R/C Race Club Gathers For Semi-TV Show, Competitiveness, Bullying Prevention by Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

R/C Race Club Gathers For Semi-TV Show, Competitiveness, Bullying Prevention by Van Stone frontpagenews1@yahoo.com

Belmont Plateau-Fairmount Park Radio Controlled Car Club, Unofficial
Track Manager, Phil Poles, prepares for cement, street, blacktop,
skateboarding ramp, grass field, and dirt field racing to begin when the first
tapping of the club's video show takes place. He will discuss combustion
engines, wheels, carburetors, throttle, electricity, air, fuel, and cost.

An off the record radio-controlled car club meets to race Saturdays and Sundays at the R/C Raceway in Belmont Plateau-Fairmount Park because they love the sport event and the partnership. Its goal is to have a video show that supports Bullying Prevention.

Philly resident, Phil Poles, the unofficial group’s president and track manager, said he started racing R/C cars this fall with fellow organizers Charles Palmer, Gil Hardy, Everett Lee, and Jason Ballard as a gift to support students who are having a difficult time in school. Poles and board members want to build a R/C car training and competition track somewhere in Philadelphia County so that students can enjoy watching the sport of staged races. And they want to raise funds as a not for profit for the Phila. School District students. They conclude that there are little resources available in Phila. city schools. The little bit that the state offers students has a lot to do with the growth of bullying.

“Bullying prevention can be about the redirection of competition,” Phil said. “Anybody might enjoy challenging someone in an athletic event but coming here to race RC’s makes you slow down and think a bit about what you see. The Belmont Plateau is not a real R/C track but it’s family environment. Lots of good kids who are different don’t have to worry about being bullied when they pick up the remote control and start being a smart driver.” By the way, on occasions the group race and train at the Robin Hood Dell East grounds too.

In the summer, the group has about 50 to 75 followers who show up at different locations. In the winter, the groups’ following slows to between 20 and 30. Winter and summer drivers are youth and adult parents who enjoy the R/C sport, car tune ups and adjustments and respect for everyone’s vehicles. R/C Mini-car shows are held for demonstrated ground excellence in the club's top nitro and electric performance cars, and aircraft.

Serving as bullying prevention ambassadors, their R/C drivers and R/C technicians demonstrate the high level of professionalism, teamwork, excellence, discipline and dedication inherent in the members of the club.

The video show which is a small production of reality TV is good reason for the increased interest in bullying prevention using R/C cars.

Poles, Charles, Everett agree that the cost to own a new car is about $175. Some cars can cost between $1,000, $3,000 or higher and be used as a deterrent to bullying helping any bully to see that there is a big difference between driving an R/C car and a video game car.

The R/C club video show, shot by popular videographer Gerald McNeil, will be about spectators understanding the need for speed, track bleachers, having additional cars ready to run, not bringing broken down cars to the track, R/C car parts, batteries and gas, combating crashes and collisions, and semipro matches. Some roads are called Death Row Drive.

A winter video series is in full swing for the club that will race in both Phila. County and Delaware County. And the R/C car races are real miniature cars hand driven on a straight parking lot track, around the dirt track, and even jumping skateboarding ramps.

For more information about the R/C Raceway and R/C car skateboarding ramp jumping for Bullying Prevention call 215-681-1021 or email frontpagenews1@yahoo.com.