The paint job is a little too professional, the edges a little too perfect. While other cars wobble down the track, this thing’s a rocket every time.

And for some reason, when Hunter picks up his first-place trophy, Mom and Dad seem more excited to hold it than he does.

My verdict? It looks like a classic case of “Mom and Dad did all the work.”

This phenomenon, already prevalent in science fairs, often rears its ugly head in Cub Scouting’s friendly competition, the Pinewood Derby.

Like all Cub Scout activities, the Pinewood Derby is meant to encourage a bond between a boy and his parent/guardian. The two should work together to build a car that looks cool and goes fast. All that while still keeping the focus on fun and growth — this is, after all, Scouting.

That’s the vision. But is it reality?

I asked our Facebook friends, now numbering nearly 15,000, to tell me how it works in their packs. Is too little boy involvement an actual problem? If so, how do you ensure that car-building is a shared experience? Here are a few of my favorite responses:

Yes, it’s a problem

In Stephen K.‘s pack, “there are some Scouts who do not see their car until race time.”

Ken D. said he “actually had a Scout who couldn’t tell me which car was his to take home after the Derby! I think as a boy goes through Cubs, the car should look worse each year as the youth does more and more of the work himself.”

How can you tell who made it?

“There seems to be a strong correlation between who built the car, a parent or the Cub Scout, depending on who was carrying the car into the Pinewood Derby area,” says Carl B.

“Carl, I do a lot of the check-ins, and if an adult comes up to the table carrying a youth’s car, that’s a big red flag. I tell the adult to give the car to the youth, and then I deal with the youth,” adds Pinewood DerbyDen.

What about those super-competitive parents?

Like many packs, Jose B.‘s unit chose to “have a Dads divisions so the dads can make their own Pinewood Derby car. It helped a little, but it didn’t fully keep other dads from doing their son’s car.”

“We started a Pinewood Derby for the parents as a fundraiser,” says Maureen H. “We charged $5 per adult entry. This way a parent could make a car and race it. It was a big hit! We used the proceeds to do fun things for the kids so it was a win/win situation!”

“I think if the youth wants to make their own car with adult supervision that is best,” adds Sue A. “But I also do agree that having both Mom and Dad participate in the races with their own cars also will show the parents that we need and appreciate them. Remember these parents are the future of Scouting leadership. Keep them coming and helping out.”

How to strike the perfect parent-son balance

Getting a trophy at the Pinewood Derby surely feels better when a boy has put his own time and energy into the car.

“We actually have a Pinewood Derby car-building day in our pack so that dads and boys who are new to it can get some pointers,” says Angelina C.

Jimmy W. writes: “The way my dad and I did it was I would pick a design, and he’d be the one to use the band saw and other power tools too dangerous for an 8-year-old. Then I’d get to sand, attach weights and wheels, etc. I’m proud to say I worked hard on my cars and so did my younger brother. [Actually], maybe he worked harder than me because he ended up winning back-to-back pack championships.”

Here’s how Damon E. thinks it should be broken down: “Tigers do about 20 percent of the work, 40 percent for Wolves, 60 percent Bears, 80 percent Webelos, and by the time they’re a fifth-grade Webelos, the Scout is doing almost 100 percent of the work with just a safe guiding hand of a parent or adult.”

“Our pack treats the Pinewood Derby as a family event,” says Bill H. “We encourage the use of parent-son time in the planning and building of the car to develop stronger family relationships.”

“Cars are graded on a scale of 1-10 in four categories: Originality, Craftsmanship, Finish, and Boy-Made. If a car gets high scores in Craftsmanship because it’s dad-made, it will score very low in Boy-Made. In the end the dad-made cars don’t average out with good scores and Scout-made cars get the win,” says Jennifer R.

“Our Pack has an award for the ‘Car Most Likely Made by a Parent,’” says Sharon B. “No one wants that one.”

