Above: Jack Eddings and Brooke Nichols face off at the Sullivan County Soapbox Derby. Photos by Jason Dole.
Three dozen gravity-powered cars hit North Main Street in Liberty on Sunday, along with dozens of ecstatic drivers ranging from eight to 17 years old and a throng of about 700 fans to cheer them on. It was the first-ever Sullivan County Soap Box Derby, and it wasn't anything like your grandfather's race.
First of all, there were no soap boxes involved. The type of race that features a dozen kid-cobbled orange crate cars rolling down a hill is as dated as The Little Rascals.
Cars lined up at the top of the hill, ready to roll, before the races began.
These days, derbies are sleek and safe affairs. Apart from the decorations, each Stock or Super Stock car was built from a kit and identical to the others. They were all weighed the night before the race and kept locked up at the Liberty Firehouse.
“We want the winning car to win because of the kid in the car,” said Mark Scuderi, the State Regional Director for All-American Soap Box Derby. He explained that making the cars equal places greater emphasis on the young driver’s abilities. For the same reason, each race is between two cars only, and is repeated after the drivers switch wheels and trade lanes.
“There are some bad bumps that slow you down,” Scuderi said. “There are also some smooth spots. The kids who understand that make it to the finals.”
Ronald “RJ” Fracasse, Jr., 14, of Liberty clears the finish line.
The racing – in double-elimination heats in two divisions the lasted most of the day – was timed electronically to the hundredth of a second. A horde of hard-working volunteers looked after the drivers, moving cars and swapping wheels between heats. Dozens of businesses and organizations sponsored the derby cars, and one shop – the North Main Bakery – sold baked goods to spectators along the route.
“I’m not putting my hopes up high for winning,” said Seth Derochers, 12, of Liberty, one of the young drivers in the very first race of the day. “I’m here to have fun.”
Seth Desrochers with the veteran, derby-winning “Mojo” soap box car he drove on Sunday, curtesy of the VanKeuren family.
Seth’s father seemed to have fun, too.
“It’s nice to see the community come together,” said John Deroschers, voicing a sentiment shared by many adults. “I think it’s great.”
…And then there were four: Ryan Parsons Jr., Evan Madison, Morgan VanKeuren (l-r), and Brianna Roth (not pictured) pile into the truck that takes them and their cars back up the hill for one more set of heats. Morgan VanKeuren wound up winning 2nd Place in the Super Stock Division.
Rough spots took a toll on the cars, causing breaks for repairs that pushed proceedings back until the final races occurred well after 7 p.m. Those last racers sat on the starting ramp pointed at the finish line. They stared down the hill with eyes barely visible between their cars and their helmets, trying to eliminate any source of drag.
Evan Madison, 12, of Livingston Manor, edges past Brianna Roth, 10, of Liberty, to win 1st Place in the Stock Division.
Evan Madison, 12, of Livingston Manor, won 1st Place in the Stock Division with Brianna Roth, 10, of Liberty, taking 2nd.
Evan Madison is carried aloft by friends from Livingston Manor, including members of his Soap Box team, Mason Banks, Justin Cristaldi, and Nick Estabrook (l-r, in white shirts).
Brianna Roth, 2nd Place winner in the Stock Division, with her mother Melissa Roth-Smith, her car’s builder Mike Deihl (center), and her father, Matt DeWitt.
Ryan Parsons Jr., 11, of Tri Valley Central School, took 1st place in the Super Stock Division over Morgan VanKeuren, who won 2nd in the division.
Ryan Parsons Jr., 11, of Tri Valley Central School is lifted into the arms of well-wishers moments after placing first in the Super Stock Division.
Brooke Nichols placed 3rd in the Stock Division, and Joshua Knack took 3rd in Super Stock.
As division champions, Madison and Parsons will move on to the 75th Annual All-American Soap Box Derby Competition in Akron, Ohio this July.
Three years ago, the derby was just a twinkle in Carol VanDenberg's eye. Last year, she and her husband, Dale, put together a team to make it a reality. It gained momentum and became a county-wide phenomenon, barreling straight towards Memorial Day weekend.
“This is the definition of Americana,” said Carol VanDenberg said on Sunday. “There used to be one of these races in almost every little country town.”
Race Director Carol VanDenberg and Monticello Motor Club representative Ann-Marie present 1st Place Super Stock Division Winner Ryan Parsons, Jr. with his trophy.
VanDenberg and the SC Soap Box Derby Board of Directors are already planning the 2013 derby. They plan to add the more advanced Masters Division as well as a Super Kids Division for mentally and physically disabled youth.
As one local policeman said to VanDenberg as they were cleaning up after the derby: “Same time, same station, next year!”
For video coverage of the Sullivan County Soapbox Derby, see YNN's story. To see all of Jason Dole's photos of the race, click the Flickr slideshow below.
