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By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
Saturday was race day at Kings Plaza.
The top Tiger, Wolf, Bear, and Webelos Scout racers assembled at the Kings Plaza Shopping Center on Saturday for the Brooklyn Derby, where 135 kids put their pinewood racing machines to the ultimate test to prove who has the fastest wooden ride in town.
“This is the borough championship,” said Paul Stanton, a member of a Cub Scout District Committee. “The packs run their own events and then they bring their finalists to compete.”
Each derby racer competed in four heats, and his times from each heat were added to determine the winners —needless to say, it was a long day.
“It’s very complicated, we were there quite a while,” Rita McGrath, whose grandson Daniel McGrath qualified in troop 353’s regional match. “But it’s fun and they enjoyed it.”
Unlike their grown-up counterparts, however, the kid racers managed to get through the long day without so much as a jeer or spat.
“We had maybe 150 to 160 kids there, and there was no conflict,” Rita recounted. “It’s amazing that all these people can sit around and wait for hours, and there’s no harsh feelings. There’s a sense of camaraderie amongst the scouts that’s unbelievable.”
Winners included first-place in the Tigers group 7-year-old Lerrod Smalls II; Wolves, 8-year-old Kurt Sippel; Bears, 9-year-old Connor McCusker; first-year Webelos, 10-year-old Kyle Riess; and second-year Webelos, 11-year-old Mark Mollo.
At this particular derby, the Cub Scouts celebrated the first-ever racing tank, which — despite looking a bit slow — took home a trophy for top speed.
“It was pretty cool. That clunky-looking car took a trophy,” said Breukelen District Committee Chairman Robby Riess. “It just goes to show, you never know.”
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.