Racing their
rigs; Ninth annual Merritt Trail Scouts Big Rig Run held
Posted By ALLAN BENNER
They
all started from the same kit - a box filled with 18 plastic wheels and a
few pieces of wood.
Some of the miniature
transport trucks
"There's a real
opportunity for them to show their creativity," he said.
"There's some fairly complex woodworking skills that go into
producing these."
The creativity the put
into the designs of the trucks was part of competition in the ninth annual
Merritt Trail Scouts Big Rig Run, held at Holy Trinity Anglican Church,
Saturday.
"It amazes me ever
year to see the work that goes into them," said leader Greg White,
who helped organize the event.
The chance to see what
their trucks were capable of on the race track really drew the interest of
scouts, their leaders and families, who cheered as the little trucks
zoomed down a track - reaching speeds in excess of 17 km/h.
The trucks were
designed to meet specifications in different weight classes, including 300
grams for the cab alone, and 725 g with trailers attached. Rigs weighed as
much as 4,000 g in the "extreme class" for Venturers, Rovers and
leaders.
In the extreme class,
White entered a heavy truck that took him two weeks to build. He had to
settle for fourth place in the event.
He said scouts used to
think that a heavier truck would be faster.
"It was proven
this year that a lighter truck beat it.
"It was actually
all in how the wheels were set up," he added.
The
winning truck belonged to his father, Scout leader Kevin White. "I
beat him last year, so it's only fair," the younger White said.
Despite losing to his
father, White was very happy with the results. "It went really well
this year," he said. "It was definitely an improvement over last
year."
The racing event has
gotten a little bigger every year, as more scouting groups participate,
White said.
Kodatsky said it had to
be moved to a larger hall at Holy Trinity this year to accommodate 80 or
so participants.
"We have room for
races and room for lunch, since it's an all-day event," Kodatsky
said.
The event was organized
for the most part by the 9th Welland Venturers and Rovers, who spend
months preparing for it.
They organized race
schedules, collected prize donations from local business and individuals,
and prepared trophies to hand out to the winners.
"It really is
amazing to see the amount of work that those young people do to organizing
it," Kodatsky said.
Article ID# 925900