A final thought

Let’s finish with these words of wisdom from Mark H.: “Building a Pinewood Derby car can be tricky; it’s often beyond the skills of a 7- to 10-year-old boy. Parent involvement is necessary. We encourage parents to allow their son to do as much of the work as he is capable of, and help only when necessary. It’s impossible to enforce this, so we tell them the rules and remind them that a Scout is Trustworthy. We also emphasize that the Derby is not about winning, it’s about the parents and Scouts working together on the project, learning sportsmanship and learning respect for one another.”

What’s next?

• Learn how to host your own Pinewood Derby workshop by reading this recent Scouting magazine article.
• Find dozens more great comments on this subject by clicking here to visit the original Facebook post.
• Chime in: How does your pack encourage the right parent-son balance at Pinewood Derby time? Leave a thought below.

Opening photo from Flickr user woodleywonderworks; smaller photo from Flickr user PDub.

But really, what would you expect from the founder of the worldwide Scout movement, which now boasts 30 million Scouts in 161 countries?

Three of my favorite quotes from the Scouting legend speak for themselves:

• “It is risky to order a boy not to do something; it immediately opens to him the adventure of doing it.”
• “The open-air is the real objective of Scouting and the key to its success.”
• “There’s nothing like ‘Being Prepared,’ is there? For what might seem possible, even if it may not seem probable.”

B-P’s words of wisdom have molded the Boy Scouts of America for more than 100 years, and that’s why we celebrate his life on Founder’s Day every Feb. 22.

Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell was born Feb. 22, 1857, and until his death in 1941, he worked tirelessly to support the world Scout movement. Today, 155 years after his birth, that indelible imprint has grown exponentially.

Take a moment today to celebrate this man’s amazing life. Here’s how:

• Be inspired by reading some classic Baden-Powell quotes. Click here and here for a few hand-picked favorites.
• Learn more about the “Chief Scout of the World” by reading this short biography.
• Read B-P’s last letter to Scouts, which he intended to be shared after his death.
• Send an e-card to a friend to wish them a Happy Founder’s Day.
• Watch this great YouTube video below:

So when Phillip collapsed onto his parents’ couch back home in Georgia, he had just one thought.

He turned to Mom and Dad and said, “I’ve really had a good life.”

It’s hard to disagree. The 19-year-old singer is well-spoken, he’s an Eagle Scout, and, oh yeah, he sings like you wouldn’t believe.

I talked with Phillip, who goes by the stage name “Pip” on the show, yesterday by phone. We chatted about his time in Scouting and how it has prepared him for the high-stakes world of music and reality TV.

Watch Pip’s audition by clicking here, download the song on iTunes, and follow him on Facebook. Pip’s next appearance on The Voice will be in March when the “battle rounds” begin. If he survives those, he advances to the live shows in April.

Here’s my interview with Pip:

Bryan: You started out singing at Boy Scout courts of honor. Did your troopmates realize your talent back then?

Pip: They liked it, judging by the reactions. I got asked to do it several times. It was always an honor to be able to do that for them. It was interesting, though, because you don’t really think about singing at a court of honor.

Pip earned the Eagle Scout Award with Troop 287, chartered to St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marietta, Ga.

Bryan: Sounds like you were pretty comfortable on the stage early on.

Pip: I’ve always been more comfortable on stage singing than I am off. I think of every performance as big — even a court of honor. I try and give everything I have in every performance. I think being emotionally invested in each performance is what I try to bring.

Bryan: I assume you earned the Music merit badge, then?

Pip: I actually did do the Music merit badge. I also did the Theater merit badge. The music ones, because they mainly just required performance, were kind of earned by doing things on my own in everyday life.

Bryan: Was that your favorite merit badge?

Pip: I really enjoyed the Lifesaving and Swimming ones. I was always into swimming and camping.

Bryan: Do you have a camping memory that stands out?

Pip: I can honestly say my favorite Scouting experience was when we went to an island off the coast of Georgia called Cumberland Island. We spent five days there, on this secluded island. I just loved being away from everything electronic. It’s just a great getaway from the world to just relax and be in nature without all those distractions.

