In the words of fictional Spinal Tap lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel, played by actor Christopher Guest in the 1984 “mockumentary,” the Lake Of The Ozarks is about to “turn it up to 11.” This weekend’s XINSURANCE Offshore races on the Central Missouri waterway will deliver action by day and parties, parties and more parties every night
Following excessive off-season drama, the racers are particularly eager shake off frustration and go racing. Same goes for the fans who just want to root for their favorites and do not care a lick about sanctioning bodies. To everyone’s relief, the action starts tomorrow morning.
Yet the most important event of the weekend has nothing to do with the offshore competition scene. That distinction belongs to the 18th annual Support Our Troop Poker Run produced by Big Thunder Marine, which happens today.
A final count isn’t in for today’s event, but close to 70 powerboats had been signed up as of yesterday afternoon. On their own dime, the boat-owners be hosting an estimated 50 military service-people and first responders. The organizers have more boats than they need for today’s multi-stop run on the lake, but that is far from a bad thing.
What a difference two-and-a-half weeks makes. Registration stood at just 12 boats in late May. Sign-ups were far off the pace of previous years. Despite that they know last-minute registration is more common than not, the organizers were concerned. Beyond thanking participants for their service with a fine day of boating, the Support Our Troops Poker Run Poker raises money for the locally based, nonprofit H.E.R.O.E.S. Care veteran services program. The organization makes a difference.
Last year, the event raised more than $23,000 for the charity.
Most of the powerboat owners hosting passengers for today’s event will hang around for the weekend to see who wins and who loses. They can sit back and enjoy the races knowing that they—as the backbone the Support Our Troops Poker Run—have already won.