A manufacturer/racer's perspective on RC boat racing...
Why do we race RC boats?
Think about the above question for a few seconds before you read any further. Is it for fun, is it for the competition, is it for the camaraderie or is it just your escape from the daily hustle and bustle of normal every day life? I know some of my reasons for racing are a little different from most of you guys, as this is how I make my living and it is good for me to be out there learning what I need to do to make my company better. There are plenty of good reasons and I think that we forget a lot of times what our original reasons were. It seems sometimes that we get so caught up in the politics and the little clicks, that we forget that it’s supposed to be fun and an escape from the daily headaches of life. We need to remember that none of us have to race RC boats, this is our hobby and it is supposed to be our time of enjoyment. Take a minute and think about the first time you launched an RC boat and actually made some laps around the pond. Think of the enjoyment that made you want to do it again and the thrill of it that made you want to go faster. Every one of us has our own reasons for racing and enjoying our hobby, but I know for sure that most of the reasons end with wanting to have a good time.
I follow a lot of internet discussion boards and see a lot of arguments over some of the simplest stuff, to some stuff that actually warrants a good heated discussion. I know I have had more than my fair share of them and never really enjoyed any of them. Sometimes I see guys, that I have met at races or through my business that are from different parts of the country and I know are really good guys with the best of intentions, arguing over something that I know for a fact if they were face to face they would never argue about. Without truly being able to express one’s emotions, facial expressions or voice tones on a discussion board, things can easily be taken out of context. I go to a lot of races throughout the country each year and can not tell you how many times I have had guys come up to me and say “you are nothing like what I expected, it was really good to meet you”. There are so many people who make comments and start rumors just because they are jealous or have nothing better to do that it is ridiculous. Good people are lead to believe things that just simply are not true and as good as these discussion boards are at bringing all of us boaters together, they are as bad sometimes at driving wedges between people that, normally, would not be there. I have had the pleasure of meeting a lot of great people in our hobby and can honestly say that I can count the bad eggs on one hand. Sometimes I think we all just need to take a deep breath and step away from the computer for a few minutes and ask ourselves “Why Do We Race RC Boats”.
Often at races I have watched and even been involved with one or more bad calls, bad crashes, bad driving and arguments that just seemed to never end. The one thing I have come to know is, at the end of the day the bad calls, bad driving and bad crashes were almost never done on purpose and that most of the arguing is from competitive spirits that live in all of us. I think when we are in the heat of one of these situations that we really need to try and remember we are all human and all make mistakes. That $20 trophy that we are arguing about will be thrown in a box somewhere to collect dust before too long yet someone’s feelings will still be hurt long after due to a stupid argument. I know I am as guilty as anyone with most of those infractions and work hard to remedy the situation. I think we all should try to remember to take it easy on that poor CD up on the stand trying to do his best to keep everything running smoothly. That job is the least respected job in our hobby, and if he calls you over, or makes a call that you don’t like he more than likely is right. I think if we would just ask ourselves more often “Why Do We Race RC Boats” I think it will give a new attitude to most of us about everything we do in our hobby.
I am very fortunate and proud to race in District 5 and 7 where most of the guys show up to have a good time. It has not always been this way and in the last five years this group of guys has really grown into a tight knit family that would give each other the shirts off their back to keep you going. These guys will race as hard as any other group in the country, but when the racing is over it is time to laugh, enjoy each other’s company and tell stories, and that truly is the way it should be. I hope that this is a trend that will spread throughout the country and our organizations. I am privileged to attend so many races and have stories that I can tell for the rest of my life from each and every one that I have attended. Those are the things that are just priceless to me. There are some great guys that were in this hobby, that are no longer with us, and I have memories of spending time with these people at the races and it brings joy to me just thinking about them. Those experiences are the reasons I keep racing RC boats and keep me coming back for more. It is not the trophies, ribbons or how fast we got the boat to go, it is the friendships and memories that make it all worthwhile. I think if we just remember that these are toy boats and ask ourselves “Why Do We Race RC Boats” before we hit send on that keyboard we would all be much better off.
See you guys at the races.
Carlo “CC” Catalanotto
