KIDS DRIVE 'EM WILD AT DERBY

James Coonce spent his birthday Saturday doing what every 12-year-old dreams of someday doing: driving.

Coonce was one of 41 local youngsters who participated in a revival of the soap box derby, an activity that faded from Cape Girardeau in the mid 1950s.

"It was awesome!" he said after racing down Sprigg Street near Blanchard School in a red No. 25 car emblazoned on one side with "Snake Boy," a nickname his dad gave him, and a Kansas City Chiefs sticker.

"I think I did OK. I stayed right in the middle. I kept trying to put my head down more and more, and every time I looked, the other person was still behind me."

Coonce had all the right moves, but in the end, .72 of a second separated him from a first place trophy. In fact, only 1.73 seconds separated the fastest and slowest average times of all 41 entrants.

The top four finishers were Stuart Pohlman with an average time of 36.27 seconds; Blaine Smith, 36.44; Matt Compas, 36.59; and Steven Pitcher, 36.62.

As Pohlman, 9, held the first place trophy in the winner's circle and smiled for his family's cameras, he said he was surprised he had the best time because he had difficulty keeping his car straight.

"I'm happy that I got the first place trophy even though I was going crooked," Stuart said as his family teased him about his driving.

"On the practice run, I wrecked. The brake cable broke, but we got it fixed for the race. The first time I raced, I started to drive toward the cones, but I straightened it out."

During early morning time trials, the Blanchard School parking lot was full of drivers and parents making last-minute preparations to the cars -- oiling wheels, tightening weights and wiping off dust.

The drivers, which were boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 16, bought the cars in kits and dedicated several hours to assembling the red and blue, hard-plastic cruisers with the help of parents and friends.

The combined weight of the car and drive could not exceed 200 pounds.

Pitcher, 11, drove car No. 50 and said it took about six hours for him and his father to put together. The car weighed 62 pounds, and Pitcher weighed 104 pounds, so his father added weights to bring the car up to 199 pounds.

Pitcher said his racing strategy was the same as that of Coonce.

"I've got to duck down to get off the wind resistance," he said before the race. "I have to keep my foot off the brake and keep the wheels straight so I go straight down."

The race course was about 880 feet long with orange construction cones down the middle and straw bales lining the sides and ends. All drivers wore helmets and soap box derby T-shirts.

Two at a time, the cars were placed on ramps at the starting line, which was the top of a hill near the school. The brakes on each car were tested before every race, and the cars were released from the ramps on the count of five.

All the entrants raced twice, and the times of each race were averaged together for a final score. The cars attained speeds of about 25 miles per hour.

Prior to start time, derby organizer Dieter Jedan, had a drivers' meeting with the youngsters and reminded them of various regulations and driving tips, including how to get into the car on the ramps, how to brake, to keep the car as close to the middle of the course as possible and to not look at their opponent during the race.

"Do not look at the car next to you. Focus on keeping your car straight. The driver next to you is not your competitor. Time is your competitor," Jedan said. "Most importantly, you all are winners. You already built the car. Just be courteous and have a good time."

Tamika Wiseman, 14, drove car No. 26 and was confident she would be one of the top finishers as she prepared for her second race.

"During the first race, I thought I was going to win, but I pushed the brake. You're not supposed to push the brake. I lost by two seconds," she said. "I like pushing the brake because I don't want to crash into the haystacks like everybody else. But I'm going to win a trophy. You watch."

Christina Wolford, 13, said her driving strategy centered around ducking down in the car as far as she could.

"The hardest part is steering," she said. "You have it straight, but then it goes somewhere else."

More than 400 spectators lined the east side of Sprigg Street during the derby, an encouraging site to members of the Rotary Club who organized the race and plan to make it an annual event.

"The weather was wonderful. The families were excellent. The races were spectacular," Jedan said. "The kids were very well disciplined and sportsmanlike. That's what we like to see in our young people."

Jedan said the Rotary Club had a great deal of help from businesses and community organizations.

"It's a great family event. I think the community really supported it. They came out in full force," he said. "As long as the community thinks it's a worthwhile event, we're going to do it."

SOAP BOX DERBY WINNERS

Driver Car No. Time 1 Time 2 Average Time

Stuart Pohlman 49 36.35 36.19 36.27

Blaine Smith 87 36.90 35.97 36.44

Matt Compas 41 36.35 36.82 36.59

Steven Pitcher 50 36.64 36.59 36.62

Kyleigh Walters 87 36.67 36.84 36.76

Steven Lutz 57 36.75 36.82 36.79

Sarah Schneider 21 36.97 36.65 36.81

Laura Lusk 21 36.84 36.91 36.88

Tiger Hohman 2 36.97 36.80 36.89

Dustin Hengst 15 37.23 36.59 36.91

Christine Wolford 31 36.75 37.12 36.94

Doug Froemsdorf 06 36.82 37.06 36.94

Michael Crow 09 36.97 36.91 36.94

Kaitlin Wibbenmeyer 49 37.20 36.71 36.96

Jacob Conner 13 37.19 36.75 36.97

Dan Austin 25 37.22 36.75 36.99

James Coonce 25 36.92 37.06 36.99

Nikkolas Baker 12 36.87 37.12 37.00

Tyler Brandt 35 37.10 36.90 37.00

Chelsi Webster 54 37.25 36.78 37.02

Brian Burke 09 37.12 36.93 37.03

Joe Golightly 02 37.48 36.70 37.09

Kali Niswonger 23 37.41 36.91 37.16

Mick Grace 67 37.16 37.25 37.21

Jordan Schott 54 37.05 37.39 37.22

Charlee Denson 41 37.94 36.53 37.24

Morgan Ruppel 11 37.19 37.56 37.38

Jarred Harris 26 37.56 37.25 37.41

David Dees 08 37.32 37.50 37.41

Marcus Rice 31 37.87 37.06 37.47

Ternel Clemmens 79 37.43 37.62 37.53

Tamika Wiseman 26 37.47 37.59 37.53

Paige Pritchard 37 37.78 37.32 37.55

Anthony Hall 79 37.35 37.78 37.57

Christopher Seyer 36 37.67 37.53 37.60

Robert Filipiak 19 37.97 37.34 37.66

Jared Burke 11 37.53 37.93 37.73

Kylee Dalton 12 37.92 37.62 37.77

James Williams 36 37.83 37.81 37.82

John Griffin 48 37.94 38.03 37.99

David McBee 19 38.33 37.87 38.10