SOAP BOX DERBY Local youths prepare to race

The race is dedicated to Youngstown's first Soap Box Derby champ.
By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- "It will be show time when I race in the Soap Box Derby," said Ryan Gibson, a sixth-grader at Bennett Elementary School.
Ryan, along with LaQuisha Thompkins, another Bennett sixth-grader, and Avery Gales, a fifth-grader at Sheridan Elementary School, will join some 66 other eager young people between the ages of 8 and 18, who are signed up to race in Saturday'sGreater Youngstown Area Soap Box Derby.
Racing will begin at 8 a.m., and the top eight winners in each of five divisions -- masters, superstock metro and suburban, and stock metro and suburban -- will be decided by early evening, barring rain or other delays, derby officials said.
The first-place winner in each division will be eligible to participate in the All-American Soap Box Derby July 31 at Akron's Derby Downs.
Dedication
The year's derby, Youngstown's 17th, is dedicated to John Fraser of Sebring, Youngstown's first local derby champion, who won the race 70 years ago in 1934.
In that year, Youngstown was one of the original 34 cities to send a local champion to the All-American Soap Box Derby in Dayton.
Ryan, LaQuisha and Avery, all first-time participants, placed first, second and third, respectively, in a 150-word essay contest, earning them the chance to race Saturday. One of their derby cars is sponsored by Youngstown Weed & amp; Seed, and the other two were donated by the local Soap Box Derby.
In her essay on & quot;Why I Want to Race in the Soap Box Derby, & quot; LaQuisha said she wants to "feel the strength and power of a race car pedal."
Of course, the derby gravity cars don't have motors, but they do reach speeds of 25 to 30 miles per hour as they race down Fifth Avenue between Arlington and Rayen avenues, just south of Youngstown State University's Stambaugh Stadium.
"The reason I want to race cars is because I enjoy anything that moves fast," said Avery in his essay.
About the sponsor
Weed & amp; Seed is a federally funded nonprofit program dedicated to "weeding" out violent crime, drug trafficking and gang activity while "seeding" social services and economic revitalization on the city's South Side.
Originally, Weed & amp; Seed planned to sponsor one derby car and have two drivers share the racer, said Bessie Ervin, a member of the group's steering committee.
But, when only three children wrote essays, Ervin asked the Soap Box Derby for two more cars and make it possible for all three youths to each have a car.
Pupils from Bennett, Cleveland, Sheridan and Williamson elementary schools, Hillman Middle School, Wilson High School and Eagle Heights, Legacy and Summit academies were eligible to participate.
The reason there were so few essays, Ervin believes, is that inner-city children don't understand what the Soap Box Derby program is about. She expects more interest next year.
The derby cars became a school project at Bennett, where, under the guidance of building Principal Bruce Palmer and teacher Scott Pryor, sixth-grade pupils assembled the cars during their lunch hours.
The official derby car kits, which cost $600 each, were delivered to Bennett on May 24, assembled, and then moved June 11, the last day of school, to the Weed and Seed Safe Haven located at Martin Luther Lutheran Church, Ervin said.
"The participation I received from Bennett School was unbelievable. Teachers and principals helped in many ways. They were just a jewel. It was just overwhelming, how they worked with me," Ervin said.
She said she is looking forward to the race, particularly because most of the children in the Weed and Seed inner-city target area have never been exposed to the derby.
Ervin said John Swierz, who serves on Weed and Seed steering committee and is vice president of the local derby, was instrumental in getting the two additional cars.
Family fun
Youngstown Fire Chief John J. O'Neill Jr., local derby president , said the Soap Box Derby is first and foremost a family oriented activity. Parents, called Pit Pals, team with their children to build the cars and then cheer them on during the race.
O'Neill said this year's derby will be a little more spectator-friendly, with several concession stands available, and a small car show behind YSU's Urban Studies building at the bottom of the track.
O'Neill said last year was his first involvement in the derby, when his son John III came in seventh in the Metro Stock Division.
"Both of us were impressed. It's amazing how much time and effort goes into the event," he said.
"The kids and parents show great sportsmanship. It is competitive, but they don't get carried away with it," O'Neill said.
alcorn@vindy.com