More than three dozen cars raced down an approximately 40-foot wooden track on Jan. 20 at the Cub Scout Pack 46 Pinewood Derby at the First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest.
“I love the wood track. It’s so sort of Norman Rockwell-ish,” said Tom Matkov, Cubmaster of Pack 46.
The Pinewood Derby offers a kit which Cub Scouts use to build and race their gravity-powered cars down tracks. A 7-inch block of pine is cut, shaped and usually sanded.
“What I love about the Pinewood Derby is that it’s essentially a physics lesson,” Matkov said.
Decorations – or leaving the wood natural – are up to the designer.
Derby cars have a 5-ounce maximum weight limit, and racing a car as close as possible to that weight is a goal for competitors.
“I made one (car) based on quantum physics,” said Jackson Sorensen, 9, a fourth grader. “It’s intended to be a fast car.”
Fourth grader Ernie Matkov, 9, said he made a car “purely for speed.”
Jack Gialamas, 11, a fifth grader, made a green car with a need for speed.
“I like how I built my car,” Jack said.
Cub Scouts received woodworking assistance from residents of Lake Forest Place, a local retirement community.
Matkov said the senior master woodworkers have been assisting the pack for about 15 years.
“They are outstanding and we love it,” Matkov added. “They seem to enjoy it as much as we do.”
Cub Scouts received trophies for speed and design.
The fastest car trophy went to Jakob Zimlich, 9, a fourth grader whose car had a Pokemon theme.
“It feels really good,” Jakob said moments after receiving his trophy. “I went for speed.”
Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.
