Serious News
03-25-2014, 08:32 AM
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Showdown in San Angelo will be pushed back nearly three months because of low lake levels, Lucas Oil, the event’s main sponsor, announced in a news release.
The boat races, initially scheduled June 27-29 on Lake Nasworthy, are now slotted for Sept. 12-14.
“We decided it was the best option to call the race this early so racers, spectators, sponsors and volunteers could plan appropriately for September’s race,” said Jenni Campbell, director of marketing and sales for Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The city announced the closure of six out of 10 public boat ramps on Nasworthy, which is sitting at 61 percent capacity, on Monday.
Driver safety is the biggest factor in postponing the event, said Phil Neighbors, chamber president.
Boat ramps and lake depth didn’t effect the decision as much as lake width, Neighbors said. Canal banks continue grow as water disappears from Nasworthy, shrinking the competition area.
Racing high-speed boats in close proximity is not an option, Neighbors said.
“We never want to do anything to put the drivers, crews or fans in danger,” Neighbors said. “We certainly know there is a risk of having fewer spectators or race participants with a date change, but it would be better to have it than not have it at all in 2014.”
The event is worth $2.4 million to San Angelo, Neighbors said. The date change will conflict with the schedules of people who participate, but could also open the opportunity for more fans and racers to attend a competition later in the season, he said.
The decision to postpone the race was easy and made in hopes of rainfall bringing the lake up to race quality, Neighbors said
“If it doesn’t rain between now and September, we’ll have a lot more serious problems than the drag boat races,” Neighbors said.
© 2014 San Angelo Standard Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2014/mar/21/showdown-boat-race-rescheduled/
The boat races, initially scheduled June 27-29 on Lake Nasworthy, are now slotted for Sept. 12-14.
“We decided it was the best option to call the race this early so racers, spectators, sponsors and volunteers could plan appropriately for September’s race,” said Jenni Campbell, director of marketing and sales for Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The city announced the closure of six out of 10 public boat ramps on Nasworthy, which is sitting at 61 percent capacity, on Monday.
Driver safety is the biggest factor in postponing the event, said Phil Neighbors, chamber president.
Boat ramps and lake depth didn’t effect the decision as much as lake width, Neighbors said. Canal banks continue grow as water disappears from Nasworthy, shrinking the competition area.
Racing high-speed boats in close proximity is not an option, Neighbors said.
“We never want to do anything to put the drivers, crews or fans in danger,” Neighbors said. “We certainly know there is a risk of having fewer spectators or race participants with a date change, but it would be better to have it than not have it at all in 2014.”
The event is worth $2.4 million to San Angelo, Neighbors said. The date change will conflict with the schedules of people who participate, but could also open the opportunity for more fans and racers to attend a competition later in the season, he said.
The decision to postpone the race was easy and made in hopes of rainfall bringing the lake up to race quality, Neighbors said
“If it doesn’t rain between now and September, we’ll have a lot more serious problems than the drag boat races,” Neighbors said.
© 2014 San Angelo Standard Times. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2014/mar/21/showdown-boat-race-rescheduled/