Just a Bunch of Yard Apes
4.5 miles outside of a small town called Freeport and down a field road behind a farm lies a pond. At this pond a group of people gather with trucks, vans, and cars hauling machines that they have spent thousands of dollars getting ready for one thing: Watercross.
Watercross is a summer racing sport that uses modified snowmobiles to race around buoys on an open water lake or pond. Watercross can also be referred to as water-skipping or snowmobile skipping. The modification process begins as they narrow the skis, raise the rear, seal the belly pan, and tune the engine to properly handle the elements. Watercross as a sport includes oval racing where two to six racers race in an oval circuit for anywhere from 3-8 laps dependent upon whether it is qualifying, quarter finals, or finals. It also depends on whether the racer is in the semi-pro or pro racing class. Watercross is not just oval races, it is also drag races where the racer will typically run a straight course against two to six other racers from one shore to the other shore.
The Origins
The origins of Team Yard Ape trace back to Grantsburg, Wisconsin in the late 80's where a group of friends gathered to watch the races, drink some beer (ok let's be real - a lot of beer), have a good time, and skip some machines. At one point in the weekend, someone walked by and said, "you're all just a bunch of Yard Apes in this camp!" and the rest was history.
According to Rocky Vowles, one of the original members, joked that there was an 'original nine', but according to Dawn (Rocky's wife) the number started growing as they started counting and it actually totaled anywhere from 11-14 original members dependent on who you ask. Team Yard Ape hasn't looked back since its early days and several original members, including Rocky and Dawn, have raised their children in the sport and have made this sport a family affair.
The Practice Pond
The pond brought together a myriad of people all ranging in ages from newborn to the veterans of Watercross. Yard Ape races in the International Watercross Association (IWA) non-profit organization. They race all over Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. At the practice pond many racers were looking to just tune up their machines and others were looking to making full adjustments. Jerry Tongen #8 and his daughter Salesse Tongen #411 got laps in throughout the practice as did Jacob Champ #128 and 2016's Semi Pro Open champion Aaron Godeen #813.
Now you may be asking - what happens when an individual sinks their machine, is their engine totaled? The answer is no, as long as the racer pulls their tether cord to kill the engine before it completely sinks - the engine will be fine it just needs to be dried out in a timely fashion. We did have a few racers sink their machines. You may be wondering how they get their machines out of water and the answer is with a tow pontoon that raises their machine out of the water and brings it back to land to be dried out.
The other thing that was noted was the camaraderie. These racers are not just racers, they're mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, and friends so close they could qualify as family. Above all other requirements to be a member of Team Yard Ape the highest regarded requirement is the ability to have a good attitude and the ability to care for one another.
Whether it's helping warm an engine up, hauling a sunken machine out, or giving tips to one another these racers have one another's backs. While the season is going to be frustrating, the setbacks will happen, and some will rise where others are going to fall, I am confident in saying Team Yard Ape is headed for a successful season.
Their first race is this coming weekend June 3rd and 4th at Moose Lake in Moose Lake, Minnesota.
This is the first installment in a series of articles we will be writing as we follow Team Yard Ape through their 2017 Watercross Season. You can also follow their season on their Facebook page here by clicking the picture below.
