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Austintown brothers, Berlin girl to represent Youngstown in Derby
Austintown’s Zach and Brandon Krohn and Haleigh Kuebler of Berlin Center to represent Youngstown at Soap Box Derby in Akron
By Ashley Luthern
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Zach Krohn, 12, left, and Brandon Krohn, 10, both of Austintown, the first brothers to win the Greater Youngstown Area Soap Box Derby, will travel to Akron for the All-American Soap Box Derby on Saturday.Zach and Brandon will compete in the in the super stock and stock divisions, respectively.
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Haleigh Kuebler, of Berlin Center, will travel to Akron for the All-American Soap Box Derby on Saturday. Haleigh will compete in the masters division.
The Youngstown area could have a new world champion, but not in boxing.
Three area teens will compete against racers from around the world in the All-American Soap Box Derby on Saturday in Akron.
Brothers Zach, 12, and Brandon Krohn, 10, of Austintown will race in the super stock and stock divisions, respectively.
Haleigh Kuebler, 16, of Berlin Center will take on competitors in the masters division.
All three were winners at the 2010 Greater Youngstown Area Soap Box Derby, which qualified them for the Akron race.
“It’s exciting because we both get to go to Akron,” said Zach, who was the 2009 Youngstown stock champion.
Zach’s father, Chris Krohn, said he didn’t know anything about Soap Box racing until a neighbor, Terry Terrigno, helped Zach get involved five years ago.
“We’re trying to make it a family sport,” Chris said, adding that his 8-year-old daughter Allison will begin racing this year.
Now a seasoned veteran of Soap Box Derby races, Zach admitted to some first-time nerves.
“I was nervous the first time I went down a track,” he said. “... You’re always curious if you win.”
In the stock and super stock cars, drivers bend forward and lower their head, making it practically impossible to see competitors.
In the masters division, drivers lay flat in the cars and slightly lift their heads to see the track.
Kuebler, who will represent Youngstown in that division, said she enjoys the excitement of racing.
“A lot of people don’t think [girls] enjoy cars, and I’m all into that,” she said. “I love building the cars and always wanted to try doing drag racing.”
But earlier this year, Kuebler, the 2009 super stock champion, was worried that she might never race again.
Haleigh, the daughter of Linda and Bill Kuebler, began developing scoliosis, or curvature of her spine, a couple of years ago. When she raced last year, the hump was becoming more prominent.
“There’s a small window where you can do surgery,” Linda said. “When you get outside that window, it just progresses and becomes crippling.”
Haleigh had surgery the day before Thanksgiving in 2009 and was then allowed no activity for six months. She was permitted to lift, at most, a half of gallon of milk.
In late April, doctors told Haleigh that she could race again.
“I think it’s great, being able to go out and doing this stuff again that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do,” Haleigh said.