California's first all-girl Cub Scout pack holds Pinewood Derby in Visalia

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- One by one, eight members of Cub Scout Pack 1920 participated in their first Pinewood Derby race in Visalia.

The excitement echoed across the room, as the girls went head to head to see which model car would take home the win.

Scout members spent countless hours building their model cars, shaping the wood, adding wheels, and styling them with paint.

But the trick is adding the right amount of weight to help the car speed quickly down the track. It is something Maeve Blaco worked hard at mastering.

"It's really challenging, it's just hard to find out how to win," she told Action News. "Because you try to try your best to make it win with the wheels and how heavy it is."

Cubmaster Rodney Blaco says the gravity race gives the girls a chance to see their workmanship go to work.

"In today's world you want to be able to put time and effort with your hands and see the fruits of your labor," Blaco said. "That is what this is all about, learning new things and having a good time."

Last month the pack was recognized in Sacramento by the State Assembly and State Senate for being the first organized all-girl Cub Scout pack in California.