Schedules: The Rest of the Story

Unlimited Hydroplane Racing is quick to voice frustration over racing schedules, but with respect to the late Paul Harvey, using his “Rest of the Story” in the title is fitting. After much complaining, it is time to be fair.

Some of the more popular search terms for finding and reaching UnlimitedHydroplaneRacing.com has to do with “schedule.” Whether it is the season schedule, a schedule for a particular city, or the schedule for week-end TV coverage. It is amazing how popular that question is for people.

This popularity was part of the reason the Schedule Page was created on Unlimited Hydroplane Racing. The other had to do with my own frustration in not being able to get definitive information on planned, tentative and confirmed schedules – even from H1 Unlimited directly.  I simply needed a way to keep track.

So, the UHR Schedule was born and I’ve been trying to keep it up to date. The technical format actually had to change a few times since I found myself updating it frequently. Updates are made any time I find any bit of confirming (or contradicting) information.

Before I share “the rest of the story,” a quick status update is in order.

I’m sorry to say, it’s not much fun on this particular scavenger hunt. However, based on how popular the search terms are, it is very much a worthwhile endeavor. As the new year begins, it makes sense to take a “top to bottom” look at the schedule to see what new is known.

The most recent set of updates came from doing a bit of sleuthing. Without hearing much “scheduling” information for a while, I went digging. Here’s a summary of what I found:

• Doha in February – still don’t see anything on the QMSF calendar, except a “Jet Ski Drag Race.”
• Sacramento in May – confirmed on the Big Wake site.
• Madison in July – confirmed on the Madison Regatta site.
• Detroit in July – confirmed on the Gold Cup site. (H1’s typo has been corrected.)
• Tri-Cities in July – confirmed on the Water Follies home page, but the Columbia Cup page still shows 2012 information.
• Seattle in August – confirmed on Seafair site.
• Coeur d’ Alene in August – No additional information on the Diamond Cup Regatta site since June of last year. I’m beginning to think there may be some issues in Idaho, since we would have heard some details about their first race by now. What do YOU know?
• San Diego in September – still nothing on the Bayfair site, but a Facebook post confirms new dates.
• Doha in January, 2014 – still nothing anywhere. Got a tip?

Be sure to check in at The Schedule regularly and drop a note or comment if you have anything new or any corrections.  The Schedule effort will continue on Unlimited Hydroplane Racing, but it is now time to complete the picture.

The Rest of the Story

First, I need to remind myself that H1 Unlimited does have a protocol for getting race sites on the schedule. It is easy for me to whine about not having easy information at hand, but the reality is that it takes considerable effort to lock in a race.

From the planning at the venue itself, to the financial commitments that are so important, many, many details must be vetted before a site can be confirmed. After all, Unlimited Hydroplane Racing is devoting a separate topic area called The Boat Book to organizing the information about what it takes to put on a race. By the way, look for a new section on financials soon.

Let’s not minimize the impact of financials. Fundraising for developing a new race site can be imposing.  You’ve read about Frantz’s efforts to bring a race to Arkansas.  However, even well-established sites can be challenged. It wasn’t too long ago that Detroit was still wrapping up fundraising until about one month before the race.

In addition, remember that new sites must have approval from the owners before they can be confirmed. It is that owner involvement that often gets overlooked in these sorts of circumstances, and I for one am guilty of not remembering that.

For the future, some (not all!) of my energy will be transferred from complaining to researching and updating the schedule. In addition, the Boat Book will get more attention as well.

What kinds of topics are important to you? Submit some ideas and let’s explore them together!

Dave