Bryan: Which Scouts or Scouters had the biggest influence on you?

Pip: My [Troop 287 Scoutmaster], Morgan Robertson, was really influential for me. He was a great role model. He was always someone you could just talk to. I am still pretty good friends with some of my fellow Scouts. Everyone has been so supportive of everything. I’ve been contacted by a lot of my old Scoutmasters. Some came to the viewing party that my parents threw, and they’ve all been super supportive.

Bryan: A lot of Scouts find it tough to balance Scouting and extracurricular activities, such as singing. How did you do it?

Pip: Sometimes it was very hard. Sometimes I said, I can’t go to the meeting tonight. I have 300 pages to read, I have a show this weekend I have to rehearse for, and I’m singing at a coffee shop. But I saw the rewards from people I had seen who were Eagle Scouts and had gotten recognition for doing it. It was worth it.

Surprisingly, Pip's favorite merit badge wasn't Music, though he did earn that one. His favorites were Lifesaving and Swimming.

Bryan: Who helped you reach that final goal of Eagle?

Pip: My dad was a huge influence in that. He didn’t get his Eagle Scout, and I could see his regret for not doing it. For me, earning Eagle was a personal thing, but I was also doing it for him at the same time. You have to pick yourself up and say, I can spare the hour and a half to go to the meeting tonight. I can go this weekend, and I’ll just do my homework when I get back.

Bryan: What were your expectations when trying out for The Voice?

Pip: I don’t think, going into anything like this, you prepare yourself for how people are going to react. It could go either way. You could have people absolutely love you, or just say, “Ah, he’s all right.”

Bryan: Tell me about that first “blind” audition.

Pip: I can remember pacing around backstage and feeling that I had to prepare myself for the worst. Walking on the stage I was prepared to sing to the backs of chairs the whole time. When Adam turned around I actually didn’t even realize that happened. But as the rest slowly turned around, I noticed, and I got more nervous actually. The whole world kind of turned upside-down a little bit.

Bryan: Has it all sunk in yet?

Pip: Every five seconds, I think, maybe I’m gonna wake up and I’m going to be back to singing in coffee shops in Marietta for 16 people instead of on TV in front of 16 million.

I also chatted with Pip’s proud parents, and I’ll share their story next week. You won’t want to miss what Pip’s father (who was also his assistant Scoutmaster) had to say about Pip’s time in Scouting.

Photo by Lewis Jacobs/NBC

What do you think, Scouters?

For another Scouting-related example, click here.

Instead, pick up a copy of The Eagle Court of Honor Book  ($14.99 at ScoutStuff.org).

Buy the book at ScoutStuff.org.

The book, in its third edition, includes complete ceremonies, planning checklists, inspirational pieces, Eagle Scout charges, poems, quotes, and more.

But if you’ve ever been to an Eagle Scout Court of Honor, you know that the ceremony is just part of the experience. You’ve also got to deal with all of the before and after details — the source of headaches for many an Eagle Scout mom or dad.

I’m talking about all the lists of whom to invite, tips for planning the perfect reception, ideas for making your own props, and suggestions for meaningful gifts for the newly minted Eagle.

So get advice on all of that from a trusted source: author Mark Ray, a frequent contributor to Scouting magazine and other official BSA publications. Mark has participated in the program at every level during a career that’s stretched over more than 25 years. You may know Mark’s other popular publication, The Scoutmaster’s Other Handbook.

Exclusive excerpts

Mark Ray is an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Silver Beaver Award.

To give you a better idea of what you’ll find in the third edition of The Eagle Court of Honor Book, Mark agreed to let me run some excerpts from his book that you’ll find only at Bryan on Scouting.

Click below to see some pages from Chapter 2: Planning the Court of Honor. It’s a handy “step-by-step guide to planning the perfect court of honor.”

I’ve also included a few pages from Chapter 3: The Ceremony Itself.

Check it out, and if you’ve already used Mark’s book to plan a court of honor, tell me about it by leaving a comment below.

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Image is Norman Rockwell’s “A Great Moment”