he ended up with what i thought was a pretty good looking truck. he was positive and enthusiastic during the building. this is a step up from last year, when it was just me, him, and enough sandpaper to produce some serious carpel tunnel syndrome.
so. the first difference i noticed between this year and last year's derby was that in oklahoma, it's pretty small stuff. in idaho, it's big. there were some entries that had clearly been engineered by someone who was NOT 9. i also noticed that there were at least ten times as many scouts, which makes for a VERY long racing experience. and you'll never believe this, but they had a laser-triggered time clock at the finish line. it recorded both the time and the placing of the car. but the thing that totally threw me was the amount of whining and tears i saw.
the kids did their thing. they lined up their cars, and they raced. a lot. mika lost three out of four times. the first time was manageable, the rest got progressively worse- to the point that it wasn't even fun anymore. i'm forced to admit that my child was among the worst of the perpetrators. but everywhere i turned, there were mopey boys, disinterested boys, bored boys, aggravated boys... WHERE'S THE CUB SCOUT SPIRIT!? what would akaela do? skip's theory is that we are raising a generation of kids who can't lose. they get generic trophies just for participating in team sports, they don't keep score, there's no real winner. everyone's a winner. hug your neighbor, kumbayah around the soccer ball... that kind of thing. so when kids DO participate in an event where they could actually lose, it blows them out of the water mentally.
i asked mika to think about whether he was in it to win or just to have fun. i said if he was in it for fun, then why not try having some. and if he was in it to win, to observe the cars that DID win and make some mental notes. he pretty much dismissed both suggestions in favor of pouting.
whattaya do? chalk it up to either a parenting failure or success... i'm not quite sure which at this point. but at least he left with his gratuitous "participant" award. which he threw in the trash when we got home.
12 comments:
Here is a link to a documentary I saw on PBS called Please Vote For Me-facinating!!! Check it out. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/pleasevoteforme
I am so sorry about your expererience! I do not like pinewood derby at all. We live in Idaho also, so what you described is pretty much what ours was like also. The first year, my son did just like yours. He made his own car and painted it and was so proud and then we showed up to race, and he lost everytime and it was so sad. Every year since, my husband has made the cars, because my boys refuse to now, and he did some research and now they do pretty good, but it's not a boys race, it's a dad's race! That's what I don't like about it. It's not fun for anyone except the winning boys and their fathers. I guess you could say that we stooped and play the game just like everyone else, but we've been doing this for 5 years now and it's the only way we've learned to survive it. Have you seen the movie Down and Derby? It's an exaggerated version of a pinewood derby in that it's all about the extreme measures that 4 dad's are willing to go to so that their sons will win the derby. It's funny but not too far off base in my opinion! I guess just be thankful you don't have to think about it again for another year!
The last few years our ward has had an adult Pinewood Derby. We have sooo much fun. Last year I made mine look like a flip flop. Also, the last two years the ladies have taken the trophy. LOVE IT!
I'm confused. Scouts were allowed to work on their own cars? My husband already has an appointment with a professional to make the pinewood derby car for next month. The guy has guaranteed a first or second place finish. I wonder if I should send my son to the car building also? Sol is 7 and a brand new wolf, but we are starting him off RIGHT!
Paige, are you serious?
The pinewood derby really is a recipe for sorrow. I'll never forget the year a kid who bought his car at the craft store won. Everyone let him get away with it because he is a little slow, but it made me mad. I'm a true Christian.
"which he promptly threw in the trash"! So funny.
And please let Paige not be serious.
I have my first Pinewood derby next month (as a den leader) and so it'll be interesting to see how it turns out.
Jaxon is VERY competetive, so I am really worried about him when it is time for the pine wood derby. He had his first basketball game today, and was pretty upset that they lost. Oh boy. He is five. He won't let Zach help him either, because he is a teenager stuck in a five year old body and thinks he knows it all already.
hmm, at my house acting like that would earn you not getting to do it anymore. But it's a pretty typical boy response... and all of mine would do the same. sigh. If you find a good idea, pass it my way.
btw, thank for stopping by my blog, you're family is GORGEOUS - I'll definitely be back often.
I took 1st or 2nd place every year I competed in a Pinewood Derby. The years I took 2nd, I lost to my older brother Mike. My greatest achievement was taking 1st in the pack and 2nd in the region my last year of Cub Scouts.
My Dad built every single car.
Oh, I cut it out, I sanded it, etc... But old Frank designed it top to bottom, front to back. We widened the wheel base, sanded and graphited everything down to the nails for the wheels, down the the wheels themselves! Half of what we did is probably illegal today. The other half was probably illegal THEN.
But winning is winning, baby.
whine-wood derby ... this is a good one...I'm going to have to let Dave read it and remind him of the potential for disappointment. Mr. Scouts himself is looking forward to next year when Paul will join the ranks.
One day, remind me to tell you about my Boy Scout hierarchy experience when I was Young Men's President in Florida. It was enough to drive me out of scouting forever n ever n ever. 29-year-old single men who desperately needed to be looking at girls more. Creepy.
Amen on the winning and losing! I can't stand that they don't keep score in the games anymore. It is all so NON-competitive. It's not that I want my child to always win, I just want to them to have a real life experience while they are young so it's not such a shocker when they are older and they actually LOSE! I am super competitive, and I love to win, but I also don't mind losing....it's just fun trying to win.
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