Even in 1973, the All-American Soap Box Derby was supposed to be the most wholesome entry point for kids. It had managed to evolve well past the days of rickety contraptions that kids had slammed together with cast-off parts, bits of scrap, and nights spent sanding away on their pride and joy and had instead become something much more, but the idea was still present: these were supposed to be kids building their machines, kids competing against other kids in a race down a hill to see who was fastest. It was supposed to be innocent, maybe the last bastion of innocence left. It wasn’t. The allure of winning tends to be too great a temptation to resist, regardless of the prize or the scale of the situation. You remember the one kid who got downright territorial and evil when the teacher was handing out candy for correct answers on what was supposed to be a fun day, right? Some adults never grow out of that stage.
The name Jimmy Gronen is infamously tied to what might as well be the end of the innocent soap box derby racer. At least, that is what most people tend to think when looking back on it historically…and they aren’t far off. Jimmy’s racer was fitted with an electromagnet that would chase the steel paddle of the starter mechanism, giving the kart a holeshot advantage off of the line. All Jimmy had to do was push his helmet rearward into the headrest. If that didn’t work, there was a second method, involving contacts his thumbs could manipulate. It wasn’t even the only thing found cheaty about the kart…during the national race, Gronen’s wheels were replaced by the officials after a chemical had been wiped onto the rubber part of the wheel, which made the material swell and tighten up, reducing rolling resistance.
Gronen took the black eye for the event. His uncle and legal guardian at the time, Robert Lange, was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and settled for a $2,000 settlement. Jimmy lost a $7,500 scholarship and in a bit of rage, destroyed the trophy that he was supposed to give back. Over the last forty years, he spent time in a monastery and has kept out of the private eye, understandable for a kid who went from champion to the guy that Walter Cronkite called out on the evening news.
Dollars and fame…(spelled G-R-E-E-D)…the things that always seem to corrupt any competition no matter how “grass roots” or wholesome it starts out as. It was the attraction of street outlaws in the beginning and the disdain for it now. It’s why all of the major racing series are struggling.
When you break away from the things that make the ordinary guy feel like he could actually compete and head towards the realm of unobtainium…it ruins the appeal.
When my sons were in Cub Scouts, there was one family of several boys who won the Pinewood Derby every year. Same deal, they won by a lot. I could see many cars that weren’t legal, so next year I became the tech guy. I told everyone for months what the rules were and that cheating wasn’t tolerated. We had some kids from Section 8 apartments, and some who’s fathers were US government engineers. I wanted everyone to have a chance, not the few that had access to government secrets.
On race day I had the same scale that had been available for months. Many cars showed up overweight. I supplied a drill so cars could be made legal if they wished. Cars showed up with liquid lube dripping from the axles, a clear violation. One had wheels that had been profiled on a lathe. I brought legal wheels with me to be used if needed.
I disqualified maybe a quarter of the cars. The parents refused to make them legal. Several fathers offered to meet me outside to “discuss” things. The cheating clearly was above the level that the kids could achieve, and several left in tears.
After the event, most parents and scouts thanked me for reigning in the cheats. The family that had consistent winners won again, I couldn’t find anything illegal. I offered to have an “anything goes” event next year after the legal race, that was shot down. I was also asked to not be tech director again.
It’s supposed to be for kids.
AMEN
Way to take a stand. Proud of you.
https://shanamansports.pastperfectonline.com/photo/8F65656B-E5B3-4C99-A26F-987615356555
My second cousin. They (yes lots of parental involvement) won the whole thing in 1966 but in the next year had to wonder why they weren’t even competitive, the other cars were becoming bafflingly faster somehow was the story I heard.
Five years of having a kid in soccer left me pretty weary about how adults act in children’s sports. But doesn’t everyone love a cheat? Shrug.