Too Giddy at the Oklahoma River?
Sometimes unbridled enthusiasm and promotion can backfire. Look no further than at the Oklahoma River to see how this can happen. Even Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett, our promoter in chief, is quoted in a Journal Record story today as worrying about the damage being done to the river’s image by a recent swim meet.
For years and years the Hudson River in New York was seen a polluted cesspool and its picturesque waterfront was overlooked by developers. That’s changed in recent years, but not without a lot of work. The Oklahoma River had no such perception problem nationally, and promoters have had great success landing big events.
I was bewildered when I first heard about a swim meet. Sorry, but this is the same riverfront where dead bodies have been found, and yes, transients have used it for dumping trash and worse. All it takes is for 20 swimmers to get sick after taking in Oklahoma River water and right or wrong, the waterway is to blame as far as the public is concerned. This hasn’t been a problem for the various regattas and rowing events to date, but will it in the future?
Now we have yet another event returning to the Oklahoma River with even more at risk. Flashback two years ago - drag boat racing promoters were selling wristbands to spectators even as they knew the event was being shut down due to debris in the river. Those promoters are gone now, and new promoters have been allowed to relaunch the races this month.
If there’s a repeat of the fiasco from two years ago, will the public begin to see the waterway as a rip-off? Or let’s consider yet another possibility – yet another deadly drag boat crash (like the one we saw during an earlier meet). What if this time, however, a drag boat goes so far off course it kills some spectators?
Some great things are happening along the river. But will an overindulgence kill the party?
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Comments
I don’t know if overpromotion is the correct term, but maybe the city/organizers are trying to do too much. If they would just stick to regattas and the like things would have been fine. That dirty water was never meant for swimming.
I don’t think the city is over promoting…I believe they are just promoting the wrong things for the river. I think one of the biggest mistakes that can happen with the river is that it is only seen as a “sporting arena.” Yes, the regatta’s have been a wonderful addition for the community and the new architecture and new interest it has drawn to the area is a much needed bonus, but as John pointed out, we have other bodies of water in the city that can provide the ‘arena.’ (If the river is only seen as an athletic venue, why isn’t it being positioned as perfect centerpiece to a ‘central’ park.)
I feel that the city is selling one of its better assets short if it isn’t actively pursuing, and promoting ALL the things that could happen on the river. This is something I’ve been <a href=”http://memo.ryecroft.net/2009/05/life-without-cars/”thinking about recently. The city is in a unique position, unlike most waterfront cities, because it doesn’t have an overdeveloped industrial waterfront and we don’t have to develop under Brownfield conditions. Outside of what the Humphries are developing privately, why isn’t the city putting a larger effort into promoting a viable residential community directly along the waterfront? If a revived downtown entertainment district can be build around a concrete culvert…why wouldn’t residents, restaurants and offices want to be on the real thing?
The “concrete culvert” was designed to be inviting. The OK “river” was designed to be a riprap lined industrial canal full of bad coffee. The promoters at LEAST need to present some pretty pictures that show hope of a scenic future… The boathouse and other proposed architecture provide excellent eye candy, but much more is needed to make it actually look like a river.
Do real plans exist for transforming this canal into something that’s nice to look at?
maybe the problem with the river is over off of agnew is the stockyards. now, i was over by the stockyards the other day and noticed there was a big pile of straw, hay and other things. with the rain that we have had in may, maybe the otherthings from that pile ran into the river… sounds like a story… maybe
So you would like to see OKC lay low, not promote itself, and be comfortable with mediocrity? I guess we do have the tornado thing to keep us in the national spotlight.
Actually, the problem with your post is it is an assumption based on an assumption. First, there has been no evidence that what made a handful of triathletes sick is the river. That has all been based on the comments of one individual that in turn got blown up in the national media. If, however, the water was indeed the source of the illnesses, it was the water, that in no way indicates that the downtown river is comparable to the Hudson of the ’70s and 80s. Any water system is in danger of high bacteria levels following heavy rains. It is unfortunate that individuals such as yourself feed off stories like this to try to tear down individuals trying to improve this city. I am hesitant to explore the psychology of your motivation, but I will ask: what do you do for this city? Writing blog posts with no investigation of the stories you cover does not count.
Anyway, when I was feeling less unpleasant from reading drivel like this, I wrote the following to the Daily Oklahoman:
I have yet to see it published.
As for whether this story will impair our ability to get future events, I will point you to a statement by the governing body of triathlon: http://usatriathlon.org/news/article/13155
Steve, after reading this and a few of your other blog posts, I can say with absolute confidence that you are a drain on anything positive being done in this city.
