The Green Machine!

 

Last year, Grant's Pinewood derby was completed in 15 minutes. They called it the Penny-mobile because they glued a penny on the bottom to give it more weight in the back. A penny, which they would come to find out, was the major contributor to Penny-mobile's downfall. The penny interfered with the spinning of the wheel, and when the wheel doesn't spin, the car doesn't go. As Grant put it, "I think the penny broke it, Dad." 

Vowing to not have a repeat of last year, Samuel and Grant planned, read books, bought tools, tungsten weights, and graphite. They spent hours and hours to create the one and only Green Machine! On the day of the race, Grant was both excited and nervous, almost as excited and nervous as Samuel. They soon found out that all of their planning and effort had paid off, as Grant made it all the way to the final race, right alongside the cars built by the daddy engineers and handy-men. 

As the 4 competitors lined up, the crowd began cheering, "GREEN MACHINE! GREEN MACHINE! GREEN MACHINE!" Although they did not finish 1st, second place was a great prize. I'm pretty sure even if they hadn't placed at all, the real prize, the one that Grant and Samuel will remember much longer than what place they got is the lesson they learned about hard work, effort and dedication, not to mention the importance of spending time with those you love.