Boats return to St. John

One year later, Webb’s Slough owners Matt and Amanda Webb are still amazed with the potential their United States Sprint Boat Association (USSBA) course has to offer the tiny farming community of St. John.

Last year, 23 teams showed up for their inaugural event with more than 3,500 spectators estimated in attendance.

This year’s show is expecting to host more than 25 teams and has grown so much in ticket-sale requests that the Webbs have TicketsWest handling that aspect.

When the event started, expectations were tempered. As it unfolded last year the Webbs began to immediately plan for the 2008 race that takes place Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.

“The number of fans that turned out last year was definitely a huge surprise,” Amanda Webb said. “We didn’t know what to expect going into a new event.”

The Webbs can expect large numbers of fans and racers this weekend and will double the amount from 2007 as their race course has two USSBA events scheduled this year. That means twice the potential for tourism dollars to land in the local economy, Webb said.

Keeping focused on the long-term success of the course is the Webb’s business plan. Just one year ago neither thought their idea would grow to its current state. That growth has led Matt to full-time devotion to the race course, his wife said.

“Matt and I are definitely visionaries,” Amanda said. “It sounded like a good idea at the time to build the race course, so we did it. We dug the track without ever having been to a race until the Tri-Cities event just before we opened.

“We knew St. John was the place for something like this. The support of the community has been fabulous. The number of people who come out to volunteer and make this event so big is a huge part of our success.”

When a crowd of more than 3,500 shows up to an area with a greater population of around 600, it can be larger than life, Webb said.

“For a little farming town, this (event) is like an invasion of people,” she said.

Sprint boat racing pits a driver and navigator against the course. No side-by-side racing takes place and the winner is the team that can run the course in the shortest amount of time. The boats produce more than 1,000 horsepower and come complete with a roll-bar over the driver and navigator.

“For someone who’s watched the sport, this is the place to be, they say,” Amanda said. “If someone has never watched a race, you can come and enjoy good racing that’s a family atmosphere. It’s similar to going to a county fair with the vendors and other items set up. After the races, fans can get their cars washed for a donation and we even have the local high school kids helping park cars.

“There is an amphitheatre setting with six terraces to see the race on site. When we designed it, the plan was to benefit not only St. John but Whitman County itself.”

The Webbs have been keeping an eye on Mother Nature.

“The weather lately has been a big factor in getting people excited about the event,” Amanda said. “With last week’s weather breaking, our ticket sales have climbed and excitement is building for Saturday.”

Festivities begin at 5 p.m. Friday with safety inspections and a show and shine event on Front Street in downtown St. John. Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday, with qualifying at 10 and racing at noon.

For those interested in making a weekend trip, the St. John Fairgrounds offers camping sites with full RV hookups. Camping is also available at the slough without a reservation.

More race information can be found at www.webbsslough.com. Tickets can be purchased from TicketsWest through Friday evening or at the gate on Saturday.