WASHINGTON — About 30 kids competed Saturday in the 76th annual Greater Washington D.C. All-American Soap Box Derby.
Hunched over in their sleek race cars to reduce drag, the kids glided down Constitution Avenue in the shadow of the Capitol Dome.
“It’s really fun going fast because all the wind is in your face, said Liv Pennington, a rising 6th grader from Haymarket, Virginia. “You’re having your own version of something that only you can do.”
Saturday was Vallaban’s first race.
“I’m kind of nervous because I don’t know how it’s going to be,” she said. “I have all these thoughts buzzing my head. I just straight up want to win. I don’t really care if I lose, but it would be nice to win.”
Ryan Jameson of Hollywood, Maryland, is another rising 6th grader. He agrees the downhill ride is exhilarating but he says there’s more to Soap Box Derby; there is the great camaraderie and the support of grown-ups.
“It’s fast and it’s very fun,” Jameson said. “It’s the people. Everybody is very nice and helpful.”
The race cars are assembled over the course of weeks and months from kits. Some are tried and trusted, if slightly used race-cars, handed down or passed on to other kids.
“I’ll tell you something that my dad told me a long time ago: One kid gets in the car, however the whole family’s involved,” said Billy Rayle, of Mechanicsville, Maryland, who grew up racing with his brother and won the national competition in 1978.
His family had three children participating in Saturday’s heats.
The winners in three different divisions, Stock (beginners), Super Stock, (experienced) and Masters (advanced) go on to compete in the finals in Akron, Ohio, on July 16.
