REVIEW In 'Champions, Cheaters,' author gives a glimpse into world of Soap Box Derby

A case of cheating in the 1970s hurt the derby's popularity.
By THERESA M. HEGEL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
"Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams: Memories of the Soap Box Derby," by Melanie Payne (The University of Akron Press, $28.95)
Like apple pie and the fourth of July, the All-American Soap Box Derby is, for many, a symbol of wholesome American ideals. The derby has been perceived as a celebration of American youth and building a soap box derby car an innocent activity that teaches the value of hard work and brings families together.
Negative, positive
However, in "Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams," Melanie Payne, former staff writer for the Akron Beacon Journal, reveals the seamier side of the derby: the materialistic marketing schemes at its foundation and the various forms of cheating that developed among racers and their parents.
Payne, a Cleveland native who lives in California, also delves into the more positive aspects of the Soap Box Derby, how building a derby car together was often a bonding experience for a parent and child and how the winner of the All-American Soap Box Derby won a college scholarship.
The bulk of the book consists of first-person narratives by former participants and derby officials. These often-nostalgic narratives provide an invaluable insider glimpse into the workings of the Soap Box Derby. The racers' fond recollections and still-vivid memories -- some of which are 30 or 40 years old -- go a long way in illustrating the impact the derby once had on American culture.
According to Payne, the Soap Box Derby most likely began during the Depression in Dayton when Myron Scott, a reporter for the Dayton Daily News, "saw some boys who had attached axles and wheels to large crates and were racing them downhill." She also notes that "Scott was convinced that a competitive race of these makeshift cars could be a novel way to bring in readers and sell newspapers and ads."
Even at its inception, the derby was a capitalistic endeavor rather than an altruistic, idealistic event.
The first Soap Box Derby was held in Dayton in 1933, and Chevrolet became the major sponsor. In 1935, the race moved to Akron because the city promised to build a permanent track for the derby.
Grew in popularity
During the ensuing decades, the derby became a huge national recreational event. The Akron race attracted huge crowds, and celebrities such as Jimmy Stewart often made an appearance.
In the 1970s, Soap Box Derby underwent a sharp decline in popularity and also lost much of its funding when Chevrolet pulled its sponsorship.
Though there were many factors that contributed to the derby's decline, the cheating scandal of 1973 was certainly the most publicized factor. Jim Gronen of Boulder, Colo., lost his first-place trophy when race officials discovered an electromagnetic device -- meant to give Gronen an extra burst of speed at the beginning of the race -- in the nose of his car.
After the incident, Gronen's guardian claimed "that cheating was endemic to the derby," and "it had gone on for years and that everyone knew it."
Even though the derby never reclaimed the level of popularity and prestige it held before the cheating scandal, it continues to hold a place in American life. In 2002, NASCAR became a new sponsor of the derby, which may give the event a boost.
In addition to outlining the history of the derby, Payne includes interesting chapters on minorities in the derby and breaking the gender barrier.
In "Champions, Cheaters, and Childhood Dreams," Payne gives an entertaining and unbiased account of the positive and negative aspects of a cherished American pastime.
hegel@vindy.com