Deck2Deck.us: Fantasy Unlimited Hydroplane Racing

The following is the first in a series of interviews by Deck2Deck with the personalities of the hydroplane racing. In 2011 we’ll be bringing you the stories of drivers, crew members, broadcasters, and FANS.

We spoke this spring with Steve Montgomery. Steve wears several hats in hydroplane racing, handling marketing and media for H1 Unlimited. You’ve also heard his voice as a race site PA announcer, and you know him from his many years on the air calling boat races for radio, television, and the internet. Steve spared a few minutes from his 2011 season preparations to talk about his background and his career in the sport.

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Where were you born and raised, and what businesses were you and your family involved in?

I was an Eastern Washington kid, growing up in Yakima, Tri Cities, Spokane. Dad was a B-29 mechanic in WWII, then sold welding supplies. I had a chance to get into radio in Yakima my senior year in high school, and haven’t had a real job since.

How did you became involved with the sport of unlimited hydroplane racing?

We were visiting family friends in Seattle in 1950 when Slo-Mo IV won the Gold Cup in Detroit. Everyone got excited, including my dad. So we made the trip to Seattle for all of the races in the 50’s. My radio career eventually got me to Seattle in the 70’s and when stations I worked for got involved with Seafair, I had a chance to combine my love and knowledge of the sport with my job. The rest; PA announcing, ESPN, SPEED, etc. grew out of that.

Much of my broadcast career was off the air – working in sales and management. A lot of the what I learned there has been a good background in PR and marketing. That was how I got involved in that stuff.

Tell us more about your current position and responsibilities with H1.

I came back into the sport at the start of the 2009 season with a challenge to improve the PR and information flow in and out of the sport. We worked on the website and other aspects of the look and image of the sport. With help from people like Bruce Madej, Ryan McMenamin, Joe McCord, Mac Clouse, Niles Mayfield and others, we were able to accomplish a lot over the ’09 and ’10 seasons.

When we were announcing the new additions to the H1 Marketing and PR effort (Kristine Smutek, Gregg Mansfield and Walt Ottenad) we tried to figure out appropriate titles for everyone. Kristine’s was easy enough – Marketing Co-Ordinator. She has the huge job of handling activation (we used to call it fulfillment) of the Air National Guard partnership. But we all have overlapping responsibilities with marketing, PR, media, website, Facebook, etc., doing whatever it takes to make it happen. So I will continue to be involved in all of those areas as well as some announcing where needed and anything else the chairman needs from me in his effort to continue the growth of the sport.

The expertise and professionalism of Gregg and Walt, working on our media relations and internet presence, is already making a big difference in the sport’s image and the exposure it is getting.

You are a great race announcer. How did you get your start and what do you enjoy most about calling a race live?

Well thank you. I guess just being an announcer with some interest in the sport gave me some early opportuinites. I was program director at KIRO in 1974 when the station wanted to cover the Seafair race. Wayne Cody and Pete Gross were working for me in sports, but were busy. So I anchored the coverage of the race at Sand Point myself. Ken Maurer from the Tri-Cities Water Follies sat behind me on the tower. As a result, I was the PA announcer for his event for the next 15 years. A lot of my contact with the sport as an announcer grew out of that.

Announcers have a unique opportunity to be a part of the event and the sport and to interact with the drivers and owners. As a fan, that is something I have always enjoyed.

The chance to travel the country and see races in every venue on the circuit over 35 years has been a tremendous experience and I have met a lot of great people and made many friends along the way, all around the world. Going to Hawaii eleven times and now Doha twice are among the many experiences I would not have had otherwise.

Can you describe a race you announced that was exceptionally memorable?

A couple that come to mind were in Detroit. In 1999 Chip Hanauer was driving for Fred Leland, and Dave Villwock in Miss Budweiser was a heavy favorite. Chip got the lead in the final, and I expected to be describing Dave getting by him for the win. But he never could get by Chip. I thought it was one of the great drives of all time by one of the greatest drivers of all time.

And when we realized Mike Hanson was going to put Tubby’s Subs on the Gold Cup with all of the other legendary names that are on it, that was a special moment.

Who are some of your favorite personalities you have interacted with in the sport and why?

You have to start with Bernie Little. I think earning his respect was a goal of mine for a long time. It eventually happened and I considered him a good friend. Names like Schoenith, Simon, Heerensperger, Fendler, Gregory, Doner, Garbrecht, Jones (Mike and Don both), Steil, Leland are among those with pleasant memories attached. Billy Schumacher has been a friend for 35 years. Gerry Bangs was one of my best friends until the day he died.

There are literally dozens of people connected with the sport today who would fall into the category of “favorite personalities I have interacted with.”

People like Steve David, Dave Villwock and Mark Evans are veterans who have been in the sport I have followed for many years, and I enjoy my relationships with them. Now we have another generation of drivers who are maturing and becoming the personality of the sport. Its fun to see it happening. We also have owners like Ted Porter and Greg O’Farrell who have come into the sport and are great to work with.

But some of my favorite personalities have been TV producers, directors and camera people I have worked with over the years. You become a family, like a race team, traveling together and becoming close friends.

The boats are heading to Doha for the third time this year. Tell us a bit about your experiences there.

It’s always great fun to be part of taking the sport to new places. Hawaii, Havasu, Norfolk, etc. But taking it half way around the world and introducing it to a whole new culture was a life changing experience. For Debbie and me, the world got a whole lot smaller over the past two seasons. We have a new appreciation for other cultures and ways of life… so different from ours yet so much the same.

The excitement of the new fans when they were able to get into the pit area and get their pictures taken with our drivers was a tremendous thing to see and experience.

The sport seams to be experiencing some growth, even during these difficult economic times. Where do you envision the sport in five years?

Two years ago, I could not have imagined that the sport would be where it is today. Sam Cole has done a tremendous job of getting the sport through the recession and actually showing remarkable growth through that period in time. Sam’s energy and creativity are pretty remarkable and I don’t think he gets nearly enough credit for his efforts on behalf of the sport. So trying to predict where it will be in five years is difficult. Its easy to say there will be more races – domestically and internationally – and I’m sure there will be.

The addition of a series title partner and the return to national TV are huge steps in a very positive direction. We now have more good people working on the little things that make the sport better every day than we’ve had in a long time. It can only lead to good things.

In five years, the young announcer who just wanted to be part of the sport he loved will be in his 70’s. I feel like I have seen the entire modern history of the sport, from 1950 to today. And I think the future of the thing is brighter than it has been for a long time.

What are some of the challenges that will be faced as the sport continues to grow?

The biggest challenge for the sport has always been finding a promotional partner who would supply the funding, influence and prestige that the sport needed to become everything it could be. The Air National Guard brings all of that, so a major challenge has been met.

Boat count has been a challenge historically, but it has been very good in recent seasons and is actually showing growth.

You could make a list of challenges and there will always be some, no matter how well you are doing. Overall, the biggest and most important challenge is to expand the fan base and create more fans who care enough to read through an interview like this one or get involved in the sport on a more emotional level.

More than any time in recent decades, I think we have the people and tools in place now to accomplish that.

Great Info on Steve. Thanks for the Interview. Looks like the series is on the up swing!