also for your Cub Scout to enjoy the satisfaction of building his
own car from the kit provided.
A special note to all parents and scouts: Together, please read the following article on sportsmanship...
While everyone will
be trying to win, it's always a good idea to start out by remembering
the Cub Scout Motto, "Do Your Best," and some of the basic ideas behind
good sportsmanship. Two things the Pinewood Derby requires each
participant to learn
are 1) the craft skills necessary to build a car, and 2) the rules that
must be followed. Even more important, though, is how we
act and behave while participating in the Pinewood Derby or any other group activity. This is called sportsmanship.
The first thing to
remember about sportsmanship is that everyone's skills are a little
different. You may be good at something like singing or drawing, but
not as good at
something else like basketball or computers. Parents have different
skill levels, too. This doesn't mean that you are a good person one time
and not good another time. You can always be a good person, whether or
not you have good car-building skills. Remember, you and your
friends are individuals first and racers second. This idea is often
called having respect for others.
The second thing to
remember is to follow the rules. Without rules, there would be no
Pinewood Derby. You will never know if you are really good at doing
something unless you follow the rules. This is often called being
honest.
The third thing to
remember about good sportsmanship is that there are winners and losers
in every competition. You accept this when you choose to compete. There
may be times when you win and feel happy, and times when you lose and
feel unhappy. Being a winner is easy, and losing is sometimes hard. If
you win, you must not brag or gloat. If you lose, you must not feel
jealous or bitter.
To be a good
sportsman, you must be able to say "I did my best" and be satisfied with
the results. You must also be able to appreciate and feel happy for
someone else when they run a good race or build a neat car.