Evening star., 1938-08-15
OMAHA BOY WINS
. SOAP BOX DERBY
Robert Berger, ID, Captures
CroWn-D. c. Entry Forced
to Change Wheels.
(PtctureS on page BID
BY ROBERT A. ERWIN,
STAFF Correspondent of The Star.

STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 15.--A l4-year-
old Omaha, Nebr, youth had four
year college scholarship ahead of him
today for winning the fifth All-Amer-
lean Soap Box Derby here yesterday,
in which Norman Rocca, Washington
Derby entry went down to defeat after
being forced by officials to change the
wheels of his racer to conform to
ruling on costs.
The winner Robert Berger, took the
race before 100000 spectators. in
photo finish from Richard Ballard, H.
of White Plains, N Y. brother of
. Bobby Ballard, last years winner.
Stanford H. Hartshorn, jr.. Gardner,
Mass. was third in the national finals.
Shortly afterward young Berger won
the international championship.
d. c. Boy Loses.
Washington's 14-year-old entry lost
in the first round heat to Jimmy Nc
Kay of Butler Pa. the heat winner,
end Thomas Sitter of Ellwood City, Pa.
who finished second. The Mckay boy
was eliminated in the second heat.
Norman was under the same handi-
cap with his changed wheels as ap-
proximately a score of other local
champions. He was forced to make
the change by the Derby Technical
Committee despite the fact the wheels
with which he won the Washington
Derby conformed to regulations in
the 1888 official rule book The Ana
costa youth drove to rainy victory
in washington with a set of second
hand. reconditioned hospital Stretcher
wheels of standard manufacture.
The American champions time was
2S74 seconds for the national He
came back, still stripped to the waist
few minutes later to do the course
in 1859 seconds and win the interna-
tional title from Buddy Stroop of Pam
anna and Robert Wilson, Belleville, On
tario. Canada
Showing aside a shock of black
hair and hoisting his trousers higher
on a bare waist, the new champion
walked to the microphone to state
nodestly that he had done his best
and hoped to do better again some
time. Possibly he failed to recall his
victory bars him from further COM
petition.
Wins $4,000 Scholarship.
His first prize is a four-year. $4,000
State University scholarship. He
told the radio announcer he would
take his college education at the Uni
verslty of Nebraska Or the University
of Southern California
Fourth place in the Al-American
Derby went to Robert Finley of New
York City, and fifth place to Lamar
Mcdaniel, Atlanta, Ga. on the basis
of times they set in the semi-final
rounds. in which they were defeated
by Berger and Ballard
In addition to the scholarship the
Berger boy wins the National Silver
Trophy and a gold medal set with !.
diamonds. Dick Ballards second /
prizes included master de luxe
Chevrolet, silver trophy and silver
medal set with rubies.
Third prizes. for the Hartshorn
boy, are mester Chevrolet coach. !
silver trophy and a bronze medal set
with sapphires.
Fourth and fifth prize winners get
trophies.
The Washington champion Joined
with 1l2 other local winners and the
new national champions last night in
banquet in the Naval Armory, at
which prizes were awarded.
Norman received at the armory his
last prize for the Washington victory,
- gold wrist watch inscribed with the
derby emblem on it's face. He and
his mother, Mrs. Sam Parrish, who ac-
companied him here were to leave
this morning by train for Washington
Decision a Handicap.
Normans opponents in his first and |
only heat, 29th of 50 initial races, |
were two Pennsylvania youths, Nc
Kay and Sitter. The Washington |
champions tobacco brown and gold |
racer bearing The Stars colors and /
name and the American Legion seal, !
was ready to roll down the first lane /
past scores Of waving flags and $4,000
spectators on each side.
The Butler entry was in the middle /
lane and the Ellwood City candidate |
in the outer lane. The suspense of |
washington spectators was broken |
for few moments when the an
rouncer proclaimed the running of
a dummy heat of two defeated boys
for the benefit of neWsreel photo
graphers, who travelled behind them
on the front end of a car, and the
District champions stepfather and
mother. Mr.. and Mrs. Parrish, seated
in the guest stands, relaxed for a
while.
Mckay captured the heat with the
time of 1858 seconds.
The Ellwood City candidate was
second, with Norman running a close
third. crouched down behind his
steering wheel and travelling an al !
most perfectly straight line in his !
own lane.
c. P. FiSken. chairman of the
technical committee, held brief hear
jnes in numerous cases and ruled |
arbitrarily that several sets of the |
same make, Norman's included, were
better than the average derby wheel |
and therefore should not be allowed |
to run. The wheels were changed at |
q nearby vocational school,
Mr.. Fisken appraised the Washing |
ton winners wheels at the new retail I
catalog price. rather than using bills !
Of sale for the wheels and axles at |
amounts we'll within the total cost
Limit of $40 for each Derby entry.
A search of the rules which set forth |
this year wheels of standard manufac- !
ture for Derby racers discovered no
reference to so-called precision bear
ir1gs or to makes of wheels that are
acceptable.
Mr.. Fisken admitted last night. in
an address before visiting newspaper
men, that the rules must be clarified
for next year.
c. E. Combs, Paul Junior High
School manual training instructor who