JACKSON BOY FILLS NEED FOR SPEED

Evan Henry beamed as he clutched his first-place trophy, having won out over 41 other children in St. Francis Medical Center's second annual Soap Box Derby Saturday.

The 10-year-old Jackson boy turned in the fastest averaged time in his two races, finishing in 37.26 seconds on Sprigg Street-turned-racecourse.

"I knew I had gone fast," said Henry after being presented his trophy. As the winner, he will go on to the national competition, which will be in Akron, Ohio, in July.

The derby, organized by the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club, involved 32 pinewood cars and 42 races. The event raised about $17,000, thanks to corporate sponsorships. St. Francis Medical Center was the chief sponsor of the local derby.

B.I. Howard, 9, of Cape Girardeau finished second. Jarrod Arnold, 9, of Marion, Ill., finished third, followed by Doug Froemsdorf, 10, of Jackson in fourth.

Longer course

This was the first year that the top winner qualified for national competition. The race course was extended about 80 feet to meet national requirements, said Rotary Club's Chap Arnold, who organized this year's derby.

Charlie Dayton of St. Louis, assistant regional director of the All-American Soap Box Derby, observed the local derby and gave it high marks. "This is a fun family activity," he said.

The lightweight red and blue, pinewood cars were powered by gravity. Henry said he followed some simple advice in his races: "Just keep your head down and watch the road."

Earlier in the race, Henry stood at the finish line and cheered on friend and fellow driver, Nathan Davis of Sikeston, but his thoughts were already racing ahead. "I just want to win," he said with a smile.

Lots of speed

Davis said he wasn't prepared for the speed. "It went faster than I thought it would," he said. "When you are going down the hill, it feels like you can't stop."

Some didn't apply their brakes in time, crashing their small race cars into straw bales set up at the end of the course.

During a practice run before the 10 a.m. start, one boy drove past the straw bales and crashed into the side of a police car. No one was injured.

Each race car was limited to a maximum weight of 200 pounds, which includes the weight of the driver. Several of the entries checked in right at 200 pounds.

Participants, ages 9 to 15, wearing blue helmets, raced their cars down the slope on Sprigg Street from Blanchard Elementary School to the finish line near Bertling. Orange traffic cones defined the two race lanes.

"It's really neat to feel the wind," said derby driver Sarah Schneider, 12, of Cape Girardeau. "I think they picked a good spot to do it."

Ryan Driskell, 11, of Cape Girardeau said he had more fun racing the car than building it. "At first, I was scared," he said after finishing the race.

Driskell's father, Keith Estes of Scott City, watched the race at the finish line along with other spectators. "I think they should do this more often," he said. "There are plenty of steep hills around here to do it on."

SOAP BOX DERBY RESULTS

Avg. Name Age Hometown Time

Evan Henry 10 Jackson 37.26

B.I. Howard 9 Cape Girardeau 37.32

Jarrod Arnold 9 Marion 37.62

Doug Froemsdorf 10 Jackson 37.83

Tara Meyer 9 Cape Girardeau 37.87

Ryan Driskell 11 Cape Girardeau 37.89

Kaitlin Wibbenmeyer 11 Cape Girardeau 37.98

Lauren Schuette 9 Jackson 38.02

Stuart Pohlman 9 Frohna 38.09

Blaine Smith 12 Cape Girardeau 38.11

Jordan Schott 10 Jonseboro 38.15

Nick Austin 9 Cape Girardeau 38.22

Nathan Davis 10 Jackson 38.25

Tyler Brandt 11 Cape Girardeau 38.25

Laura Lusk 11 Cape Girardeau 38.26

Trevor Welter 15 Cape Girardeau 38.29

Dustin Hengst unavailable unavailable 38.29

Jeremy Shank 13 Jackson 38.30

Tiger Hohman 10 Cape Girardeau 38.34

Justin Thorn 13 Cape Girardeau 38.40

Mick Grace 10 Cape Girardeau 38.53

Chelsi Webster 11 Patton 38.55

Scott Owen 13 Jackson 38.57

Jared Burke 11 Cape Girardeau 38.60

J.D. Mongol 12 Cape Girardeau 38.62

Christopher Seyer 13 Cape Girardeau 38.67

Robert Adams 14 Jackson 38.68

Logan Spurlock 9 Cape Girardeau 38.71

Steven Pitcher 11 Cape Girardeau 38.71

Sarah Schneider 12 Cape Girardeau 38.75

Andrew Williams 11 Cape Girardeau 38.89

Jacob Conner 10 Bloomfield 38.90

John Free 10 Jackson 39.01

Brian Burke 13 Cape Girardeau 39.09

Jacob Glaus 8 Cape Girardeau 39.18

Catherine Meyer 13 Cape Girardaeu 39.23

Ben Martin 13 Irondale 39.26

Marc Harris 9 Jackson 39.44

Luther Payne 12 Sikeston 40.12

Kailee Cochran 9 Cape Girardeau 40.47