By Kavan Peterson | Spark Performance League News Editor
In the Spark Performance League’s (SPL) National Forklift Racing competition, where toy forklifts race with surgical precision and residents orchestrate high-stakes strategy from the sidelines, there’s a truth every seasoned coach knows: greatness doesn’t just ride on skill—it rolls on maintenance.
Welcome to the world of forklift upkeep, where hot glue meets data, and a well-oiled gear can mean the difference between podium glory and a mid-race stall. From tire troubles to jerky steering, SPL teams across the league have learned that caring for their gear is as essential as coaching their athletes. It’s not just racing—it’s racing with a pit crew.
Every Fork Has a Quirk
River Rats coach Jenna Steere, who leads the defending champions from Carver Ridge, a Lifespark Senior Living Community, knows her forklifts like a NASCAR technician knows their engine block. “We have three different generations of forklifts,” she explains. “Each one behaves a little differently—some run slow, some have steering quirks. So we assign them to dedicated drivers who learn to match their speed and handling style”.
Her secret weapon? “Extra batteries within arm’s reach, a spare remote on standby, and a little WD-40 on the joints. It might be placebo, but it smooths out the jerkiness and gives the drivers confidence.”
Across the division, Birchwood Flakers coach Allison Brunberg echoes the same philosophy. “We practice every Thursday, but not too much—we don’t want to wear out the forklifts. We had one new one that stopped turning entirely, and we had to scramble to swap it right before a match”.
Pit Stops with Purpose
All Saints Coyotes coach Alyssa Morales treats every mechanical failure as a teaching moment. “I’m trying to train up a team-wide pit crew,” she says. “I want everyone to know how to fix common issues—batteries, remotes, tire misalignments—so that if I’m driving, someone else can jump in and troubleshoot”.
She recently solved a mystery when two of their legacy forklifts began jerking during practice. “Turns out the rubber rims were popping out and folding, throwing the tire off balance. Once we fixed it, we actually had an extra forklift up and running. It was like a real pit stop.”
Spare Parts and Paint Jobs
Coach Paige Taylor of the Cheska Heights Purple Hawks says the team’s strategy only works when the equipment cooperates. “We snapped two strings last week, and one of our new forklifts won’t lower properly,” she said. “We’ve got a great stacking strategy, but we need reliable equipment to execute it.”
Down at Sterling Pointe, Pirates coach Kelly Olson hot-glues their handmade boxes back together between rounds. “We get ideas from watching other teams and interviews, but it’s hard to change mid-season. Batteries have been our main issue—we just bought a whole new set, but they don’t always hold up during the race.”
And over in Fort Atkinson, Coach Dawn Mans of the Reena Rockers describes her maintenance philosophy like this: “We run ours upside down every week to check function. We’ve had one string break in three years. That’s it. We treat these things like precision equipment.”
A League United by Trial and Tinkering
Amid this mechanical mayhem, coaches are also calling for consistency. “We need a league-regulated pallet,” Coach Katie White of the Lakers said during a roundtable discussion. “Every team is building their own. It’s a ton of work—one of our residents assembled all the boxes, our assistant glued popsicle sticks, and my husband painted them.”
Other coaches chimed in with similar sentiments. Alyssa experimented with foam and stick hybrids. Paige tried the league’s recommended pallets. The consensus? Everyone would benefit from a standard pallet to level the playing field.
Strength, Purpose, Belonging—and Batteries
At its heart, the SPL is more than games. It’s a movement to reshape how we see aging—not as a decline, but as a dynamic stage of life full of innovation, competition, and connection.
In the pits of the Forklift Racing challenge, residents and staff don’t just compete—they collaborate. A broken forklift becomes a bonding moment. A tuning tweak becomes a coaching lesson. Every fix is a reminder that even in late life, there’s always more to learn, more to teach, and more to contribute.
“Forklift racing brings our community together,” says River Rats Coach Jenna. “You’ve got residents strategizing with staff, family members cheering, and former drivers returning as coaches. That’s strength, purpose, and belonging in action.”
Because in this league, maintaining a toy forklift is never just maintenance. It’s about dignity. It’s about design. And it’s about defying expectations—one pit stop at a time.
