SNOWMOBILES TAKE TO THE WATER

NORWOOD — It takes a certain kind of imagination to put a snowmobile in the water — not to mention a lot of skill, speed and, according to several pros, sheer stupidity.

But the close-knit group of snowmobile watercross pros who brought their hybrid sport to Norwood Lake on Saturday are definitely onto something.

"Everybody says they didn't know you could do this," said Scott Mosher of Ithaca, president of the Eastern Watercross Association. "It's craziness. But this is a way for the snowmobile community to extend their season into the summer. We're just adrenaline junkies."

The smell of wet sand and gasoline and the sound of revving engines filled the air as a crowd of hundreds gathered to watch snowmobile watercross enthusiasts take their machines Saturday onto Norwood Lake, part of the Raquette River.

This is the second year the association has held a racing event at the Norwood Lake Regatta. The 20th annual regatta continues today.

"It's like riding on deep snow," said pro racer Andrew J. Collins of Greenland, N.H. "Yeah, it's fun — it's too damn addicting."

William W. Best, a pro racer from Albany, said he loves the sport because it gives him "the freedom to do whatever you want."

So what if snowmobiles are designed for winter fun? All it takes is some tweaking to make a lighter, water-ready rig of your own, pros said.

"It's a snowmobile, not a boat, so you have to stay up. Full throttle, balancing and leaning are the most important things. The name of the game is to stay above water," said Anthony R. Belmore, a member of the Norwood Lake Regatta racing committee. "If you fall off, hitting the water is like hitting the ground or ice. It's hard."

Those who've been there say there's no better place to see the sport's appeal than from behind the wheel of a sled rocketing across the water. It's one thing to go 60 mph in your car. It's another to go that fast skidding a few inches above the surface of the river at an almost 90-degree angle, standing up on the snowmobile.

"They call it the fastest show on H2O," Mr. Belmore said.

Then you turn, slowing down only as much as you need to, leaning this way and that to navigate other sleds' wakes. Riders say you can feel the water trying to pull you down.

All it takes is a second of letting up on the throttle, and the machine begins to sink.

Then riders have to wait for a pontoon boat to fish their snowmobile out of the water, or if they're close enough to shore, a four-wheeler will pull them out.

"Everybody sinks. It's just a matter of time. The sleds are equipped with drains, so they dry out fairly quickly and you can get going again," Mr. Mosher said.

In addition to racing the oval loop course marked by large buoys, watercross pros also faced off in drag races and took to the air with the "blizzard jump," riding their machines up and off a floating ramp.

This is the second of four races that Eastern Watercross Association is sponsoring this year. Upcoming events will be held at Darien Lake and in Epping, N.H.

It's not just the sport that keeps racers coming back for more. Pros said they love the community that comes together for each event.

"We're always calling each other, saying, 'Hey, you got this part or that part?' And at night, there could be five grills going and eight different families hanging around. We're all friends," said Scott T. Wanner, a semipro from Salisbury, Mass., whose goal in racing is to raise money and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

As if to prove the sense of camaraderie among the competitors, Mr. Wanner lent one of his snowmobiles to Ken Quinn, a pro from Rock City Falls whose machines had both broken down.

"The biggest fun of it is just getting together with friends and having fun," Mr. Mosher said.

The 20th annual Norwood Lake Regatta kicks off again at 9 a.m. today. Food and beverages are available in the arena, where more than 40 vendors are set up. Admission is $5 for adults; children 12 and younger are admitted free.

Profits from the event are used to operate the Norwood Recycling Center, maintain a public dock, purchase the village's welcome signs and operate an emergency aid program for residents.