The rush of excitement, of course, was palpable. The fun the youngsters had racing their Soap Box Derby cars down Market Street Hill was clear to all.

But the volunteers who spoke with the Sun-Gazette were right: The most important part of the Soap Box Derby is the lessons about sportsmanship it teaches.

Racers shook each others’ hands and congratulated each other after each race, without bragging or gloating or showboating. Any rivalries were good-natured, and the competitors treated each other with respect

Sportsmanship and its foundation of humility, teamwork and courtesy are lessons that will serve young people well throughout their lives. They also are unfortunately lessons with which popular culture and professional sports and athletes too often struggle.

We believe wholeheartedly that our communities and our world would be in better shape if more adults — inside the world of professional athletics and most certainly and more important beyond it, throughout our society — demonstrated the values of sportsmanship.

We appreciate the volunteers and organizers for bringing this event together every year, and we wish the winners luck as they advance to the international championship in Akron, Ohio.

But we also thank the winners and all the competitors for the courtesy and respect they showed each other and the volunteers, leaders and organizers for emphasizing the importance of these values.