Ed Hearn Listen Up!

[Dr. Thunder]

APBA Support

The USTS is in the "business" of putting on racing and not govering the category. There is some overlap, as some USTS offices/members are also PRO Commissioners. But these individuals are good at keeping their responsibilites segregated and, at times. there are potential conflicts betweeen the PRO Commission and the USTS.

As an officer of the USTS, let me say that I am very proud of our club and its accomplishments under the current (and other recent) leadership. But, we are not perfect, we are continuing to refine our program and our future success depends upon securing geater volunteer assistance.

Seems to me that SORC is charged with laying down the foundation and that the SO clubs should be taking the lead in promoting their races with support from SORC. At the end of the day, if you think some things need to be done then ask first if it is something you can accomplish yourself and, if that answer is yes, then go do it.

Just curious ... don't know the answer to this but how much support (financial, marketing etc.) does APBA provide to the USTS organization in the conduct of their events?

[Kristi Ellison]

Originally posted by Dr. Thunder
Just curious ... don't know the answer to this but how much support (financial, marketing etc.) does APBA provide to the USTS organization in the conduct of there events?

Absolutely Nothing.....we honestly work our tails off looking for sponsors and creative ways to keep this going. Our members are always on the hunt and help with new ideas and contacts. We spend time at every meeting discussing promotion and try to take it up a notch every year.

Kristi

[Big Don]

The other point is for people to get enough points to be National High point they need at least 13 normal races to go to (if memory serves me correctly, if I am wrong then post the correct number please) The Divisionals, and the Nationals, make it 12 normal races if you attend the Winter Nationals, to make fifteen races to have a chance. There is no way in this day and age they are going to be able to get in their races without traveling out of region.

I do not think it unreasonable for there to be several races across different regions in some sort of series, because for a person serious about high points they will have to do this anyway.



Kerry

...just for the record in 2006 in Region 7 we had 15 days of racing counting the Nationals. We are probably the exception though for number of races in a region? I do not have to travel more than 5 hours to any of them. Throw in Grass Lake (8 hours), Constantine (6.5 hours) we had the potential of 19 races. We actually did not attend the second closest race to us because we were not ready memorial weekend. We personally cut out some of the races we sometimes attend because of our strong local program this year. (Did not go to Big Rapids 8 hours (my favorite all time race) or Dayton 8 hours) Could have been 23 races with some travel… I sit down at the beginning of the year and make a plan... Budget definitely has an influence. We figure if we cut out the 2 furthest we could use that gas money to cover 3 or 4 local races. We have another potential race site for next year. I could potentially not have to leave the states of Wisconsin/Illinois to get my 15 races. Plus the furthest I would have to drive is 5 hours. That won't happen because we wiull still attend a few Michigan races...so we easily could get 20 races with little travel.

Not saying you are not correct, just wanted everyone to see that we have a strong local schedule and we believe it is helping us get new members in our area.

[Big Don]

I think a big factor in the decline of boat racing membership that started in the 70's was and still is all the other toys that are available. Snowmobiles, Atv's, Jetski's. In the 60's almost everybody had, or knew someone that had a hydroplane. Now you can go sign your name, and for $100-$300 a month drive away from your dealer with the toy of your choice. That's hard to compete with!

Brain I agree with you. It's hard to compete with those type of things these days.

I had a guy last month tell me that he sold his dirt bike because it is harder to find a place to ride close to home. He said he bought a $10,000.00 PWC. I said for $10,000.00 you could have had top notch racing stuff. He said, but I can run out to the lake every night of the week and ride and for hours on the weekend. Weather does not stop me... That is what we are competing against... We have to make our sport more attractive to get more interested.

In this day and age...If you get in this sport it's because you really want to. We have to figure out how to get the ones that are on the fence. The ones that are not sure what they want to do and steer them our direction.

