rctinman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2003
- Messages
- 1,605
Hi Folks..
I've spent the last 12 days, in Europe, with the Worldwide Ambassador of model boat racing, and that person's name is, Al Hobbs. I've known Al for many years, and knew he was one of the biggest cheer leaders for model boating here in the States, but after seeing him in action, on a day-to-day basis at the World Championships, I now have the utmost respect for Al, and what he does for model boat racing.
He is one of the most selfless people I know. He provided services and materials to the Canadian team and myself, at no charge to us, just so we could be there. He bought T-shirts, here in the States, took them overseas, and gave them away, just because he knew the racers over there liked them. Al even gave his personal apron to a man, just because he liked it. He didn't give him the shirt off of his back, but it was close enough for me! LOL
I had to pay extra at the airport for my boat case, Al had 3 additional pieces of luggage, filled with items that people wanted, and couldn't get there easily, including a pair of shoes!
Al was there to race also, but just watching him interact and help other boaters from around the world, I got the feeling that he enjoyed that as much, if not more, than racing.
But the biggest thing I've taken away from my time with Al, is how he treats people. He always has a smile and a "Hi" for EVERYONE! Every time we ran into someone he knew, (Al knows a lot of people, LOL) the first thing he did, was introduced me. There is the same mix of personalities around the world, just as we have a few people here in the States, that take our sport/hobby a little too serious, and think being friends with the competition is a bad thing, there's these few everywhere. Instead of writing these people off as a hard case and moving on, (I'm guilty of this) Al works at making these people his friend, whether it takes 2 hours, or 2 years. A life lesson we all could learn from!
So please, the next time you see Al Hobbs at a race, go up, shake his hand, and thank him for what he does in the name of model boat racing. Better yet, post to this thread.
I apologize for being so long winded!
Steve Ball
I've spent the last 12 days, in Europe, with the Worldwide Ambassador of model boat racing, and that person's name is, Al Hobbs. I've known Al for many years, and knew he was one of the biggest cheer leaders for model boating here in the States, but after seeing him in action, on a day-to-day basis at the World Championships, I now have the utmost respect for Al, and what he does for model boat racing.
He is one of the most selfless people I know. He provided services and materials to the Canadian team and myself, at no charge to us, just so we could be there. He bought T-shirts, here in the States, took them overseas, and gave them away, just because he knew the racers over there liked them. Al even gave his personal apron to a man, just because he liked it. He didn't give him the shirt off of his back, but it was close enough for me! LOL
I had to pay extra at the airport for my boat case, Al had 3 additional pieces of luggage, filled with items that people wanted, and couldn't get there easily, including a pair of shoes!
Al was there to race also, but just watching him interact and help other boaters from around the world, I got the feeling that he enjoyed that as much, if not more, than racing.
But the biggest thing I've taken away from my time with Al, is how he treats people. He always has a smile and a "Hi" for EVERYONE! Every time we ran into someone he knew, (Al knows a lot of people, LOL) the first thing he did, was introduced me. There is the same mix of personalities around the world, just as we have a few people here in the States, that take our sport/hobby a little too serious, and think being friends with the competition is a bad thing, there's these few everywhere. Instead of writing these people off as a hard case and moving on, (I'm guilty of this) Al works at making these people his friend, whether it takes 2 hours, or 2 years. A life lesson we all could learn from!
So please, the next time you see Al Hobbs at a race, go up, shake his hand, and thank him for what he does in the name of model boat racing. Better yet, post to this thread.
I apologize for being so long winded!
Steve Ball
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