Craig:
I want to thank you for you interest in this thread. I've said it before, I'll say it again, even if KT smacks my arm like her mom used to do to me when I drove....\
For this girl she was sheltered, shy and confused. She never met her real mom as she died 2 days after KT was born, and she (KT's mom) was a very serious gear head.... KT was failing in school at the beginning of 8th grade, hanging with the wrong kids and basically driving Patti, KT's new (step) mom and I nuts...She is off the scale brilliant, and has ambitions of becomming a Veteranarian someday....She is philanthropic and has a heart of gold....Then, on or about August 16th of 2006, she went with me and Patti to the CAOMC meet at D'anza cove in mission Bay, San Diego. Where, she climbed into a B stock runabout with a MK20H on the transom. I forgave her for sitting in front of a Merc....
At that time, a few people, Ron Russ Hill, and Pat Bowman talked to her about possibly racing....KT drove a 120 and 160 1/4 midget to victories 3 years running back in the Midwest, and we got out of it because as a single dad running a business and raising a little girl, I was overburdened and still in grief after 6 years of her moms passing.....
So, I reunite with Patti, my old H/S sweetheart after 23 years of not seeing her. We moved to Socal, sold the business and began the same business over.... Then, I can't remember exactly how it went, but, Bob Peebles calls shortly after and asked us if we would like to try an A boat at the 2006 San Diego Bay thunderboat regatta...So, we agree, made arrangements and Jeff Connant calls the morning she is supposed to test.... The A motor lost it's fuel pump...We still came, KT, me and Patti followed later in the minivan. So, Jeff sets her up in his C boat. she goes out, turing hard rights trying to plane off....Gets planed off, runs a good pass, then gets stuck in ahard left turn...In the circle was a 6' $1,500.00 Unlimited buoy, and a 42' Fountain on the beach,....I remember telling myself "Fountain, Buoy, Fountain, Buoy...$300K Fountain, $1,500 buoy, KT hit the buoy....HIT THE BUOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She ended up pulling out of the turn and an addiction began that day...So we start our quest for boat, courtesy of Bill curtis, and engine, Dale Bishop, and lots of elbow grease and wonderful advice from many, Dave Mason, Ron Hill, Dale and a multitude of others too long to mention....Parker 2007 was the first race and we have done 3 others since....Longbeach next weekend already, then 2 in September, and 2 or 3 in October.... As a result of boat racing, competing, meeting lots of great new friends her age, mentoring by Ron, Chad, Bunker Hill Tammy Dawe, and loads more, KT got almost a 3.0 at the final this year....Dangle the boat racing carrot in front of her face, and she gets down and does her work! It's the first motivational thing we've seen her do, so now, she won't live in a van down by the river!!!!!!!!!!
Sheezzz got her own hydro to take to the river!
This thread is for everyone's enjoyment, and it warms my heart when someone does just that. Stay tuned as the rest of the book is written....
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