Yesterday, I got up at 4am to get out the door by 5am and get down to Parker, Arizona for The Blue Water Resort & Casino Hot Products IJSBA Western States Nationals and Gary Hart Memorial Race.
I love just about anything moto and this was my first time shooting ski racing at the IJSBA Western States Nationals . I love the chill crowds! And, at least for this race (the Nationals in October in Lake Havasu might be different), the Race Director knew I was coming and set me up with media credentials with no push back. And, www.surfrat.tv was going to be shooting the event live and I spoke with a few of their team and no one was territorial about shooting. Nice!
Perfect weather….I started out with a monopod and tripod but things were moving too fast so I ended up shooting handheld; even the video. I knew I would be able to shoot tons of shutter priority and maybe a few would work…LOL I love the desert life on the water!
Since I am new to watersports, I wanted to dig around and find out who Gary Hart was and why was this particular race held in honor of him. There were quite a few short and sweet articles about Gary but The Watercraft Journal offered up the most comprehensive article and how stupid cancer took another all-star way too soon.
It seems Gary was one of those rare individuals that made this planet a better place, every day. Owner/Founder of Jettrim and founder of the Vintage Jet Ski Museum, this is a great quote by Bob Phares:
In regards to Hart’s presence at Finals and the Vintage Jet Ski Museum, Bob Phares wrote, “When you’ve been involved in an industry for 42 years, you are bound to hear a little bit of negative information about everybody. Not so with Gary Hart. I never heard one word negative about Gary. I met Gary first when I was running Factory Jet Ski in Sacramento. We talked on the phone and designed custom seats for our Race Sponsored ZXI’s and XI’s. He was always thorough and patient. He made everything custom with great expertise.
Ever though I am new to being around ski racing, I know I enjoyed today’s race in his honor.
