Soap Box Derby

This was the first time we have lived in an area where Cub Scouts still have a Soap Box Derby. After participating in the months long planning process, knowing the cost of the cars, and then helping out for hours on race day, I can see why many Cub Scout packs no longer do this.

Michael's first race was scheduled at 8:06, and Jake's last race was to start around 12:45ish. Steve had to set up before 7am...we thought we'd be done by 1:30, help tear down, and be back home for much needed naps shortly after. Unfortunately there were issues with the timing system, and the first Webelos races didn't begin until 9:30. By the end of the day, we ran three hours behind.

The cars were pretty primitive...but fairly safe. They rolled down a straight stretch of road that had a bit of a downhill angle. All you really had to do was keep the car straight.

Michael's rank (Webelos I) was able to race four times each, gunning for the fastest average time. Even though he knew that he was racing against the clock, he was still very delighted when he "won" three of his four races. Unfortunately, he didn't have one of the top five fastest times in his rank.

The Tigers (Jacob's rank) started racing around 3:30pm, and immediately it was clear that they didn't get enough practice keeping their cars straight. Let's just say that at best there was a lot of swerving going on, and at worst some rather spectacular "crashes." After one and a half rounds, the pack officials decided that in order to preserve some cars for next year (and to shorten what was already a very long day for the kids), the Tigers would only race twice each. Surprisingly, none of the little guys complained.


Despite all the determination he could muster, Jake had trouble steering his car and crashed it twice. The second crash was pretty cool (for a derby car): as he was braking, he connected with the car next to him and totally spun it around. We applaud him for even getting back into it the second time - it took a lot of guts and it wasn't easy. After all that, he still asked us later how old you have to be to drive (they nag us all the time about that - there is no minimum age requirement here - you just have to be the right sex!).

Here is some video that one of the parents uploaded from the race (it's around three minutes long). Jacob's first race is featured at 1:30 minutes into the video. He is in the blue car from the picture above.




I just have to leave you with a hilarious picture of Michael. If you look closely, you will notice that he is actually facing away from the camera: his helmet and shirt are on backward (his thumbs are a clue)! Never a dull moment with this kid...