The Racing tradition continues for First Five Island Scouts

Kub Kars has been a Scouting tradition in Canada since 1978 but had its humble beginnings in California in 1953. A lot has changed since Cubmaster Don Murphy dreamed up the idea for the Pinewood Derby in 1953. Like many parents who volunteer with Scouting, trying to figure out what to do with the youth and find ways to challenge them isn’t always easy. Don wanted to host an activity to foster a closer parent-child relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition. But he had no idea that his idea would inspire youth for years to come. 

Sixty-nine years later, his vision of racing pine boxes has grown right across North America, and the first Five Island Cub Pack and Scout Troop continue the tradition of racing to this day. The youth start with a simple wooden block of wood, and they must turn it into a racing car or, with the older youth, a racing truck. 

The youth explore their creativity by designing and building their own racing machines. With the assistance of parents or mentors, they learn how to maximize the vehicle’s speed while meeting the design requirements. The youth then sand, add paint, and other embellishments are added to make their racing machines stand out.

Each spring Cubs and Scouts spend hours building their vehicles with the goal of racing them to win. Once the racing machines are weight in and meet the race specifications, each youth gets to run them down a track and try to beat their fellow cubs or scouts. These Kub Kar and Truck rallies are fun-filled days for youth where they can meet new friends, gain a sense of achievement, and have fun as they race their Kars against youth from their Cub Scout Pack.