It seems to me that...Races Are Too Long

[Miss BK]

Hey Danny - you are right about the airshow and ZERO CONTACT -- but that doesn't mean they dont give the ILLUSION of a near collision.

There were a pair of stunt pilots who aimed RIGHT AT EACH OTHER doing loop after loop --- of course, they probably were 100 feet apart, but it appeared to the crowd that they were going to smack RIGHT into one another. The announcer was very much a part of that 'anticipation' and excitment as he gasped and screamed each time they passed each other.

We can't simply think that the racing itself is going to keep today's crowd happy. We have much too much to compete with. Crowds today want to be kept at the edge of their seats - in constant stimulation.

The Sacramento Water Festival used to bring in many fans too --- and I remember all kinds of wild stuff going on between heats - constant action. One year Howard Arneson brought his fire-throwing turbine and made a pass for the crowd. That same year there were skydivers and an Army Chinook helicopter "rescued" a boater who was "lost at sea" in the middle of the course. Again, the PA Announcer kept everyone excited - no lag time.

It wasn't just a boat race --- it was a high impact show. IMO, there is no reason we can't bring that back. We can be more creative than those boring monster trucks, that's for sure!

In Valleyfield Canada they have a cannon on a boat that shoots T-shirts at the crowd and they go absolutely wild. If there is lag time they can't prevent, they play "YMCA" and the entire audience participates - jumping up and down.

Some creative imagination - that's all we need.

[Danny McManus]

I sincerely feel that as soon as the majority of our remaining boat racers can go home after a weekend of boat-racing feeling GREAT about their efforts, that they will be our sports FINEST form of advertising!!! This will only occur as our sport evolves ( or as the case may be "realigns" ) itself to recognise the involvement of the very least among us... We will have to say to the "back-markers"... "WE ARE HAPPY YOU ARE HERE!!!! " (that is a general behavior,necessary on the part of the race commitee and veteran racers )
There are participants in every category, at every level who show up on countless weekends of boat racing with no expectations of winning, yet are happy to be part of our chosen sport, they are genuinely thrilled to be part of our activities...a kind word or offer of help from one of the people who have always had a seat at at the " cool kids table" can and will go a long way towards them having that indescribable "warm and fuzzy feeling" on their long ride home... That is simply much more benificial to our collective progress than
the alternative "long ride home" wherin our fellow boat racers are left to ponder the haunting question of "why do I bother with this"...

...going to fix another drink ...more to come

[B VALACHOVIC]

As i am reading this the Monster trucks are being advertised on television to appear at our Lebanon Valley Speedway. Every time they come here the Monster trucks fill the speedway with fans.They will be sold out.

[Danny McManus]

I get calls daily from people that want to rent a boat slip from me or want their boat repaired or just want to know where the fish are biteing. I don't advertise!!
( I do have billboards at two of the areas small high school footbal stadiums)
People of similar interests tend to talk to others of same interests. period..
The mainstream involvement in todays powerboat racing is cultivated from powerboat racers themselves. We no longer make national news, we don't get much "ink" in the local papers and I was seated for diner at a St. Louis resturaunt on a Thursday night before the St.Louis Outboard Grand Prix and asked the waiter if he had heard of Bill Seebold...he said, "Isn't he a hockey
player??"....
My point is, we are not likely to become celebrities doing this, and the prize money often won't cover the weekends expenses. The best thing for us to hope for is the respect of our fellow drivers, that we race them clean and fair, and that ALL our fellow drivers go home proud to have shared the same race-course with us!!!!!!

[B VALACHOVIC]

periodically Tony Stewart and Dave Blaney come to the Lebanon Valley Speedway to run the big block Dirt Modifieds. The Speedway will sell out within the hour. You can purchase a pit pass if you wish and get close to the action.

[B VALACHOVIC]

After the Soviet Union sort of went out of business and we could speak to the rest of the family on my Moms side without the censorship B S , I asked them if they knew anything about boat racing . They said we know but not so much ,so I gave them some names, quite a few. I was saving the two for the last, I said Bill Seebold, finally they said we have heard of this, but just the last name. Then I said Molinari, they said Renato Molinari , I said thats the one. They said to me Bob , everyone in Europe knows him ,Renato is a National Hero. Bob

[John (Taylor) Gabrowski]

It is excellent to see everyone grasping our dilema with carefull thoughts and comparissons on how to bring us back from the brink of going down. It is my hope that this discussion is just not venting? That it is discussion that pursues and actions changes.

Lets make that happen and it starts here and there and it must be put together.

Some how political differences that divide our sport need to be eliminated for the common good. We used to do it but we did not change with the times to continue to successfully do it.

Can we make changes fast enough without burning out people dedicated to changing what needs to be changed and quickly.

You can take volunteerism only so far and that stops too with different types of burnouts and expenses no one should suffer by those wanting to help making sure everyone does a fair share within their abilities and means.

We are all different and we all have something we can do and contribute something unique to do all this.

*In that spirit of "Can Do" we need to establish and vet a true database of people who want to advance the common good, weld it all together and get it going. This proposed database or databases need management, organization and maintennance coupled to the ability to do short and long term planning that can cut across all kinds of lines and hangups to make changes.

This is not pie in the sky and a place to start.

*Question is? Who will sponsor such a database of like minded people doing the same things with the gifts given them? Ron Hill??? Ted March??? Charlie Williams??? etc. etc. We are talking a new kind of organization here of Can Do'ers that is not a threat to properly running and rationalized for the good of the sport - Sanctioning/governing Body or Bodies.

