- November 26, 2024
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Pathways Elementary School fifth-graders ZZ Nichols and Annabel Thistle — team Sparkle Sisters — felt confident after they finished competing in the ninth-annual derby race at the Ormond Beach school on Thursday, May 24.
"My brother did it last year, and I thought it would be really cool to have our own car for the fifth-grade derby," Nichols said. "We put sparkles everywhere on the car. It needed to be shiny and perfect."
The two best friends won first in the Push (classic car) race, second for Most Team Spirit and third in the Drift (classic car) competition.
"We put a little grease on the wheels so they would spin faster, and we would spray WD-40 on it every once in a while," Nichols said.
"And we put a board under the seat to make it a little more sturdy," Thistle added.
The pair practiced about two hours every weekend for the last five weeks to prepare for the race.
"I think we did really well," Thistle said.
The whole school watched 50 fifth-graders participate in the derby while family members camped out under tents with signs and matching T-shirts supporting their students' teams.