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Pinewood Derby Times
Volume 15, Issue 6
December 16, 2015

In this Edition:

- Editor's Notes

- Feature Article - Derby Teaches Lessons On Gracious Winning, Noble Losing

- Humor

- Product Showcase - DerbyDome - 10% Off

- Pinewood Derby Car Showcase

- Memory - The Flying Car Investigation

- Q&A



Editor's Notes

Inventory Clearance Sale
We also are clearing inventory on several items including:
  • Two special purchase tungsten weights: Mini-tungsten Weights and Round End Tungsten Plates.

  • Two Car kits: the Accelerator, and the Vaccinator.

We don't have many left, so don't delay. Click Here to find our clearance items. Don't miss out on the great prices.

Can We Help?
If we can help you in any way with your pinewood derby project, or if you have any feedback regarding this newsletter, please contact us at: info@maximum-velocity.com
MV Basic & Wedge Car Kits

If you are planning a race and are not required to use a specific kit type, our MV Basic or Wedge Car Kit are just what you need. These attractively priced kits are equipped with:
  • Quality Block - Unlike the blocks provided by some organizations, our blocks are soft, northwestern pine blocks, cut precisely to 7 inches long, 1-3/4 inches wide, and 1-1/4 inches tall. These dimensions, as well as the axle slots accurately duplicate the dimensions of standard pinewood derby blocks from BSA and PineCar.

  • Simple Axle Preparation - Don't worry about filing off flaws, or losing hub caps. Our Speed Axles have no burrs or crimp marks, and install without hub caps. With or without polishing, they are ready to go. We supply five, so you have a spare.

  • Quality Wheels - Forget cheap, out of round wheels. Our MV wheels are top-quality wheels. You will not be disappointed with the quality of these wheels.

So, if your organization does not mandate a particular kit type, consider our MV Basic Car Kits or MV Wedge Car Kits


Feature Article

Derby Teaches Lessons On Gracious Winning, Noble Losing
By Susan Mathison

Grant's face was twisted into a tight little ball of disappointment.

He had just received a second-place trophy for his age group at the Pinewood Derby.

The premise? Carve a miniature wheeled car out of a piece of wood, line it up with the other cars, and see whose car races the fastest.

Grant's car was a minimalist beauty, painted bright yellow but so layered with graphite that it looked like sleek stainless steel. It zoomed fast, but not the fastest.

He was not pleased with his second-place finish. It took about 10 takes and five minutes of cajoling to capture a photo with his trophy. Even then, his forced smile didn't quite cover his discouragement.

Seeing his frustration, I recognized one of those teachable moments, an opportunity to help my son learn an important lesson about graciousness, character and sportsmanship.

The truth is that "winning" is a concept that so many of us struggle with, myself included.

We all want to win. In some instances, we need to win.

We want to win the patient, win the client, win the opportunity, win the chance to speak on stage. We want to succeed. Earn a living. Make an impact. Nobody wants to feel like they are living a "second-place life."

But what does "winning" mean, exactly?

After scouring the Internet for quotes and definitions, the one that rings truest to me is a statement that doesn't include the word "winning" at all, but defines it nonetheless.

"Set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it."-Brian Tracy

To me, attaining that precious emotional state, peace of mind, is the definition of winning.

If you can enter into a competition, a conversation, a relationship, a creative project or a business venture and walk away knowing, "I truly gave my personal best, I regret nothing, I feel at peace," then you have won.

What is more precious than satisfaction, contentment and peace of mind?

No external trophy or ribbon can give you peace of mind-or take it away. It's an inside job.

That is what I tried to explain to my son amidst chattering kids and miniature cars.

He got to spend fun time with his dad working on the project. He got to make many trips to the Boy Scout store and the hardware store. He got to work with cool tools. He got to hang with his Tiger den and watch the thrilling races. He got to be happy for his friend who won. He got to try his best.

We're still working on these lessons, and likely will be for a long time.

First, second or last. Triumph or "better luck next time."

Peace of mind and no regrets means you have won.

Originally published April 12, 2015 at inforum.com
Used by permission

Dr. Susan Mathison founded Catalyst Medical Center in Fargo and created PositivelyBeautiful.com. E-mail her at:
[email protected]



Humor

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him.

As he sits, the waitress comes over and asks for their orders.

The man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and turns to the ostrich, "What's yours?"

"I'll have the same," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order. "That will be $6.40 please," and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and the man says, "I'll have a hamburger, fries and a coke," and the ostrich says, "I'll have the same."

Once again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes a routine until late one evening, the two enter again.

"The usual?" asks the waitress. "No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and salad," says the man. "Same for me," says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress comes with the order and says, "That will be $12.62."Once again the man pulls exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress can't hold back her curiosity any longer.

"Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change out of your pocket every time?"

"Well," says the man, "several years ago I was cleaning the attic and I found an old lamp. When I rubbed it a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there."

"That's brilliant!"says the waitress. "Most people would wish for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!"

"That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there," says the man.

The waitress asks, "One other thing, sir, what's with the ostrich?"

The man sighs, pauses, and answers, "My second wish was for a tall chick with long legs who agrees with everything I say."



Product Showcase

A great Christmas Gift!

