Girl Scouts Set Their Minds to Racing Under the Hood

By DEVON HUBBARD SORLIE

By Devon Hubbard Sorlie

Correspondent

Several teenage girls crowded around a Ford Mustang, peering into the engine. An hour earlier, they had few clues about what they were viewing under the hood.

Thanks, however, to the “On the Road” Car Care Academy sponsored by the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast, they found the mish- mash of pipes, blocks and “doo-hickies” less intimidating.

Kellie Bottiglieri, 14, was one of the 70 girls who attended the April 1 session at the Battlefield Boulevard Firestone in Chesapeake.

The Great Bridge High School freshman reached into the engine and with only a slight hesitation, identified the yellow-handled oil dipstick, wiped it off with a blue paper towel, stuck it back into its receptacle and pulled it out again for an accurate reading of the Mustang’s oil level.

Afterward, Kellie’s smile indicated she was pleased with what she had learned.

“I really didn’t know anything about cars,” she said. “I came to this session expecting to learn how to change oil and change a flat tire and learn about safety tips in the car. Now I know how to look for something and identify it.”

Kellie, a member of Girl Scout Troop 850, said the Car Care Academy will prepare her to drive in a few years.

“I feel confident I’ll be able to make sure I’m going to get where I’m going safe, as long as all of my fluids (in the car) are OK and I don’t have a car accident,” she said.

“On the Road” was designed for 14- to-17-year-old girls, said Marcy Germanotta, communications director for the Girl Scout Council. “This will help develop the next generation of safe drivers and leaders by educating girls about automotive safety, maintenance, safe driving and careers in the automotive industry.”

The Girl Scout Council held two, separate two-hour sessions April 1 to accommodate as many girls as possible but still had to turn away teens.

For Alex Potratz, a Girl Scout from Norfolk, said, “I don’t want to depend on my father or grandfather to change a tire or the oil,” she said.

The Girl Scouts received instruction from Trisha Hessinger, a U.S. Figure Skating Association triple gold medalist who serves as a spokesperson for Firestone Complete Auto Care and its Car Care Academies. She has competed in open wheel and showroom stock car races, is a driving instructor and race trainer.

Teaching young girls about car care just makes sense, Hessinger said.

“About 50 percent of new cars are sold to women,” she explained. “Most of these gals are at the driving age, or soon will be. We want to empower them in basic car care so they can do these things to make the car last and be more reliable and they will be safer in the process.”

Hessinger’s monthly check-list included oil, transmission, wiper, power steering, and brake fluids, oil and air filters, and the air in tires.

“When they leave here, they won’t be able to change out their brakes, but they will be able to look, feel, touch, see and understand how simple it is to maintain a vehicle,” Hessinger said.

Devon Hubbard Sorlie, 636-8316,

DSorlie@aol.com

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