Crushing event at first ever pack race...
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:29 am
This is our first year of racing Cub Scouts. I volunteered with a friend of mine to be a Den leader of our incoming Tiger sons. We have had a great time getting to know the other leaders. The Cub Master and Committee Chair are both exiting this year as their sons are second year Webelos. They have become good friends, and I respect and like them both. They have been very helpful to us as we learn the leadership process.
My buddy and I both raced as scouts years ago and are pretty competent regarding the rules, and areas they can be bent. The Committee Chair selected the rules for this years event, and she selected a pretty strict set.
Basic points of importance:
~Must use axles and wheels supplied in the kit
~Must use existing axle slots in block, and keep axles exposed
~“Wheels may be lightly sanded on exterior only to remove mold marks”
~No camber allowed
~Dry lubricant only
I was a bit shocked by the no camber rule. There is no such thing as perfectly horizontal with BSA axles and slots. I interpreted it to read no 'excessive' camber. In questioning the committee chair she did not seem to fully understand the rule.
Check in was Friday night or Saturday morning before the race. I went and helped set up the track Friday night, and also helped check in some cars. The Committee Chair and Cub master were checking in cars, and my other Tiger Cub leader volunteered to help them. About half of the cars checked in Friday night, and we added weight to all cars to get them at least to 4.9ozs. We went through a bunch of weight!
Saturday morning more cars were checked in before I got there. Neither I or my buddy paid much attention to that, as we were busy helping stragglers add weight.
They raced on a six lane 40’ and Best Track with a digital timer. Each car would run six times (once each lane) and the cumulative time was used for overall standings. My sons car and one other Tiger car were very fast in the Tiger Den, with total scores of 17.832 and 17.840 (2.972 avg). The closest after them all the way through Webelos was a 17.934. THe rest were all over 18 seconds.
When the second year Webelos ran their den one car was blistering fast. It turned out to be the Cub Masters son’s car. The total time for that car was 17.363. Knowing we had done most of the usual stuff to our car, and the fact that of the 40+ cars none other than that car were anywhere near that fast, a red flag went up in my mind. I asked my buddy if he checked in the car. He said it was checked in before he arrived this morning by the Cub Master or Committee Chair.
I originally approached the Cub Master jokingly and said “2.8’s huh, WOW!”. She replied that “ I have no idea what was done, he goes and builds the car with his uncle every year”. Another red flag. I went over and looked at the car. The tread seemed narrow so I asked to pick the car up. She looked very shocked, and annoyed but obliged. I looked at the inside of the wheels and sure enough no BSA logo, hollow cavity, and paper-thin treads. I would say they were 1 to 1.5 gram wheels. I was shocked. I told her “These wheels are extensively lightened and illegal”. She did not seem to understand the issue. I told her I would not tell anyone, that the car had already raced so the damage was done, but the wheels were a significant advantage. She thanked me, and put the car away. I found out shortly after that my buddy had noticed the same thing as he checked the car over closely after returning it to the table (he was in charge of placing cars on the track to race). He made the issue clear to the Cub master, and a few of the other leaders helping with the track.
My wife sitting in the audience heard a parent mention that the same scout "was clearly the fastest every year". I am crushed as a responsible leader. Leadership has failed to fairly administer the race this year, and possibly for several in the past. A new Tiger should have won the overall pack (it was not my son) but instead was second. I am not sure if the Cub Master was truly oblivious to the out of spec wheels, but I do question why the car was checked in when nobody else was present. Next year my buddy and I will be chairing the races so rules will be clearly defined, and check in will be conducted by the same individual on 100% of the cars. However I cannot shake the disappointment I have in the leadership of my Pack, and I really am not sure that there is anything I can do about it. I have always been passionate about Derby racing, and wondered why some were completely turned off by it. Now I guess I know…
My buddy and I both raced as scouts years ago and are pretty competent regarding the rules, and areas they can be bent. The Committee Chair selected the rules for this years event, and she selected a pretty strict set.
Basic points of importance:
~Must use axles and wheels supplied in the kit
~Must use existing axle slots in block, and keep axles exposed
~“Wheels may be lightly sanded on exterior only to remove mold marks”
~No camber allowed
~Dry lubricant only
I was a bit shocked by the no camber rule. There is no such thing as perfectly horizontal with BSA axles and slots. I interpreted it to read no 'excessive' camber. In questioning the committee chair she did not seem to fully understand the rule.
Check in was Friday night or Saturday morning before the race. I went and helped set up the track Friday night, and also helped check in some cars. The Committee Chair and Cub master were checking in cars, and my other Tiger Cub leader volunteered to help them. About half of the cars checked in Friday night, and we added weight to all cars to get them at least to 4.9ozs. We went through a bunch of weight!
Saturday morning more cars were checked in before I got there. Neither I or my buddy paid much attention to that, as we were busy helping stragglers add weight.
They raced on a six lane 40’ and Best Track with a digital timer. Each car would run six times (once each lane) and the cumulative time was used for overall standings. My sons car and one other Tiger car were very fast in the Tiger Den, with total scores of 17.832 and 17.840 (2.972 avg). The closest after them all the way through Webelos was a 17.934. THe rest were all over 18 seconds.
When the second year Webelos ran their den one car was blistering fast. It turned out to be the Cub Masters son’s car. The total time for that car was 17.363. Knowing we had done most of the usual stuff to our car, and the fact that of the 40+ cars none other than that car were anywhere near that fast, a red flag went up in my mind. I asked my buddy if he checked in the car. He said it was checked in before he arrived this morning by the Cub Master or Committee Chair.
I originally approached the Cub Master jokingly and said “2.8’s huh, WOW!”. She replied that “ I have no idea what was done, he goes and builds the car with his uncle every year”. Another red flag. I went over and looked at the car. The tread seemed narrow so I asked to pick the car up. She looked very shocked, and annoyed but obliged. I looked at the inside of the wheels and sure enough no BSA logo, hollow cavity, and paper-thin treads. I would say they were 1 to 1.5 gram wheels. I was shocked. I told her “These wheels are extensively lightened and illegal”. She did not seem to understand the issue. I told her I would not tell anyone, that the car had already raced so the damage was done, but the wheels were a significant advantage. She thanked me, and put the car away. I found out shortly after that my buddy had noticed the same thing as he checked the car over closely after returning it to the table (he was in charge of placing cars on the track to race). He made the issue clear to the Cub master, and a few of the other leaders helping with the track.
My wife sitting in the audience heard a parent mention that the same scout "was clearly the fastest every year". I am crushed as a responsible leader. Leadership has failed to fairly administer the race this year, and possibly for several in the past. A new Tiger should have won the overall pack (it was not my son) but instead was second. I am not sure if the Cub Master was truly oblivious to the out of spec wheels, but I do question why the car was checked in when nobody else was present. Next year my buddy and I will be chairing the races so rules will be clearly defined, and check in will be conducted by the same individual on 100% of the cars. However I cannot shake the disappointment I have in the leadership of my Pack, and I really am not sure that there is anything I can do about it. I have always been passionate about Derby racing, and wondered why some were completely turned off by it. Now I guess I know…