AOF Nationals and Races

[AOFoffice]

The schedule for AOF keeps growing! Nationals set by Peace River for Jesup, GA Sept 30, Oct 1-2. Some mix of AOF and APBA. Anyone doing an APBA race and wanting your members to get AOF points, too, it can be worked out. AOF has joined APBA as a club so bigger and better things are on the horizon. (Yes, and AOF also still stands on it's own too). Contact AOF office for races without paying sanctions or insurance. (Is that a tease or what?)
Connie

[Dave M]

Ya, Why ?

I think it is great to try and bring the boat racing communities together, but I also know that to have two sanctioning bodies is good.

Just curious as to who made this call ?

[Dr. Thunder]

Precedent setting or not?

... AOF has joined APBA as a club so bigger and better things are on the horizon. (Yes, and AOF also still stands on it's own too). Contact AOF office for races without paying sanctions or insurance. (Is that a tease or what?)
Connie

Does this set a precendent for long-standing APBA only clubs to have the option of holding either an APBA sanctioned event or a non-sanctioned event? Or, has this always been possible?

[AOFoffice]

quote:::oes this set a precendent for long-standing APBA only clubs to have the option of holding either an APBA sanctioned event or a non-sanctioned event? Or, has this always been possible?

Any club in the country has been allowed to run APBA and also AOF, and non sanctioned. As far as I know anyway. Many of our AOF clubs are also APBA clubs.
How does AOF joining APBA help? Look at Dayton Record runs and IOA. IOA counts the Dayton points as club points for IOA.
How does this help in the AOF scenerio? Say, for instance, SOA runs a race. SOA has quite a few AOF drivers. So, the scorers agree to give AOF a copy of the points. Since a majority of the APBA and AOF points are identical, we score the AOF drivers the same points as they got in the SOA race for APBA. Pretty simple. AOF is putting some stipulations on this, but certainly isn't hurting anyone.
How does this help a club like Stateline, who is basically an AOF club? It helps all the way around, because we are going to keep national points from all of the racing you do. (APBA and aOF).
Do we expect APBA to reciprocate? No. That is the beauty of AOF, IMHO. I do however, believe this will help participation on all sides.
Extra cost to a club? AOF will ask the club members who want the points to join AOF. AOF might not have the prestige of the APBA Hall of Champions, but we have other perks. We do give some nice year end high point awards, and we do have a Hall of Fame. The AOF Hall of Fame is a once in a lifetime achievement involving a point system that includes high points as well as other involvments. Being one of two per year to be inducted into the AOF Hall of Fame is also a very big honor to those who have been inducted, and it is very hard to accomplish this feat.
This is not a new concept. It is just that it has been a forgotten concept within AOF for a while. What we need is a few clubs to come forward and say, "Members, here we go. More racing bang for your buck. At this race you can get both APBA and AOF points." This is a concept that has been talked about pretty carefully concerning the 2006 Winter nationals in Pineville, LA. Hey, why not?
Again, if you have questions email me at
executivedirector@aofraces.com
Note: None of this affects a club that is sanctioning a race AOF exclusive
You will see absolutely NO difference at an AOF race, OR at an APBA double sanctioned race. No different than you will ever notice at Dayton that an IOA member is getting club points for his finish.

[AOFoffice]

Let me add a proposal that will be brought to the USTS meeting:

A sponsor, who wishes to remain silent has offered:
1. USTS races to be double sanctioned at no extra cost to USTS as sponsor is willing to pay extra.
2. Sponsor is willing to give some extra prizes to the AOF drivers participating in the USTS races. (Must be an AOF member to be eligible.)
3. AOF will keep points as per finish in USTS races.
4. Sponsor will pay $500 to top High point year end winner of All pro classes, the only stipulation is that you must be an AOF member.
a. helps clubs like Eastern Outboard, Stateline, SOA,etc, who also run PRO in encouraging more participation. Question, how many AOF drivers are NOT APBA membes also? I would imagine maybe ...none.

Sponsor is happy and all AOF drivers who have won something are happy too. Happiest person will be the PRO driver who wins the high point as an AOF PRO driver and has also run in APBA races that were cooperating in this endeavor.
Shouldn't this sport have some happy news once in a while?

