SKIPPING SNOWMOBILES
Estimated 1,000 attend water race

Organizers were pleasantly-surprised when nearly 1,000 people turned out for last Saturday's 'Fastest Snowmobile Across the Pond' event held at Othmer's Pond in Coudersport. Here, Scott Nickerson skips across the water.

Organizers of the "Fastest Snowmobile Across the Pond" event were beaming as upwards of 1,000 spectators turned out to take in Saturday's competition.

One by one, snowmobile operators tried their luck on Othmer's Pond. Most of them made it, skimming the surface for 660 feet in about 12 seconds.

However, for the few who didn't, the challenge of retrieving a sunken sled immersed in 12 feet of water provided a fascinating side show for the capacity crowd. After about 15 minutes of draining the exhaust and carburetor, an immersed snowmobile is typically up and running again.

"We expected a good turnout, but nothing like this!" said Neal Klimek, the Coudersport heating and cooling contractor who modeled his event after extreme sledding contests he had seen on DVDs.

Word-of-mouth promotion attracted more than 300 spectators and about a dozen competitors to the inaugural dash on July 22. Many snowmobile enthusiasts who attended that event as spectators - skeptical that a sled could stay above the water's surface on a voyage of more than 200 yards - told Klimek they wanted to give it a try. That prompted him to stage Saturday's second running.

"It's a lot harder than it looks," was the conclusion of 17-year-old Caleb Heitzenrater of Sweden Valley, who sank his snowmobile about 50 yards after he first hit the water's surface.

Others had better luck. To make it across, snowmobilers had to get fast enough start on dry land to establish momentum.

Top finishers earned cash prizes. Net proceeds were donated to Potter County man facing major expenses for medical treatment following a four-wheeler crash.

None of the snowmobilers were injured. A teenaged girl in the audience did suffer a leg injury when she was hit by a sled that careened out of control upon reaching the finish line. She was treated at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital and released later in the day.

"We learned a lot," Klimek said. "We'll be working on plans for parking, crowd control and other arrangements in time for the competition to return next summer."

He expressed his appreciation to these sponsors: Hershey Construction, Gauld's Corner Store, Energy Tech, Hair to Please, Endeavor Media, Potter County Beverage, Hershey Farm Market, American Legion Post 192, Wednesday Night Open Mic Club, Monger Construction, Bailey Hill Lodge, Northwoods Tavern, E&G Auto Plus, Paul W. Heimel for Potter County Commissioner, Howard's Outdoor Equipment, NK General and Mechanical Contracting, Bennett Excavating and Hotel Crittenden.