Kayla poses for a photo with the members of Cub Scout Pack 99
Better than Daytona?
There was no smell of fumes in the air on Saturday March 14th but the racing was as intense as it’s ever been at Daytona, Talladega, or Bristol. No squealing tires, just the squeals of joy from the members of Pack 99 in Goffstown NH.
Kayla Cazares watched on as the annual Pinewood Derby took place, an event that Kayla was invited to take part in.
Aerodynamics, weight, friction. They all came into play on Saturday. But the qualities that Kayla was looking for were sportsmanship, competition, and integrity. She found all of them along with a desire to win, a willingness to cheer for your competition, and some great family fun.
The Pinewood Derby features handmade wooden cars racing against each other on a straight track. All of the cars must weigh about the same amount and fall into certain measurements, however there is plenty of room for adjustments by the kids and their “crews”. You see, the crews are most often the parents of the scout member. Kayla can relate completely. Her crew chief is and always has been her father, long time racer Dave Cazares.
“I enjoyed seeing the kids working with their dads. You could really tell that the families spent some quality time working on those cars.” Said the 13 year old Cazares. “That may be the most important part of working on a car. You’re working on a car but building a stronger family.” Gee Kayla, that sounds familiar. Isn’t that a major part of why you enjoyed karting so much? Oh, and the wins of course.
At the end of the day Kayla was honored with a medal and a certificate of appreciation by the members of Cub Scout Pack 99. I asked her what she would like to say to the members of Pack 99, here’s what she had to say… “Thank you so much for having me in for your Pinewood Derby. I had a wonderful time and you all did such a great job on your cars. Thank You very much for the medal and award, I have a special place for them, they will go with my racing trophies. I’ll think of all of you every time I look at them. I would love to have you come watch me race my car sometime.”
Kayla took time from her 2009 preparations in order to spend the afternoon with the Cub Scouts. She had a great time and it was an experience that she will carry with her for a long time to come. So, the big question may very well be “Would you do it again?”. I asked Kayla and she said “Absolutely! Maybe we can build a car and race with the pack next time. I had a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing the cars and the scouts with their families.”
Kayla finished by saying something that you don’t often hear from a 13 year old girl… “Cub Scouts are cool!” Indeed they are Kayla, we think you’re pretty cool too.
Deryl Morley – Webmaster and writer, Cazares Racing
Kayla was presented a medal and certificate