Crossing the finish line

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Tuesday, April 9th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: The need for speed.

Last month, a Louisville, Kentucky boys club held its Worthy Derby racing event with fathers and sons teaming up to try to build the fastest – and sometimes unique – model cars. And make lasting memories along the way. Here’s WORLD reporter Travis Kircher.

TRAVIS KIRCHER: It’s an overcast Saturday morning, but inside the youth building at Southeast Christian Church, the 2024 Worthy Derby is about to begin. The pit crew is ready. The track is set. And the racers are just starting to arrive.

Tyler Shell is here with his 8-year-old son Kai and they are eyeing the competition.

TYLER SHELL: We were nervous on the drive this morning. Very excited, but nervous to see how we’re gonna do.

KAI: Yeah!

This father-and-son duo is hoping their car—nicknamed The Ghost—is gonna bring home a trophy for the fastest racer.

KAI: It is white. And I have a silver weight for, like, the windshield. It’s kind of like a slant with a spoiler cut out of the back.

SHELL: We actually finished it at about 10 o’clock last night. [LAUGHS]

But they’re not the only ones eyeing those trophies! Luke Butch and his 8-year-old brother Brody are here with their Dad and Luke says he’s eager for the rubber to hit the road—or in this case, the wood to hit the metal.

LUKE BUTCH: My car is called The Blur. It’s a little rainbow-y.

And his car’s number?

LUKE: One-oh-five! And five is how old I am!

It’s almost race time –

JOE MCALOON: Fall in! Right up here…

And faster than these dads could spin out in Pole Position on their Ataris, Trail Life Kentucky Troop 413 is called to order.

LEADER: Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag…

Trail Life was launched in 2013 as a Christ-centered boys club. Ron Smith serves as ministry liaison for this local troop and he says its name isn’t an accident.

RON SMITH: Kentucky 413 – the number was determined after Phillippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Trail Life’s motto is “Walk Worthy.” Its vision? To develop character in young men to produce godly and responsible husbands, fathers and citizens. Smith says that’s done through regular Bible studies, as well as outdoor activities like campouts and canoe trips. But it's this event – the Worthy Derby – that’s the highlight of the year. It starts by building the coolest car.

SMITH: The boys will bring their block and they will draw how they want their block to be cut. And then adults will cut the car and then the car will go home and the boys will get their sandpaper and their paint and their – you know, they’ll attach legos to it if they want and put some graphite on the wheels so they can get a fast car.

MCALOON: Congratulations on Heat number four! Trailmen come get those cars and take them to the stage.

As announcer, Joe McAloon calls the races and keeps the crowd hyped. He says part of the fun is seeing the creativity on display.

MCALOON: You’ve got designs like tanks! You’ve got racecars! You’ve got cars that look like a rocket!

Mark Urschel is a leader on the troop’s chaplaincy team. He says the chance to build something with their hands teaches these boys a lot about God’s character.

MARK URSCHEL: It's amazing to see how creative 100 boys can be and none of those cars will look the same. One of the lessons we learn from that is how great our Creator truly is.

And the trophies are just as varied and unique. Seventeen-year-old patrol leader Elliott Harmon:

ELLIOTT HARMON: So we, like, do Most Patriotic. We’ve got Trail Life Spirit. We’ve got Best Paint Job. Best Movie or TV Show Theme. Most Realistic. Most Unusual…

But let’s not kid ourselves. The award every boy and his father wants is the trophy for Fastest Car. And only the Finish Line reveals that victor.

SOUND: “Here we go!” [CAR RACES] “Holy smokes, Luke!”

Cars race four at a time down a metal track. Sensors track the speed of the cars and relay it to software that displays race results on a monitor. Go-Pros at the end of the track create a slow-motion instant replay shown on a Jumbotron.

Hour after hour, the cars race and race and race.

It’s teamwork like this that brings a smile to Urschel’s face. He says the Worthy Derby is a chance for boys to be mentored by men.

URSCHEL: I think it's a great event for young men -- young trailmen and their fathers – because they can work shoulder-to-shoulder on the same thing, with the same objective. And they both get excited when they race.

Meanwhile, it’s the moment everyone has been waiting for: the final championship. The pressure is high.

MCALOON: Are we ready for our final heat? [CROWD CHEERS!] Final heat away! [CARS RACE]

When it’s all said and done, trophies are awarded, high-fives are exchanged, and maybe one or two wheels are lost along the way. But regardless of who walks home with a trophy today, volunteer Kurt Wallace says it’s the memories that are their own reward.

KURT WALLACE: One of the fathers said, “We won just by showing up.” They can see there’s a trophy—but the win for the father is just showing up and having time with his son.

Tyler Shell knows one thing from experience: his son Kai will remember this day for the rest of his life

SHELL: I’m so proud of him. We had a good time doing it together, and I actually remember doing this when I was a kid.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Travis Kircher in Louisville, Kentucky.

MCALOON: Let’s do just one big round of applause to all of our racers today. [APPLAUSE]

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