Big
rigs in high gear at races
By
Michael Speck
Ninth Welland Venturers Ashley Wilcox (right) and Greg White
(middle), along with Scout Nicholas Fisher, get the model trucks, known as
"Big Rigs" and "Scoutrucks," ready for racing at a
competition at Holy Trinity Anglican Church on March 1. The Welland
Venturers have been hosting the races for the past nine years.Freckle-faced
teenagers usually don't pass as truck drivers, but anything is possible
when the Boy Scouts are involved.
Wanting to create an event that would bring in Scouts from across
Niagara, the Welland Venturers and Rovers create a competition where
Scouts build model trucks, known as "Big Rigs" or "Scoutrucks,"
then bring them to the Holy Trinity Anglican Church on Division Street to
see whose design is best.
All scouts start out with the same kit, consisting of just a few
pieces of assorted wood, along with the wheels, and are told to get
creative. On March 1, the 76 participants brought the trucks out for races
and design competitions, with 14 prizes being awarded altogether. "It
really is an amazing event because when the kids are building the trucks
it's woodworking skills, the design aspect, but if you listen they're not
jeering each other, which is nice," said George Kodatsky, Scouts
Canada Merritt Trails deputy commissioner.
"There's the social aspect."
Unlike the "Kub Kars," which are 112 grams, the Scout
Big Rigs are 1,025 grams. All higher level participants race in the
Ultimate Class, where the trucks are 4,000 grams, or about 10 pounds.
"They hit with a very satisfying thump at the end,"
said Kodatsky. This is the ninth year in a row the
Kodatsky said Scouts from all over