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I hear he prefers a solid spanking

Also are there still TWO races schedule for Marathon???

The cost of putting on quality events have gone up every year. 10 years ago you could put on a nice divisional event for around 20K. That is now double. Another issue is up to three years ago you have 25-30 average attendance. Now that is 18-20. This makes for a bad show. Big sponsors want their names on bog events. Offshore racing is not a good spectator sport in general (sorry). we have be force over the year to make it spectator friendly to get sponsorship taking away from the true meaning of offshore racing. Money talks.....

Now with the split and re-unification of sanctioning bodies racer, sponsors, and race-sites are tried of all the hassle and aggravation. I don't blame them either. As a divisional group we have been putting on races with the GLSCS for 9 years. We've have seen the ups and downs. But pulling things together last year and for 2005 have been almost impossible. We have been tossed around by APBA Offshore, went out on our own and survived by working with OSS and OPA. And now are given an ultimatum to either join back with ABPA/SBi or go it alone as we did last year working with OSS and possibly OPA. The kicker is there is no support from the racers. If we go one way we may gain race boat, if we go the other we may loose racers.

So how do you plan ahead if you still have no commitment from the racers? Myself and the rest of the GLSCS board are racers and have raced limited schedules for three years trying to help bring things together. I'm not sure I'm willing to do that anymore as I can race anywhere there is a race if I choose.

Sorry for venting but this is the stuff we deal with everyday. Not just during racing season.

Regards,

Andrew Bloom
GLSCS Chairman

CIG,

I guess the one thing I can say is back 4 or 5 years ago GLSCS had there divsional races tied in with APBA and a National race tied into one of you divisional races in Cleveland...that got a few of us to see how good racing up in the Great Lakes are and we started doing 2 or 3 GLSCS races. From what I seen in 5 years with the GLSCS having a Central Division Championship part of APBA seemed to work. I don't know all the BS that accured off the race course like all the fees and BS you put up with but if APBA and SBI have joined together and they are the only National Series that are running P Class racing and POPRA is the West Coast Division of SBI/APBA do you not see the GLSCS as the Central Division again. I know all the stars would have to aline perfect but then what if OPA became the Northest Division and one National race would be tied in with each division race site would at least let the divsional citys see how big the races could be, I'm not saying either GLSCS and OPA wants that, but since your talking about sponsors and boat count, that would be the most logical way to all tie in under one banner SBI/APBA....just a thought but when I got into this 5 years ago , All I heard was SBI and APBA would never join up....well.....
Just my view....nothing else

They kick you around one year and give you an ultimatum the next. It seems to me that this seems like a very easy decision. Bye-Bye APBA and affiliations.

Kirbdog,

Sorry...I missed what team you race for?

Not a done deal ,

Manitie, I have been looking into starting my own team over the last year. I am just doing all the research into the best way possible about doing this. I have no affiliations with any series or team right now.

Kirbdog,

Well if your just getting started and your from the Great Lakes area the GLSCS is a great place to race, and you would see if a national race tied in with a GLSCS race, its unreal. Even if the GLSCS runs only with itself we will still do at least 1 or 2 races, just because the way we are treated and its a great time. But I found that out by a National race in Cleveland, that then may me try Mento and Grand Haven and the rest is history.

It has now been a week since there was a reply to this thread. Could there, would there be any new developments as far as any deals with GLSCS/APBA/SBI/OSS/OPA? I've noticed there is not a schedule posted on APBA. SBI's website is not responding this morning. What's the latest?
Thanks, Rob.

Spoke to SBI yesterday. The APBA site should come down and just forward to the SBI site. The SBI site will be THE place for information.