Lifelong victories!

During the off season, Chris & I built a new hydro in the garage. We also settled on conditions for continuing to race. For every 1/10 of a grade point below 3.0 (B average) Chris would have to give up one day of racing.In the five seasons that followed, Chris won both the National High Point Championship and the Region 10 High Point award for Junior Stock Hydro. If memory serves, he only missed two days of racing because of our agreement about his grade point average.Those are all good achievements, but were less important to me than the character that Chris built through racing.

He learned the value of hand work, how to deal with both winning and losing and to care about other people. As soon as she was old enough, his sister, Kim, started racing with Chris's old boat and motor. In the second heat of her first race, Kim's motor conked out. Chris, knowing that it would cost him the race, turned into the infield and drove slowly past his sister to make sure that she was OK. I was deeply impressed by this display of maturity in my son. We remained active in JSH and, later, ASH racing all the way through High School. Both of my children made grades well above average.

More importantly, neither of them ever got involved in gangs, drugs or alcohol.  From my perspective as a parent, I couldn't be more pleased about the way that my children matured.

Largely due to their involvement with racing and the racing community, they knew a better way to live and stood by it.  Kim is now in college and Chris is on active duty with the U.S. Navy. Both of them have expressed their intent to return to racing when they have completed their current commitments.

Most important to me is the fact that other racers frequently ask me when Chris and Kim will be coming back. They both earned reputations as good racers who are winners even if they happened to lose a specific race. The racing community is looking forward to their return and I am very proud of both of them.

WebMeister's Note:  Chris Alloway returned to boat racing during the 1999 racing season, and currently competes in C Stock Runabout.  Kim Alloway is a graduate from Central Washington University and has just purchased a boat to compete in during the 2001 season.