Our numbers were down from what we hoped we could get. We had 36 of 154 potential Beavers, 48 of 152 potential Cubs, 19 of 78 potential Scouts and 3 of 22 potential Ventures, so we had 106 youth out of 406 registered in the District
We took the top 20 Kubkars from the track where all the fastest cars moved to. Impounded them and reweighed, then gave them all the chance to relube. All the other cars and trucks were impounded directly at registration.
The top Kub Kars were run on the Derby Magic track, as well as the Scout Trucks, Open (Venturers, and Leaders) and Sponsor Cars and Trucks.
I am not sure how many heats they ran for each class, as I was floating putting out fires. I do know they had some painful issues with the timer and software, having to reset continually.
This is our first District wide rally ever (to my knowledge). We wanted everyone to have fun and the bubble sort gave the kids the chance to run and run and run some more.
We got such good feedback about the "organized chaos".
I never heard any kid say they were bored until we were doing the timed trials.
And I agreed.
After the constant action and flow of kids and cars in the morning, it seemed to move too slow.
If people don't have something to do or watch, they get bored easily.
Some of the groups came in way under weight and I can almost guarantee they did nothing more than try to shove the nails in straight. The groups that did take advantage of the workshops we held, worked better. We did not go hard nose, but they did have to pass a width and height gauge, and weight requirements. We added somewhere between 8-10 pounds of weights I had pre-cast, to get most cars to max weight.
I know it seems like we are in the stone ages compared to how the derbies are run South of the 49th, but all the kids had a great day, and they are what matters.
We are using this as a stepping stone for the future. Hopefully we will get more consistent building practices among the groups, with the workshops, and ultimately get better participation. We had 6 of 11 groups participate, but most are smaller groups. We already have the date picked for next year, so groups can hopefully plan their programs towards it.
Stan, send me an email in a few days, when my head is clearer, and I am caught up on my work load. I am interested in the work and care you put into the science of racing.
Gerry