Soap box derby racing...how did they do it? Securing sites.

[Dan Mitchell]

We used to have a "dedicated track" here in York, PA.

One of only five in the country......... I checked it out two years ago for a practice spot.

Two problems.

One, it never went to totally flat, or a bit uphill, at the end, this meant HARD carving or sole-wearing footbraking.

Two, the surface was so rough that I had to use 75a Flashbacks, and after one session they were shot.

I guess the large diameter wheels used by SBD cars were not so affected by the rough surface.

I often thought, "Man if that track ever got re-surfaced, I could put on a truly World Class Race...."

Well, this spring it was dug up to make room for more buildings for the local Penn State campus, and I've learned that there are no plans to build another track.

Bummer... It could have been so good.......

[John Gilmour]

So TK and tway got permission to use a Soap box derby hill, though not a dedicated hill- it is used for soap box derbys and is permited.

The slope was decent and a good time was had by everyone at da farm 4.0- even by those who got the normal road rash and cuts.

There is a track listed in Berlin Ct. anyone check that out?

The Haverill MA course might be a good one for New England as well.

[Rick Stanziale]

Soap box derbies on a roll

Seventy years ago, in the depths of the Great Depression, a Dayton, Ohio, news photographer encountered three boys racing homemade, engine-less cars down an inclined brick street. He figured it would make a good photograph. He also figured it would be fun to organize a coasting race, so he told the boys to come back to the hill with their friends a week later to compete for what he called a "loving cup."

Nineteen boys showed up to vie for the prize. When a second race that summer drew 362 kids and more than 40,000 spectators, the idea for a nationwide race arose, and thus was born the Soap Box Derby. Today, the Soap Box Derby season runs from March through July in more than 150 cities and communities worldwide. Many are sponsored by Kiwanis clubs.

"Soap box derby racing was something I knew about as a kid growing up in Tucson, Arizona," says Dennis Wilkes of the La Mesa, California, Kiwanis club, "but I couldn't get my parents to support me in it because of a shortage of money, Things are different nowadays because of the support soap box derbies receive from groups such as Kiwanis.

"Or club decided to sponsor a local Soap Box Derby a couple of years ago because we wanted an activity that would be identified with our club, something that would prompt people to say they know the La Mesa Kiwanis club sponsors that," he adds. "And that's exactly what's happening. But more important, because this is a program that involves kids and their families working together to make it happen, it's all the better."

The reason for the derby's success, Dennis adds, is 100 percent support from the club and the city of La Mesa. "The city helps us by allowing our information to be
displayed on its Web site, by publishing information about the derby in its various publications and bulletins, and by closing down some of the city streets to allow our functions to take place."

The Kiwanis Club of Madison West, Wisconsin, took over the reins of the city's soap box derby in 1996. More than 50 Kiwanis volunteers are involved in staging the race.

"We have great races every year," says Kiwanian Denis Vogel, "with about 40 racers. The most difficult part about running the race is making sure we have all the kids ready to go on race day.

"The best part is seeing the faces of the kids the first time they go down the hill."

"We know we've got something special going on," says Mike Lowry of the Jensen Beach, Florida, Kiwanis club, which has staged its derby the past 10 years. "The benefits to our club, the community, and the participants are many. We bring our competitors in about a week before the event, and they build their cars together. They eat together and do things together, building a camaraderie that carries through the competition.

"The races are extremely competitive, but the participants support each other and encourage each other. It's something to see."

In addition to Jensen Beach, races in 18 other communities are sponsored by Kiwanis clubs, according to the All-American Soap Box Derby.

For more derby information, go here.

According to the All-American Soap Box Derby, the following communities' derbies are Kiwanis-sponsored:
Jensen Beach, Florida
Tullahoma, Tennessee
Wayne-Holmes County, Ohio
Medina, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
San Diego, California
La Mesa, California
La Canada, California
Roseville, Minnesota
McHenry, Illinois
Stockbridge, Georgia
Madison, Wisconsin
Indianapolis, Indiana
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Ft. Collins, Colorado
Flushing Meadows, New York
Lower Bucks, Pennsylvania
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Berlin, Connecticut

http://www.kiwanis.org/magazine/derby.asp[/url]

[Pat Chewning]

Here's how I secured a good slalom practice spot at work:

1) Observe new construction of courtyard -- nice wide concrete paths around basketball court.

2) See how little it gets used.

3) Somebody leases a "Segway" human-transport vehicle and allows anyone to use it if they watch the training tape and wear a helmet.

4) Naturally, I set up a "training session" (aka: Segway slalom course).

