Rowan Cashin: First Chatham Cub Scout to Compete in the Pinewood Derby World Championship

By Chatham Living

Seven-year-old Rowan Cashin is the first Chatham Cub Scout to compete at the Boy Scouts of America Pinewood Derby World Championship competition.

The Milton Avenue rising 2nd grader, a member of Cub Scout Pack 8, which is part of Boy Scout Troop 8 at Ogden Memorial Presbyterian Church, fashioned his car out of the small standard block of wood provided by the Boy Scouts of America by cutting his block in half into a wedge shape and painting it camouflage--his favorite color. He also glued some nuts to the bottom for weight--making sure he didn't go over the competition's 5-ounce restriction.

"The car was a little feeble to pick up but on the track it was surprisingly fast," said Rowan's dad, Tommy, who noted that he helped his son handle the saw to make the cuts. "But the design, look, and most of the execution was all him."

On Pinewood Derby race day in January at Ogden, Rowan's parents and 5-year-old sister Marlowe all wore camouflage in solidarity. A Tiger Scout, the youngest age group of the pack, Rowan won first place in his den, and 4th overall in his pack.

Winning in his den qualified him for the regional races in Morris Plains in April at the Fishawack District of the Boy Scouts of America where he placed 3rd in his age group. Other scouts from the pack also competed but Rowan was the only Chatham scout to trophy in the regional competition, which qualified him for the Pinewood Derby World Championship in June in Manhattan that hosted scouts from all over the country as well as Europe and Japan. Although he didn’t place, he had a great time at the races.

Rowan was accompanied to the World Championship by his parents, Marlowe, Nanny and Grandpa who came from Boston, Mama and Papa who came from Brooklyn, and his dad's aunt Sister Mary Ann of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.