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Every year my town's firemen sponsor a soapbox derby race for the kids.
As a matter of fact, it's happening at this very moment ...
They close off about a quarter mile of our main street for it.
It's a great road for a derby because it has a nice slope (but not too steep).
My rant ......
Years ago, the kids (helped by their parents) had to build the racer by hand ... The only guidelines were basically .... no engines, no pedal power, must have some sort of brakes and a general size guideline .....
The racers were always very different and interesting .......
Some were really crappy
Others looked like Mario Andretti designed them
I'm saying, they were 100% unique ......
It took SKILL, THINKING and TIME to create them ... As a Custom Mego lover, I really can appreciate them as basically a CUSTOM or even a work of art .......
Today .........
There's none of that anymore ........
All the cars in the derby are EXACTLY the same .....
They look like they're made of moulded fibre-glass
They all have seatbelts, etc.
These cars are RENTED by the TOWN from a company who makes and rents derby cars .....
A homemade car can no-longer be used.
It just bugs me that these new kids will never know how cool it is to BUILD, RACE and WIN --- (or LOSE) ... with something you created with your own hands.
If there are any skilled kids, today's society isn't encouraging them one single bit.... As a matter of fact, a gifted kid might not even know he's gifted with the way things are going.
Sorry for the rant, but seeing them rental derby cars, just ****ed me off ...
Thanks for listening
As a matter of fact, it's happening at this very moment ...
They close off about a quarter mile of our main street for it.
It's a great road for a derby because it has a nice slope (but not too steep).
My rant ......
Years ago, the kids (helped by their parents) had to build the racer by hand ... The only guidelines were basically .... no engines, no pedal power, must have some sort of brakes and a general size guideline .....
The racers were always very different and interesting .......
Some were really crappy
Others looked like Mario Andretti designed them
I'm saying, they were 100% unique ......
It took SKILL, THINKING and TIME to create them ... As a Custom Mego lover, I really can appreciate them as basically a CUSTOM or even a work of art .......
Today .........
There's none of that anymore ........
All the cars in the derby are EXACTLY the same .....
They look like they're made of moulded fibre-glass
They all have seatbelts, etc.
These cars are RENTED by the TOWN from a company who makes and rents derby cars .....
A homemade car can no-longer be used.
It just bugs me that these new kids will never know how cool it is to BUILD, RACE and WIN --- (or LOSE) ... with something you created with your own hands.
If there are any skilled kids, today's society isn't encouraging them one single bit.... As a matter of fact, a gifted kid might not even know he's gifted with the way things are going.
Sorry for the rant, but seeing them rental derby cars, just ****ed me off ...
Thanks for listening
British by birth....English by the grace of God. 
Yes Jamie...it is big isn't it....
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