Cars constructed by some of the Cub Scouts from Haddonfield Pack 65 raced to the finish line at the White Horse District competition on Sunday, March 18.
The competition heated up last week. Cars constructed by some of the Cub Scouts from Haddonfield Pack 65 raced to the finish line at the White Horse District competition on Sunday, March 18, at the area Pinewood Derby held at the Voorhees Town Center, which was attended by packs all over Camden County.
Scouts who were first- and second-place speed winners at the pack-wide derby, held on Jan. 13, were able to advance to the White Horse District regional competition.
With only a block of pine wood, four nails for axles, and plastic wheels, Scouts of all ranks were encouraged to use their creativity and skills to build a car with the help of a parent or guardian. To advance to the White Horse regional, the Scouts undergo a somewhat rigorous process. Approximately 100 Cub Scouts were allotted 12 slots to compete in the White Horse District competition. Out of six ranks, Lions (kindergarten), Tigers (first grade), Wolves (second grade), Bears (third grade), Webelos (fourth grade) and Arrow of Light (fifth grade), only the first- and second-place finishers from each rank proceeded onward to the regionals.
Jack Parker from the Tiger den came in first place at the Jan. 13 competition, advancing him to the White Horse regional competition where he competed against 120 of the fastest cars. He finished in sixth place for fastest car, which was a difficult but fun process to watch, according to his mother, Megan York Parker.
“It’s hard to watch your child compete — at least for me,” Parker said. “We all know that no one wins every time, and we’ve all been on both sides of that. But winning and losing are a part of life, I know. And if you’re having fun and learning, you can’t lose.”
Jack, who has been in the Cub Scouts for seven months, weighed in on his feelings placing in the top 10 out of 120 competitors.
“It was really good. It was really great to win,” Jack said.
After sketching a design, Jack and his father worked together to make and paint hs car. Together, the two worked on the wooden race car for roughly four weeks, according to Jack.
With his experience, Jack also shared some advice to future Scouts who may be competing in the Pinewood Derby in the future — to have fun with it and embrace the outcome, either way.
“It’s OK if you win, it’s OK if you lose,” Jack said.
Ryan Gibson, part of the Webelos, also advanced to the White Horse District regional competition.
“I had fun competing,” Ryan said. “It felt gratifying to be a part of the Pinewood Derby.”
His brother, Jack, part of the Tiger den, participated in the Jan. 13 competition, and although he did not advance to regionals, his Pokemon decorated car won him a trophy for originality, which was exciting for him.
“I felt happy,” Jack said. “I love getting trophies.”
The Scouts were not the only ones showing excitement and appreciation after the competition. Clubmaster of Pack 65, Dustin Tarditi, was eager to share his appreciation for not only the Scouts but everyone involved.
“I am terribly proud of all our Scouts and their families,” Tarditi said.
Tarditi explained how proud he is of all of the Cub Scouts, saying everyone did their best and exhibited “exceptional sportsmanship.” For the ones who advanced, he is proud of how they represented the Scouts and pack, making sure to thank everyone who made the competition possible.
“We couldn’t do any of this without all the supporting family members, volunteer leaders in the Pack, and our charter organization, Haddonfield United Methodist Church. Special thanks as well to all the folks that make Scouting possible at the District and Council level. They work very hard to give us all opportunities to offer the Scouting program,” Tarditi said.
For anyone interested in Cub Scouts, visit the pack website at www.cubpack65.com or go to beascout.scouting.org.
