Promoting Iceboating

[Scott Brown]

To Paul's comment:  I got really sick about five years ago, and spent several months recovering.  During that time I did a study just to keep busy trying to figure out why someone owned an iceboat, but didn't race.  I was also the commodoroe of the Nite Fleet at the same time. 

That said, don't confuse the information I learned with my personal opinions.  They are not the same.  The perception of the technology issue does not match reality, and we would benefit if we deal with it.  I'm not pushing for greater or less technology.  It's a marketing issue.

As for Bob's comments:  go for it.  Plow your track.  I actually plowed a track earlier this year, as well as 30 years ago.  Shorttrack is cool for a day or too.

I've negotiated TV contracts for NASCAR, ABC sports, etc.,etc.  I know this biz.  When people present information that doesn't pan out as true, we show them the door.  Quickly. 

   

[4695]

A Big Whoop for Browner...

Somebody has to stand as the "Defender of the Faith"  and he's doing a great job... for the sake of our sport, these issues should be in dialog...

While I'm seriously uncertain whether his "Defense of the Seven Sacraments" is 'tounge in cheek' or genuinely sincere, they could be much better, I'll send him some private email thoughts on how to improve his arguements!  If I were playing his role, rather than mine, I think I'd be doing a much better job!

By the way, there's only one reason we're not sailing short course racing today in Minnesota, Wind = Calm.  We've got a conga line of 4 plow trucks to groom a track ready to go, three laps around and we're sailing on something that's wider than the Talledaga Super Speedway in Alabama.

To clarify some other things,
1. US 5366 won the Great Western Challenge Regatta short course races on Pulaski in 2007.
2. US 5224, Newport RI, won the Short Course Championships in March 2008 on White Bear Lake.
3. The boys from Toledo raced a 50 lap short course event last spring...

This is real!

Just because some refuse to belive it's real doesn't mean much... call me a Spherist if you will, but the simple facts are, THE WORLD AIN'T FLAT.  I know there are some that disagree...

the Fire on Ice exhibition event at Lake Phalen for th St Paul Winter Carnival will be free and open to the public, anybody with a white sail and bare boat is welcome to participate,

4695

[4695]

View the video.  It attempts to create the impression (for the benefit of making money) that this racing exists.  It doesn't.  Fake. Fake.  Fake.   It's one thing to cut in a shot to tell a story in a regatta video, but this is the type of stuff that ends up being the subject of university ethics courses.   

It does seem like there are two entirely schools of thought, We must have gone to different schools with profoundly different philosophies about Business Ethics!

Why are we here?    

I know there are people who go into business "to make money", in my mind, they're a disgustingly greedy bunch of people, who add little if any value society.  In my mind, an unconscionable way to live.  And I wonder how many of this projects real critics are of that school of thought.

This isn't what the World Ice Racing Circuit, LLC.  or this sailor is on this planet to do.

The way I understand life, and business, the purpose of a business, it's more justification for existence is not to make money. The purpose of a business is to fill peoples needs, and you keep score on how well you're filling peoples needs by how much money you make.

We see a few needs we think we can serve.   If this project ever makes a penny, it'll be because we've succeeded in doing that.

4695

[Bob Gray]

   I'm too old and probably not bold enough to get serious about circuit racing, but don't count it out. We have two major problems with our wonderful sport and we all know what they are, an aging group of sailors and in recent years it seems a lot of snow. Circuit racing seems to me a way to cure these problems. Look at other types of racing. Auto racing has oval track, road type track, endurance etc.. Sailing has everything from around the buoy racing to around the world. They all have a following and don't seem to hurt the other types , why can't we do the same. If it helps the sport or seems that it might, let's support each other and give it a shot.