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Transcript/Script(PLAYBOOK SLUG: Seattle Hydroplane Races
HEADLINE: Seattle Seafair Festival Boasts Fastest of the Air, Sea
TEASER: Seattle’s Seafair weekend is several days of breathtaking air and sea performances, all happening in a city environment that requires complex safety coordination.
PUBLISHED AT: 08/06/2023 at
BYLINE: Natasha Mozgovaya
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Seattle
VIDEOGRAPHER: Natasha Mozgovaya
VIDEO EDITOR:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Scott Stearns
SCRIPT EDITORS: Mia Bush, Page, pcd
VIDEO SOURCE: VOA Original
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _x_
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVRPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[It’s all about speed and skill — in the air and on the water. In Seattle, the annual Seafair summer festival concluded with Coast Guard rescue operation demonstrations, U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ aerobatics and the fastest hydroplanes in the world racing for the Gold Cup. Natasha Mozgovaya reports from Lake Washington.]]
((NATS engines))
((NARRATOR))
It’s another sound of summer in Seattle, when the U.S. Navy Blue Angels arrive in the city for the culmination of the annual Seafair festival.
[[Radio: Lieutenant Commander Thomas Zimmerman is with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.]]
((Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman, US Navy Blue Angels))
[00:00:52] “It takes 100%, complete concentration to fly 18 inches apart for the entire time. So, 45 minutes of pure concentration.”
((NARRATOR))
The F/A-18 Super Hornet jet fighters’ team, including the Blue Angels’ first female pilot, Lt. Amanda Lee, showcase the skills and teamwork of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. And there is a bigger mission.
((Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman, Blue Angels))
[00:00:10] “What we're hoping for is to basically make everyone want to be a best version of themselves, continue to work hard and do great things.”
((NARRATOR))
Seattle’s Seafair weekend is several days of breathtaking air and sea performances, all happening in a city environment that requires complex safety coordination.
[[Radio: Seafair festival CEO Eric Corning.]]
((Eric Corning, Seafair Festival))
“We have a lot of partners. From the local police, fire department, FBI. The folks at the U.S. Navy have really strict regulations on how the Blue Angels can fly.”
((NARRATOR))
And then there are the hydroplane races on Lake Washington, where the largest, fastest race boats in the world compete.
[[Radio: Corey Peabody, who races the U-9 hydroplane for Strong Racing in the H-1 Unlimited league, was the 2022 Gold Cup winner in Alabama. This year, he took third place.]]
((Corey Peabody, Hydroplane Driver))
[00:02:16] “In cars, it's asphalt, and it's pretty much, you know, the course is a course. With us, it's water. // It's a two-mile racecourse, a rough two-mile racecourse.”
((NARRATOR))
Washington state native Peabody races a hydroplane named the U-9 Beacon Plumbing due to its hull shape and the company sponsor.
((Corey Peabody, Hydroplane Driver))
“You wouldn't turn your truck at 50 miles an hour — and I'm taking a boat 196 miles an hour, taking a hard left and coming out and doing it over and over and over and over again. It's a thrill that you can't explain.”
((NARRATOR))
Brent Hall, who grew up on the lake watching the races, came one lap short of qualifying and becoming the first Black driver to compete with an unlimited hydroplane.
((Brent Hall, Hydroplane Driver))
“It’s my rookie season this year, and I am really excited to race and have fun, but we broke the gear box, so this year we are going to take a little break, but the next year we’ll be right at it!”
((NARRATOR))
For this family, the love of hydroplane racing goes back decades.
((Jeff, Hydroplane Race Fan))
“We used to know all the old drivers from the '70s and '80s, and the old classic hydroplanes that we see displayed out here. // We remember the louder noises, the bigger engines. // It's just nice to get together and feel really happy. Everyone's in a good mood. So that's - yeah, that's what Seafair is all about.”
((broll Gold Cup award ceremony))
((NARRATOR))
For some, though, it’s also about winning.
((J. Michael Kelly, Hydroplane Driver))
“It means the world and I just - really lost for words. <…> And you know, it's not just the race boats, but it's the people that are involved in it that makes this sport special. And myself as a driver, just very thankful to be a part of it.
((NARRATOR))
Gold Cup winner J. Michael Kelly says he hopes hydroplanes racing “sticks around forever.” He certainly plans to be back at Seafair at Lake Washington next summer.
((Natasha Mozgovaya, VOA News, Seattle.))
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Seattle
Embargo DateAugust 7, 2023 03:26 EDT
BylineNatasha Mozgovaya
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
