Fuel Your Fun: East Coast Watercross Bringing Jet Ski Races to Woodward Township July 11-13
By Christopher Miller
WOODWARD TOWNSHIP – With less than two weeks left until the next biggest event for Woodward Township, The Record was notified Monday morning that East Coast Watercross (ECW) headquartered out of New Hampshire is set to bring jetski racing to the Lockport Boat Launch Park in Woodward Township for the weekend of July 11-13.
“I reached out to ECW eight years ago and tried to coordinate with them to come on out to our area for races like the Labor Day Regatta, but that idea had fallen by the wayside due to a lack of enthusiasm from the former race director,” Woodward Township Supervisor Kyle Coleman said. “Then about six to eight weeks ago a friend of mine in New Hampshire posted on Facebook about a race they had up there and that sparked my interest in pursuing this again.”
At this time, Coleman reached out to the ECW again and the new race director, Shawn Dudek, was ecstatic.
“They were supposed to race in western Pennsylvania that same weekend that they’re coming here, but that one fell through due to restrictions and Dudek jumped on the chance to come to Lock Haven,” Coleman said.
Coleman, ever-vigilant in promoting the area and Woodward Township, eagerly sent Dudek pictures and videos of the Labor Day Regatta boat races and area information to seal the deal.
“We got all of our permits through the PA Fish and Boat Commission and it was really smooth, a pleasure to work with them and the ECW. All of the township supervisors were on board with the idea and now we get to show off our new facilities and the area to a new group of people,” he said.
For Coleman, July 11-13 turned out to be “the perfect weekend.”
“We moved up Riverfest so we didn’t compete with the July 4 holiday and people leaving town and now we have this opportunity to bring something new here,” Coleman said, ecstatically.
Shawn Dudek, the Race Director for ECW, also spoke with The Record Monday morning about the upcoming races in this new location.
“We are sanctioned by the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) and this will be our first time coming to Lock Haven,” Dudek said. “We like to find venues that we can race at year-after-year, like we’ve been going to Watkins Glen, New York for 15 years now. Plus, we’ve really stepped up our livestream video this year so now thousands more people can see what you have here in Lock Haven.”
According to Dudek, most people will never get to see this expert-class racing, with some jet skis running at or over 70 miles per hour.
“We will race every single type of jet ski ever made,” Dudek said. “From the vintage class to some of the newer model Sea-Doo’s that go in excess of 90 miles an hour with beginner, novice, expert, and professional classes, there is really something for everyone with this sport.”
The sport is so big that professional course marshals regularly fly from Florida for events around the country.
“Right now I am working with a group that wants to come from Texas because they had an event canceled down there, but you will normally see people coming from Louisiana, Florida, the Carolina’s, Tennessee, and some Canadians,” Dudek said. “There is quite a pull from all across the country for these events.”
The biggest hurdle for Dudek and ECW with bringing the event to Lock Haven this late in the game is reaching out for local sponsors and supporters to be a part of the action.
“If you are interested in being a sponsor or sponsorship opportunities, please contact me at info@eastcoastwatercross.com,” Dudek said.
In the meantime, Coleman has started to place frantic phone calls to local vendors and food trucks to help feed the masses that will descend on Woodward Township next weekend.
All of the action will take place in the Susquehanna River with an obstacle course being formed from between the Jay Street Bridge, to just below the boat launch, with dozens of buoys to be set into the water on Friday afternoon to mark the race paths.
“You can watch from the bridge, the Lockport side, the amphitheater and the dyke, just about anywhere you can see water, you can watch the races,” Coleman said, “and it is all free for spectators.”
The main hopes for Dudek and Coleman is that the community comes out to see the new event, the visitors come and explore Lock Haven, and that the area will be one that the ECW will want to come back to for years to come.
For more information, follow East Coast Watercross at the below links:
Instagram: @eastcoastwatercross
Facebook: facebook.com/ecwatercross
Website: eastcoastwatercross.com
The schedule for July 11-13 is as follows:
Friday, July 11
12 – 5 p.m. Registration/Tech Inspection
1 – 5 p.m. Practice
Saturday, July 12
7 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Safety Tech
8:30 a.m. Mandatory Riders Meeting
9 a.m. Practice
10 a.m. National Anthem then Racing Begins, first motos
Approx. 1:30 – 2 p.m. Lunch Break
Approx. 4:30 .m. Awards
Sunday, July 13
7 – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Safety Tech
8:30 a.m. Mandatory Riders Meeting
9 a.m. Last Chance Practice for New Arrivals
10 a.m. National Anthem then Racing Begins, first motos
Approx. 1:30 – 2 p.m. Lunch Break
2 p.m. Racing resumes, second motos
Awards
