A definition that fits this derby winner

Over the past 20 years I have been involved in sports journalism, I’ve come across lots of overworked phrases and cliches. One is “true champion.” Lots of coaches and players have overused this description as I’ve met only a few who have really lived up to its definition.

A few days ago I talked to a true champion and she is someone I have known since her birth. She is Katie Chambers, who lives right across the street from our Brewer home. Katie, 12, is Eastern Maine’s new soap box derby champ in the stock division.

Winning the derby is not just why Katie is a true champion. What makes her a champion is her past and current history.

Katie is not a rookie when it comes to athletics. Over the years she has participated in basketball, softball, and dance. Dancing is not athletic you say? Watch the skill and precision in which they perform and then try answering that question again.

While participating in basketball, softball and dance Katie has not been the leading scorer, hitter, or leaper. What she has been is the one all coaches want on their team. She is the one who hustles after every loose ball, runs out every ground ball, and executes every triple step, back step.

She is the one who listens to her coach or teacher, asks intelligent and appropriate questions, and supports her peers.

That takes us to Derby Day. A day that was the hottest and most humid of the year. A day that drained energy and tested perseverance.

The day started at 6:45 a.m. with the competitors and their helpers pulling their cars out of the Brewer Auditorium up to the starting line on State Street. Then came the competition in which racers zoomed down an 860-foot stretch of pavement.

Racers were paired off, with each pair racing twice. Drivers switched lanes after the first race as well as traded wheels. This made for lots of time between heats, a time for young minds to wander or to get more nervous.

Katie did neither. She remained focused, but carefree at the same time. A contradiction? No. Sure, she wanted to do well in the races and win, but if she didn’t, she would still go home happy knowing that she put forth her best effort and had fun doing it.

And, how to battle not getting nervous?

“I really think what helped Katie was everything she’s done before,” said Katie’s dad, Mark Chambers, whose employer, WBRC Architects and Engineers, sponsored Katie’s car.

“Being in dance [in which she peformed before hundreds] and doing civic oration [a speech on an issue] really helped her,” Mark said. “When some of the kids came down that ramp you could see they were a little nervous and would glance quickly at the big crowd. Katie’s eyes were straight ahead.”

As was her car.

Then, a pouring rain came. A 90-minute delay. When it was over, Mark said, some of the participants became overly concerned about their soap boxes, making sure every inch was dry. Katie was concerned, but kept her perspective.

Katie went on to the final where she finished with the best time in her final two races. There was no victory dance or that foolish overexuberance many athletes do. Instead, there was a congratulatory hug from mom, Lisa, and handshakes with her competitors.

Many who watched Katie claim her gleaming three-foot trophy at the end of her 11-hour day knew that she was the new soap box derby champion. Her parents, relatives and friends knew much more. They knew that she was a true champion.

Joe McLaughlin is the NEWS sports editor.