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Parks & Rec Business
| NASCAR On Water By Linda Stalvey In 1903, a young law student named Cameron B. Waterman was tinkering with the engine of his new motorcycle—one of the first made. “While taking it apart and overhauling it, the idea occurred to me that such a motor might possibly be used on my rowboat when I went on fishing trips,” he is quoted in an article in The Antique Outboarder (July 1988). Waterman spent the next couple of years developing his idea and, in February 1905, took his working model to the Detroit River and attached it to a 15-foot steel rowboat. Even with the challenge of navigating ice chunks, the voyage was a success. That day someone in the party called the model engine an “outboard motor.” History and the Waterman Marine Motor Company resulted from that day’s adventures. Although not recorded, Waterman may have thought, “I wonder how fast this puppy can go.” That same year the American Power Boat Association (APBA) was founded. Its Web site states, “The appetite for speed on water has been a part of mankind since the early ages.” Other organizations, such as the National Boat Racing Association (NBRA), developed to promote and sanction powerboat racing. The Golden Age for powerboat racing was the 1950s and 1960s--then came jet skis. But the sport is much more than a nostalgic look backward. There are approximately 6,000 individuals who race in sanctioned events across the United States. APBA claims 5,000 members. NBRA and smaller organizations make up the rest. Regardless of the numbers, the racers are a committed and enthusiastic group and are always looking for new race sites! Jim Sindelar, the Park and Recreation Director for Ponca City, Okla., is continually looking for new ways to utilize his facilities, especially the 927-acre Lake Ponca. During the summer season powerboats will be on the western side of the bridge and sailboats and fisherman on the eastern side. Periodically, Sindelar shuts the east end of the lake to open its waters to the fun and excitement of stock outboard motor racing. “It’s a perfect use of the city waters,” enthuses Sindelar. “There is little or no preparation for the races, the boats are not super-loud, and there is no lake pollution. Our locals love the races, and the racers--mostly from out of town--love our city and water. It’s a successful, fun-filled relationship,” he adds. Racing Is A Family Sport Dan Crummett, an officer with the NBRA, and Sindelar’s cousin, concurs. “Boat racing is a good community activity, and is different from the ordinary offerings,” he says. “It’s also an effective activity to draw additional folks to a local festival.” Growing up in Ponca City, Crummett was bitten by the racing bug early. He watched races on the lake as a kid, has discovered hydroplane doodles in old textbooks, and vividly remembers the last race he saw on Lake Ponca in 1974. It wasn’t until he actually started racing four years ago and became interested in promoting the sport that Ponca City once again became a boat-racing venue. Sindelar says he would have opted for the boat races even if it weren’t for the relationship to Crummett. Racing is a family affair, and racers range from novices at 9 years of age to octogenarians. Crummet’s pit crew at a recent race included his two adult daughters, two sons-in-law and three grandkids. The crew is tasked with starting engines, refueling the boats, running for parts, moving boats and generally supporting racing. The daughters don’t race, but Crummett has two hydroplanes and the sons-in-law have been known to take the boats out. Becky Hawkins of Euless, Texas, is a racing mom. “There are five in my family, and I’m the only non-racer,” she laughs. But Becky takes to her pit-crew duties as her husband, William, and kids Rusty (20), Josh (16) and Jessica (14) take to the water. “About six years ago we were looking for something for Will and Rusty to do together,” she says. “The two watched a boat race in Trinity, Texas, and Rusty decided he wanted to race. Three years later the entire family joined in. It’s a lot of fun. We love to camp and we get to spend time together as a family. We’ve raced in Arkansas, Louisiana, south Texas, Oklahoma, and even Illinois. We’ll go anywhere we can get to.” Also important to Hawkins is the boat-racing culture. “Everybody helps everybody. If my husband can’t come to a race, I know the people I’m pitting next to will help me get the kids’ engines started … or I’ll help someone else. We’re like an extended family.” “It’s scary watching the kids on the water (her son Rusty broke his hip and pelvis in an accident last year), but I have to watch. It’s such an adrenalin rush,” she says with the excitement discernible in her voice. “Last year Josh was in the