Press realese just sent out from APBA HQ - sobering numbers

[HRTV]

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[B Walker]

For Immediate Release from APBA National Headquarters

February 1, 2010


APBA National Meeting honors champions, sets turnaround agenda

Eastpointe, Michigan – “The sport we save may be our own,” said American Power Boat Association President Mark Weber at the National Meeting in Tukwila, Wash. January 27-30, 2010. Weber and Vice President Mark Wheeler charted sobering statistics. APBA regions and racing categories have suffered a steady decline. In 1990 there were 300 APBA sanctioned events; in 2009, there were 160. Last year APBA membership dropped below 4,000 for the first time ever—half the numbers of 20 years ago. Weber said that APBA must change current policies to reverse the trend: “Business as usual will implode in 10 to 15 years.”

Weber has repeatedly challenged APBA members to lower the barriers to racing. Some clubs are organizing driving schools and bringing new members into the sport. This grassroots effort complements the national APBA Driving School. Seattle Outboard Association reported that 30% of their entries come from their driving school and the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum Junior boat building project. Region 10 is the only APBA region to report membership growth. It is no coincidence that the SOA Driving School has operated there for four years, along with the Junior Hydro project.
Some 10 to 12 driving schools are scheduled in 2010.
Weber reported other progress at the Annual Meeting Jan. 30th.

• APBA Junior Classes are actually growing. They make entry easier for youngsters by supplying propellers and selling a standard APBA Mercury engine. The other category to show steady growth is Vintage & Historic, in which owners may show and run restored older boats. Both categories emphasize the fun factor.

• The APBA Formula 4 Class will offer new tunnel boats with spec engines in 2011. It is expected to draw entry-level adult racers into the sport.

• The Pacific Offshore Powerboat Racing Association rejoins APBA in 2010. An Arizona event, Desert Storm, will bring pleasure-boat style Offshore boats together for high-speed competition.

• APBA welcomed the H1 Unlimited Series back in 2009. Series President Sam Cole said, "We're glad to back in APBA where we belong." One delightful outcome was the induction of former APBA President and U-1 driver Steve David of Lighthouse Point, Fla. into the APBA Hall of Champions Jan. 30th.
In addition to Steve David, the following racers were inducted:

INBOARD: Dan Kanfoush of Niagara Falls, NY
Tom Thompson of Cambridge, Maryland
Ty Newton of Goodyear, Arizona

INBOARD ENDURANCE: Joey Cucci of Lake Havasu City, Arizona

JUNIOR CLASSES: Logan Sweeney of Delaware, Ohio

MODIFIED OUTBOARD: Rick Miller of Grove, Oklahoma
Brian Palmquist of Diamond Lake, Illinois
Tom Sutherland of Chelsea, Michigan

OPC: Jason Williams of Alta Loma, California
Jay Fox of Bay City, Michigan

PRO: Jim Nilsen of Edgewood, Washington
Sean McKean of Mabank, Texas

STOCK OUTBOARD: Joe Pater of St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward Hearn of Valparaiso, Indiana
Donny Allen of Menasha, Wisconsin

At the January 30th banquet, longtime member Dee Berghauer of Elm Grove, Wisconsin and legendary boatbuilder Ron Jones, Sr. of Kent, Washington were inducted into the APBA Honor Squadron. Both were recognized for years of service to the sport of power boat racing, especially in the area of safety. Steve David said, "If you've ever crashed in a capsule boat, you are alive because of Ron Jones, Sr."
Although there are big challenges ahead for APBA, there is much to celebrate. The champions of 2009 were duly honored, and new champions will emerge in 2010.

Contact: APBA Headquarters
586-773-9700

apbahq@apba-racing.com

[Haüenstein]

Another press release I read Monday, from Boating Writers International, had this interesting nugget:

Moderated by BWI board member Michael Sciulla, the panel will discuss
strategic changes that the boating industry needs to consider including, making
boats more affordable, more fuel efficient and more relevant to a changing
consumer demographic.
“Recreational boat sales peaked in 1989 - a generation ago – just as Baby
Boomers were hitting their peak earning years and before the advent of the
Internet,” said Sciulla. “What worked well for the boating industry then is
probably not the best prescription for the future,” he noted.

[HRTV]

Another press release I read Monday, from Boating Writers International, had this interesting nugget:

Moderated by BWI board member Michael Sciulla, the panel will discuss
strategic changes that the boating industry needs to consider including, making
boats more affordable, more fuel efficient and more relevant to a changing
consumer demographic.
“Recreational boat sales peaked in 1989 - a generation ago – just as Baby
Boomers were hitting their peak earning years and before the advent of the
Internet,” said Sciulla. “What worked well for the boating industry then is
probably not the best prescription for the future,” he noted.

Today’s youth are no longer interested in social interaction and camaraderie it’s sad fact yet true we are loosing an entire generation to the digital age. Good luck trying to get today’s youth interested in traveling thousands of miles back and forth across the country for bragging rights and “camaraderie”

My commnets above are a response to the statement below from the Monday Jan 1st Press Realease.

"The APBA Formula 4 Class will offer new tunnel boats with spec engines in 2011. It is expected to draw entry-level adult racers into the sport"

They better be well established adults with fat pockets!

[forshey99]

youth

I think we've had the discussion about the "youth" before and it got heated last time so I won't bother venturing my observations and opinions again.
Instead, I would issue a challenge to the outboard community.

