For those of you that aren't particularly Internet savvy, eBay has
become quite a powerhouse in on-line retailing. At this site you can
purchase virtually anything. I personally use eBay for selling a few
things, but many pinewood derby vendors use eBay as their primary
retail outlet.

In most cases this is great for the pinewood derby community, as it
allows many unique products to become available to the pinewood derby
shopper. As always, buyer beware is still mandated, but generally you
can find quality products at good prices.

But as is often the case, there is a dark side - the selling of
completed cars.(1) Generally these cars are marketed to the parent as
a "guaranteed district winner", or a "super fast car to give you the
edge". Some have professional paint jobs, others are (supposedly)
designed by people with PhDs in physics, and a few look like they were
built in a model shop.

To the over-busy and over-achieving parent, these cars are seductive.
"All I have to do is pull out the plastic, and my child will win a
trophy", the thinking goes. "Why 'waste' time making a second rate
car when I can buy a winner."

As I will share below, I have issues with this thought process. I
doubt that I will convince those of you that have taken part in the
dark side, but hopefully I can persuade those on the fence to
reconsider.

But first I do want to mention that there is one legitimate reason for
buying a completed car. That is, to add a car to a collection.
Sometimes beautiful, vintage cars are sold on eBay. They are not
legal for a race (obsolete kit type), but they certainly would make a
nice addition to a collection. Also, some cars made from modern kits
are sold that are so nice that I can see someone buying them to put on
a shelf. But these offerings are few and far between during the
madness of pinewood derby season.

'RIGHT' PHILOSOPHY

When I decide what products to offer, and in all of my writings and
interaction with people I try to promote two philosophies:

1. "Do your best" - That is, do everything you can within the rules to
build the fastest car possible. Learn, then work smart and work hard
to achieve the goal.

2. "Parent-child project" - Make sure that the child takes part in all
aspects of building the car. Clearly the amount of participation will
vary from age to age, and from child to child. But the intent is for
the child to have ownership of the project and of the completed car.

These philosophies are in harmony with the intent of the pinewood
derby as espoused by the various clubs and organizations that sponsor
these races. Following these philosophies may involve learning about
physics, mechanics, and wood-working. It may involve purchasing some
products. But fundamentally, the rules are followed, a car is built,
and the child is fully involved.

'WRONG' PHILOSOPHY

Purchasing a completed car necessitates belief in a different
philosophy, that is, "Win at all cost". In other words, "I don't care
if the rules are broken(2), I don't care if my child is involved, I
just want him/her (me) to get a trophy." Admittedly, this philosophy
seems to prevail in much of corporate America these days, but
nevertheless it is contrary to the basic intent of pinewood derby
racing, and is ultimately destructive. This philosophy teaches our
children that:

1. Cheating is okay if you are not caught,

2. Money gives me the power to win,

3. Hard work is not necessary to succeed.

Do these sound familiar? Certainly some top executives in America's
corporations follow these philosophies. But now many - as they await
trial or reside in prisons - have discovered that these philosophies
are ultimately destructive.

These philosophies are the direct opposite of what I believe we should
teach our children. They will eventually discover that these
philosophies exist and are practiced by some. But I believe that a
solid ethical foundation and a "do your best" philosophy will
ultimately pay off.

'WRONG' PRIORITY

In addition to teaching the wrong philosophy, the purchase of a
completed car (instead of building the car) also demonstrates the
wrong priority to our children. Earlier I stated, "Why 'waste' time
making a second rate car when I can buy a winner." Clearly, spending
time with your child is never a 'waste' of time. Children will always
remember time spent with their parents, while the memory of a
particular trophy win will in itself wane. Our kids crave time with
us. They want to be with their parents (well, at least until they
become a teenager). Yet we are often 'too busy' to spend time with
them. By purchasing a pre-built car, we are essentially telling our
child, "I don't have time to spend with you, so instead I will buy you
something." Is this the message you really want to send?

SOME DILEMMAS

One valid concern that is often raised by parents is: "We worked hard
and did our best, but the car wasn't competitive and my child was
heartbroken. In our case, 'do your best' didn't work out." My
response is that this perspective is too short-term. People commonly
do not succeed on their first attempt. Could you ride a bicycle the
first time you tried? Did Nolan Ryan throw a no-hitter the first time
out? Did Thomas Edison invent the light bulb on the first try? (It
took him over 1,000 attempts.) Do all businesses succeed? (Over 50
percent fail in the first year, and the vast majority within five
years). One of the chief ways we learn is through failure. It is
oftentimes failure that gives us the motivation to learn more, to try
a different method, to work harder, and to work smarter. On a personal
note, I had two business failures before starting Maximum Velocity,
and it was failure in one of our early pinewood derby races that
initiated my effort to learn more about making fast cars.

So, what do you do if you did you best building a car, but it wasn't
good enough? Get on the Internet and learn. Information can be found
for free, or purchased for a few bucks. If you have the desire and
budget, get a few tools. But the main thing is use the 'failure'(3)
as the motivation to do better, not to give up or give in to the dark
side.

Another concern voiced by parents is that they have no equipment to
build a car. There are several solutions to this dilemma including
asking a neighbor to help, purchasing a pre-cut kit, some components,
or some tools, or making use of workshops sponsored by the
organization. Don't use this as an excuse to take the big shortcut.

There are other dilemmas as well, but I don't believe any of them
justify purchasing a completed car.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately we want what is best for our children. To me, this
involves teaching our children to be ethical and to strive to do their
best. But we can easily get sidetracked, and try to take shortcuts to
success. When we do this, we teach our kids that the goal is more
important than the path taken. I encourage you to make sure that you
put your kids on the right path and stay away from the shortcuts.
Don't succumb to the temptation to buy a victory, as it will
ultimately leave a bitter taste.

(1) Although it was not my intention, this article will likely offend
some of you who sell completed cars on eBay. I hope that you will at
least consider my concerns, and then reconsider your product offering.
Instead of selling completed cars, how about car kits? With kits, the
parent/child team will put some effort into building the car.

(2) Virtually all rule-sets state in one manner or another that a car
must be built by the parent-child team.

(3) Failure relates only to the race standings. Any time spent with
your child is not a failure.

Article from the "Pinewood Derby Times", Volume 5, Issue 3

You can read more at:
http://www.maximum-velocity.com/pinewood_derby_times_v5_i3.htm