I had a chat with Ian before the races to make sure he was okay with the whole thing – win or lose. I reminded him that the whole point of the race is to have fun, and that is exactly what we did (once I got past the nightmare of the block of wood). We learned a lot about cutting wood, sanding it, painting it, and weighing it. The nice people at the Village of Kenmore Post Office deserve special thanks for weighing “Thunder” so many times near the end of the process.
This is a very serious event. Every care is taken to make sure the race is fair.
First, the track must be assembled.
Yes, folks, that is a laundry basket.
“Thunder” (Ian’s car) is 3rd from the right.
Check out the first car in line – turns out that thing was Fast! I have no idea how they got it into that shape, or how they made it heavy enough. I think it belonged to Jack and his Dad from Ian's den. (I think it's funny - you can tell just by looking at the cars who spent the most time on them!)
And here is my little Scout.
Race 1 results – “Thunder” won! Ian’s car is #116. 
The judges place the cars in this “shuttle box” in order of the winners. (There are four judges, by the way.)
Race #2 – “Thunder” won again!
Race #3 – “Thunder” won again!
Race #4 – okay, we’re getting tense now, and occasionally I have to remind myself to breathe. I found I was actually holding my breath for the results. “Thunder” won again! And for Race #5, I missed the shot, but “Thunder” won yet again!
Race #6 – “Thunder” took second! Tension is getting pretty thick.
In second on the track…
…and he takes second again! This got Ian into the final four.The final four cars race four times, once in each lane. “Thunder” started out in Lane #2…
and here he is in the lead…
…and he took first place Again!By this time I am completely speechless.
Here he is in the starting position in Lane 3 …
…and he won Again!
He took third in Race #3, and I started to breathe again, but then there was one final race to go… and it was a close one.
The Judges took a lifetime to make their final decision on the placement of the cars for the final race. It was Very close.
And the Winner is:
The final result of a month’s worth of blood, sweat and tears:
We learned so much while making the car, but let me tell you, the cuts on our fingers where our skin dried and cracked from all that sanding sure feel a whole lot better now!
I'm going to have to have another 'winning isn't everything' talk with Ian someday again soon, but tonight, he can bask in glory all he wants. He worked hard for this.