5) Management loves it. I get to practice skateboarding in the courtyard all the time now. Well, not all the time -- I still have to work some.

<img src=http://img19.photobucket.com/albums/v58 ... lalom3.jpg>

[Dave Anderson]

Last year Dave M coasted the hill straight with
GPS. I think he got 18mph?

[Dave Gale]

I think Chris B is onto the same notion! I just spoke w/ him on his way from G4 ..The Derby session draws interest for states and is certainly a draw for slalom

[John Gilmour]

So I contacted Jeff Iula- he helps run the All American Soap Box Derby.

I got a video from him- shows the sport. There strangely are some similarities.

Most interesting were the xeroxes from the Newspapers from the California Free Former event in Ohio.

I'll try to post them up- they are extremely interesting.

I did watch a 2 hour Soap Box derby tape. I think we could bring something to this.

Call me a freak... but when I saw Marcus Reitema do his "Downhill Circus" at WLAC (Buttboards, Gravity Bike, Inline slalom, Tight skateboard slalom, GS Skateboard slalom) all on one hill, with one permit and one insurance policy- I thought.......

This is right.

It enabled securing a hill for a competition where there were relativlely few competitors in each discipline...but collectively enough competitors to make it financially viable (since the competitors entry fees fund the race).

My hopes is that if I present this properly I can show that Collectively- we have enough people from various sports (Inline, Skatecar, Soap box derby, Luge, buttboard, gravity Bikes, Mountain bike, slalom skateboarding, ski crosstrainers, etc...)

who would enjoy such a hill.

Having a multi event race I also think is more attractive for spectators as well as for sponsors. Look at how far La la la la la la loooopozzzozzzza went.

[John Gilmour]

turns out most hills are made to be duplicates of Akrons hill- so in a sense we have a bunch of downhioll cyberslalom hills all set up around the nation.

How is your hill for pitch and grade?

[Pat Chewning]

We held our season warm-up event on the Salem Oregon Soap Box Derby hill ( www.salemsbd.org )

We will be holding our 100-cone race there on Sunday June 20th 2004

This hill is excellent and is already spawning a group of eager local slalom racers. The hill is in a public park, so it is available at any time for drop-in use.

-- Pat

[John Gilmour]

------------------ What about other non powered racing…when it started, their problems-----------------------

Damn crazy kids-

"1-Adam 12, we have kids going down that hill again with those orange mini cones set up- in those mini car things ,only arrest them if they are caught wearing sparklely baseball cap helmets."

Cruiser pulls up WOOOOOooooo-WOOOOOOOOoooooo-

"Kids- you can't do this here! First I kicked you off with those little red wagons, then you ignored us and put those crazy fairings on your wagons to make them look like cars trying to fool us, and just last week you kids built ramps for those wagon car things. Listen if you want to use those wagons your gonna have to get up on a Soap Box and preach to the town that you need a special hill just for this- like those ice skaters have a rink for their skating. I know you tell me you have brakes and its safe, but that doesn't matter to me. Don't make me come back here- I'm just answering complaints."

New Hampshire = Live free or Die, but get caught playing in the street vissout ZEE needed papers und you vill be shot !

So last night I was talking about what Soap Box Derby people did to get their sport accepted - bet they got kicked off of a lot of hills too.

You'll see they also have associations of racing....only where they have hills- with some racing in Japan, Germany and most of the same states we seem to have racing in- the only noticable missing niches are Mississippi (though Missouri is covered) and Colorado.

Look at all the hills available (scroll down)
http://ndr.org/LINKS.htm

Perhaps we should line up an event with one of their events. Could "da farm be a kick off? Besides….we need new racing blood- and these kids would be a good draw for us.

What I really want to find out is......how did they get tracks? How did they get started. Lord knows they recently have funding....big funding
http://www.nascar.com/2003/news/headlin ... box_derby/

http://www.clevelandsoapboxderby.com/.. ... ........no wonder Kenny is this like the hill you practice on? I know you were using one of their tracks.

http://collections.ic.gc.ca/soapboxderby/title.mpg
Too bad they can't pump.
...or was that Dave Dillberg in a skatecar?

btw- the secret is out TK- I've found where you get your helmets.... a look at their racing.
http://fredericksburg.com/Movies/2001/062001/DerbyT1

funny how that film looks familiar, They've got their Don O'Shei doing the racer's meeting, Dads (Parson's sound alike) getting bewildered young daughters into the sport (HG), cones in the road, dual racing, girls wearing TK's helmet, flag girls, hay bales- flame graphics on the gear...


I'll post this in the Gong Show on NCDSA as well. Seeing as Kenny actually practices on one of those hills- and is the current World Champion