# 1973 soap box derby scandal

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 21, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917 "2014-02-21T23:04:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917/1 "2014-02-21T23:04:39Z")

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I was wondering whatever happened to Jimmy Gronen, the 14-year-old kid who was caught cheating at the 1973 All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron, Ohio.

[He’s been keeping a low profile](http://www.ohio.com/news/soap-box-derby-marks-40th-anniversary-of-famous-cheating-scandal-1.415481) taking a different surname and exploring spirituality.

One thing I never knew is that his uncle, Robert Lange, who prompted him to put the electromagnet in the nose of his soap box derby car, was the founder of the Lange ski boot company. Robert Lange died in 2000.

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917/2 "2014-02-21T23:13:58Z")

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Cool story, bro.

Srsly.

I was a kid when this happened, but I remember it vividly. I had always wanted to have a soapbox car, but this kinda dulled the whole Soapbox Derby thing. I soon traded my dreams of Soapbox Derby victory for the more-realistically-achievable dreams of world domination and immortality (both are taking longer than I thought).

Very cool to read that story tho. It kind of amazing how even the tiniest incidents can be very interesting stories.

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917/3 "2014-02-21T23:36:04Z")

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> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#):
>
> (snip) I soon traded my dreams of Soapbox Derby victory for the more-realistically-achievable dreams of world domination and immortality (both are taking longer than I thought).(snip)

Dude, immortality is going to take forever to achieve.

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**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917/4 "2014-02-21T23:54:37Z")

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> [@Bill\_Door](#):
>
> Dude, immortality is going to take forever to achieve.

Yeah, I know, but I have a lot of things I want to do.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1973-soap-box-derby-scandal/681917/5 "2014-02-22T00:11:19Z")

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I tried to do the same thing with my skateboard back then. Success was elusive.