By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
General Electric remains the reigning ó and only ó champion of the Rowan County United Way Soapbox Derby, claiming its second victory at the second annual event held as part of Friday night’s campaign kickoff in downtown Salisbury.
Faith Hope Phillips, who works in assembly for the company, drove the blue racer to victory, crediting pushers Lewis Safrit and his son, Lucas, for her win. It was Plant Manager Pete Sullivan who asked her to drive, she said, adding that she wasn’t sure why.
“It was fun,” she said.
Introducing the excited group that ran to congratulate her on the victory, Phillips said simply, “This is my whole family.”
Lewis Safrit, who works in shipping, attributed General Electric’s second win to “car design and a lot of luck.”
“And teamwork,” added Sullivan.
It wasn’t looking good for General Electric’s racer when the team first arrived on the square of downtown Salisbury to compete in the 7 p.m. race. Sullivan said it had a flat tire.
Rowan Regional Medical Center’s entry was eliminated during qualifying when two tires flew off, sending driver Krissy Campbell crashing into a Rowan Rescue Squad utility vehicle.
Campbell said she knew something was wrong when the red racer started swerving. “I couldn’t steer it straight no matter what I did,” she said. “I started pulling on the brake and obviously the brake wasn’t working right because of the wheels …
“Once it got up to a higher speed, there was no controlling it.”
Though the crash left her with two bruised ankles from where she had her feet hooked behind a board at the front of the racer, Campbell said her injuries could have been worse if she had hit the curb. “Thank God the Rowan Rescue was there,” she said.
An EEG technologist at Rowan Regional, Campbell said the engineering department asked her if she would drive the entry because she was smaller than any of them. She didn’t hesitate, she said. “I was excited about it.”
Despite the crash, Campbell said she would consider driving the Rowan Regional entry again next year “if the car was rebuilt a little more sturdier.”
In the meantime, Campbell said jokingly that she asked Rick Parker, senior director of professional and support services for the medical center, for a raise after the crash. Parker and other Rowan Regional employees were on hand to make sure she was OK.
Six racers competed in the soapbox derby, racing one block from the square down North Main Street to the next stop light. Many of the hundreds of people lined up to watch them made their predictions early.
Jedidiah and Joshua Burt watched the derby with their father, Matt. Jedidiah, 13, said “Gold Rush,” the car Ben Mynatt Nissan employees made for Rowan Vocational Opportunities, would likely win. Fifteen-year-old Joshua said it would be between Gold Rush and Freightliner.
Their father predicted a win for Gold Rush. “It’s low to the ground,” he said.
Katherine Rivens’ three sons changed their minds about which racer they wanted to win as the derby progressed. They called the Chandler Construction car “Sparky” because of the sparks that flew when the driver put on the brake.
Twelve-year-old Jayln said he liked the blue General Electric racer because it was simply built. “It wasn’t as fancy as the others,” he said, but it was fast.
Trophies were awarded as follows: First place, General Electric; second place, Chandler Concrete; third place, Rowan Vocational Opportunities; and Crowd Pleaser (determined by applause), Freightliner, which used an oil drum to create a bright yellow, rocket-shaped racer.
Ronnie Smith, chief cheerleader for the United Way, served as announcer for the derby. “We had a great night,” he said. “Everything fell into place, beautiful weather and a huge crowd … It was a lot of fun.”
Held in conjunction with Downtown Salisbury’s Kids’ Night Out, the soapbox derby kicks off the Rowan County United Way’s 2009 fundraising campaign. All 17 United Way agencies were represented at the event, which was sponsored by Cheerwine and also featured music by The Entertainers beach music band and lots of fun ó and free ó activities for children.
The goal of this year’s United Way campaign is nearly $1.78 million, down from $1.86 million last year. For more information on the Rowan County United Way, call 704-633-1802.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.