"Winning does not always mean coming in first. . . real victory is in arriving at the finish line with no regrets because you know you've gone all out." ~Olympic champion speed skater Apolo Anton OhnoWill's first Pinewood Derby car, Flames of the Tiger, got fourth place for speed at the pack races. They raced each car on each of the four lanes of the track and used the total of the four time to determine who won the trophies. His car averaged 212.5 miles an hour -- the announcements of MPH speeds really excited the boys!
This was the first time Will has ever been involved in a real competition. Though he "won" a trophy last spring in baseball, in the end every child took one home; for that matter, no one ever kept score at the games. Though the den leaders continued to point out that everyone who participated is really a winner, that didn't take away from the fact that each boy watched his car win or lose each race, and that not every boy went home with a trophy. What I didn't expect was for ME to be so nervous. So much seemed to be weighing on me -- how would he act if he didn't win? What if he was the only one without an award (prizes were given for speed and aesthetics)?
In the end, everything worked out for him. At the end of the night I praised him not for winning a prize, but for standing up and cheering for his friends as they won -- for patting them on the back and saying, "way to go!" His actions were definitely what I considered to be the real victory, and he sure made me proud.
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