Setting the record straight

[Howie Nichols]

I would also welcome your reply lengthy or not.

I also try my best to NOT jump to any conclusions, sometimes it happens but most of the time it does Not!

[DougMc]

I have been reluctant to address this problem in a public forum preferring to communicate the events and decisions of the officers and racing commission in direct conversations with members. However, reading recent posts here on Hydroracer I am convinced the problems must be met head on.
...
Rod Black
President AOF
rod.black@att.net

I did read the first post and above is the important part of the AOF President wanting to address the question in a public forum and meet the issue head on. You listed an e-mail address, so you can use a computer.

As someone who no longer wants to race at the larger, more competitive APBA races due to my accident and losing my nerve at times even to attend a race, and thus is someone who feels more comfortable at the smaller AOF local races, I want to know if the local races are insured.

With this in mind, please address Howie's question head on in this public forum. AOF opened this forum and owes a public answer to anyone who jumps in a race boat, mans a patrol boat or judges stand. This is a straight forward question and deserves a straight forward answer.

[Mrs blueskyracer]

Howie,

I have sent you an email. Remember I told you it would be too long to post. Remember these are my takes and opinions and I am sure you will disagree in part with what I have had to say. I can only speak about what I know and prefer to leave speculation to someone else.

I am hopeful that Rod will contact you. I don't know that everyone is as dedicated to reading hydroracer and checking their emails like you and I.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I am pleased that Becky is still racing despite her disappointments. Having had a daughter who showed horses I know how tough that can be on them whether they are 8 or 18.

[Howie Nichols]

Teresa, (I ot it right...without the 'H')

Thank you for the email, I will review it and get back to you.

Becky loves racing and can't wait until the next one.

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!

[Mrs blueskyracer]

One good thing about Florida is you can race year around. I would be to scared of the "reptiles" that live in your neck of the woods. Becky you are a brave young lady!

Montana's race season is over till May, and the snow should be appearing anytime, it is already about a month later than usual. Odds are we will have a white Christmas, my bet is that you guys won't! Ever feel the need to travel this direction, please let us know we would love to put you up between there and your destination.

[Howie Nichols]

Florida is nice in respect to being able to get out on the water pretty much year round. Reptiles?? We have those here?? They tend to disappear once the first motor fires up.

Becky is tough, if I can download the pics from the weekend I will post her and all of her 5' self in my CSH letting it hang down the straightaways. My ears still hurt from her mother yelling at me

I have a friend (former racer) Mark Currier that lives in Red Lodge, MT. He has his old OMC A Runabout up there with him. He tells me all the time about the snow, the passes that are blocked or have snow so high you (well me) would be amazed, and the wildlife that walks up to his window.

Maybe someday we will make it up there, preferably in the summer, I left the cold New England weather in 89 and don't really miss it.

[mercguy]

oh ya??????

I bet I can piss farther than ANY of you GUYS!!!!

this argumentative HE SAID, SHE SAID stuff is pointless...............get out from behind your computers and pick up the TELEPHONE!!!!!!

you think our APBA Pres. Mr. Weber would engage in this kind of stuff HERE>...............nope, but he does answer calls and so does Mr. Black............

[Howie Nichols]

I want it in writing this way there is no more he said / she said and at least my issue will be put to bed and it will be documented as to what Mr. Black and AOF's stance is on the other issues without anyone else's interpretation.

I am standing by waiting...

[Mrs blueskyracer]

Daren, I know you have me beat!

[mdaspit]

I had no idea AOF was still in existence around here until I heard they were putting on a race in Pineville. Pineville? You kidding me? Of course I'm going to that. Its a great Lake, and it's not 8 hours away, what do I know or care about their politics?
Its another chance for me to test and race my boat.

