Aspie Wins BSA Pinewood Derby

My apologies for the hypey headline... but I just couldn't help myself.

I have a little "Aspie Heroes" sidebar on this blog. And it should include my son, NJ.

This past weekend, he took 1st place among dozens of Cub Scouts competing in the Osceola District Pinewood Derby.

For anyone who doesn't know... The Pinewood Derby is an annual event sanctioned by the Boy Scouts of America. The Cub Scouts participate by crafting their own homemade wooden cars and racing them down a gravity-fed track.

Each heat involved four race cars. And they keep racing until a champion emerges.

Before I get to what happened this weekend, and last weekend... let me give you some background.

I was a Cub Scout myself. And I remember my Pinewood Derby experience like it was yesterday. For whatever reason, I crafted my car almost entirely by myself. The BSA gives you a kit that includes a square block of pinewood, about 7 inches long with grooves for axles. You get four nails for axles. And you get four plastic wheels. Other than that, you can do whatever you want within the rules to make your car the fastest.

I worked hard on my car. And then I went to the derby all excited. And my car came in last two races in a row and was summarily eliminated. In fact, it didn't even make it all the way down the track - either time!

For a seven-year-old, it was totally disappointing. And then I learned that like ALL the other boys there were using graphite to lubricate their wheels. I kind of knew what graphite was - the stuff in pencils? But I had no idea what this had to do with anything viz race cars.

As it turned out, the other boys had worked on their cars with help from their dads. This is an acceptable - and encouraged - arrangement. My dad preferred for me to do all the work myself, to build character I suppose.

But the sting stayed with me for, oh, about 33 years.

Until this year...

Now. I know you're not supposed to live through your kids. I know you're not supposed to carry stuff around with you. And I'm here to say: that's not what I'm about to describe.

Instead, NJ and I agreed to work hand-in-hand on this project.

He would have to be involved in EVERY step of making the car. Designing. Cutting out the body shape. Sanding. Etc.

First thing we did was have NJ sit down with a big piece of blank paper and design his car. He had been thinking about it. "We're going to make it look like a skateboard," he said. I taught him that you need the side view... the front view... the top view... So he drew the different views of the design.

And he even drew the design details - the paint scheme, etc. I mean, we're talking Frank Lloyd Wright here people! ;)

But the plans were good. And we used them to cut out NJ's car body.

While I did let him practice using the electric jigsaw on a piece of wood for a minute, I did the primary cutting of the body. But then I turned him loose with the electric finishing sander to shape and smooth the body. He was REALLY good with the sander.

Next we polished the axles. We polished the wheel hubs. NJ painted the car with his mother while I was away on business.

The next morning, we went to the Pack 308 Pinewood Derby. And lo and behold... NJ won every single race!

He took first place, and was rewarded with a nice big trophy. They had Olympics-style music playing. The spotlight was on him and the other top-3 finishers. I mean, it was a big event. There were hundreds of people in attendance. NJ literally skipped away from the racetrack with a smile on his face.

And I couldn't help but feel that a big circle had been closed. I got the chance to give NJ the Pinewood Derby experience I never had... and it played out beyond our wildest dreams... beyond anything I could have planned or imagined.

It was, in short, a God thing. And so is NJ.