DIzzy Derby
Monelison Middle School
Amherst - TM Mary Woerner / TM Betsy Hall

Six lines were then drawn on a 2x4 with each of the girls’ names listed beside a line. They then donned the safety glasses and began cutting with a cordless circular saw. Team manager, Mary, said, “I cannot begin to describe the smiles on the faces of the girls after they successfully cut the board!” We never again had the problem of which girl was going to cut, measure, trim, drill, etc. Instead we had to ensure that each girl had equal opportunity to use the power tools. Caroline thinks, “Power tools are awesome!”

The team “Girl Power” from Monelison Middle School built a scooter-type vehicle that can be maneuvered around a triangular track. The vehicle is engineered so that it can easily start and stop, change direction, turn around a small-radius circle, carry multiple passengers and much more. The girls can also tackle the tasks of changing a wheel, handling a breakdown and raising the vehicle off of the ground without touching it. Through songs, dances, cheers and words, the girls entertain the audience with their interpretation of the Dizzy Derby.

The girls began by demolishing a broken toy Jeep. They studied how the Jeep was put together and how the various components of the car worked. They then studied a push car thanks to the local Cub Scout Pack 747. A neighbor leant them a go-kart, which ran with a similar sprocket and chain device that is used in their final design. They also studied Grandpa’s ride-on lawn mower. The tricycle of younger brother, Tanner, was another item studied. They combined the best engineering of these devises and the analysis of bonus laps together to create a machine that can easily accomplish it all. The girls were determined from the start they could do it all!

Each member of the team earned a nickname during the course of the DI year as follows:

Lauren “Frick” and Tyler “Frack” because they not only are inseparable, but TM, Mary can’t ever get their names right. Now they answer to either name!

Beth “Crash” because the first day the vehicle was running, she crashed it into the wall. Luckily the machine was quite sturdy and only put gaping holes in the sheet rock rather than major damage to the newly completed device. Only minor repairs had to be made to the car. Beth is now the number one driver of the vehicle. Go figure!

Catey “Lightning” because when swinging a hammer she was unable to strike in the same place twice, just like lightning. Catey is now the supervisor of the team and shouts out the commands and directions. “Power tools are still not my thing, but everything else is fun." She’s a leader!

Steffanie “Power” because she has no problem using force to drive a nail, screw a screw, saw a board or crimp a wire. She is now the person who is called upon to do any task which requires muscles. She is the one who changes the wheel in the challenge so that the wing nut is tightened properly.

Caroline is known as “China” because she drilled a screw into the wood a centimeter deep. She drills like she is drilling to the country of China. “Because power tools are cool.”

Tyler (Frack) and Steffanie (Power); Dads, Ric and Kevin, in the Background. Notice the dads didn’t stray too far from their tools…