Pushing the limits of parental participation

PEPPERELL -- It is Pinewood Derby race day for Pack 55 in Pepperell. Some Cub Scouts are eagerly awaiting their turn on the track, while others are racing around the hall, ignoring the proceedings, just happy to see their friends on a Saturday morning.

The parents sit intently at the edge of the track that stretches across the room. The finish line is lit by construction lamps, and a parent stands ready to photograph each finish and record the time on a laptop computer.

Some of the cars appear to have been formed with one or two simple cuts and painted in a single color, with a green Army soldier or Lego man serving as the driver. Others sport intricate details on aerodynamic shapes suitable for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Each the cars began as a block of pine 7 inches by 2 inches by 2 inches. The block is a gift from the Cub Scout pack during the holidays, and most packs race in January. A note attached to the block of pine encourages parents to let the Scout do as much of the project as possible.

That is not always the case.

Crafting a Pinewood Derby car does require help from an adult. Cub Scouts, who range from first- to fifth-graders, can't operate the saw needed to give the car an aerodynamic shape. But parental involvement often goes well beyond that. Some fathers spend weeks working on the design and construction of the car. They scour the Internet and exchange tips on increasing speed with other parents by e-mail. The Internet was the source of the design for Michael Simonich's winning entry -- a bullet-shaped design about the thickness of a fat cigar. Michael's father made the cuts, and 10-year-old Michael did the sanding, painting, and placement of decals, said his mother, Kim Simonich, Pack 55 committee chairwoman in Pepperell.

''This is his third year, so Michael is really into it," she said.

But, she noted, ''In some cases, the father decides on the design, builds the car, and then on race day hands it to the kid and says, 'Go race it.' But the kid doesn't have ownership. He may win, but does it mean anything? I think it is a macho thing."

Matt Bennington, the district executive for the Boston Minuteman Council, which includes Winchester and Lexington, said: ''Parent support is required, but it is quite possible that some parents do get overzealous. But isn't that true of any project kids are involved with today?"

Dr. Richard Ginsburg, codirector of a program at Massachusetts General Hospital that focuses on sports psychology, has been studying the relationship between children, their parents, and sports for 12 years.

Ginsburg contends that while all parents have their children's best interests at heart when it comes to activities such as the Pinewood Derby, what could be a character-building experience often ends up hurting children's self-esteem and making them fearful.

"Our society puts too much emphasis on the outcome -- whether it is sports, academics, the arts, theater, even Scouting. What is lost is the process of getting to the outcome," said Ginsburg. "While parents want their child to have the best possible experience, which for many means winning, parents are caught between doing what they should do, which is letting the child navigate their path, or doing it for them," he said.

In the case of the Pinewood Derby, peer pressure is often more evident among parents than Scouts. Ginsburg said that competitiveness is just beginning to emerge at age 8, when children are starting to compare themselves to their peers.

"On one hand, the parents want their child to learn, but on the other, they are worried that if they let the child have full control when all of the other children are getting adult assistance, their child may get teased, feel left out, and lose," said Ginsburg.

For the fifth year in a row, Jay Cox of Dunstable helped his two sons, ages 8 and 10, craft Pinewood Derby cars this year. Although they had the kit since December, a busy schedule left the family making the cars the week before the race.

"It is supposed to be a level playing field, but you get the feeling that the dads are more into it. You hear many of them comparing cars, gathering tips, and saying that wait until next year, they'll be back, " said Cox, who cut his sons' cars to a shape they designed and let them take it from there.

This year, 8-year-old Christian Cox had a slick, black race car called Black Pearl, while his 10-year-old brother, Justin, had a car shaped like a wave, manned by a tiny, plastic Bart Simpson on a surfboard.

Gerald Bieler the Scout executive for the Nashua Valley Council, which includes Ayer, Harvard, Shirley, Acton, Littleton, and Pepperell, said his first experience with the Pinewood Derby was helping his son craft a car many years ago. Bieler said that although he is not handy with woodworking, he and his son had fun with the project, although the car was not a champion.

"The Pinewood Derby is intended to be a father-and-son project, with emphasis on 'and son,' " said Bieler. "It is not a contest to see who is the most talented, and winning is supposed to be secondary, but some get very carried away."

The first Pinewood Derby was held in Manhattan Beach, Calif., in 1953. A half-century later, it is estimated that more than 40 million Scouts have participated in the annual event.

Though the race has changed over the years, the rules have not.

Each Scout is given a kit in December that includes a block of wood with axle marks, four wheels, and axles. All together, the kit weighs 2 to 3 ounces. The Scouts are free to craft any car that does not exceed 5 ounces in weight or the girth of the block of wood. Before each race, the cars are weighed and inspected by a race committee, which places a box over the car to ensure that it conforms to the size limits. If a car weighs too much, there is a parent nearby with a power drill ready to bore holes until the scale balances.

Races used to be held on a simple wooden track. While some tracks are still wood, many are aluminum and are outfitted with timers that provide split-second results, which are computed for instant race standings.

Ginsburg said he would like to see a less intense experience.

"Adults need to have a sense of courage when it comes to things like the Pinewood Derby," he said. ''Although we all want to give kids the best opportunity, the bottom line is that we need to give them space and let them do it. That is where the joy will come from."

Susan Ware can be reached at ware@globe.com.