Make a goal to attend a motorsport event in 2010 that is NOT Nascar or another boat racing category. Take particular note of the age of the participants, the culture, the awards/recognition, and the "dream" many of them offer. Compare what you see to outboard racing and draw your own conclusions as to why they thrive while we are on life support.

Nate

[Brian10s]

Make a goal to attend a motorsport event in 2010 that is NOT Nascar or another boat racing category. Take particular note of the age of the participants, the culture, the awards/recognition, and the "dream" many of them offer. Compare what you see to outboard racing and draw your own conclusions as to why they thrive while we are on life support.

Nate

Nate,
You are correct - Boatracing does not have the X games, or the Dew Tour or even a nationwide series like Supercross. We also do not have factory teams, etc. I do not think even at the highest levels (Champ, Unlimited, etc) are the drivers "Professionals". In that, I mean that is their job and that is all they do - drive race boats. We do not have that "Dream" level where you can race for a living.

While there is much we can learn from other sports, comparing small outboard racing to just about anything else is like comparing a backyard cornhole game with the NFL.

[forshey99]

no correlation

Nate,
You are correct - Boatracing does not have the X games, or the Dew Tour or even a nationwide series like Supercross. We also do not have factory teams, etc. I do not think even at the highest levels (Champ, Unlimited, etc) are the drivers "Professionals". In that, I mean that is their job and that is all they do - drive race boats. We do not have that "Dream" level where you can race for a living.

While there is much we can learn from other sports, comparing small outboard racing to just about anything else is like comparing a backyard cornhole game with the NFL.

You've obviously have not attended any of the events to which I referred. The observations you stated were at best formed from a la-z-boy and what you saw on tv. If you would have attended the Dew Tour or any other event, you would have seen plenty of privateers and grass root competitors hauling their rigs behind the old S10 pickup truck and doing their own wrenching.. You dismiss the comparison based on a loosely associated point of view......don't they call that the straw man argument?.

Regardless of whether or not we offer this "dream", we must still compete against it.

Nate

[Sonny]

The data seems specific to the APBA participation. I am curious how those numbers look when you add AOF, NBRA, and all of the others? Do we have a more comprehensive number on participants?

[forshey99]

While there is much we can learn from other sports, comparing small outboard racing to just about anything else is like comparing a backyard cornhole game with the NFL.

Ironically, there was a time when NFL players carried their own gear to the stadium and NBA players walked out to the bus in their uniforms rather than $2000 suits. Nothing starts at the top and much of what we see today was once the "backyard cornhole" game you referenced. Your anology was funny, but it embodies the obstacle we face..........................ourselves.

Nate

[3rd Chance]

The data seems specific to the APBA participation. I am curious how those numbers look when you add AOF, NBRA, and all of the others? Do we have a more comprehensive number on participants?

Dare I touch this one..........Does anyone think that APBA, AOF and NBRA should all exist when, as Nate said early, we are on life support?

Someone should try and unite the front........

ok.....fire away.

[Kev43V]

Dare I touch this one..........Does anyone think that APBA, AOF and NBRA should all exist when, as Nate said early, we are on life support?

Someone should try and unite the front........

ok.....fire away.

Didn't those other groups split off from APBA in the first place? If so why. and do the same conditions/percieved conditions that drove them away still exist?

[david bryan]

Ironically, there was a time when NFL players carried their own gear to the stadium and NBA players walked out to the bus in their uniforms rather than $2000 suits. Nothing starts at the top and much of what we see today was once the "backyard cornhole" game you referenced. Your anology was funny, but it embodies the obstacle we face..........................ourselves.

Nate

heck 2000$ dollar suits are not much any more j drivers race in THOUSAND dollar suits ALL THE TIME AND GET THEN DIRDY AS H**L

[wagner-racing16-s]

What this sport needs is a few big key sponsor to put there name on the event. If you look at all the main racing industries there is a big name promoter sponsor behind it. Being Sprint, Dew cup and Red Bull air races. You can take the Red Bull air races as a prime example. I know that these races have been going on for decades but in doing research really kind of fizzled out post WWII as a huge spectator sport. It took Red Bull as a big Sponsor to really tank something that was still being raced but not really being advertised into something i can watch on tv that I can see roughly once a week. I remember in the early 90's being able to turn on speed channel once a year and remember watch stock outboard racing from either california or arizona and remember saying that i wanted to do this and be on tv. We have a tv spot now but is very limited to only direct tv viewers and unsure how often it is played on the air. so maybe we need to do a little expanding onto regular cable as a new source of venue to gather people into what makes this so great. If the can nationally show mud bog racing then why can't the show outboard racing.

[fcliff]

Didn't those other groups split off from APBA in the first place? If so why. and do the same conditions/percieved conditions that drove them away still exist?

Not really. Their history goes to NOA days.There was no mod in APBA at that time. When NOA folded APBA Mod was born. Some of us race all three organizations and and have a great time. I can say we always are able to meet our weekend expenses when we race with NBRA.

[HRTV]

Dare I touch this one..........Does anyone think that APBA, AOF and NBRA should all exist when, as Nate said early, we are on life support?

Someone should try and unite the front........

ok.....fire away.

After 20 years of struggling Drags finally did it!

http://hydroracertv.com/?p=4823