The Race
By JT Pilaf
Every year Zachary's AWANA Club have a soap box derby race. The participants purchase a $3 kit and bring them home to their awaiting fathers. This is supposed to be a time to bond; father and son or daughter sharing good old fashion quality time together. It ends up being a father/ grandfather project with both men vying for it to be a solo effort. The child is usually left watching Spongebob in the TV room.
This past Wednesday was the preliminary race with the winners moving on to greater glories. Leading up to the race a checklist must be completed.
#1 Design the car.
That's usually Zach's forte'. Of course a dad can reply with "I can't do that, but I can do it this way". The child then relents to his father's vision.
#2 Prepare the frame.
It all starts with a 3.5 ounce 3" X 7" block of wood. The design is drawn on the wood with a lead based #2 pencil (usually resembling an early year corvette) and then cut out. The frame is then painted (three coats usually does the trick). Chassis and wheels are carefully added and secured. Accessories and weights are then strategically placed to get the car up to it's maximum weight of 5 ounces. To make sure the car does not exceed the 5 oz. limit you need to take it to no less than 4 post offices and 1 meat deli in the Greater Buffalo Niagara Region
to have the clerks verify the weight. The tires need to be constantly tested to make sure there is no rubbing.
The race car, now as shiny as black onyx, is ready for the big race. The father, beaming with pride, hands off the finished gem to his son like an tribes elder or king offering his son all his possessions and land. The father's outstretched arms, the son surveying all infront of him, the passing of the leader's torch. Beautiful, just beautiful. 'snif'
Race day: Zach and I enter the auditorium with our matching racing jackets, dark glasses, and driving gloves on. We know we have the racing edge. We gently hang up our jackets exposing our ggreased, cut off t-shirts revealing our matching tattoos that read "Racing for God".
Zach registered and weighed his car for the final time with the AWANA official.
The race has four heats and to advance to the finals you must win a heat or finish in second place all four times. Zach finished in first twice and in second place twice. He was VERY happy.
In the finals he finished in second place .1 seconds behind the winner. Papa watched like an expectant ... well you know.
In Saturday's Regional race Zach won a heat to move on to the semi-finals but could not advance from there.
He always seems to be with the ladies.
Zach and papa check out the competition.
Zach lines up his car on the track.
Nothing needs to be said. He makes me smile.
Zach with his second place trophy.
how cute are they!
