Mini Olympics in Johnson County: Library event delights fans of bobsledding event

The Olympics have been taking over programming at Indian Creek Library the last few weeks, and the latest might have you thinking of fast tracks in the snow. Sunday afternoon saw the library’s Pinewood Derby bobsled event contested.

This slate of library-related Winter Olympics events has been on the books since the fall, when they started planning.

“Knowing we couldn’t count on snow and definitely not mountains, my coworker suggested a Pinewood Derby. We settled on the bobsled, thinking of the movie ‘Cool Runnings’,” said Whitney Horn, teen programming assistant at Indian Creek. “The bobsled looks a little like a car, and a teammate in the Makerspace could create little wooden kits.”

The plan was to have teams for children, teen and adults, but no adults showed up to compete on Sunday. The competition in the children’s division was another story. Mostly made up of vehicles made girls from Girl Scout Troop 2923. The bobsleds had a variety of looks.

Using the library kits, the girls decorated their bobsleds, a bit for aesthetics, but also with some aerodynamics involved.

Six-year-old Abigail Kramer of Olathe glued numerous rhinestones all over hers.

Her thought was that “putting more weights on it will make it go faster,” she said.

That strategy worked out for her when she took second place in the competition.

Each bobsled was wooden with smooth wooden blades where the wheels would be on a Pinewood Derby car. Their size was capped at 7-by-3 inches and a weight of 5 ounces.

Horn was hoping for a range of creativity on the bobsleds. The six pieces from each kit the library gave out only weighed an ounce overall, which left 4 ounces for both the glue and the decor.

“It was their first-ever time doing anything like this, so it took a bit of experimentation,” said Jessica Rudner, whose daughter Rosie was part of the competition.

Competitors also had the option of creating their own bobsleds from scratch as long as they fit the size and weight limitations.

Seeing the designs the kids came up with is “half the fun,” Horn said. “It is fun racing it and seeing what will make the bobsled go fastest.”

Several library staff members, including Horn, have competed in the Pinewood Derby before, but not with bobsleds. That’s a new wrinkle.

“I liked making the bobsled and seeing everyone try their best,” said Genevieve Kramer, 9, who won the event.

To race the bobsleds, Horn borrowed a track from Boy Scout Troop 412.

“They have a lot of knowledge and expertise. They run derbies for several Cub Scout packs in the area, and helped us to make this competition a reality,” Horn said.

Beyond the children’s division, two teens also raced their bobsleds, with Rishon Newton, 12, as the victor.

This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Mini Olympics in Johnson County: Library event delights fans of bobsledding event."