Ratickle
Founding Member / Super Moderator
Commentary—Finding Perspective At Children’s Hospital
2025 St. Petersburg Grand Prix
www.speedonthewater.com
Created: September 6, 2025
Written by Matt Trulio
To say that self-dealing and often petty drama dominates of the current offshore racing landscape belabors the obvious. Sides don’t matter when each faction is convinced its cause is righteous and just, its motives pure. Once you start believing the lord is on your side, so to speak, all perspective gets lost.
So how do you restore it?
Maybe start by taking a group of offshore racers in town this weekend for the St. Petersburg Grand Prix on a visit to John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in the Southwest Florida city. More specifically take those racers on a visit to pediatric hospital’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute.
Working closely with hospital representative Gina LaRue, that’s exactly what Powerboat P1 media manager Lucy Nicandri did with racers Chad Havens and Leanna Shadlow, Joey Olivieri and Billy Glueck, Rob Lockyer and Christian McCauley and Steve and Stephen Kildahl. For a little more than an hour, the group visited with children in various stages of their battles with the disease. One of the kids was scheduled to be released today.
Another likely won’t survive.
That is perspective.
The visit was particularly relevant for Lockyer, who “rang the bell’—a tradition for cancer patients when they are discharged and are, whether temporarily or permanently, free of disease. Earlier this year, Lockyer, who lives in the English countryside with his wife, Christine, rang the bell himself.
‘When you’re here, the only thing you think about is getting well,” he told a reporter. “It’s the only thing that matters. “
Racing starts today and the competition is sure to ferocious. There are 52 teams are registered for two day of racing.
And thanks to yesterday’s visit to All Children’s Hospital, for of them will see it through different eyes.
The faces of balanced perspective.
