Pack 798
Come soar with us
A successful and fun Pinewood Derby is highly dependent on the teamwork of the "Pinewood Derby Committee." Begin to assemble this group of volunteers early in the Scouting year. It is important to try to bring in several Pinewood 'veterans' to maintain the continuity you get from 'experienced people' who know what works (and what doesn't.) Conversely, it is very important to recruit some 'first-timers' as well. They'll be running the Derby in a couple of years! The following job descriptions illustrate the responsibilities of each functional position:
Pinewood Derby Chairperson - Padar
This individual is responsible for all Committee coordination activities. Strong organizational, motivational, and leadership skills are required here. The Chairman will typically host two or three meetings in the months prior to the Derby to collect and coordinate the status of all of the other Committee members, and to assign/coordinate additional tasks. During the races, the Chairman will also act as the behind the scenes coordinator of the event, coordinating solutions to all unforeseen 'emergencies' should (when) they arise.
Rules Team –
This team is responsible for the creation, approval, and distribution of the 'car construction' and 'race procedure' rules. Don’t underestimate the importance of doing a quality job here. The Rules Team can consist of all interested Pinewood Derby Committee members. Key players in the process are the Derby Chairperson, the Registration Team, and the Trackmaster Team, even though all committee members may participate. To learn more about rules and procedures, please read our Pinewood Derby Rules.
Facilities & Decorations Team –
These individuals are responsible for securing the facility, all Derby-day decorations, and the setup of the facility (tables, chairs, etc.). This involves decoration acquisition from purchased sources, and locating businesses that are willing to donate decorations. Auto parts and tire shops are GREAT sources! Before the official start of the event, the Decorations Team is responsible for arranging all event decorations.
Track Setup & Repair Team –
This team assembles the tracks and timers in the weeks before the race and on race day, and affects any repairs that might be necessary. During the races, the Track Masters are also responsible for keeping the tracks fast-and-smooth.
Master of Ceremonies – Harraka
The MC is the Committee 'mouth' during the Derby. He / she announces all races and racers, all results, and all other general communications during the event. The MC also presents all trophies, certificates, and medals to event winners during and after the Derby. Your Cubmaster is a good bet for the Master of Ceremonies.
Registration & Inspection Team –
We typically require that cars be turned in for impound before our Derbies. This can occur on race day or before – up to one week prior to the races. This team is responsible for checking-in participants, inspecting and weighing the cars, and entering participants into the racing software. These individuals must be very familiar with the car construction rules and the racing software.
Awards & Judging Team –
The awards team is responsible for coordinating the awards program for the races. The awards team purchases trophies and medals, and coordinates the making of personalized design award certificates. Trophies are typically awarded for the three fastest overall Scout cars, medals for first through third place in each Division, and really nice personalized certificates, ribbons, patches, etc. for all participants. This team is responsible for judging all of the cars for design and filling out the “award” certificates.
Starters & Finishers Team –
Two to three individuals are responsible for staging and starting cars, and ferrying cars from the 'finish-line' to the 'starting-line' during the races.
Racing Results Team – Padar
This team is in charge of the pinewood derby software package used to determine the racing heats, utilizing a method that best ensures that each car is racing the same number of times in each lane, and each car is racing the same number of times against each other car in their division. As race data comes in from the Finish-line Timers, they are reflected on the screen. In addition, a white board may be updated to show the top three finishers in each division as they complete their heats. This board can be located away from the track, allowing participants to see their standing.
Refreshments & Activities Team –
This Team is responsible for the purchase, set-up, and coordination of food and drinks during the event, as well as providing several activities to keep the kids busy during non-racing times.
Pit Crew Team –
A team of individuals that come together during the race to assist with wheel / axle lubrication and any car repairs that might be necessary should cars 'fly' off of the track, or get dropped, etc. This is also a good 'second job' for your Construction Clinics Team.
Crowd Control / Cub Escorts – Den Leaders
Our Den Leaders are each responsible for helping their Cubs with race day logistics (and behavior.) They also help with some of the more difficult lessons that Cubs learn about 'sportsmanship' during the races!
Cleanup Team
All of our Committee members (and maybe some volunteer parents) help with post-event cleanup.
Pack 798 - PWD Committee_May10_orig 5/12/2010