Behind the Athlete: Hydroplane racing not all sugar and spice By Tim Sparks
The comparisons drawn between female Indycar driver Danica Patrick and Bowie's own Valerie D'Agostino, a hydroplane power boat racer, are easy to explain. Both are young, marketable, female drivers in their respective male-dominated sports.
There is one notable difference between the two, however. While Patrick has received a mind-numbing amount of national media hype in her more mainstream racing sport, D'Agostino's success, which began shortly after taking up the sport as a 9-year-old, has been much more low-key. It has also been greater, especially last year.
And in case you are wondering, the answer is yes; she does race - and usually beats - male racers.
"Beating the guys probably gives me the most satisfaction," said D'Agostino, a sophomore sports finance major at Towson University, whose older brother Justin has also had success in the sport. "Racing is such an adrenaline rush anyway, but beating the guys is always special. I love going out there."
Her competitors don't "love going out there," however, when they realize who they must line up against. D'Agostino points out that while there are a large number of male racers on the competitive hydroplane-racing circuit, the number of female racers seems to be growing each year.
Not that the other ladies have much of a shot against her, either.
Following a 2007 racing season in which she won 17 of 24 races and became the national champion while earning the highest point total of any racer in any class, D'Agostino followed in the footsteps of her father Matt, to the American Power Boat Association's Hall of Champions for 2007. He is a 10-time inductee.
"(Making it into the Hall of Champions) was an amazing feeling," the younger D'Agostino said. "It was such an honor. I actually didn't get in the first time, and I was really distraught. But my dad has always believed in me and he encouraged me to keep trying. When I made it in, he was really happy for me."
"Captain America," as D'Agostino's father is affectionately known, has spent years showing his daughter the art of driving hydroplanes competitively. That instruction has no doubt played a role in her success. But a splash or two of her own natural driving ability has certainly also been a key ingredient in her winning formula.
"It takes a lot of practice," said D'Agostino, whose hydroplane calls for a Mercury 15-horsepower engine. "Obviously, speed helps. But you have to be a really good racer who is prepared for any situation. Every little bit (of skill and knowledge) helps."
While D'Agostino plans to use those very qualities to make another run at making it to the Hall of Champions for 2008, she admits that being the national champion does have its drawbacks. Before the success of last season, she may have had the luxury of falling un-der an opponent's radar. Not so much now, however, as it seems that her opponents know who she is, and that they must dethrone her before they can claim the national title.
That competitive process has already begun. The racing season typically begins in early March and runs through October. But because of her love for competitive racing, D'Agostino's "season" is a year-round venture that takes up nearly every weekend of the summer. Why would she sacrifice entire weekends for the chance to compete? Because not having that adrenaline rush would be an even greater sacrifice. It also gives her a chance to carry on the proud D'Agostino tradition of successful hydroplane racing.
"(My dad's and brother's influence) has been huge," she said. "They have inspired me to be good and they have really helped me along the way. I have some big shoes to fill."
