Ok, all three of my loyal readers are probably wondering how I did in our Extreme Pinewood Derby. Drum roll please... I lost. Horribly. I was in three races total. The first one I lost because the string (see pictures from previous post) attached to the rear axle broke at the starting line, so my "4 mousepower" engine ran down the track in neutral. I lost.
The second race wasn't much better. The trap went off too early and the car just spun its wheels at the starting gate. By the time the race began, my car (again) hobbled down the track with no go-power. I lost again. Very frustrating.
The third race was much better. The string held as it should and the trap released at precisely the right moment. Unfortunately, by this time most of the slower cars had been weeded out, and I was racing against cars powered by rocket fuel or nuclear fusion. Yet again, I lost.
The winning car this year was basically a slingshot design. The designer cut a 6" PVC pipe in half lengthwise, and attached surgical tubing to it for elasticity. This launching device propelled a simple block-design car down the track at an amazing speed. Very clever. Every year there's always a new rule added banning some sort of "innovation". The rule is typically named after the designer, which is almost a badge of honor per se. I have a feeling a rule will be added so that the cars must be self-contained with no launching devices. I have already begun planning my car for next year now that I know that a mere mousetrap will not suffice. My goal is to be the guy next year who has a rule named after him...
If there is any consolation, I am winning in all three of my NCAA bracket pools. Historically, I'm awful at bracket picks, but this year I'm doing pretty well. My objective was to beat Shannon this year. She has beaten me the past two years, and my ego can't take another loss to a person who chooses teams according to Jersey color. If I can claim victory here, everything else is a bonus. I have Memphis and Kansas going to the final game, with Kansas winning 70 to 68. In retrospect, my margin of victory may be about right, but both of these teams are runners, so the scores may be higher. We'll see.
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