My Birmingham PCA Juniors at Porsche Parade Experience | Porsche Club of America (2024)

Photos by Clara Fortenberry, Smoky Mountain Region

Growing up, Porsche was a household name that I had much exposure to. I was born at 9:44 PM, and my parents had a 1999 996 Carrera at the time. My grandfather is a Porsche enthusiast and has owned numerous Porsches such as a 1993 RS America, a 1989 Speedster, and a 2018 GT3. Also, my aunt and uncle named their dog Ferry after Ferdinand Porsche.
Although I grew up around Porsches, I never truly understood what a big deal Porsches were until my grandparents took me and my brother to our first parade in 2022 at the Poconos. Now understanding this level of Porsche enthusiasm, I was even more excited to go to the 68th Porsche Parade in Birmingham, Alabama this year.

During the week, I got to experience a multitude of PCA Juniors at Parade activities that allowed me to learn more about the Porsche brand and the lifestyle. To start the week, we painted mini concours cars for a juniors competition and then participated as juniors judges for the Concours d'Elegance on Monday. The concours judging opened my eyes to how much detail and time goes into making these cars perfect. I saw a little girl in the frunk of her family’s car with a piece of tape picking up lint. It is incredible to see how spotless the inside of the car is, how perfectly new and shiny the engine is, even when it was driven across the United States!

I was amazed at all the different Porsches I saw, from race cars to old antiques. The time and effort that went into making the cars perfect shows how it isn’t just a car, it is a lifestyle. The effort is not only put in by the owners of the cars but also the judges who spend hours looking at them, checking every inch, inside and out, for the smallest speck of dust or dirt.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I got to drive in the radio controlled (RC) competition. We had both indoor and outdoor competitions, and I placed 2nd in the outdoor competition. It was so fun getting to run these cars on courses set up by Mr. Jim Osgood and competing for the first-place prize. A few other activities I got to do with the PCA Juniors at Parade were the any-cross, juniors Tech Tactics Quiz, Teen GT Racing Challenge, and getting to meet a female Porsche driver, Sabré Cook. All of these were so much fun and a wonderful way to experience this week!

This was the last week that I will be a PCA Junior at a Porsche Parade. This is my second parade and I had even more fun than the last one. As sad as I am to move up and out of the PCA Juniors program, I am also so excited for all the other activities that I will participate in as an adult. I got to watch the autocross this year and take pictures of the cars, but next year I am hoping to get to drive in it. I also hope to participate in the Gimmick Rally as a driver next year. There are so many opportunities to immerse yourself in the Porsche world while at Parade whether you are an adult or junior. Even better than the experience, I have been able to build life-long friendships with other kids and families from all over the country.

I want to thank Jennifer Webb, Maggie Garnett, and Heather Briggs for all the work that they put in to making the PCA Juniors at Parade so special for everyone. Thank you to Racing for Children’s Chris and Elaine Braden, Debbie and Bill Cooper, Lew Bouchier, and the Abraham family for allowing the juniors to judge your beautiful cars. Lastly thank you to the Porsche Club of America and the City of Birmingham for putting on a great parade with so many wonderful experiences.

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