The Speeder
The Speeder
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The Speeder |
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The Speeder |
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Editor's Notes
From Neil Ezell: "My son is older now and no longer a cub scout. Alex won everything possible in a large pack and council during the years he participated. Great Times! A large part of his success was due to Randy and Maximum Velocity. Especially in my son's early years I was very active in helping him. My personal goal was for him to do all he could on his own and learn a great deal about scientific principles that he would not have been exposed to other wise. In addition, he learned many valuable lessons that will help him as an adult: fair play, good sportsmanship, and countless other good virtues. The winning and multitude of trophies were just icing on the cake. However teaching our sons and daughters how to be winners in pinewood derby helps them learn to be winners in life. There is the ethical question of how much parental involvement is fair and within scouting principles. In my opinion if the child is active in all stages of the car's design, assembly, testing, and learning; nothing is too extreme, bearing in mind that all local rules and regulations must be followed. I studied and learned about inertia, kinetic energy, potential energy, and countless other more complex physics and scientific terms that apply to maximizing a pinewood derby car's performance. All that I learned was taught to Alex until he understood it and could put the knowledge to use. I see no harm, foul or violation of rules in that. Alex excels in his science classes now, and possibly his pinewood derby experience is a significant factor. It opened his mind to the fact that learning science and other academic pursuits can be fun and can be used in daily situations. As for the ethics of using internet products, here are some factors to consider. If each parent worked at as a machinist or had access to the expensive equipment required, then these products are not required. But the vast majority of parents do not have that luxury. Prices for pinewood derby products may seem high, but what is inexpensive today that is high quality? The majority of us have no reservations of the parent that buys their child the best high priced sport equipment to practice and play with, which generally produce better performance in their sport of choice. Some children are provided with a multitude of teaching aids in the home that produce better school results. Is that unethical or unfair? I think not. Using Maximum Velocity products are comparable to the examples mentioned. Not every child has parents that provide good learning tools for academics, the best sport equipment, or pinewood derby competition accessories. That is unfortunate, but not an excuse to deprive our children if they have the desire to build a potential winner. Yes, we were fanatics at Alex doing the best he could in pinewood derby. The time, effort and relatively small financial cost was well worth the many quality father and son hours spent on his pinewood derby cars. It's a matter of priorities. Most of us can find the time, make the effort, and skip one evening at a restaurant that more than covers all monetary cost. Trust me, win or lose there are great rewards to be reaped for many years to come. Our children grow older very fast, we can't go back and do it again. Do your child and yourself a huge favor, help them build the best car they can. If they win, GREAT! If they don't win you have the satisfaction of knowing you helped them all you could, your child and you will leave feeling like winners. Alex and I now enjoy helping young scouts that have difficulties such as poverty, little parental help, etc. Due to the great times we had and memories we will always cherish I feel compelled to share with other children and parents a way to experience the pleasure my son had, and the best of times I had in being a small but essential part of it. Thanks Randy, and best wishes and luck to all pinewood derby racers." |
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The Special Scouting Edition DVD of "Down and Derby" makes a great Christmas present! Your whole family will enjoy this outrageous pinewood derby comedy that transforms an average group of dads into an awkward bunch of competitors. You can purchase the DVD Here.
The DerbyDome makes a great gift for that Pinehead in your family, and now is a great time to Buy at a Discount Price.
We now offer basswood and balsa wood, along with our craft metal products at
Maximum Hobby.
Basswood is a smooth grained softwood that is great for adding detail to a pine wood block. For example, we use basswood for the top plate in our Stealth Kit. It can also be used for making fenders, wings, cockpits, etc. We also have several items on Inventory Clearance. Supplies are limited so make sure to get these discounted products before they are gone! |
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The DerbyDome Great Christmas Gift! |
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