Standing Out From the Pack

Palisadian Mimi Chapin Makes History at Cub Scouts Space Derby

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

Young Upper Marquez resident Mimi Chapin recently took first place out of 48 Cub Scout entries in Pack 223’s annual Space Derby—marking the first time a girl has won the event in its history.

The Space Derby is an event hosted by Cub Scout packs which provides them the opportunity to build a miniature rocket model and race their rocket against other members of the pack. The event has been ongoing for over 50 years, but girls have only been able to participate recently as the Boy Scouts of America expanded the program to include girls in just 2018.

Local Cub Scouts Pack 223 now has girls and boys, and second-grade Mimi is in her second year. Her father, Steve Chapin, said the expansion has been a great thing. He is currently a den leader for the pack.

“My daughter really likes all the outdoor activities: the hiking, the camping,” he said to the Palisadian-Post. “She saw her [older] brother doing all these things and … she wants to do them too.”

In her year in the pack, Mimi shared that she has enjoyed camping at Emerald Bay on Catalina Island, where she kayaked, made crafts, practiced archery and star-gazed with her peers.

Her favorite things to do with her den include baking zucchini and carrot muffins and hiking. She has also enjoyed participating in the Space Derby—a competition that has previously been won by both her father and brother.

“I was a Cub Scout … unfortunately, I only did it for three years,” Steve said. “But it was a great experience. Of all things, I participated in the Space Derby when I was a kid and I still have my rocket that I built and came in first place. My son, a few years ago, built his and came in first place … and now my daughter.”

Mimi took on the Space Derby for the first time this year.

She said her older brother, William, helped her and the girl’s den build their rockets: a month-long process that included research, cutting, sanding and painting their aircrafts.

“I was very glad William had experience. He came in first place and second place when he was a Cub Scout,” Mimi said.

“[William] had them watch a couple of videos about how airplanes work and the forces on airplanes like lift and drag, wind resistance and gravity,” Steve explained. “Because even though it’s a rocket, it’s going horizontally and the key was to lighten it up. All of the girls were sanding theirs down and making them as thin and light as possible—that’s what makes a fast rocket.”

Mimi said she used a potato peeler to carve her rocket and sanded the inside to make it lightweight. She made hers as thin as possible.

“A lightweight rocket goes much faster,” she said to the Post.

She also designed her rocket to look like a shooting star.

Then it was off to the races—the Space Derby was held on Sunday, October 24, where four rockets at a time were placed on one end of a track and raced to the finish line. Whichever rocket made it to the finish line first, won.

Mimi’s rocket sped to the finish line, winning her first place in the competition, an event previously open to boys only.

“I felt really happy and excited,” Mimi said about her victory in the derby. “Next year, I hope someone else wins because I want them to feel happy too.”

Steve said Mimi and William want to create a video sharing their tips and tricks because they want to help other children win.

“She’s kind and that’s what the Cub Scouts teach, how to teach kids to be kind and raise them to be kind adults,” Steve said. “Getting reacquainted with the organization, I’m really pleased that it’s so strong here in the Palisades with a lot of good kids.”

Palisadian Joanna Curtis is currently the pack leader for Cub Scouts Pack 223 and shared that she has been involved with the Troop for over 20 years, dating back to when she was a kid, but has become more heavily involved in the last six years.

“Once you’re in Scouts, you are in Scouts,” the Alphabet Streets resident said with a laugh. “They don’t let you go easily … my husband is the pack master and my daughter is the treasurer … it is a family effort.”

The Cub Scouts are described as one of the BSA’s premier programs, offering citizenship, character, personal fitness and leadership, with programs beginning in kindergarten through the winter of a child’s fifth-grade year.

“Cub Scouting focuses a lot on the fun of scouting. Our goal as a pack is that when a youth joins our organization, they enjoy their time in Scouting,” Curtis said. “That is our main goal. We make a lot of our activities fun, we try to build skills and try to focus on the points of the Scout Law.”

The Scout Law affirms that Scouts are, “trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.” Curtis said every time scouts embark on a den meeting, they work on a skill and a point of the Scout Law.

“Kids at this age don’t realize there are values and things like that, but the oath and law that the Scouts follow, we try to teach them through that,” Steve said. “Of course the camping and events are fun, but it’s teaching them character building through these fun activities and that’s what I like about it.”

Curtis said the pack is going to have a Kite Derby in January at Will Rogers State Beach where participants will be able to bring a homemade or store-bought kite and see which goes the highest, or is the first up in the air. A camping trip to Emerald Bay is also slated for January, as well as a number of overnight trips.

Although the program begins sometime in September, those who are interested are encouraged to reach out to Cub Scouts Pack 223 at cubscoutp223@gmail.com.

“Cub Scouting is extremely active in the Palisades and we love all of our families and Scouts who get involved,” Curtis concluded.