Parent: Dennis; enjoys cruising the Internet.
Child: Bradford, 12; enjoys baseball, soccer, and weather-watching
Activity: Pinewood derby.
Pros: Shared experience.
Cons: If you lose, he hates you.

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For the last two years Brad had built winning cars for the Pinewood Derby and gone on to compete in regional contests. This year was different. From the start of the first race we knew we were in trouble. Instead of flying down the track his car crawled toward the finish line. This was the first year the cars raced against the clock instead of each other.

After four quick time trials it was clear his car was totally out of the running. When it was over, his car was smack in the middle of a classic bell curve -- half the pack was faster and half slower. It was a respectable but disappointing end to a two year winning streak. The loss hit Brad pretty hard. We had tried something new and it didn't work.

Fighting for control
By the end of the last race in the heat it was clear Brad was hurting and was fighting for control. "It isn't fair! We spent four weeks building this car and in four races it's over," he said as his face trembled and eyes reddened.

By now I was in a pretty crummy mood myself. After all, I helped build the car and there was a major design flaw. I'm the dad and I should have spotted it. I should have made it right. Isn't that what dads are supposed to do?

I told him I was sorry he lost and that I felt like I had let him down. He said, "You do?? I thought I had let you down. I was crying mostly because I thought I had disappointed you."

We spent the next half hour trading war stories. I watched his face brighten as I hugged him and said, "You're my son. You may have lost the race, but you didn't lose my love. Or respect."

Dad and Brad's Pinewood Tips
Forget aerodynamics. The most critical element in the Pinewood is not the shape of the car, it's how you deal with the wheels. Pay attention to the axles, which are little nails. The most successful ones I saw were drilled with a drill press at exactly 90 degrees to the car, so the nail sticks out straight. The pre-cut grooves in the pinewood are not particularly reliable because the axles shift.

The car that won at our Pinewood was little more than a block of wood with wheels. It was a pizza delivery truck! It didn't look sleek, it didn't look fast, but examining it up close, they did a dynamite job of making sure the axles and wheels were perfectly aligned. Keep that in mind the next time you race. And remember: The best thing to do is to go out and celebrate after the race no matter what the results.