A Soapbox Racer for James

In our February issue, we published a special feature (p. 154) about seven-year-old James Birrell’s dream to race in a soapbox derby, and how death might cheat him out of the chance to do so. You see, James suffered from a rare pediatric cancer called neuroblastoma. Even as he worked with a local Peterborough, Ont., engineer to build his soapbox racer, no one knew if he would get the chance to use it. But he did! And below you’ll find a link to a video clip of one of the first races that James won that day, just a few months before he died.

Below is a letter we received from Bernie Daynes, director of the Greater Peterborough Soap Box Derby Association, regarding our story.

I have been involved with derby racing for over 17 years, and I have had the joy of meeting many awesome kids. James is one who holds a special place in my heart. Although James only raced in a single soapbox derby, his infectious smile and determination to achieve his goals set a glowing example for everyone he met that day.

When his dad, Syd, contacted me early in the year about James’s wish to race in the derby, my thoughts never once focused on anything other than helping to get him to his goal. Many feared that the cancer that sapped James’s strength would prevent him from participating in this local event. But James surprised us all, as he joined the rest of the kids on the hill on a bright September morning to race in the Hobby Street class against other kids from Peterborough and other communities. James would have won the class championship had he not grown weary. As it was, many believed he won the race even though he crossed the finish line backwards.

I believe James won the day, as he fought the fatigue, and the pain of his illness, to do what hundreds of other kids do every year. He got the opportunity to experience the thrill of the hill, and to meet kids from far and wide, in a sport that is truly the only family-oriented sport on earth.

I believe the sport provides an awesome platform to promote sportsmanship, citizenship, and friendships that last a lifetime, but most of all, it strengthens the bonds between the child and the parents as they learn to work together to achieve a goal. In James’s case the family bonds were already rock solid, but James demonstrated, sportsmanship, his will and determination promoted citizenship, and on that September day in Peterborough, James and his Orange Rocket made some life-long friendships and memories.

After James’s passing, I asked Syd for his blessing to host a race in James’s memory. In July of the following year, 50 families from Peterborough, other Ontario communities, Quebec and the United States, gathered on the hill to race in friendly competition in the memory of James Birrell. The local derby organization, the Greater Peterborough Soap Box Derby Association (GPSBDA), finds it's birth on that very day. Although we no longer call our July race James’s Race, we still mention why we gather on that day. And our local website carries James’s name: www.jamesrace.wicms.com.

Next year, we will cut the ribbon on Canada's first ever dedicated derby race track. I hope to be able to have a plaque placed at our new track in honour of James Birrell, to serve as a reminder of his courage, will and determination.

Bernie Daynes
GPSBDA Director