  DerbyDome  
10% Off

The DerbyDome is a high-quality case for safely displaying pinewood derby cars. The DerbyDome has the following features:
Through December 29, 2015 you can get a DerbyDome for 10% off. To take advantage of this limited time offer, Add part 5210 to your shopping cart, then use coupon code DEC168NL during checkout.

Important Notes:
(1) The coupon code must be entered in UPPERCASE.
(2) Apply the coupon code after all items are in the cart. If the shopping cart content is changed after the coupon is entered, the coupon code may need to be re-applied before pressing the "Proceed to Checkout" button.



Car Showcase

Here are some unique cars from our race held in November.

TMNT

The TMNT car had to be fully hollowed out underneath to make weight. Not terribly fast but it won a design award.

Football and Minecraft

Both of these were design winners.

Caterpillar

This cute car was actually quite fast, and it won a design award. But it had the nasty habit of shedding green stuff on the track. Yuck.

DeLorean, Cake and Snoopy

Some great cars from our parent-sibling race. Snoopy took first in design. (I really like the DeLorean, but the participants pick the design awards; likely the kids were too young to recognize the DeLorean from "Back to the Future".)

Olaf and Batmobile

More cars from our parent-sibling race. Olaf took a design award. The other design award went to a Lightning McQueen car. Unfortunately, the photo of that car came out blurry.

Share Your Car With Our Readers

Do you have a car you would like to "show off" to our readers? If so, send us a photo of your car along with a brief description of any special features. Please include your full name. If selected, we will include the photo and description in this newsletter. Please e-mail photos to:
info@maximum-velocity.com.

Photos must be sent by e-mail in JPG format (minimum size of 640x480, maximum size of 1280 x 960). Please shoot photos from the front left of the car, similar to the orientation of this car:


For better focus, keep the camera four or five feet away from the car, and then use the camera's zoom to fill the frame with the car. Also, use a solid (preferably white) background for the photo.

Send only one photo per car, unless an additional photo is needed to adequately show a feature. Also, only one car per subscriber per year please. Thanks!



Pinewood Derby Memory

The Flying Car Investigation

Last night was the practice and "unofficial" weigh-in for our Pinewood Derby. This being the rookie season for my Tiger Cub we decided to practice positioning our car on the track. The first run was great - all went well and the car was fast. The second run was a cardiac tester!

As background, the starting gate mechanism on our track is controlled by an electromagnet. A long plate of steel holds the starting pins in place. When the switch is thrown, the electromagnet is disabled, causing the steel plate and the starting pins to fall.

Here is the official account of the incident.

THE SETTING: Four or five Tiger Cubs curiously milling around the starting gate (actually the launch pad for this story), two or three parents checking out the competition, one Webelo manning the starting switch, and two cars on the track.

THE LAUNCH EVENT: As the starting switch is thrown, the cars take off for a split second and then are abruptly jolted. One of the cars goes airborne (you know which one don't you) in quite a spectacular fashion and climbs to an altitude of five feet above the launch pad. The car appears to be in slow-motion as it flies about twelve feet, trying desperately to defy gravity.

THE IMPACT: A padded concrete landing followed by alternating impacts with two folding chairs, and a final bounce to the concrete for good measure.

THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION: No mechanical defect was found in the starting mechanism; no earthquake reported or predicted, leaving only the four or five curious Tigers to interrogate.

THE FINDING: Two Tigers found it fun to grab onto the steel weight at the start. Apparently the cars started but a Tiger reversed the direction of the weight causing a starting pin to launch the car.

THE DAMAGE REPORT: The car was nicked and scuffed a little but still performed well.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: Keep little hands away from the machinery.

Keith Lindsay
Halifax, Pennsylvania

Share Your Pinewood Derby Memory!
If you have a pinewood derby story that is funny, unusual, sad, heart- warming, etc., please E-mail it to me.

Don't worry about literary polish. We will edit as needed. If your memory is used, you will receive a $10 coupon in May of 2016.

Also, please read our Submission Policy



Q&A

Should I be using Krytox 100 lube instead of the graphite I've been using from you for years? Is it faster?

It depends on what wheels and axles you are using. In my opinion Krytox works best when the wheels and axles have a good fit. If the wheels and axles have a sloppy fit, then graphite generally works better.

If you are using BSA wheels and axles (which have a sloppy fit), then graphite generally works best. But if you were to use some oversized axles with the BSA wheels, then Krytox would work well.

However, I have received several e-mails from folks that have used Krytox 100 with BSA wheels and axles, and felt that the Krytox 100 was faster than the graphite.

Certainly, Krytox 100 is easier to use, cleaner, and lasts longer.

Do You Have Questions that Need Answers?
Do you have a pinewood derby-related question? If so, send your question to: info.maximum-velocity@com. We answer all questions by e-mail, but not every question will appear in the Q&A section of the newsletter.



Back Issues

Are you a new subscriber, or have you missed some of the previous newsletters? Don't miss out! All of the issues for Volume 5 through Volume 15 are posted on our web site and can be found using our Newsletter Index.

Issues from Volumes 1 to 4 are available in four formatted documents, ready for immediate download. To find out more, Click Here.




Newsletter Contributions

We welcome your contributions! If you would like to contribute an article, a web site review, or a speed tip, please send it to: [email protected].

Please read our submission policy.



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Randy Davis, Editor, Pinewood Derby Times
E-Mail: [email protected]

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