Actions Talk Louder Afflicted Hydroplane Star Remains Successful On The Water, Behind The Mike

When Chip Hanauer orders soup in a restaurant these days, he is no longer surprised when souffle arrives instead.

When he attempts to interview guests on his outdoor sports television show, Hanauer knows he might have to repeat a question a dozen times to be heard.

When Hanauer, 41, visits his grandmother, 93-year-old Mary Skalandaitis, he knows they are likely to have a pleasant conversation without either of them understanding a word the other has said.

These are some of the offshoots of Hanauer’s continuing battle with a rare neurological disorder that has attacked his vocal cords, adductor spasmodic dysphonia. The incurable affliction has whittled his normally fine vocal timbre to a raspy murmur.

But 18 months after he was diagnosed with the disorder, Hanauer continues to distinguish himself as the world’s greatest unlimited hydroplane race driver.

Hanauer, a Lake City resident who is only four victories shy of tying Bill Muncey’s career victory record of 62, is taking a lead in educating the public about spasmodic dysphonia. It is a condition that makes normal speech nearly impossible by causing the vocal cords to tighten and spasm.

“It’s tiring. It’s very difficult to move my vocal cords. When everyone else speaks, it’s pretty much effortless,” Hanauer said. “For me, it takes a conscious effort to speak.

“It’s been very hard, because I had attached so much importance on this … I thought the worst was going to happen, that my career was over as was my ability to make and keep relationships and be social and articulate. I became pretty depressed.”

But Hanauer, who discovered that a fellow alum of Newport High School is also battling the disorder, figures the best way to battle his increasing inability to speak is to talk about it.

On Tuesday in his Tukwila boat garage, he graciously filled various news media requests for interviews. He knows about life on both sides of the microphone: Hanauer has just finished taping 13 episodes of his half-hour television series “H20: How To Outdoor.” which airs Saturday nights at 11:30 on KSTW Channel 11.

On the show, Hanauer is host to a true novice and a celebrity guest - usually a local athlete - as they attempt outdoor sports. Hanauer joined SuperSonics forward Shawn Kemp for mountain climbing at Stevens Pass and Mariners outfielder Jay Buhner for flyfishing on the Skykomish.

How does a television program with a virtually inaudible host work?

Hanauer had his doubts initially, but producer Marty Reimer thought the driver was ideal, regardless of his vocal limitations.

“It certainly generates a lot of talk. A lot of people come up and say, ‘What is the deal with Chip’s voice?”’ said Reimer, a former disc jockey with now-defunct Seattle radio station KXRX. He used to work with Hanauer regularly at that station.

Hanauer has been told that his disorder is probably inherited, though only about 10 percent of spasmodic dysphonia cases are congenital. Dr. Allen Hillel, a head and neck surgeon at the University of Washington, said there is no known cause for the disorder and that it primarily affects people in their 20s to early 50s.

The best treatment for spasmodic dysphonia is the regular injection of botulinum toxin type A - one of the world’s most poisonous substances - into the larynx. Commercially marketed as Botox, a tiny drop helps reduce vocal-cord spasms and the voice sounds more normal.

Hanauer has had one treatment that helped, but he does not relish having the virus that causes botulism - or food poisoning - injected every three months. Surgical repair is risky and, according to an article in Prevention magazine, only 30 percent of patients report success three years after surgery.

Hanauer hopes time - and his effort - heals.

During races, Hanauer is in constant radio contact with his pit crew, but mostly he just listens to their instructions.

The problems come after a test run or race, when Hanauer must tell his crew how the boat ran and about any adjustments that should be made.

Humor helps.

“My media career as well as my opera career is not looking good at this point,” Hanauer said. “But it hasn’t affected the racing career. You just shut up and do the job.”