Further, be careful when making assumptions about causes and then running with those assumptions into some fantasy world of how local organizers are ruining this fair city that you love to get into your car, roll up the windows, turn on the AC, hit Rush on the dial, and drive around in.
P.S. I can usually temper the emotion in a response like this, but for some reason the haphazard nature of your blog really touched a nerve this morning. Don’t worry, I will never read it again.
Whoa… raw nerve on Phillip. Dude, Steve was merely asking a question. He wasn’t impugning the river or your hallowed sport (I think it might be time to ratchet-down your testosterone drip)…
Steve is doing his job, and doing it well. Keep it up Steve!
First of all, it was a triathlon- not a swim meet. Two totally different things. Second, Phillip is just taking up for the race directors and the sport itself. You become passionate when your city is being hammered in the national spotlight with no just cause. One elite triathlete made a statement that it HAD to be the river that made her sick, and that’s not been proven. There were people sick at that venue that never made it near the water (a shuttle bus driver, volunteers, etc). Race directors did water quality tests for 6 months prior to the event, and all levels have been within safe zones (spiking after rainfall was normal during those 6 months of extensive testing). The river was safe to swim in.
Anyway, on to your original ponderings: are we overpromoting the city? I don’t think so. We gripe because we don’t have enough things to do in the city, and then we get big events here and we gripe because they block roads, impede traffic, or generally cause problems. We can’t have it both ways. Keep promoting this wonderful city. We have a lot to offer (yes, even on the river).
Phillip, I fully understand why you’re upset. You have my sympathy. But the question remains: should there be some more thought put into how the river is used and promoted? Are there activities that might be best for other venues?
If you sit back, collect your thoughts and look at this rationally, the perception factor can’t be avoided. Truth be told, in every situation there are “facts” and there is “perception.”
Let’s step outside this ring for a moment and look at another venue that fits into this scenario: Crossroads Mall.
Fact: crime stats (and this is backed up by police I’ve spoken to) say Crossroads Mall is and was at its peak no more dangerous than Penn Square or Quail Springs. And yet public perception judged Crossroads differently. Now it’s a mall with no major anchors that has ended up at sheriff’s auction with an uncertain future.
The Oklahoma River is still in its infancy in terms of image and public perception. If the goal is nurture this waterway and make it great, than what is the priority? Do we simply want to get as many events on it as possible, consequences be damned? Or should there be a more nuanced, reasoned approach where some event organizers are told “no, you have a very nice proposal, but it’s not right for us?”
Far from suggesting mediocrity here, I’m asking whether the city needs to be more selective in what happens in the future.
When everyone starts going 125 miles per hour and they demand that they be allowed to proceed unquestioned with their ambitions for the central city, that’s when I begin annoying people.
I ask questions. Sometimes those questions aren’t popular.
So Phillip, here’s the question for you if you’re still reading (I’ll bet you are):
- Is the Oklahoma River the best waterway in the state for your event? If so, why? How can the city ensure the Oklahoma River’s reputation won’t be damaged by suggestions by some of the swimmers that they got sick from the river water?
Folks, I’ll be offline for the rest of the day enjoying my time off. Star Trek awaits….
Phillip said “Steve, after reading this and a few of your other blog posts, I can say with absolute confidence that you are a drain on anything positive being done in this city.” Apparently you haven’t read enough of his posts Phillip. Have you read the blog posts about Sage? What about Devon, The Paul’s, Rand Elliott, The Humphrey’s, Cowan, Beatnix, or Jeff Speck? Steve was in constant contact with the Smith’s prior to their opening, has kept up with the Paul’s and they latest ventures, has had Rand on multiple times promoting his talents, etc.
Now, the issue with the triathletes getting sick was on Foxnews, USA Today, not to mention the numerous running, swimming and biking publications that posted on it. It would be foolish of him NOT to talk about it when he has much more knowledge than any of the other national publications. He is merely asking if we are getting ahead of ourselves when it comes to promotion.
As far as the river being over promoted, I don’t think that is too much of an issue. It seems it was renovated mostly for boat races (which have always done very well in terms of attendance and positive feedback) and will continue to do well with the Finish Line Tower, the OCU and OU boathouses. That is not including any other sorts of renovations deemed necessary by MAPS 3.
Steve, I agree with some of your response to Phillip ie maybe the OK river isn’t the best water for said event. However, I find it a little disturbing that you are commenting on an event that you have little to no knowledge about. You’re a reporter right??? Can’t you even do enough research to know what the event was???? Sorry you may have had great intentions, you may have a great point, but I don’t trust that you did your job in researching the topic to come to an informed opinion if you don’t even know what the event was. Please…please do a little research before writing an opinion.
I didn’t grow up here and I spend a lot of time defending OKC to my hometown friends. You aren’t making it any easier.