[888race]

Jesup Race Dates

The Dates Foe Aof Nationals Will Be Oct 22 And 23 The Park Was Booked
Thanks Paul

[AOFoffice]

Hi Dave,

I wanted to fill you in as you always seem to remain a loyal AOF member.
When I came back this year as Executive Director the first thing I noticed was the treasury. It is HUGE. AOF is RICH. Sounds good, right?

NOT….The AOF incorporation for non-profit per Oklahoma law prevents us from having money. (This much anyway). That simple. I got legal advice, and AOF's incorporation is on the line unless some of the money is used to meet our mission statement of "promoting the sport" of motor boat racing.

How did AOF get so much money? It seems that while I was retired from AOF people weren't getting newsletters, no money was being spent to promote boat racing, etc. Apprantly it was fun to watch the treasury grow based on membership from the past. Pretty soon, once people get no newsletters, etc, though, that money starts to dwindle because you have no new members to rebuild.

Last year, AOF honored cards. Worked pretty well to get people to attend races, but no honor was given back to AOF. No one joined. "Why would I join AOF when I can race for free?" No loyalty and pride was created for AOF.

So, to dispense of some of the money, I offered clubs (yours included), free sanction and insurance. (As Executive Director, I am given so much money to spend for PR. That is what the $5 fee you pay at a race goes for). People would have to be at least a one day AOF member to participate in the races, however.

The clubs are coming back and saying, "Thanks for the offer, but our members want APBA points!" I must say, that totally shocked me. Free racing for a club to build a treasury, but clubs wanted APBA points? A chance to go into a new race site and build it, and the only thing on people's minds are points? What in the world happened to PROMOTING OUR SPORT? The reason for AOF is because we can put on a race cheaper. OK, we aren't the fancy steak house, but we are the McDonalds and your belly still gets full, right?

So, when talking to Ed, I asked about Indiana Outboard giving club points for Dayton. His reply, "Yes, it is done. How could one stop that?" So, the thought of double sanctioning popped up. I believe if a club allowed it, a copy of the lap sheets could just be handed over,-but to protect the interests of AOF members who want points, AOF has joined APBA as a club so that we would be guaranteed a copy of the lap sheets.

We have an anonymous benefactor who is also willing to pay sanction fees to an APBA club who wants to give their AOF members, points. This covers AOF both ways, and costs a club nothing. Also costs APBA nothing. The winner is the member who wants to build up BOTH APBA and AOF points.

As the points come in, I will work with the tech committee and the AOF membership list. I will confirm a person's AOF membership. I will also make sure that the class that they are racing in is compatible to AOF's and give points accordingly. So far, using the legal AOF step-up chart, and AOF classes, it looks like the only possible problems might be with the AXS classes. Note* in a double sanctioned race, APBA rules take precedence. Nothing stops an APBA race to run a special event, however if there would be an AOF class that would want to run exclusively. Also note that AOF allows special events at any of our races, so conceivably, an AOF race could run the AXS and we can count points.

AOF is not dead. It is thriving. APBA and Ed Hearn have opened up the door with the cooperation, and in my mind, these are the heros. It SHOULD be about the sport. That simple.

Well, if you have any questions, give me a call or email. I believe this is a revolution! A good one.
Connie
PS, it still only costs $200 for insurance a week end and $60 a day sanction for a club to put on an AOF race. Lots of clubs are doing that too. Actually, some clubs and members really don't care about APBA points. That is ok too, because winning an AOF high point is nothing to cry about. And, I am sure there will be "someone" who finds fault with this new system that we are trying for at least a year. If there is a negative, and we have tried to come up with one, I hope that I am emailed.
Hey, Dave, Connie's back, can you tell? I'll be hanged by some lynch mob somewhere, but if YOU as a racer get more racing and have more fun, then I will supply the rope.

[AOFoffice]

Bill, Membership , AOF:
Racing: $75 a year. (Can make payments of $25 3 X's)

Non Racing: $25 yearly

Fan membership: $15 yearly

However, the AOF membership is not cut in stone. Because of our incorporation status we must follow the legal guidelines and membership is a
"contribution". If you want to contribute less, it is accepted. Most of the time, People just contribute more. Funny how that works out. Guess this world is made up of some pretty nice people.

[vislaguy]

newbie

this is my first year racing and I wish to join aof can I just do it at the first race I attend?? do you have an up to date schedual yet on the website?? thanks mike