Local soap box racers win heats in Akron

By ALLISON TRUNKEY
atrunkey@northkitsapherald.com

POULSBO — Four Poulsbo racers won heats at the 79th FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship July 10-16, in Akron, Ohio.

— Sierra Feary, round one, Local Stock.

— Jacob Poggi, rounds one and two, Super Stock.

— Katie Stuart, round one, Rally Stock.

— Quinny Stuart, round one, Rally Stock.

They were among more than 450 youth racers, including 11 from Region 1 (Washington, Alaska, and Oregon), who competed in a week of soap box derby racing.

Readers of the Herald may remember Jacob, who competed at Akron in 2013 at age 7, accompanied by his co-pilot George, his stuffed monkey. He was the youngest-ever winner of the Rally Stock division at Akron that year.

Jacob almost didn’t race this year. His mother, Kim Poggi, said that after four years of soap box derby racing, Jacob was feeling ready to move on. But after he won the local rally (or race), he decided to continue to Akron. And, yes, his co-pilot went with him.

It’s a good thing he did. Jacob came close to trophying but missed the cutoff by just 0.008 seconds. He placed in the top 18 in the Super Stock division, but awards only go to the top nine finishers. His near-win rekindled Jacob’s dedication to the sport.

This was his first year in Super Stock, but because the divisions are partially weight-based, he’ll likely outgrow his current vehicle soon.

“He wants to get a Master’s car next,” Kim said.

In soap box derby racing, children age 7-13 race in the Stock division; the combined weight of the driver and car must be no more than 200 pounds.

Ages 9-18 race in Super Stock, and their combined weight can be no more than 240 pounds.

The Master class is for ages 10-20 with combined weight of 255 pounds.

Soap box derby cars are powered only by gravity — participants begin at the top of a hill and gain speeds of up to 35 mph. Some tricky physics contribute to racers’ speeds, but essentially it’s about how much potential energy (PE) can be converted into kinetic energy (KE), which is why weight helps determine a participant’s division. The more weight, the more speed is possible.

Racing takes place on three lanes, and most heats last about 30 seconds. Modern racing utilizes high-speed cameras to capture finishes and to record speeds and times.

The season lasts around five months, with races once or twice a month. Training consists of participation in these rallies, but families’ involvement doesn’t end there; soap box derby is a sport, but it’s also a lifestyle and a community.

“It’s just been great for family and friends,” Kim Poggi said. “It’s a family-and-friend sport.”

In fact, the Poggis got into racing after Kim took Jacob’s older brother, Anthony, to a friend’s event. Anthony competed for several years, inspiring Jacob to enter as soon as he was eligible.

Kitsap’s soap box derby community is a close group — they stay together when traveling to events like the world championship in Akron, and the Poggis are close with the Fearys and Stuarts.

The soap box derby is youth-oriented by nature, and has been since its inception.

In 1933, according to the All-American Soap Box Derby’s website, derby founder Myron Scott stumbled across a group of boys who had constructed homemade street-racing cars. He felt prompted to obtain a copyright and a corporate sponsor in Chevrolet.

After a slow start, the derby expanded rapidly over the next several decades. Throughout its storied history, the derby has drawn thousands of people to Akron, including Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan and actors Tom Hanks and Jimmy Stewart.

What was once a simple racing sport has taken on a distinctively educational spirit.

According to the organization’s website, the derby’s STEM-based Education Program “uses the tools and values of Soap Box Derby racing to introduce Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to students in an enjoyable, engaging way … [and] more than 350 classrooms in the United States are using the program.”

The derby encourages critical thought in and out of the classroom, and offers funding to jump-start students’ academic careers.

Beginning this year, winners in each division received scholarships of $3,000; second place received $2,000, and third place received $1,000.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Kelly Speeg donated $36,000 for a scholarship fund, now named the Bill Speeg Memorial Scholarship, in honor of her late husband. Bill Speeg passed away in 2014 at 46; he and his wife found a home and a family in the derby community, having volunteered for nearly two decades after their daughter started racing in 1999.

Kitsap Soap Box Derby Association makes entry into the sport accessible to anyone; participants can borrow cars from the group, rather than paying to build cars of their own. Learn more on the association’s Facebook page.