The Rotary Club of Akron welcomed Mark Gerberich, President and CEO of the International Soap Box Derby to our August 18th meeting to update us on the status of the International Soap Box Derby during this trying time of COVID-19 as well as a general overview of the Soap Box Derby.
Mr. Gerberich leads a team of 10 full time and six part-time employees, pre-COVID-19 with a budget of $1.9 million and operates more than 250 events yearly.
Mr. Gerberich has worked in the sports field for 35 years after attaining his undergraduate degree from St. John’s University in NY and his master’s degree from the University of Akron in sport management.
Since 2010, Mr. Gerberich has been teaching two sport management classes at the University of Akron, where he enjoys the opportunity to assist students in making the transition from being a student to joining the work force upon graduation. 
Mark expressed his appreciation to all the individuals and organizations that have been so collaborative in ensuring the success of the Soap Box Derby.
The All-American Soap Box Derby® is a youth gravity racing program which has run nationally since 1934.
Children between the ages of 7-20 are eligible to race in the program. Kids, along with a parent, mentor, etc. build a car using a specially designed kit purchased from the International Soap Box Derby (ISBD).
Races are held each year in officially sanctioned Soap Box Derby® race locations throughout the United States and a few foreign countries. The racing season culminates at the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship Race, held each July at the world-famous Derby Downs Track in Akron.
There are two ways a child can qualify for the First Energy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship Race. The first is to enter a local race and win. The child will qualify for the World Championship Race and compete against other Local Champions.
Local race programs are sponsored by a variety of civic clubs, service organizations and businesses. These groups establish their local Derby administrative and promotional organizations to conduct the program. Local race organizations are responsible for a license fee to the ISBD.
The second way to advance to the World Championship Race is to earn enough points through the Rally Program and represent his/her region against other Rally Champions.
There are 12 Regional Divisions plus the International Division.
The Soap Box Derby attempts to provide the following to their participants:
- Youth Education and Leadership Development, Family Engagement and Enrichment,
- Honesty, Integrity and Perseverance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Teamwork and Collaboration, Mentoring, Volunteerism and Commitment to the Community.
The Akron Soap Box Derby has three main programs. They are the All-American Soap Box Derby (AASBD) Race Program, their Education Program and their Derby Down Special Events Program.
The Special Events program includes such events as Inclusion Day, Senior Day, Veterans Appreciation Day and Corporate Derby Challenge. Two of the newest programs within the Education Section is their STEM program and their Robotics program. When asked what happens to old cars that kids might have raced but are sitting in basements or garages now, Mr. Gerberich answered that the Soap Box Derby would gladly take old cars to provide an opportunity to other children to have the experience of the Derby Downs who couldn’t otherwise afford to purchase a car.
More details about each of these programs can be found on their website https://www.soapboxderby.org.
