Racing

Every year more than a million Cub Scouts and adult partners team up to participate in a Pinewood Derby®, a tradition that goes back generations. As a coach and a Cub Scout design, carve, paint, weigh, refine, and race the car, a bond of partnership is created. This is at the heart of the event’s success. In addition, Cub Scouts build confidence and take pride in their own growing skills and hard work. So enjoy the ride! Much More Than a Race While the exhilaration of the actual race lasts only moments, the Pinewood Derby® experience lasts a lifetime. The benefits, for Cub Scout and adult, are discovered through the derby process itself: strengthening bonds, sharing responsibility, developing teamwork, learning new skills, exercising creativity, building sportsmanship, and making new friends.

Racing in the Pinewood Derby® creates a bond between a Cub Scout and all those who have raced before, as well as those who will follow to participate in this same tradition. Walk up to any Boy Scout—youth or adult; if he participated in a derby, his memories will resemble those of all other participants in the history of the event. Learn More About Pinewood Derby

Regatta® offers a fun, skill-building experience similar to the Pinewood Derby®… strengthening bonds between Cub Scouts and adult partners, sharing responsibility, developing teamwork, learning new skills, exercising creativity, building sportsmanship, and making new friends. However, the Sailboat Regatta® offers the added advantage of being a bit easier to implement. The Regatta® can be run in a simple wading pool or along the more popular course – the raingutter. Sailboats made of pre-shaped, lightweight balsa wood are easily sanded into shape and propelled throughout the race by the Cub Scouts blowing onto the sails. Sportsmanship - The Big Win! A primary goal of Regatta® is to stress that it’s more important to “Do Your Best” than come in first. As Cub Scouts learn the skill of good sportsmanship, they are better able to recognize and appreciate the new skills they’ve acquired, to show respect to all those involved, and to experience the fun and excitement of competition. Learn more about the Rain Gutter Regatta

The space derby is a racing event for Cub Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America that is similar to the pinewood derby car race. Cub Scouts (the young-age division of the Boy Scouts of America) race miniature balsa wood rockets that are propelled by a rubber band and propeller.The space derby kit consists of a balsa wood block, propeller assembly, rubber bands, plastic sheet (for fins), and a mounting bracket. The wood block comes out of the box with a drilled out center hole. The block is carved into the desired shape, sanded and painted. The mounting bracket and fins can be added either before or after painting. The rubber band is inserted through the center hole with one end on the propeller and the other held in a cross-piece at the rear.

The completed rockets are wound up with as many as 100 or more turns on the propeller and suspended on a string from a separate bracket with the propeller held in place. Two, three or four string lanes are typically used. The rockets are held in place and launched when the mechanism releases the propeller.