Number 88 - Enter a soapbox Derby-type Event

Date: August 29, 2009

Ooooo, Oooo, Oooo!!! I just found out that the Red Bull Soapbox race is going to be in Atlanta this year!!! Sending in the application today!! Check it out

http://www.redbullsoapboxusa.com/races.aspx

Now for the important stuff:

1.Pink paint...Check!

2. Fuscia Ermine...Check!
3. Cerise sequins...Check!
4.Tiara...Check!
5. Lime-colored rhinestones...Sheesh, no. Don't wanna be gaudy!
6. Mechanic/Companion...Dr. M (acceptance pending)
7. Find out how to make a car... Okay, better do this first

Update June 6, 2009 - Sister Jean has requested a spot on the Pit Crew and suggested that the vehicle should be constructed to resemble a breast cancer ribbon. How very apt! Will finish and submit the design sketch today. They only choose 40-50 teams so cross your fingers for us!!

Finished the plan and will submit it in the morning. Rick took one look at my blueprints and pronounced them unsound. We will see about THAT, sir! Well, Here's the outside of the car, anyway:

Update: June 9, 2009- Dr M. has agreed to be my adventure companion on this adventure even though I didn't give any details on what will be involved. What a good sport!! I guess if I had to describe what the role was in one word, I'd say "ballast."

UPDATE June 24th, 2009 -We're in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just got this communication:

Congratulations! Out of approximately 160 applications, your Team was selected for one of the coveted racing spots to complete in Red Bull Soapbox Race Atlanta! Come August 29th, you will be speeding down 10th Street near Piedmont Park in hopes of attaining Red Bull Soapbox Race glory. I will be in touch soon to confirm details and discuss your submission.
Teams… start your building!

It was intolerably hot in the garage so I took over the den for awhile to build the car.


We named our car the Betty D. After of friend Betty who was just beginning chemotherapy for breast cancer the day we left for the race.


Update August 25th - Dr. M will not be able to attend due to an orthopedic issue that requires immediate treatment. Fortunately, cancer pal, Nancy will fill in with her daughter Christina! The car will be finished tonight and ready to go! We are pretty excited about the race and our trip to Atlanta!!!


Update August 27th - Sister Jean arrived from Florida with the truck. Nancy assembled our cheerleaders, Meg and Paloma, and the finishing touches were put on the car.
Adding fluffy feathers and a ponytail to our parasol the night before we left. My den is a MESS!

August 28th- Jean and Rick loaded the car into the truck with a tarp in case it rained. We picked up Nancy at her school and we were off! Christina and the cheerleaders were in another car; they were going to stay the whole weekend in Atlanta. Nancy and I talked and giggled the whole way while Jean drove. She did a spectacular job! It was pouring rain the whole way!!. The car didn't get wet at all but some of the parts made of old pizza boxes, like the fins did warp a bit for the moisture, but for the most part, the car arrived intact. We went to a team meeting and met teams from all over the country. We ate dinner with the Mad Hatters from Canton, Ohio and Keeping it Wheel from Jacksonville, FL. Nice buncha guys. They told us only 50% of the vehicles make it to the finish line - yikes!! Then Jean and I hit the hay and Nancy and pals hit the town.

August 29th- Race Day!!! This thing was HUGE. We had no idea what a big deal it was. It was like a gigantic carnival and silliness was the word of the day. We touched up the car, had a safety inspection and then posed for pictures and did interviews for about three hours. It was like being a movie star. What was really cool is that we got hugs for lots of other breast cancer survivors. That right there made it all worthwhile.

We walked around and looked at the other cars too. There were some really creative work put into these cars and costumes!

So, how'd we do? This article from our local paper, The Coastal Courier, written by Patty Leon, explains it all:

Team Boobie-Do Crosses Finish Line on Foot

Fort Stewart school teachers Dr. Edith Allison and Nancy Cintron made the voyage to Atlanta on Saturday to race in the 2009 Red Bull Soapbox Race, but crossed the finish line on foot after a slight problem forced them to improvise.


"Sadly, we didn't get to fly with our Red Bull wings," Allison said. "We jumped into the car like we were Batman and Robin and heard a crack. We tried to go on but lost a wheel."

Allison said Cintron just grabbed her by the arm and said "Let's
go."

"We ran for the finish line hand in hand, "Allison said. One of the judges, Michael Knight from 'Project Runway' gave us a score of 7 (out of 10) just for style, I suppose. They wrapped up the wheel we lost in a ribbon and gave it to us as a 'booby prize.'"

Allison and Cintron are both breast cancer survivors.

After she was diagnosed in 2006, Allison decided she would beat the disease and challenge herself to live life to the fullest. Inspired by the book "101 Things to Do Before You Die", she made her own list.Driving in a soapbox race was the seventh item she has completed on her list.
Allison's sister, Jean Marie, helped her design the car by incorporating the breast cancer awareness symbol, a pink ribbon.

Allison embarks on her next adventure this weekend at the 2009 Dragon-Con event in Atlanta. She will dress up like a female Klingon and compete in a beauty pageant. Allison isn't sure what she'll complete after the pageant.

"The way it works is that I draw out the next adventure from a jar and the name of someone who has agreed to be an adventure companion with me from another jar and then the fun begins," she said. "We don't get to pick. Fate throws us together. I have been taking ballroom dance and Argentine tango lessons. That's kind of ongoing."

Follow Allison as she tackles her list of 101 items at:

http://edidod.blogspot.com/2009/03/welcome.html

Nancy and I race for the finish line in our crash helmets

Related article:

Coastal Courier: http://www.coastalcourier.com/news/article/16141