Deck2Deck.us: Fantasy Unlimited Hydroplane Racing

Earlier this month, Deck2Deck brought you part one of our conversation with hydro super-fan Lon Erickson. Lon is a passionate and tireless promoter of the sport. Lon is also a Deck2Deck Player by the name of OCHD Racing Inc. We now bring you part two of our interview.

In your eyes, what are the biggest positives and biggest negatives of the sport currently?

Right now one of the biggest things I am excited about is the number of boats and race teams. Whether it’s current teams expanding their stable of boats, or new teams developing, it shows there are people out there that believe in the sport’s potential. And there are sponsors out there seeing the opportunity that unlimited racing can bring to getting exposure for their products or business. That being said, I have to believe that as much as I/we would like the sport to be like the “old days” with multiple days of testing/qualifying/racing, the sport needs to become more “user-friendly” to fans, keep it simple, get people involved, keep them informed, and make it more accessible to the public. The perception of the past where it was difficult to understand the rules, what was happening on the racecourse, and what was happening behind the scenes does not work well with today’s consumer/fans. People now have access to a lot of information in so many other sports that they want and expect that from hydroplane racing, in order to be able to get excited and follow the sport.

What hopes or dreams do you have for the sport moving forward?

I would love to see the sport grow in the U.S. and get into more major markets. For as much as the smaller markets have history and traditions going way back, there hasn’t proven to be either the race management or the attendance draw to support most of the smaller race sites over the long haul. For the sport to succeed, the development of sponsor relationships is a key and they need to reach as many people as they can with medium to larger market race sites. The overseas racing growth is a good thing, to bring more to the sport, but I don’t get excited about the focus being directed overseas rather than here in the U.S. As the sport evolves, it’s important to share and expose new fans to the sport, both young and old. Besides getting races back on TV, it would be great to see some of the “personalities” of the sport talking and sharing the sport with the media. Long term, I would like to see a healthy 9-11 race summer U.S. circuit with race purses to support the teams and a winter overseas circuit to compliment the U.S. circuit.

What suggestions can you offer H1 from a passionate fans perspective?

Simplify the sport for the casual fan, or at the very least provide more access and information to fans so they can understand and get interested in the sport. Get in touch with what the fans have to say, be willing to honestly listen to what others perceive and share with you. Along with the sponsors, the casual fans are the key to what the sport should be appealing to, listen to them. It really can open up an exchange of ideas and opportunities, if taken advantage of. The passionate hardcore fans will always be there but to grow the sport, we need new fans and a way to draw them in. The hydroplane event itself needs to be an easier understood activity to attend. Owners and drivers are basically “boat racers” and that’s what they love to do, so work with them to attract people to the sport. Sports, business, and simply the way we operate day in, day out, in today’s world is different than a decade or even 2-3 years ago. Trying to compete in today’s entertainment market needs some fresh new ideas and new people in the right place to bring that to the sport. Be flexible, and pro-active, don’t wait to get to the point of being forced to be re-active.

With respect to Deck2Deck, do you play it? and if so, what do you think about it?

Yes, I have played in Deck2Deck for 2 years now. I have been in a fantasy football league for 30+ years and had always tried to figure a way to make the concept work with hydroplane racing. I just hadn’t been able to quite make it work, in my own mind, to be happy with it. So I am glad that someone else figured out a way to get it started and put it all together. There are still some limitations that are part of why I couldn’t quite get it working also. I don’t have the answer yet but the combination of very few races and only being able to choose a boat once for the year is a weakness in my view. The simple solution to that is for H1 to get more races and that would solve a big part of the problem. I do enjoy the initial strategy of when to pick a specific boat and what part of the season to use that boat. The concept of the game is simple enough for players not to have to do a lot of research each race and multiple leagues bring a lot of players to the game.

What suggestions can you offer Deck2Deck regarding our gameplay to make it better for the hardcore fan?

That’s a tough question….try to figure out a method that allows a player to use a boat more than once a season. Possibly have a “hardcore” league where each “team” or player has to pre-select 2 different sets of picks for the season. Each set of picks can’t use a particular boat in the same race, so each set is different. The total points of both sets adds up to the season total. Or if not doing a pre-selection of the entire season, have each team still be forced to do 2 picks each week and no 2 can be the same. The other option is working with a 1st and 2nd place each week in some type of scenario.

One other thing I had thought of, for at least the Northwest area fans, is to have some sort of get-together to watch a race replay and just meet some of the other people in the league. Talk and BS about hydros, etc… All voluntary of course, for those interested. Maybe reserve a game room, banquet/party room at a restaurant or sports bar.

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Thank you, Lon, for taking the time to talk to Deck2Deck!