Camano Plaza IGA and the All-American Soapbox Derby

This June, Camano Plaza IGA stood on the start line of the nation’s second-largest soapbox derby in support of a hometown competition. Camano Plaza IGA, located on an island about 70 miles north of Seattle, raced in the 17th Annual Stanwood-Camano Island All-American Soapbox Derby on June 15.

As an event sponsor with their own car in the race, Camano Plaza IGA has bumped up its support for the family-friendly event. Since the Derby moved to Camano Island about six years ago, the store has been running round-up campaigns at the registers and donating to food vendors.

“The event brings community, businesses, volunteers, and kids all together for a fun, wholesome, healthy activity,” Camano Plaza IGA Store Manager Scot Huntington said

Soapbox racing began in the 1930s and today encourages young people to be involved in science and engineering. The All-American Soapbox Derby is a series of regional competitions, culminating in a final race in Akron, Ohio. Each regional winner earns a spot at the national competition. Soapbox race cars do not have motors and speed downhill, propelled by gravity. The program helps kids develop traits like sportsmanship and learn practical applications for STEM skills.

“The kids get the full experience of building the car, tuning it, [doing] all of the spec, and then racing it as well,” Huntington said.

Participants are supported by parents and mentors, but the car remains the primary responsibility of the kids. They are “learning the whole time,” from build clinics to race day.

Huntington’s son, Ryder, was the driver of Camano Plaza IGA’s car. Racing a blue car branded with the IGA logo and cartoon renderings of Camano Island’s crabs, Ryder finished second of 41 entries.

Ryder Huntington with his second-place trophy.

While the store has done much to support the Derby, Huntington plans to take the partnership further. “We’ll be definitely more involved next year,” he stated, noting that the store intends to contribute more to the food vendors and hopes to add another car to the race.

For Huntington, one of the most important parts of the sponsorship is that it prioritizes children. “There’s nothing that gets you more involved in the community than working with kids’ events and supporting them in healthy, fun activities. Parents love it, the employees like it, and it’s just a win all around for everybody.”

In this race, the real victory is encouraging the kids on the island. As Huntington describes, “Cliché as it is, we try to live the IGA motto, 'Hometown Proud,' in everything that we do, and this is just one way that we can really feature our hometown, and all of the aspects of it. We just love being part of the community.”