In 1997, Roger LaPointe helped bring the now-famous soap box derby to Bowling Green. Over 20 years later, his son, Anthony LaPointe, carried on his father’s legacy by directing this weekend’s 23rd Annual BB&T All-American Soap Box Derby.

Once a soap box racer during his formative years, Anthony LaPointe stepped into the role for the event featuring more than 70 local children competing for a spot in the world championships.

Years of experience were at the forefront of Anthony LaPointe’s thoughts during Friday’s and Saturday’s races.

“It’s special to have that history. It’s just so special to continue to keep soap box in the family,” Anthony LaPointe said. “When I quit racing, I thought I would never get that feeling of the excitement of soap box. As a director, you are excited to see everybody else have that feeling.”

Not only did this year mark Anthony LaPointe’s first as director, but it also marks the competition’s return after it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said planning for the derby was put on pause until February. In fact, they only had around 15 racers set to participate just one month ago.

However, after many hours of work from dozens of volunteers, a full field of competitors took to the soap box track at Phil Moore Park this weekend.

Racers competed across three divisions during the two-day, double-elimination event with winners moving on to the world championships in the summer at Akron, Ohio.

The stock division features beginners ages 7 to 13, the super stock division is designed for intermediate-level racers ages 10 to 17 and the masters division is for advanced racers ages 10 to 20.

Saturday also saw participants take part in the Super Kids race. Sponsored by Norton Children’s Hospital and Meijer, the event featured individuals with special needs ages 7 to 20.

The Kiwanis Club of Bowling Green provided custom-made cars for the Super Kids so an additional driver could ride with the racers.

“It’s worth all the work that we put into it,” Anthony LaPointe said of the special competition. “I went down the hill with a superkid yesterday, and she immediately wanted to do it again.”

Kiwanis Club Co-Chair Jennifer Bailey said the support from the community has turned the derby into one of the largest soap box events in the world.

“We’ve got great sponsors out there that help us to put this event on and help us reach as many children in the county as we possibly can,” Bailey said. “So, we are excited to have this kind of community support behind the event that came here 23 years ago and has exploded into something the whole nation knows about.”

Bailey also said the Kiwanis Club will send winners of each of the three divisions to Akron with a cash stipend. The club helped to supply soap box cars for the event and will do so again for winners at the world championships if needed.

Winning did not concern Ronnie Gower, who was there to watch his three grandsons participate in Saturday’s races.

“I’ve been watching them for five years now, and I’ve just enjoyed seeing them having a good time,” Gower said. “Winning is not that important to me. It is to them, though. They would like to win.”

Gower said he told his grandsons about his experiences with the soap box derby, and they became interested over time.

Gower’s grandson Andrew Carroll, 14, said he woke up at 5:20 a.m. in anticipation for his fifth year racing in the event.

“It’s been fun,” Carroll said of his time competing. “It’s really exciting getting up early.”

His older brother Joshua Carroll, 15, has also been racing for the past five years with the goal of one day qualifying for the world championships.

“It’s been great just getting the chance to compete against other people,” Joshua Carroll said. “It’s not something that most people get to do so I feel very fortunate to be able to race.”

Further information on the derby can be found at https://www.soapboxderby.org/bowling-green.