Lucididee

Coming off a very successful 2013 season, the OPA Teams once again converged in Galloway Township, New Jersey holding their annual meeting at The Stockton SeaView and Awards Party at the Oyster Creek.

During the meeting, Ed “Smitty” Smith, President of OPA, announced the unification with APBA. In attendance was Dan Weiner who explained many of the benefits to this unification. Following the announcement, Smitty went over safety recommendations & requirements for all boats. The criteria have been changed for the High-Points Champions and new criteria will be amended for the Jimmy Welsh Trophy for the 2014 season. OPA will continue to red flag races anytime there is an incident on the course. Once the course is clear, the race will be restarted. Smitty also announced that Super Cat is being added to OPA for 2014. The requirements for this class can be found online in the OPA Rule Book.

The awards party was more like a family reunion for wayward racers. The house was packed with a live band and fantastic food. Teams came from Florida, Michigan, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Georgia and New Jersey. It was a night to remember with some of the typical shenanigans but the warm bond of close friends and family.

There were many highlights of the evening during this year’s awards ceremony:

• This was the first year we presented the “Jimmy Welsh Trophy”. Jimmy was dedicated to the sport, his team and his friends and now we’d like to honor an individual who displays similar qualities throughout the race season. This perpetual trophy is the only award that OPA gives out to a non-racing member. The 2014 recipient of the Jimmy Welsh Trophy went to Scott Glockner of Tug It Offshore Racing.
• Six-B Apparel, the Official Apparel Supplier to OPA, raffled 4 Sublimated Team Shirts & design work as a door prize. The winner of the raffle was Ryan Lawson & the Slippery When Wet Offshore Racing team.
• The coveted “Godfather Cup” goes to an individual or team that demonstrates goodwill, camaraderie, professionalism and sportsmanship throughout the year. Augie “The Godfather” Pensa awarded this trophy to Mark Henderson of Aquaholic Racing.
• The 2013 National Champions were presented Jackets that proudly display their National Champion Status. The winners for 2013 are:

• The “Stugots Cup” is presented to the team that has the highest number of points regardless of class. This year it was presented to Cleveland Construction Offshore Racing
• The 2013 OPA World Champions were presented with World Championship rings!

Special Thanks to Bruce Dimpflmaier, aka iMax, for the wonderful work on the High Points Champion logo for the 2014 Season. (photo submitted by Sharkey-Images)

Congratulations to all the 2013 winners! The OPA Season will start in Lake Hopatcong, NJ and end in Ocean City, MD. Good luck to everyone in 2014!

For more photos visit the OPA website: http://www.oparacing.org/2014-13_awards_banquet.html

Lucididee