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Jeff:
As one who has been involved with the sport since the mid 50's, I sympathize with your feelings regards this race and attendance, or lack of, by racers from other sanctioning organizations, for whatever reasons they gave.
That said, as someone much smarter than I said many years ago, "Don't let the B*^@%*D'S get you down". You have much to be proud of, especially having successfully pulled this off with a National sponsor, at one of the few purpose built lakes in the US built for boat racing. As important, if not more so, YOU GOT THERE FIRST, so everyone else is, or will be trying to, ride on your coat tails.
I was involved with the initial meeting in LR Ar., for the formation of AOF, approximately 40 years ago now, when NOA was in the process of disintergrating, at least with their MOD and ALKY catagories. The other competition of course was APBA, which had many years on any other sanctioning body. One thing I found out many years later, was that a group of long time APBA Alky racers put great importance on what was then the Gulf Hall of Fame, records, both Kilo and Competition for different length courses, and of course Divisional and National Championships that had been held for years. For those reasons and others, the Alky group, at least the majority of them, chose to stay with APBA, instead of going with AOF. This was done for the supposed importance of being able to say that they were competing against the "best" even though then as now. many of the racers were attending any sanctioned race they could get to. The various MOD groups split between AOF and APBA until NBRA came along. Perhaps a questionaire asking for reasons of non-attendance would be helpful??
The message here is do not underestimate the importance of sanctioned events that offer Kilo and Competition records. Everyone has to start somewhere, and in my humble estimation at least, you have a real head start with one of the finest facilities in the country with TV coverage weekly at that facility with the cars. Possibly your program will be on "The Edge" on the Speed Channel before too long.
You have much to be proud of, as I said, and anyone who did not come to your race at the LUCAS facility was on the losing side, whether they put their boats in the water or not. You might even be better off for a while, until the other organization wears themselves out fighting with one another.
Keep up the good work. Nothing succeeds like success.
As one who has been involved with the sport since the mid 50's, I sympathize with your feelings regards this race and attendance, or lack of, by racers from other sanctioning organizations, for whatever reasons they gave.
That said, as someone much smarter than I said many years ago, "Don't let the B*^@%*D'S get you down". You have much to be proud of, especially having successfully pulled this off with a National sponsor, at one of the few purpose built lakes in the US built for boat racing. As important, if not more so, YOU GOT THERE FIRST, so everyone else is, or will be trying to, ride on your coat tails.
I was involved with the initial meeting in LR Ar., for the formation of AOF, approximately 40 years ago now, when NOA was in the process of disintergrating, at least with their MOD and ALKY catagories. The other competition of course was APBA, which had many years on any other sanctioning body. One thing I found out many years later, was that a group of long time APBA Alky racers put great importance on what was then the Gulf Hall of Fame, records, both Kilo and Competition for different length courses, and of course Divisional and National Championships that had been held for years. For those reasons and others, the Alky group, at least the majority of them, chose to stay with APBA, instead of going with AOF. This was done for the supposed importance of being able to say that they were competing against the "best" even though then as now. many of the racers were attending any sanctioned race they could get to. The various MOD groups split between AOF and APBA until NBRA came along. Perhaps a questionaire asking for reasons of non-attendance would be helpful??
The message here is do not underestimate the importance of sanctioned events that offer Kilo and Competition records. Everyone has to start somewhere, and in my humble estimation at least, you have a real head start with one of the finest facilities in the country with TV coverage weekly at that facility with the cars. Possibly your program will be on "The Edge" on the Speed Channel before too long.
You have much to be proud of, as I said, and anyone who did not come to your race at the LUCAS facility was on the losing side, whether they put their boats in the water or not. You might even be better off for a while, until the other organization wears themselves out fighting with one another.
Keep up the good work. Nothing succeeds like success.
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