The other thing I hear a lot and everyone else must hear it…”how do you find time…I could never find the time to do what you do”. People at my work think I’m nuts. Work on stuff all week long, travel, work our butt’s off (we think it’s fun they think it’s work) all weekend, get home late Sunday night and start all over Monday for the next weekend. Plus get in, our regular jobs, religion, sports, scouts, horse riding… So you have to be a dedicated person to even be looking at a competition sport.

The people are out there we just have to make our sport attractive enough and let them know we are here.

[csh2z]

Don, Good example of what works. Keep building your local schedule and it is much easier to recruit new members. Region IV is back at square one after losing a couple of race sites recently. We have one new site we first ran this past season that is going to be a success story, but right now that's about all we've got. There is no way to recruit any new blood under these cir***stances. Tell someone our nearest race is 6 hrs. away and they laugh in your face, think you're a mental patient(not that there's anything wrong with that) and walk away! We have a club meeting and if Ryan can't make it, I have to talk to myself.With all the arguing, I can't ever get through the agenda! Sometimes I have to throw myself out. Oh well see ya,
John 2-Z

[RLR]

Ed Listen up

Some people here on HR.net want Stock to go to a series format. Just for fun, lets list the possible sites that would host these gala events. Pick the top 6 sites, spread them around the eastern US (no offence to the West Coast, just trying to limit the discussion here) and put a race each month so that they do not conflict with ANY club races.

Figure that half of the members of any given club would go to all or most of the All Star races.

What happens to the drivers who can't/won't do the travel?????

No one is saying that the local club is still not going to race, you could still have a 1/2 dozen local races.

I'll tell you what happens to them, they will go away. Why? Because the guys going to the All Star races won't go to what few local races are left, leaving a small handfull of club racers to try to put on club races. Why won't the All Star racers go to club races? They won't have the time or money. Plus mentally it will be hard for them to go to a race with less boats and less of a challenge. The All Star races will SPOIL them. The small handfull left at the local level will soon give up.

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The Merc Challenge is a classic example of what I'm describing here, please listen to those who witnessed it's unintended consequences first hand! Once the novelty wore off even the boat count at Merc Challenge races went down after a few years.

On final thought. How do I get a new person started racing once they find out that the schedule consists of only 5 or 6 races per year and most are more than 10 hours away?

Bill III

PS - don't bother listing the 6 optimal race sites. The sport is in the shape it is because as a whole we forgot the recipe. Promotion at the local level is what made this sport so large in the 50's and 60's. We let that dedication and commitment to our local clubs die over the years expecting someone else to do the work. Our sport's greatest asset for many years was the large number of local clubs that made up the back bone of the sport. It is the local club that we must strengthen if we are to grow again.


Bill,
I agree with the last sentence in your post, it will take a heroic effort to bring the clubs back to full strength. But having said that, I disagree with you calling the other races an all-star event. Put a name like that to it and it will die immediately. "I can't go, I ain't no all-star."

Start small, put one on in Illinois/Wisc, another in Ohio/PA, another in Mich. and see what happens. That way you are not killing the local clubs. No one is talking 10 hours here. Constantine can not be more than 6 hours from most of Wisconsin and would be a good place to start with no other races in the midwest except that one. Than move toward a couple more.

As for guys going to local races, talk to the USTS guys, I see their names at a host of local races that are run other than Title Series races. Not every member comes to all Title Series races year in and year out, but we give them an avenue to come play with some of the best in the country.

Belive me, I was a back marker for a lot of years, but loved going to the bigger races to see what I could do and enjoyed the turnouts that occurred with these types of programs.

Ray

[Blackhawkguy]

I forgot

...just for the record in 2006 in Region 7 we had 15 days of racing counting the Nationals. We are probably the exception though for number of races in a region? I do not have to travel more than 5 hours to any of them. Throw in Grass Lake (8 hours), Constantine (6.5 hours) we had the potential of 19 races. We actually did not attend the second closest race to us because we were not ready memorial weekend. We personally cut out some of the races we sometimes attend because of our strong local program this year. (Did not go to Big Rapids 8 hours (my favorite all time race) or Dayton 8 hours) Could have been 23 races with some travel… I sit down at the beginning of the year and make a plan... Budget definitely has an influence. We figure if we cut out the 2 furthest we could use that gas money to cover 3 or 4 local races. We have another potential race site for next year. I could potentially not have to leave the states of Wisconsin/Illinois to get my 15 races. Plus the furthest I would have to drive is 5 hours. That won't happen because we wiull still attend a few Michigan races...so we easily could get 20 races with little travel.

