|
THE SCHEDULE OF PWD PLANNING EVENTS
This page discusses the planning events and timeframes that need to occur in the months prior to your Pinewood Derby. While you can do an OK Derby with only 45 days planning, you can do a GREAT Derby if you take 5 months to plan it. Your boys will remember it all of their lives!
Probably, the best time to start planning for next year's Pinewood Derby is during this year's Derby. This is the best time to observe what works and what doesn't. Take time to make observations, and write a few things down to jog your memory for next year. Also, please note that there is nothing 'official' about the following schedule. This is the way Pack 215 does it, and we have pretty cool Derbies!
|
|
Sign-ups for Pinewood Derby Committee
|
September 15th |
|
Done during School Night For Scouting, provide a sign-up sheet for each Pinewood Derby Committee position you would like to fill. See our pages on "PWD Committee Roles and Responsibilities."
|
|
1st Pinewood Derby Committee Meeting
|
November 10th |
|
Bring your new team together for the first time. Go through introductions. Distribute phone numbers, e-mail addresses, etc. Review last year's Pinewood Derby. What did we do 'right'? What do we need to do 'better'? Discuss roles and assign responsibilities. Distribute draft rules, discuss / approve / modify them. Discuss need for decorations / raffle sponsorships. Ask all team members to get out there and shake the bushes for sponsorships.
|
|
Distribute Pinewood Derby Kits
|
November 20th |
|
Hand out Pinewood Derby kits and "Official Rules" at November Pack meeting. See our "Deliver the Kit Skit" pages for a unique and exciting way to hand out those kits!
|
|
1st Pinewood Derby Clinic
|
December 10th |
|
Provide 1st clinic to help boys and their helpers get started. Use classroom to discuss speed tips and design methods. Use shop set-up to rough cut car blocks. Bring official scale.
|
|
2nd Pinewood Derby Clinic
|
January 15th |
|
Get late starters moving. Answer tons of questions. Bring official scale.
|
|
Pinewood Derby Car Registration
|
January 23th |
|
First weigh-in, registration / impound. Each car must pass a technical inspection before it may compete. The Inspection Committee should disqualify cars which do not meet the rules as approved by the committee. If a car does not pass inspection, the owner should be informed of the reason his car did not pass. Cars which fail the initial inspection may be taken home for modifications and brought back for the "Late Registration.'
|
|
Pinewood Derby Car Late Registration
|
January 25th |
|
Second weigh-in, registration, and impound. For late comers, and those that failed initial inspection.
|
|
Pinewood Derby Event Set-up
|
January 29th |
|
Bring entire committee together for event set-up. (Consider doing an "Adults Race" after set-up. You might even ask for a a registration fee from racers to recover some of your Derby expenses.)
|
|
Pinewood Derby Event!
|
January 30th |
|
"Gentleman, start your engines!"
|
