Speedboat races don't disappoint

By JORDAN DAWSON / Bigfork Eagle

When I moved here from Seattle I thought I would have to give up my favorite summer time event, the hydroplane boat races at Seafair. As a kid I watched the races at home with my family and friends, and the last few years I got to go out and watch the races with my friends on a boat, and always had the time of my life. It is a nearly unexplainable weekend of fun on the water with friends and family.

When I saw the flyer for the Regatta Races in Polson, I couldn't wait to see how my favorite event of the summer would play out here. I couldn't imagine where the boats would race or where people would watch from. I knew that it would be a scaled back version of the races in Seattle since the larger boats wouldn't be able to maneuver in the river, but I was excited for the races nonetheless.

I unfortunately missed Saturday's races because I went out to the Ferndale Fire Department fundraiser barbecue. But when Sunday came I was up and on my way to check things out. I opted to go to my friend's property west of the rodeo grounds, where most people were watching the races. There I found several groups of families and friends cooking food, swimming and having fun together.

The atmosphere was just as I remembered it on the banks of Lake Washington in Seattle, and then the boats began to race and I was blown away by how close we were to them. The course appeared to be smaller than what I was used to, but I think it made the race more exciting. It was great to see all of my friends and neighbors out enjoying a past time I have cherished for years.

There was a lot of talk after Saturday that the traffic through Polson and out to the rodeo grounds was too unbearable to make the races worth attending. I heard it took one group of my friends over two hours to get out to the highway from the parking lot. The thought of a repeat of that waiting game was enough to cause many of my friends to skip Sunday's races. My roommate tried to back-out of going after hearing these horror stories as well. I couldn't really blame her. After all, who wants to spend that long in the car on a dirt road on a hot summer day?

But having spent most of my life life in a city that has bad traffic on a good day, and horrible parking-lot-like traffic during events, I assured her that it would not only be worth it, but probably a better situation than Saturday. I figured that like all new things, Polson just needed to get the kinks worked out.

After exiting quickly and smoothly on Sunday I think that is exactly what happened. Traffic was not backed up all the way to Super 1 as I heard it was on Saturday. In fact, it wasn't really backed up at all. Although we did not park at the rodeo grounds, but rather a few driveways closer to the highway, getting out was quick and easy.

I'm sure that some of it had to do with people deciding not to attend the second day of races, but it seemed as though the police and event organizers were more aware of the need to get people in and out quickly.

A town the size of Polson does not easily accommodate a large amount of traffic. Yes, it is a pain to have to deal with traffic jams during events in small towns, but we all must remember that we are lucky to have to only endure these aggravating situations a few times a year, and they usually accompany a fun time with friends and family.

It is my hope that the organizers will work on creating a better exit and entrance strategy for attendees, and that the valley will give the boat races another chance and support them coming back for another year.