The Derby

Before now, I had never actually been to a pine wood derby. They have always been such a boyscout or secret boys club thing to do. I used to think it was unfair because I was pretty sure I could make a rock-on awesome car that would beat all those dumb boys at their own game. Then I got to the point where I really couldn't care less.
Then came Boise. The EQ here invited all the guys to make a car and have a party while they raced them... families invited. This was finally going to be my chance to see the elusive derby once and for all. My memories took me to times when my brothers and dad would sand down the block of wood into a sleek racing machine and put all sorts of stuff on the wheels to make them spin at super speed. Then they'd paint it in a "fast" color with their football jersey number on it or some other personal identifier. Jared told me of his memories that were pretty close to the same thing. I could see the sparkle in his eyes while he remembered the fun times and planned for this one.
Sadly, we were at a GREAT disadvantage this time around. Not only do we not have many tools, but all of them are packed deep in the recesses of our storage unit. As Jared decided to let Afton in on the planning of the car, we realized it was going to have to be pretty uncut and rugged. When he asked her what color she wanted it, she told him a resolute PINK. That pretty much set the stage for the car.
The night before the race Jared and Afton sat down to make their pinewood derby car with materials we could scrounge out around the apartment. No sandpaper, no carving or shaving it down, not even any WD-40 to help the wheels. We pretty much had some super glue, some cheesey craft paint, and an oversized paintbrush. No problem.
First they painted the body:

If you can't tell, it has blue and brown stripes on the sides, with a red racing stripe down the middle. Pretty sweet.
Then they put on the wheels and gave it a try.
Here they are at the race:
I was very shocked to learn that there was an official track, including digital timing to announce the winner and track all the racing results. They had a projection screen that showed all the racers in the different heats and their results. We were very proud that our car finished the race 3 out of 4 times. Yes, it came in third each time, but at least the wheels spun. Some of the cars were crazy fast and you could tell the 30-40 something year old men that made them were completely proud of their handiwork. Others were more in our "throw-the-car-together" category including a guy who duck-taped a rock to the top of his car and let it fly. Obviously the rules for weight, etc were pretty lax for this competition (even though they did have a highly-sensitive scale to weigh the cars to the tenth of an ounce for those who cared).
All in all, it was a fun time. Afton was the only girl involved in the race...we wives were allowed to watch from the sidelines and eat all the deserts we brought for the event. Fine by me because I couldn't have bent over to pick up the car from the track anyway.