Thrill of the Hill: Family Tradition Runs Deep at the 86th FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships
Akron native Ella Probst loves the thrill of a hill—specifically, the world-famous hill at Derby Downs in her hometown. She was one of more than 320 competitors from throughout the United States, Canada and Japan who competed in this year’s FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships , held July 14-20.
Probst’s bright purple car, plastered with panda bears all over, was easy to pick out of the pack at Derby Downs, which has been the home of the non-profit organization that runs the event, the International Soap Box Derby, for decades.
“We call it Panda car, and I'm Panda girl,” she said. “I've never seen another car with pandas on it, and I'm glad that I could be creative enough to figure out something that not many people, if any, have done.”
A video of racers like Ella competing at Derby Downs can be viewed on FirstEnergy’s YouTube channel.
Probst and her family have tapped into their creative sides to build soap box derby cars for as long as she can remember. Over the years, they have attempted several methods when putting together their wooden cars to try and give them a competitive edge in gravity racing.
“After we get the pieces together, the true challenge is adjusting weights to make your car go as fast as possible while you are riding down a hill in it,” Probst said.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) concepts factored into Probst’s and all young racers’ car designs, exposing them to several disciplines and skills employees at FirstEnergy use each day to keep the lights on for more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.
“We are filled with pride when we see young people taking an interest in learning about STEM subjects in such an exciting, fun and engaging way,” said Torrence Hinton, FirstEnergy’s Ohio President. “By supporting these opportunities, we are helping to ensure that today’s youth have a bright future in the workforce of tomorrow.”
A recent high school graduate, Probst is considering a career as a car mechanic. As she approaches the end of her soap box derby racing career, she’s hoping to pass the baton to a younger family member to continue the beloved tradition.
“I put 11 years into becoming the best racer possible, and it’ll be really rewarding to help a new generation of racers learn the ropes and become successful in this sport,” she said.
During race week, FirstEnergy announced it is extending its sponsorship of the annual event for another three years. The sponsorship continues a strong relationship between the two Akron-based organizations that began in 2012.
"FirstEnergy’s continued support enables us to expand our derby racing network and our STEM education programs to new communities worldwide, while enhancing the experience for the racers and spectators here in Akron during this annual, globally recognized event,” said Scott Taylor, President and CEO, International Soap Box Derby.
Kids and young adults between the ages of seven and 20 who are interested in signing up to compete in a soap box derby can find more information on the International Soap Box Derby website.
Media Contact: Hannah Catlett 440-554-5346