Floor Statement on H. Con Res. 21, Authorizing the Use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby
April 21, 2015
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Hoyer for, every year, introducing this resolution on behalf of the Washington regional delegation, and I rise as an original cosponsor.
This annual competitive event encourages boys and girls, ages 9 through 16, to construct and operate their own soapbox vehicles. The children that participate in these races come from all over the national capital region to participate in this really fun event.
The derby has become quite a tradition in Washington. The D.C. metropolitan area has hosted this tradition for over the last 20 years. It provides a terrific opportunity for children to appreciate the workmanship necessary to build the vehicles and for the thrill of competition.
Winners of this event go on to compete in the national competition in Akron, Ohio, where they compete against children from all over the world. On race day, every Greater Washington Soap Box Derby participant starts the race day with a chance to become a world champion.
The Greater Washington Soap Box Derby organizers will work with the Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police to ensure the appropriate rules and regulations are in place and that the event remains free to the public.
I support this terrific opportunity for the children of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, and I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I may have one additional speaker, but I would like to say that the children who participate in this event do so with a lot of creativity and ingenuity. They spend an entire year designing their vehicles, then they test their vehicles; they experiment with their friends, and then they put them out on race day for the soapbox derby.
Now, I haven’t had the privilege, Mr. Speaker, of participating in a soapbox derby, but they sure are fun to watch. Each year, Representative Hoyer makes sure that all of our delegation in the Metropolitan Washington region gathers to organize to make certain that children, from ages 9 through 16, are able to construct those vehicles, operate them themselves, and compete in the competition.
As I have said before, Mr. Speaker, the great challenge is that, on race day, in the morning, all of the young people participating in the soapbox derby get up; and on that day, first thing in the morning, every single one of them is a champion, right up until the finish line. It is an exciting time for these young people.
Of course, they go on to compete in a competition in Akron, Ohio, where there are kids gathered from all over the world who also do the same thing: build those soapboxes and participate.
The Washington metropolitan region is really grateful to be able to host this soapbox derby and, of course, with the good graces of this Congress, to be able to do that on the Capitol Grounds with the cooperation of the Architect.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our whip.
