Flint Soap Box Derby offers kids a chance to compete, learn life skills
This story was originally published by The Flint Journal and MLive Media Group.
FLINT, MI – Soap box cars raced down South Chevrolet Avenue towards the finish line during Flint’s 2023 Soap Box Derby on Saturday, June 3.
Soap box cars with names like the Blazing Turtles, the Raider Racers, the Full Send Vipers, and the Tower of Pizza raced towards the finishing line.
The soap box racetrack on South Chevrolet Avenue started by the intersection of Glenwood Avenue and Fox Street, where racers plunged down the road, crossing a bridge over the Flint River and finally ending at the finish line by Kettering University.
Family, friends, and spectators lined the racetrack with signs, chairs, and tents while they cheered the racers on.
Kevin Cronin, executive director of the Flint Soap Box Derby, grew up with soap box racing as part of his family. The Cronin Derby Downs track is named after his grandfather.
Cronin said he hopes kids participating will become as interested with the cars as he did as a child, and the event can mean different things to different kids.
For some kids, Cronin said it may spark an interest in STEM fields, start life-long friendships, or allow them to get experience building things and using tools.
“We’re honored to be able to bring the event back and that there’s so much enthusiasm… we know it’s going to be a really exciting event as it grows,” he said. “It’s something I personally love to do and I am really passionate about and it’s a way we can provide something unique to the city of Flint.”
In advance of Saturday’s races, community participants took part in a series of building workshops on Saturdays throughout April and May. During those workshops, participants collaboratively built their vehicles alongside skilled volunteers and event sponsors.
Henry Scrivener, a 13-year-old Swartz Creek Middle School student and driver for his team, said working with his teammates and mentors while building his team’s soap box car has allowed him a lot of opportunities to learn about using tools.
“I’ve gained the ability to work with tools, it’s fun, and it’s easier now that I see other kids doing it too,” Scrivener said.
One of Scrivener’s mentors is assistant Swartz Creek Middle School principal R.J. Caplain. Caplain said it’s great mentoring the kids and seeing their growth as they learn to use tools, solve problems, and use grit and determination to see their tasks through.
“It’s exciting because you can see the aha on their faces or the smiles because they know they’re working through things,” Caplain said. “(The soap box racing team) It’s a welcomed addition to our project-based learning program and our new STEM wing at our school.”
Flint hosted its first Soap Box Derby in 1936 on Cadillac Street, before moving to the newly constructed Cronin Derby Downs in 1969.
Soap box racing returned to Flint in 2019 after a multi-decade absence, and the annual race is now one component of a larger program that provides hands-on STEM learning in a collaborative environment that builds community partnership.
The winner of the Super Stock Division will qualify for the 85th FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby Race Week, scheduled for July 16-22 in Akron, Ohio.