We can talk but when does the buck stop here?

[oldalkydriver]

Most of you have valid points. Now even though I was brought up around boat racing (1948-1962) and my racing career was even shorter (1954-1962), I look at boat racing from an outsiders point of view.

Out here on the West Coast, everytime I would make a comment (good or bad) I would catch nothing but flack! Just to give you an example, I traveled to my first race in at least 23 years, from Arcadia, California to Pleasanton, California. Let me add, well worth the trip. I only knew two people from my racing days, and really not that well. Howard Adnerson and Jim Schoenfelt. I met some new people who were very helpful (Paul Fuchlin) and some who were not so interesting.

My wife fell in love with boat racing and wanted to give it a try. Naturally that cleared the way for me to get back into the sport. We loved the races at Shadow Cliffs. Well worth the 400 miles one way and the $100 per night room. Kind of kindled an old desire.

On the drive back home, my wife said she was serious about trying to race. I explained that we should go to a couple of races first and see what happens. I told her that I want to run 1100CC Runabouts again, even though they appeared to be much faster then what I was accustomed too. If she wanted, she could ride with me. That's after I learn to handle a boat somewhat.

Our next race was Chowchilla. Long drive for not knowing anyone, and what a disappointment. Very few classes and even fewer boats. We were told that everyone was coming back from nationals therefore a dismal turnout! We took it in stride and return to Southern California.

Next we found a race in Indio, California. Lot less driving and upon arrival, a lot less boats. Still, not bad as we brought our neighbors with us, and they developed an interest in racing.

Next came Lodi. Used to be one of my favorite places. Wife couldn't get off work, so I drove up by myself. And as most of you know, I wrote what an outsider saw. Man, did I get chewed out left and right. Made me feel even more distant from racing. Got comments from so many people like, "I travel that far to almost all of my races." Yes, I imagine you do. But you do so to race! I was trying to see if I would like to get back in to racing. Mentioned how I saw an official hawlering at some spectators, and caught flack for that. I could go on and on, but why open old wounds?

The point is YOU do have a sport to save, and while most people have good ideas, it is for their area! Here in California, they have a totally different type of situation. People need to look at todays world. There is a LOT of competition for the ENTERTAINMENT dollar now days. That's right! Entertainment!!

In business, the difference between success and failure is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Boat racing is no different. What spectator is going to travel upt to a few hundred miles to watch boat racing? Therefore Location. Everyone has listened to the radio, or watched television sometime in their life. When I was in the radio business in Georgia, you could be fired for DEAD AIR TIME. And I'm sure the same holds true in todays airways. So why should boatracing be any different? You have to ENTERTAIN people now days, and you must give them more for their HARD EARNED DOLLAR.

Take a good look at Las Vegas. During the 50's, 60's and early 70's, it was know as Sin City. Only adults went there. Except for one casino, nobody could take thier kids. Then the other casinos started noticing that even when business was bad in town, this one casino was always full and making money. Only took the rest of the town 20 years to figure out that gambling could be FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT! Next thing you know, every casino on the strip had FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT! Just think of the message they were sending to our kids? It's okay to gamble, mom and dad did! Talk about future business, WOW!

While I agree with most of you about noise, you must look at it from a PARANTS point of view. You fathers don't want your daughter starting off in the fastest class around, just because it has noise. And you moms don't want your little boy to get hurt. Now you have arrived a selling point.

In my view, again just my point of view, the racing community (Stock, Pro, Inboards, Tunnels etc.) need to do some sacraficing. If I was incharge (Love that ifida) I would schedule one race in each of the two regions here in California that would be all out. My schedule would contain a beginning class (whatever it is now, in my days 'M' Hydro), then a class for those kids from 12 to say fifteen. Not too fast, just exciting with full fields. Then a couple of noisie classes with some decent speed, but safe, not b*lls to the wall type, but would appeal to some older folks and some graduating from slower classes. Then I would schedule whatever classes I could get with full fields. Not classes that only have three or four boats. The idea is that you are selling FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT! SAFE, FUN, APPEALING FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT!

Of course one person couldn't think of everything, and would need the co-operation of both regions. If you schedule the correct type of entertainment ( High School Bands, Collector Cars, Motorcycles, Magicians and whatever else you could think of) and present a clean pits, with relatively clean clothes, and most important, nice looking signs by each class of boat, explaining what the cost would be to purchase that type of outfit.

When you draw the crowds, the sport will sell ITSELF! Providing you can entertain.

I could go on and on, but it is not my place, nor the right time. Again just one of the ways I look at boat racing.

[B VALACHOVIC]

I will agree with Miss BK . A lot of municipalities are looking for added activities for the water front properties they have or are in the process of re doing. A Man alone is in bad company is what Costeau used to say,apparently so is boat racing. Join a festival and you will have instant spectators and all the support of the community.

[rilo22]

In 1988 we raced at walker lake in hawthorne nevada. the town is small and somewhat isolated in eastern nevada.other than the racing community you would not expect much of a turnout for the race. city officials and the racers organized a boat parade the day prior to the race. we had a good crowd attendance.next day we had a good spectator attendance and many people came buy our pit to say they had seen us inthe parade and decidedto attend the race.(pits were open) granted this was a small town with limited recreational activities, but I believe these kind of pre-race promotions do promote our sport. unfortunately this race site,due to other promotional issues no longer exsists. Bill Reiter sr.