“3… 2… 1!” cheered the crowd, while Huntingdon Cub leader Chad Thompson indicated the countdown with his fingers before releasing the starting gate and letting gravity do its work. Three brightly coloured model cars sped down a sloped wooden track towards the finish line.
On April 16, 86 youth, 25 volunteer leaders, and numerous family members gathered at the Ormstown Recreation Centre for one of the highlights of the Scouting year. After an abridged version held at the Huntingdon Adult Education and Community Centre (HAECC) in 2022, this was the first fully fledged regional Kub Kar Rally since before the pandemic, with participants from Chateauguay, Howick, Huntingdon, and Ormstown.
Scouting members start with prefab kits which they carve, add to, and decorate for competition. The youngest of the competitors had the opportunity to decorate their Beaver Buggies on site prior to adding them to the racing lineup. Cubs, Scouts, and Venturers prepared their vehicles ahead of the big day, striving to maximize the weight of their creations without surpassing the limit. After an initial weigh-in, older youth were permitted to adjust their weights as needed; satisfied after a final weight check, they relinquished their Kub Kars or Scout Trucks to the “parking lot” on a table near the starting gate. In addition to racing, youth also competed for the title of Best in Show by painting and adding other decorative details to their vehicles.
The fastest Kub Kars belonged to Howick’s Blake More who raced to first place, while Kail Irving and Isla McNamee of Huntingdon took second and third respectively. Trucks were raced by Scouts and Venturers, with Avery Krause and Makayla Krause of Huntingdon speeding to first and second place, and Ormstown’s Leslie Coulombe O’Connell earning third.
A Scout Choice Award was presented to Ayla Tousignant for her Beaver Buggy while the other winners, determined by the popular choice of the youth, echoed the sentiments of the judges for Best in Show. These included Avery Krause for her truck-turned-rocket featuring Wiley Coyote crafted out of modeling clay; also chosen were Julia Lefort Jacquet of Howick Cubs and Venturer Makayla Krause.
According to Mary-Pauline Vatsis, who is the Scouting relationship manager with the Quebec Council and volunteer advisor to Huntingdon Venturers, Kub Kar Rally is “a great day for parents to come to spend time with Scouting and cheer on their youth,” also noting that the best part of the event is the “gathering of different groups together.”
