Bubba the NASCAR Fan
November 5, 2007 10:12 PM | 0 Comments
I recently attended a Northwest Entrepreneur's (NWEN) breakfast in Bellevue, WA, which is about 20 minutes East of downtown Seattle. Attending the breakfast required me to get up really early, quietly dress in the dark to avoid disrupting my family, pick up a colleague at the ferry terminal and drive 30 minutes to my destination. As I stepped out of my car in the parking garage, my colleague, a designer, made the discerning observation that I was wearing unmatched black shoes. In my morning fog, I didn't even notice that the heel heights were different. We quickly devised a way to camouflage my fashion faux pas. We decided the best course was, when standing, to drape my trenchcoat over one foot and, when seated, simply hide my feet under the table skirt. It was under this type of duress that I met Betsy, an engaging woman whose husband is a respectable CFO by day and Bubba the NASCAR Fanatic on weekends.
Betsy is a classic victim of Spousal Sports Devolution (SSD). When she met her husband, he seemed normal. Years later, his facination with NASCAR became a passion then he turned into a full-blown NASCAR Nut-Case. To hear from Betsy firsthand, listen to her interview with Sports Widow Radio .
I haven't asked Betsy, but I don't think she ever noticed I was wearing shoes that didn't match. Ironically, some guys in the elevator noticed and snickered.
The Sports Widow
(aka Nan Hall)
To learn more about NASCAR from a woman's POV...check out Valli Hilaires' The Fast and Fabulous blog. Also, mark your calendar, the 2008 NASCAR season starts on Feb.16 with the 50th running of the Daytona 500.
Tell me what you think of Bubba the NASCAR Fan...
From the Motor Racing Archives
A Sports Widow Sideline Report on Car Racing
May 18, 2007 11:39 AM | 0 Comments
I spent nearly every summer of my childhood in a small town called Brookston, Indiana, which was 20 miles from West Lafayette, home of Purdue University, and 90 miles Northwest of Indianapolis, home of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. My earliest impressions of car racing came from my proper, southern grandmother, who after marrying my Hoosier grandfather, agreed to leave her native Tennessee to live in a plains town in Indiana. Her sweet-as-honeysuckle drawl never left her nor did her strong religious convictions. Grandma Minnie believed that racing was evil and naturally connected with drinking, betting, carousing and general licentiousness.
This prejudice made it a bit awkward, when my father wound up marrying (his second marriage) a woman who was either employed or volunteered for the Dade County Race Track in Dade County, Wisconsin. It was never quite clear what her role was. Picture Karen Black wearing a hypnotizing black & white dress that was patterned after racing flags. Sue's role was simple: Hypnotize the crowd, look svelt and enchanting, hand out trophies and dole out kisses to the winners. It was clearly a hardship post.
Yet, in sharp contrast to my Grandma Minnie's opinions and my experiences with Sue, who was less gracious with those of us who were not race car drivers, I was swooned by movies that romanticized racing and the automobile in general. As I've mentioned, I love movies, and have belonged to a Movie Club for 15 years now. I have a special fondness for old, classic movies. This may not be racing, but who can forget Grace Kelly sitting beside Cary Grant in a roadster in To Catch a Thief
While working as a PR intern at the Wisconsin State Fair one summer, I was posted at one of three Information Booths, the one right next to the race track. During the races, my booth buddies and I could barely hear ourselves speak, but fortunately we could read lips and grew accustomed to the most popular question and easiest one to answer. Nine times out of 10, these hearty, farm-fed Wisconsinites would inquire: "Where are the cream puffs?" to which we'd reply "Down this road, past the bubbler (drinking fountain in Midwestern speak) and right at the pig barn."
When I was 20 years old, my Uncle Lee, then a minister in Nashville, TN, took me to a church conference in Talladega, Alabama. An equal opportunity sports enthusiast, he used to show me sports sites on every trip. This time, we stopped by the Talladega Super Speedway and the groundskeeper gave us a tour, which included driving us around the embankment.
So, what interests me about car racing is how NASCAR has become such a popular sport among women and families. How did this evolve? Check out a copy of The Female Fan Guide to Motorsports (Female Fan Guide Series)
