Racing day at the Rec Center

On your mark, get set, go!

Members of Cub Scout Pack 31 in Rockville Centre showed off their hot rods and competed against one another for a spot in next month’s district meet during the annual Pinewood Derby at the Recreation Center on Jan. 22.

The boys, ranging from first to fifth grade, spent days building, painting and prepping their created cars in hopes of earning bragging rights in their respective dens and a spot in the county-wide district race on March 12 at the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary in Roosevelt. 

The competitors were given a block of wood and four wheels to mold their creations. The finished products had a variety of shapes, colors and designs and some of them were pattered against the Ghostbusters’ Ecto-1 vehicle, the Batmobile, a fire truck with a ladder on top and a chocolate bar.

But there were strict rules that the boys had to adhere to. The cars could not exceed a specified length, width and weight and only dry graphite lube may be used. No aftermarket parts could be placed on the vehicles. Awards were given for the best paint job, design and name.

At race time, three cars from each division were placed atop a metal ramp track and a lever was released to start the contest. The top three racers in grades 1 to 4 qualified for the district event. The Webelos II group is moving up to the Boy Scouts next month.

The following scouts were also honored in the following creative groups:

Tigers (Grade 1):

1st Place - Kyle Coughlin

2nd Place - James Carder

3rd Place - Jack Clancy

Wolves (Grade 2):

1st Place - Liam Pfaff

2nd Place - Gavin Van Gelder

3rd Place - Luke Enerle

Bears (Grade 3):

1st Place - Malachi Burns-Sharoff

2nd Place - Edward Wierzbicki

3rd Place - Will Flaherty

Webelos I (Grade 4):

1st Place - Eric Ressegger, Jr.

2nd Place - Michal O’Hare

3rd Place - James Loud

Webelos II (Grade 5):

1st Place - Mateo Barriocanal

2nd Place - James Giangregorio

3rd Place - Kenny Andorfer

Pack Overall:

1st Place - Barriocanal

2nd Place - Coughlin

3rd Place - Ressegger

Best Paint Job:

Tigers – Carder

Wolves – Pfaff

Bears – Burns-Sharoff

Webelos I – Loud

Webelos II – Colin Cook

Best Design:

Tigers – Clancy

Wolves – Liam Clodfelter

Bears – Jim O’Connell

Webelos I – Loud

Webelos II – Giangergorio

Best Name:

Tigers – Gevin Cook “Chocolate Lightning”

Wolves – Clint Cornell “Shark Bait”

Bears – Jack Reisert “Nimbus 2000”

Webelos I – Ryan Siegel “The Blue Blur”

Webelos II – Kyle Schultz “Steve McQueen’s Bullitt”