cub car crazy

team burton as the winning streak begins...
ida! happy with grandpa!
jeff, c.j. and jimmy fine tuning between races
c.j. filming the final run, eli waiting...
#16!!!
eli's arm pumping reation!! woo woo!!

blue ribbon and match-box car as the grand prize



today was elis first cub car rally. i had purchased the kits several weeks ago, but as things happen, the box wasn't opened until the heat was on and it had to be finished by saturday at 10 AM. can anyone tell me what cub actually makes their car single handedly? you open that kit and staring back at you is a block of hard wood, 4 nails and 4 wheels. c.j. and eli worked feverishly this week, selecting a design, busting out the dremel, cutting, sanding, painting. we were putting the finishing touches on this morning as we were eating breakfast. c.j. and i wanted to junk it up with decals, but eli wanted it looking clean. i found through the experience it was truly a family project, as it should be.

the races were at the stake center. when we got there he was 3 grams to heavy, so c.j. began to madly drill out wood from the bottom. in the mean time they assigned eli a number for his car. after they stuck it on, he came to me, lifted the car up to my eyes and what did i see? 16. eli had a smile from ear to ear as he knows 16 is my lucky number. good vibes, good vibes. his car started slow, losing the first couple of runs, which was disappointing and frustrating to eli. but after some graphite and lane selection changes, eli started to win. now, i personally think that every cub should win, at least one race. reason: one win completely changed the experience for eli. i saw the transformation with my own eyes. suddenly he was excited, it got him interested and lit the flame of competition that every little dude needs sparked.

today was a lot of fun. there were some really great cars and some very close races.

who won 1st place at the end of the rally? eli burton did.

oh yes he did and i think the win was more exciting for c.j. as he had bags under his eyes from the all-nighter he pulled finishing up that crazy car. what a hoot.

the next rally? stake-wide in march. watch out! here we come!