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It's been quite a while since I posted anything to this blog. Partially I go busy, partially I ran low on creativity, and partially I forgot about this blog. But enough for excuses ...

What's happening with the pinewood derby? As I consider the broad scope of pinewood derby, tthere are two major trends that I see:

1. Adult races - the number of adult competitions is increasing due to the WIRL and corporate interest.

2. Availability of suppies - Several new vendors are now offering supplies which will increase the availability of parts and possibly drive down prices. Of course pricing is mostly governed by volume of sales, not the number of competitors.

Is the overall number of races increasing? Hard to say, but I doubt that it is increasing at any significant rate. In fact as the population ages, the number of children's groups will likely dwindle. Thus, there would need to be a corresponding number of new adult races to compensate. In addition, the number of possible hobby pastimes continues to grow, which will tend to decrease interest in the pinewood derby.

This is not to say that pinewood derby is dying. Certainly it is thriving and healthy. But considering the overall lifecyle of the event, the hobby may likely be at or near its peak.

Next time I'll make some comments as to how the peak can be extended.

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