Detroit Metro Soap Box Derby

DMSBD Volunteers Needed
Trailers Drivers
must be Licensed Drivers with course road experience. You will have to drive either automatic or stick shift tow vehicles, of varying makes and sizes, up and down the hill, with the trailer attached.

You will be responsible for the life and limbs of the drivers riding in the tow vehicle with you. You will be trusted with the care of their cars while attached to the trailers.

You will follow the Flag person's color-coded instructions at ALL TIMES! We wave a green flag when it is safe for you to use the return lane. We hold a red flag when you MUST NOT use the return lane. You must ascertain the correct distance and safest conduct at the bottom of the hill. The Body Builders, or Car Handlers, will assist you in keeping your path safely clear and ascertaining the color of the flag at the top. Any Questions?

Contact the DMSBD Lady to apply for this job. This job is compatible with some disabilities. Three Drivers, per race day, are needed. As we grow, more may be necessary.

One Router
Does just that. They Roust the Drivers and cars to the scales, and to the Gate. They are responsible for tracking wheel changes, lane changes, and heat changes. They control the wheel swap drawings and any disputes that may arise regarding the wheel swaps. They are responsible to see that the original wheels go home with the original drivers at the end of the race.

Size and athleticism do not matter, but good vocalization is a must. You must make yourself heard above the crowd, the driver's enthusiasm, and any pit noise or gate noises. You must be assertive but polite.

Can you rise above the crowd and control the 3 ring circus? Then why not apply for this job?

An Announcer
An announcer is necessary to our races. Someone who can speaks clearly into a microphone, tells the crowd whom they might be about to "Roar" for, who's up next, what the times in the previous heat were, and reads our Sponsor's AD copy crisply, cleanly, and with Enthusiasm.

We use an audio system of microphone, receiver, amplifier, 2 speakers and a generator, which our DMSBD District supplies for the occasion.

Do you have what it takes to be our DMSBD "Voice"? The right “Team” or Duo could do this, too. Have you got a partner who can feed you the correct pronunciations of the kids and Sponsors names? Someone who can set up your jokes, antidotes, and any filler time? Then sign on with the DMSBD Lady for an audio interview at your convenience.

Gateperson
Must have supreme upper body strength, stamina, and coordination. Our gate is based on a railroad track change lever, rectangular linkage, and counterweight. You must be able to hold back the counter weight with the lever, while simultaneously latching the cross bar into the rectangular linkage, then throwing the lever into the stop notch, all without slipping or missing, to avoid a badly bruised or broken leg! (The counterweight can be brutal if it slips back before you latch the lever.)

You must also stop drivers, and their handlers, from loading any cars into the gate prior to its being levered and locked into position. (This is easily accomplished if you remember to reset the gate as soon as the current heat cars clear the gate.)

If a Starter is not available, the Gateperson may double as Starter, if necessary, and the timers agree.

Gatepersons can work in teams to give each other rests, or to function as a Gatekeeper if one person is not strong enough to reset alone, or for long periods. This does take even more coordination, but can be done in tandem.

Each Rally or Race we run, we need to have a minimum of 2 timers and 2 scorers on duty. They are responsible for recording the driver's times of each heat, and advancing the drivers in the proper rotation up the heat sheets. On the job training is available, but accuracy, good penmanship, and good hearing are a pre-requisite to the job.

We use digital timing devices, accurate to the hundredth of a second. We also use Walkabout radio communications to dispatch the times from the set of Timer/Scorers at the timing device, to the set at the gate. The gate set give the heat line-ups to the Official Router and the times to the Announcer.

Weight Lifters
The Detroit Metro Soap Box Derby has weight lifting opportunities to share with those of you that want to lift cars onto and off of the trailers that transport them from the bottom to the top of the hill. Each race or rally on our schedule has room for a dozen. It will keep you exercising those pecs, glutes, and the cardio vascular muscles for healthy mind, body, and spirit! Contact the Derby Lady if interested.

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