top three, up there with the big dogs, and it was ’Come on, Josh!’” Even with the accident, the Hawkins family remains hooked on racing. The rules are strict and safety is a top concern. “My kids can get hurt walking down the street to school,” says Mom. “Rusty is in college now and working, and every opportunity he has, he comes with us to the races and camps with us over the weekend,” says Hawkins, testifying to the family bonding that occurs with racing. Her “fearless child” Josh races both a runabout and a hydroplane, and daughter Jessica races a hydroplane when the racing schedule agrees with her sleep schedule. Oh, yes, dad Will races as well. Bringing A Race To Your Lake Bringing a race to your lake requires some organization and planning but is not an overly daunting task. Park And Rec Responsibilities Provide the place. Your lake or body of water must be able to accommodate a 1-mile circuit, although races have run on courses as small as 5/8 mile. Provide sanitation. Provide electricity. Ensure that appropriate areas are mowed. Shepherd the event through your city administration. Make sure the city lawyer passes on the contract. While outboard stock racing has an admirable safety record, it can be dangerous by its very nature. Provide on-site ambulance service for the races. Secure prize money. Promote the event locally. Race Club Responsibilities Provide an insurance certificate. Publicize the event to racers. Set up the racecourse. Other considerations include concessions, fund-raisers with T-shirts and mementos, and additional attractions for families. Crummett has seen activities such as a jumping castle, indoor b-b gun shooting range, and on the West Coast, a Tasting & Racing event with food and racing sharing the playbill. This year Sindelar had even less to organize. DeWayne Howey, owner of the Boat House & RV Center, offered to co-sponsor the event with the Park and Recreation Department, and handled the port-a-potties, concessions and security. “DeWayne told me this was the best form of advertising he could get.” Both men were pleased with the outcome of the race held in mid-June. Becky Hawkins makes a pitch to sponsors as well. “We always leave a place cleaner than when we arrived,” she says. She related an incident at a race in Okmulgee, Okla., where the boat trailers left ruts in the turf, but they were filled in before the racers left. The park ranger was so impressed that he petitioned the city to sponsor a subsequent race when the initial sponsor pulled out at the last minute. It was a successful pitch, and the race went on. If you have the water and are looking for something unique and family-oriented, check out stock outboard racing. To discuss sponsoring a race, Crummett suggests calling Jeff Ruth, NBRA president, at 479-927-2847. Sidebar--Stock Outboard Racing Unlike their land-based car cousins that circle an unchanging dirt track, boat racers are continually challenged by ever-changing waves in addition to other drivers. It is part of the mystique and attraction of racing on water. What makes the sport fun is that all boats in a class are the same size and weight, and the motors have the same horsepower. Known as “kneel-down boats,” these craft are dependent on the ability of the racer to shift his or her weight to negotiate turns on the racecourse. The boats literally fly inches off the water, and a slight mistake in body positioning can cause a potential winner to lose! There are two major types of boats in the outboard classification: runabouts and hydroplanes. Runabouts: These boats have a flat-bottom running surface with strict length and design restrictions, and are more dependent on the driver’s weight and movement to control turns. Hydroplanes: These boats have fewer design restrictions but are built to trap air under the hull, causing the boat to run above the water’s surface--to hydroplane. They also have a side fin for turning in a level position. The race is generally run with three counterclockwise laps. Drivers have two minutes and a yellow flag to get their boats on the course. The clock then resets and counts down to one minute under a green flag. The object is to cross the starting line as the clock strikes zero. If a racer crosses too early, the penalty is disqualification. Crossing too late is a racing disadvantage. “Outboard stock racing is the least expensive motor sport in the United States,” says Dan Crummett of the NBRA. A new boat and motor can be purchased for $2,000-$2,500, and safety gear is another $1,000. Becky Hawkins adds that bargains can be found; her first boat, motor and Kevlar (safety equipment) ran only $1,000. Add-ons are common and the cost can rise with the purchase of trailers and additional motors and equipment. |
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