Steve,
My name is Ben and I am one of many race directors for TRI OKC, the triathlon club of Oklahoma City. I would like to personally invite you out to the Hillapalooza Triathlon at Lake Arcadia on August 16th. Come out, let me show you around the race, and you can meet some of the great folks in the city and state that love our sport. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a triathlon before but I think you’d like it. I’m not trying to sway your opinion about Boat House (I didn’t race that event, I was racing in TX) but would like to have you come out, introduce you to some of our members, and just show you what we’re all about.
Let me know if you’re interested.
Thanks
Ben
I’m not hearing anyone criticize TRI OKC. For that matter, I’m not hearing anyone criticizing the upcoming drag boat races. So Ben, please understand this wasn’t meant to be a slight against TRI OKC – it’s about whether the event is a good fit for the river at this time. With its image still being shaped, is it a good idea to have people swimming in the waterway? This is based on comments by the mayor himself about what kind of hit the river has sustained, perception wise. I understand it’s difficult to endure this sort of scrutiny when your intent is pure – to simply promote the city and create a fun event. But there are people responsible for overseeing the river and I’m asking whether there is a limit to what events are a good fit for it.
OK, first I should know better than to post before my first cup of coffee. Yeah, I lied earlier, I am still reading. In fact, I went back and read the majority of your posts and can see we agree on more things than we disagree on.
The reason I responded like I did though is because I think this issue has been blown out of proportion. First, you are asking a question based on an assumption that is not true. We are all saying this has given OKC a black eye, but the reality is it has not. For evidence, you can see the statement from the governing body of triathlon. They thought the event was great and are anxious to come back. This has become yet another straw-man argument. Yes, it was in the national media, but they all plagiarized off each other. When I watched the broadcast on the local news, I got the impression they became more skeptical of the water quality as the source of the illness once they started asking questions.
Let me put this in perspective with a hypothetical situation. Imagine there was a newly elected president. A lot of people feel threatened by that president so they start applying scary labels like, say, socialist. There is no justification, but they say it over and over again. Eventually, people start writing articles/blogs with titles like: “”Will Socialism Hurt America?” The question is posed is predicated on a completely fabricated idea. This is how I viewed your post.
Again, I wish I had tempered my statements, but the reality is, there is no real negative to come out of this. In fact, it could potentially be beneficial. I have already alluded to the fact that this event should happen again. Other people may want to bring their events to the river. What if they hear about this incident? They may decline because of some vague allusions to a dirty river. Or they may be inclined to research the issue and discover the event had overwhelming positive feedback.
Like the post I wrote on the TRIOKC homepage (when I was feeling less snarky) said, I think the real story is being missed here. I appreciate your concern for our image, but the reality is this event did more to benefit our city than hurt it, and we should not be timid about further promoting our city when we know we have capable and diligent individuals handling the process.
By the way, all I did was participate. I in no way helped put on the event, so I have not taken any of this as a personal attack.
Phillip, I think at the very least a post like this provides an opportunity to really discuss both sides, flesh out the issues and provide readers a chance to interact with each other.
As for the coffee… I understand, completely.
First, I forgot to mention the comment about the testosterone drip was great. However, most people would say it is a lack of testosterone that allows me to run around with shaved legs in spandex.
Steve, I look forward to seeing what comes of the investigation by the health board. For now I will maintain that the negative comments about the race came from a single individual and were perpetuated in the media without evidence. There is little we can do about that and therefore should not allow it to force us into unnecessary caution.
Your question of whether the city is getting ahead of itself in certain areas is certainly warranted and I agree that there are instances where that is the case. I don’t think this is one though.
Maybe we will run into each other at a coffee shop one day. I have a feeling it would be an interesting conversation.
Steve,
I agree. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we have to use it for every single thing. I think the people involved were trying to put on a quality event and it’s unfortunate that the focus has shifted from the outstanding race that Bret and the rest of the Boathouse staff put on to bacterial counts. Regardless, my offer to you still stands. Hope to see you in August.
Ben
It seems to me that the river is too narrow for drag boats. There just isn’t enough buffer room for safety. There used to be races of this nature at Lake Overholser, and I think they should stay there for the sake of the fans’ safety.
As for the triathletes’ contamination, the source has not yet been identified, but remember, the river’s water is untreated, and the contamination could have come from anywhere.
Too much promotion? I believe so. I think the city’s promoters should focus on the rowing and river cruises for right now. Once the Humphries’ development begins, I-40 relocation is complete, and Core-to-Shore is more than just conceptual, then perhaps we can create and promote other events, being careful to evaluate factors like safety, environmental, and the ‘risk vs. reward’ issues.