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Pinewood Derby Offers Fun, Engineering Lessons At Boys & Girls Clubs

By Libby Smith

DENVER (CBS4) - Summer fun at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver includes the Pinewood Derby. Club members use art and engineering skills to build the best cars.

LINK: Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver

Pinewood Derby is a tradition that is more than 60 years old.

"So what I built was the 1976 C3 Corvette Stingray, which happens to be one of my dream cars," said Angel Florencio, 17, a member of the Owen Club.

corvette
(Credit CBS)

From a block of wood comes a car fit for racing.

"It's aerodynamic, and it's actually, compared to other cars, it's kind of big, but very slick and very smooth," Florencio said.

Boys and Girls Club members work on their car for weeks, carving, sanding and painting. Some cars are works of art, others are built for speed. All of them have to meet a specific weight limit.

Derby 3
(Credit CBS)

"I added weight, and then I had to take some out, so I had to drill a hole in it," said Alena Montoya, 16, as she holds up her pinewood version of a 300 SLR Mercedes Benz.

Alena
Alena Montoya with her Pinewood Derby car. (Credit CBS)

"What I learned is how hard it is to kind of stay within the restrictions and the limits that you're given, but also to stay faithful to one of your little dream hobbies," Florencio told CBS4.

There are also some hidden physics lessons, like where to put the weight on the car to make it go faster.

"To be able to teach those kinds of things with a really hands on kind of method is a really great benefit for the kids," said Sarah Krieger, Cultural Arts Specialist at the Cope Branch of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.

Derby 2
(Credit CBS)

So whether their car comes in first or last at the finish line, it's the road that got them here that really matters for these kids.

"It's just a really fun thing to do, because you get to build it yourself and you get to have your own ideas for it," Montoya said.

Florencio did end up winning fastest car at the Derby.

You can support the clubs by making a donation to CBS4's Care 4 Colorado School Supply Drive.

Donation bins are set up:

CBS4 Studio, 1044 Lincoln Street, Denver 80203

New Balance Store, 156 Steele Street, Denver 80206

New Balance Store, 7301 S. Santa Fe Dr., Littleton 80120

LINK: Care 4 Colorado School Supply Drive Cash Donations

Libby Smith is a Special Projects Producer at CBS4. If you have a story you'd like to tell CBS4 about, call 303-863-TIPS (8477) or visit the News Tips section.

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