Scouting for Success

Community Spotlight by Liz Burnett

Photos courtesy of Gary Sebra

The Pinewood Derby is legendary: A Cub Scout is given a block of wood, four molded plastic wheels, and four small nails for axles. The goal is for the Cub Scout and a parent to work together, to transform that block of wood into a kid-sized custom race car that goes fast, looks cool, and is driven only by gravity from a downhill slope. Working to create a winner develops a Cub Scout’s craftsmanship skills and magical memories for that Cub Scout’s parents.

Pinewood Derby wood block, 4 plastic wheels and 4 nails for axles

Gary and Cheryl Sebra are Scout parents. Gary, once a Boy Scout himself, is a lifelong resident of Newtown Square and Sergeant with the Newtown Township Police Department. Cheryl is a Registered Dental Hygienist. Their two sons, Ty and Cole, have enjoyed participating in youth baseball, football, swimming, karate and Cub Scouts.

When their oldest son Ty went to 1st grade in 2014, Gary and Cheryl enrolled him in Cub Pack 315 because they wanted Ty to benefit from that sense of belonging and self-esteem that comes from Scouting. They also wanted Ty to experience working with other boys toward shared goals within activities that were not only through sports, and to build other skills while also having fun and making new friendships. One Scouting activity, the Pinewood Derby craft project, ignited in Ty a desire to succeed and win races.

The Sebra family spent hours together in their garage, making Ty’s first race car. Minutes before the race, Ty’s car got knocked off a table. It fell to the floor and its wheels broke off. With time running out, competitors offered spare wheels, and with only minutes before the race was to start, Ty and Gary got the car back together with new wheels, some super glue and some car body weight carved out, to meet weight requirements.

Those repairs surely affected the car’s look but not Ty’s hopes of winning. During the multiple heats of the race, excitement built as Ty unexpectedly won race after race. It came down to three cars in a final raceoff. Ty finished in First Place! The Sebra family was stunned and now forever hooked on Pinewood Derby racing.

Gary & Cheryl Sebra with sons Cole (left) and Ty (right)

During Ty’s five years in Cub Pack 315, he finished in First Place four times, and in Second Place once. And for the past three years, he’s been invited to Regional District Races and finished in First Place each year, making him eligible each year for the Pinewood Derby World Championships in New York City. In 2017, Ty finished 35th overall and 8th for his Bear rank class of racers. In 2018, Ty improved: He finished 17th overall and 6th for his higher Webelo rank class.

Gary and Cole Sebra, cutting and shaping the car body

Even before Ty’s younger brother, Cole, joined Cub Scouts, he wanted in on the Sebra Family racing tradition. In the Pinewood Derby race for race for siblings, Cole won First Place, and he was hooked! This past year, Ty and Cole worked with their parents in their garage, designing and sanding their cars, and working on the wheels and axles. Ty shared with Cole his secrets for winning so that they could both be invited to the Pinewood Derby World Championships Races by winning First and Second Place. And that’s exactly what they did!

At the 2019 Pinewood Derby World Championship Races, hundreds of cars were entered with qualifying times separated by mere hundredths of a second. Ty Sebra finished 9th overall and 5th for his Webelo II rank class. With one more race left for Cole, and with big brother Ty standing by his side cheering him on, seven-year-old Cole Sebra finished 21st overall and took First Place for his Tiger rank class, to become the fastest Tiger Cub Scout Pinewood Derby racer in the United States.

Since its inception in 1953, Pinewood Derby racing has become one of the most loved hobbies in the world, with over 100 million car kits purchased for Cub Scouts alone. Don Murphy, “The Father of the Pinewood Derby,” said he started this “to devise a wholesome constructive activity that would foster a closer father-son relationship and promote craftsmanship and good sportsmanship through competition.” That parent-child magic is repeated annually by millions of Cub Scouts worldwide. As for the Sebra Family, those magical memories developed together in their garage will last a lifetime.

Ty and Cole Sebra in their Cub Scout uniforms, with their Pinewood Derby racing cars and trophies

When Ty Sebra finished 5th grade in June, he crossed over from Cub Pack 315 and into Boy Scout Troop 315, both chartered by St. Anastasia Church, for boys of any denomination interested in being a Scout. With father Gary having been a member of Boy Scout Troop 315 himself, and son Ty now on the trail to Scouting’s highest honor rank of Eagle Scout, Boy Scout Troop 315 finally has its first father-and-son combination since being chartered in 1947.

Congratulations to Ty and Cole Sebra, on your success as Pinewood Derby World Champions! You are both winners who have made your parents and our community proud.

Publisher’s Note: As the father of three Eagle Scouts, and one still on the Trail to Eagle, I must thank the Sebra Family for their support of Scouting. My family also has fond memories of Pinewood Derby races at Cub Pack 315. Over the past 18 years, I’ve witnessed hundreds of boys become well-rounded youth in our community through their participation in Scouting values, activities and service projects. I am proud to recommend Cub Pack 315 (for boys, ages 6-12), and Boy Scout Troop 315 (for boys ages 12-18). For a name of someone to speak with about Scouting for your son, please contact me, Bob Blaisse, at BBlaisse@BestVersionMedia.com.