It seems to me that...Races Are Too Long

[Miss BK]

Hey Danny - you are right about the airshow and ZERO CONTACT -- but that doesn't mean they dont give the ILLUSION of a near collision.

There were a pair of stunt pilots who aimed RIGHT AT EACH OTHER doing loop after loop --- of course, they probably were 100 feet apart, but it appeared to the crowd that they were going to smack RIGHT into one another. The announcer was very much a part of that 'anticipation' and excitment as he gasped and screamed each time they passed each other.

We can't simply think that the racing itself is going to keep today's crowd happy. We have much too much to compete with. Crowds today want to be kept at the edge of their seats - in constant stimulation.

The Sacramento Water Festival used to bring in many fans too --- and I remember all kinds of wild stuff going on between heats - constant action. One year Howard Arneson brought his fire-throwing turbine and made a pass for the crowd. That same year there were skydivers and an Army Chinook helicopter "rescued" a boater who was "lost at sea" in the middle of the course. Again, the PA Announcer kept everyone excited - no lag time.

It wasn't just a boat race --- it was a high impact show. IMO, there is no reason we can't bring that back. We can be more creative than those boring monster trucks, that's for sure!

In Valleyfield Canada they have a cannon on a boat that shoots T-shirts at the crowd and they go absolutely wild. If there is lag time they can't prevent, they play "YMCA" and the entire audience participates - jumping up and down.

Some creative imagination - that's all we need.