Not saying you are not correct, just wanted everyone to see that we have a strong local schedule and we believe it is helping us get new members in our area.

Don

I forgot to think of the races as days not weekends, yes your area is unique. Just take Mi for example, Constantine, Trenton (has short coarse sometimes/most times) Grass Lk. and Big Rapids ,this is now it for S.O. in Mi, there are several races in OH. that are around 4 hours from Sothern Mi. but you see how for someone from there to get all the races in they need they will have to travel to do it. A four hour drive is not to bad, even 5 hours on a sunday night gets you back in a descent time. So if they had a few races to go to outside of region 6 that where good races, with alot of boats it would not hurt region 6. Then if you live in the upper lower, like Hagerals, my self and Pearson's just to name a few, it gets to be 9-10 hours to go to OH to race. Remember what is not a problem for you may be a problem for someone else. I always liked to travel to different places but it can be a problem if it is to far on a weekend and you have to work on Monday. A good local schedual is important, it's nice to see somewhere that has that

Kerry

[csh12M]

Hey Kerry,

Shoot me your email. csh12m@yahoo.com.

I hope things are going well, stay safe.

Later,
Dean

[ricochet112]

I was flipping channels today and came upon ESPN. I was blown away. What do I see at 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon but the "World Hot Dog Eating Compitition". Thousands of people watching and cheering on some 12 world ranked dog eaters. And we still can't get them to air boat races?
What the heck is happening here ?

Last year I caught Extreme Dodgeball!!!!!!!! Real adults playing dodgeball in a tourament, but it's kinda like WWF or WWE whatever it's called now.

Recently I saw School buses running on figure eight track.

Maybe that's what we need, something unusual to spice up ratings.

That's it! A figure eight course and we all get 3 dodgeballs to throw at each other! Should be a ratings hit!

Someone cuts you off, hit 'em with a ball and their out!
Hit someone in the cross over, well you probably both out

[AOFoffice]

Paint ball hydro racing/fighting sounds like fun.
Might get some sponsorship for the TV coverage from the paintball company.
Connie

[Dr. Thunder]

Jackass Boatracing ... it's just not Reality!!!

Paint ball hydro racing/fighting sounds like fun.
Might get some sponsorship for the TV coverage from the paintball company.
Connie

I think you're on to something ... we need to have a made for TV activity that only looks dangerous ... something to get the audience to believe is really extreme but is really tame ...

Problem is that boatracing is inherently dangerous and a serious sport and an undertaking where safety is foremost. It's a sport where the competition is REAL, where winning is not easy. Unfortunately that's not what the mass media audience wants!

[26V]

Right, So if you loob enough paintballs, or water ballons into the leading boat, you may beable to pass them! OOh and don't forget to duck, those paintballs will hurt!

[kws]

Nah Gene
suddenly EVERYONE will be using full face brain buckets lol
make everyone run close to the pits that way everyone on the beach can fire volleys at the boats as they go by

btw no its just an old nitrous bottle with CO2 that just runs the paintball guns in the nose.. honest it isnt even hooked up to the motor

[Tomtall]

Maybe ---------------

What do you think of this? Maybe they would show this kind of stuff ?

[YankeeRacing]

Nah Gene
make everyone run close to the pits that way everyone on the beach can fire volleys at the boats as they go by

The problem here is to make sure you don't give a gun to a wife who has just bought a new piston or lower unit so her husband can race. (or in Kristi's case, visa versa). The gun being used might be a real one!
Connie