So, I go... There I am walking around in the pits and there's John Snell, and his Pith Helmet, dressed in his short sleeved coveralls, saying "Howdy" to me, and eyeing my "Ya-ma-toe" with some skepticism, as if it were part of some secret plot sent over here to sabotage everything he knew was right and just with American Made outboard motors. He introduces me to his twin brother Albert, as "that fella that lives over there in Brenham, Texas, where they make the Ice Cream." Albert tells me they have an old friend who lives in Brenham, that they were in Germany with during the war in the Army, and would I mind calling him for them when I "got to the house." Of course! I say... be happy to, but it makes me chuckle because its as if the only other way to get a message to his old buddy is to put a letter on the stagecoach. Now, the Snell boys have a virtual Merc Racing Museum tucked away in an old barn somewhere in deep East Texas. Actually I believe it's on the over 100 year old farm pioneered by "Grandpa Snell", who also founded the East Texas town of Snell Texas. "It's still there, Albert tells me, only problem is, its under 60 feet of water now since they built the **** on the river. John says to me that "He's gotta go get his Inspection Tent set up, he wants me to know that he's not charging the club anything, "just a little gas money, that's all"

While I was there I could hear the meeting going on, and it sounded to me like the old-timers had a legitimate gripe, hadn't heard a thing from the AOF in years, no ballots, nada... and now the "smack" was that the club they had all helped to start, didn't give a hoot what they all thought anymore. "Too old", "those old guys don't race anymore anyway". "They shouldn't have a vote." "Those lifetimers are illegal anyway."

It also sounded like the AOF guy had a legitimate position. (That is for a group who doesn't hold these old boys in as much high regard as I do). AOF hadn't heard from them either. In fact racing in Texas has been pretty much dead for years, and they in the Northwest, were the only people doing the work to keep the club alive. Hmmm I can see that point.

Anyway, I came to do some testing, and get some boat time, so I get all set up, dry fire my motor, slip my boat in the water. There I am in my boat, ready to go out, It was right then when I turned around I could see Jack Stotts holding my boat, Dan Parker pitted right next to me, the Snell brothers, "Mr. Freddy" Hebert. (They used to call him the fearless flea) and his pointy toed cowboy boots, and Carl Staron.

Sometime back someone posted a photo of a runabout race a bunch of years ago of a bunch of guys running for the start. Freddy Hebert, Carl Staron right up front. I saved that picture, and if you look closely, you can see their faces, they looked the same that day, just as excited... they were at a boat race. At that moment, all of them right there in my field of view.

It was a very cool thing. A very cool thing.

Only one thing could have made it better. More boats, because nobody showed up. I've said this before, but nobody showed up because it was an AOF race. I know I'm a new guy and naive but... Lake Buhlow, great weather, a bunch of really cool legends of boat racing... and AOF is so toxic that people who are starving to race boats wouldn't show up? Imagine that.

If you are the Board of Directors of such an organization you have to see this as a problem, and unless you are content with being a small little regional organization, you have to do something to fix it, to grow it. If you don't, then you are violating your own mission statement."...goals are to increase participation and public interest in the sport, (and to) create a cohesive relationship..."

AOF-you may not see this as your fault, but you have to see this as your problem, and if you want it to be fixed, then you have to do something about it. The reason that all this nonsense is going on is because the wrong people are left to fill the void. The void that you are leaving because you are not showing due diligence in solving the problem.

Reach out, communicate, if you can't do it then get a PR guy who can.

After years of study, it is finally concluded that the biggest mistake Exxon made with the Valdez oil spill is not that they spilled the oil, people would have forgiven that. It was that they refused to communicate to their public.
That arrogance the people would not forgive.

[PROPDOC]

Very well said MDaspit!

Well said Mark! You have made some valid points that the AOF Commision should take note of if they truly want this rift to be mended.

[YankeeRacing]

I have a suggestion:
To work out a solution that makes everyone happy, why can't this be done for the following 2 years:
2 sets of officers who work together?

Purpose: Why not? You have 2 factions: NW officers who do not want to give up control, and rest of country who claims they have been forgotten and have no representation.

