Pine Car rallies Scouts

Times Contributor      

 

It was bumper to bumper at the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church, as cars roared down the track to the finish line.

The cars were crafted by the First and Second Strathmore Cub Scouts, who gathered at the church along with their parents, extended families and leaders, for a day of socialization and fun that went along with a Pine Car Rally.

“It is not currently an annual event, but following our race on the weekend, we had a lot of kids saying they were looking forward to an event next year; so, I think we will continue it,” said Cub Scout leader Ken Rachynski.

The First Strathmore Scout troop has 16 members ages eight to 10-years-old. They meet at a building on the Strathmore Ag grounds. The second group is based in the church and it has 12 members. About 16 Cub Scouts from the combined group participated in the event.

Rachynski said the cars are homemade by the boys and their families, and there are rules about how they should be made.

The children are provided with a little block of pine and told the measurements where wheels should be inserted. What happens next is all up to their creativity.

“There were a couple of pickup trucks, one kid just drilled a hole in top of his block and put in a Lego driver, and others went fairly simple and just coloured the blocks and attached the wheels. Some of our parents are woodworkers, so those kid’s cars tend to be a little fancier,” said Rachynski. “In previous years, we have brought in parents with woodworking skills and they helped the boys cut out the cars and then they painted them up.”

For this year’s event the leaders borrowed a big gravity-based three-lane track. It is like a ramp that tapers down at the end. There is a release mechanism that is pulled down and whatever car gets down first is the winner. Winners for first, second and third positions had playoffs. There were some donations given for prizes, which were given out to winners in categories like race winning, most creative car and most enthusiasm. 

“We are not here for the prizes. We are out here to get together, to have fun and have a good day. The Cub Scout motto is ‘Do Your Best’, so we just want them to try to do their best,” said Rachynski.

Rachynski said there are personal growth lessons, communication skills and getting along with others through the activity.

“I had one kid that came up to me and say ‘I failed today’ because he didn’t win. I told him you didn’t win, but you didn’t fail….there is a difference,” said Rachynski. “For me, it helped me out, because I get to learn how to deal with kids who are discouraged.” 

Rachynski said leaders have a great opportunity for learning, if they volunteer to mentor Scouts.

“For me, I got into the program partly because my kids were interested in having me as a leader. It also challenged me to do something I was not comfortable with, which was standing up and speaking in front of a group of people. In this case, it happens to be largely kids, but we often have parents coming in, so I have to be the face of Scouts Canada. I benefit because I am learning leadership skills, teaching leadership skills, as well as crafting skills and outdoor skills,” said Rachynski.

The group is looking forward to the next event that involves 200 Cub Scouts heading to the woods for a weekend of camping. Cuborama is held at the end of May, where Cub Scouts in Calgary and surrounding areas gather in a camping environment, to explore activities centered on a theme. This year’s theme is space. There will be another camp excursion involving all age groups of Scouts from the Strathmore area. 

The Scouts also give back to the community. The Beaver group is running the canoe races for Canada Day and members help in food services at the fairgrounds as well.

“You will probably see us in this year’s parade and we often help out at Heritage days too,” said Rachynski.

Anyone with children who would like more information on Scouts can access www.scouts.ca or call Ken Rachynski at 403-629-7781, for more info specific to the Strathmore area.