No one is arguing these facts::
No legal election for 4 years
No communication for 4 years
No accurate record keeping of membership for 4 years
NW Faction
Rest of country faction

So, why not?
2 years of both groups working together with checks and balances
Sounds like a winner to me.
Will bring credibiltiy back
Can grow the sport and AOF
Will allow sites that are not able to put on a race either NBRA or APBA to race

I challenge Rod Black, who is leading the NW brigade, and Dan Parker, on ballot for President for rest of country.

Why wouldn't this work? Only because someone doesn't want to give up power. C'mon guys, what do you say?

AND, each side chose one Executive Director, so AOF will have 2 for the next 2 years.

(See Matt/Jon/Lance, Connie wouldn't be involved in any way. And the family army will not show up to race as you suggested. Too bad though, as we had all your races on our schedule for 2010 and we can bring lots of entry money to help put on those races. I sure wanted to race in Montana once.-and you might even have had a chance against my son who only won a race because mommy was executive director. )

[blueskyracer]

I have a suggestion:
To work out a solution that makes everyone happy, why can't this be done for the following 2 years:
2 sets of officers who work together?

Purpose: Why not? You have 2 factions: NW officers who do not want to give up control, and rest of country who claims they have been forgotten and have no representation.

Sounds like the first step in spliting up AOF again. I have an idea. Why don't we let the new folks have a chance.

[Mrs blueskyracer]

If you are the Board of Directors of such an organization you have to see this as a problem, and unless you are content with being a small little regional organization, you have to do something to fix it, to grow it. If you don't, then you are violating your own mission statement."...goals are to increase participation and public interest in the sport, (and to) create a cohesive relationship..."

AOF-you may not see this as your fault, but you have to see this as your problem, and if you want it to be fixed, then you have to do something about it. The reason that all this nonsense is going on is because the wrong people are left to fill the void. The void that you are leaving because you are not showing due diligence in solving the problem.

Reach out, communicate, if you can't do it then get a PR guy who can.

After years of study, it is finally concluded that the biggest mistake Exxon made with the Valdez oil spill is not that they spilled the oil, people would have forgiven that. It was that they refused to communicate to their public.
That arrogance the people would not forgive.

Mark

I pared you message just a little in the quote. But I understood at the Moses Lake National Meeting that the NEW executive director should be contacting the Texas group and was authorized to even make a trip to visit to help get stuff started. That is why he is the NEW executive director. My assumption would be that won't happen until after the holiday season.

As to boat turn out, I understand that it hasn't been up to snuf anywhere, it certainly wasn't in Eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana. Anywhere where folks had to travel as many hours as some of us do to race. Face it this economy is horrible, can't afford to miss work, can't afford the fuel for the tow vehicle on reduced hours. I am truly hoping that 2010 will be a better year for AOF, for boat racing and for boat turn out in general.

As the fog is so thick you can cut it with a knife this morning I am really kind of jealous of you guys who can race year around If Texas wasn't so far I would love to come and rub elbows with the elder statesmen, many of who in the last few months I have spoken with on the phone. If only I could retire wealthy today.

[YankeeRacing]

Sounds like the first step in spliting up AOF again. I have an idea. Why don't we let the new folks have a chance.

Mike, in all due respect, I am not following. You would have Rod and Dan as co-Presidents. They are very much alike.
Then Charlie and Bobby Laws. My gosh, twins.
Then Tech VP, John and Steve, who would be awesome.
Secretary, between Dave and Patsy, nothing would get by anyone.
Treasurer: Jay, where the money is already, and John, former banker. Looks good to me.
And Executive directors: Rick and Carl. Two parts of the country represented.
How would that split the organization if eveyone was co officers?
And what new officers are you speaking of. Looks to me like all but one are the same, if you acknowledge all of those officers from Washington.
I just don't see how this could hurt.