Quote:
YAVAPAI DOWNS APPOINTS GREG “BOOMER” WRY DIRECTOR OF RACING/TRACK ANNOUNCER/MEDIA RELATIONS COORDINATOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Yavapai Downs, Prescott Valley, Arizona, July 1, 2009): General Manager Gary Spiker announced today the return of former track announcer and media relations director Greg “Boomer” Wry to Yavapai Downs to those positions with the additional appointment of Director of Racing effective immediately.
“Boomer” is well known at the Northern Arizona track, having served previously as track announcer and director of media relations since the track’s inception in 2001. His positions were eliminated earlier in the year as the previous management team announced budget cuts, and combined his former positions with that of the assistant racing secretary. General Manager Spiker also announced that Wry would be the key component to a complete re-organization of his new management team from top to bottom of the organization.
“Boomer brings an excitement for horse racing and an energy level that we in the horse racing business desperately need, as well as his strong previous connection to racing fans in Arizona” said Spiker. “It is our hope that our customers will immediately recognize the fan friendly image that “Boomer” and I want to create on an everyday basis and with his addition to our management staff, he not only brings nearly 30 years of racing experience back to the track, but also has an impressive record in the track management teams that he has been a part of in the past.”
“It is a real pleasure to return to Yavapai Downs” said Wry. “Things never felt right when I wasn’t part of the 2009 racing season, and I am excited about our new team and working with them and H.A.N.A. (The Horseplayers Association of North America) to promote Yavapai Downs as a customer friendly track run by a management team that hears the concerns of their customer base and strives to be one of the leaders in customer satisfaction in the U.S.”
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I want to be one of the first to step up and offer my congrats: Boomer, here's wishing you all the success in the world!
IMHO this news is huge... FINALLY, a track in Arizona with a HORSEPLAYER calling the shots!
And yes, I'll absolutely support you in any way that I can.
For those of you who may not know, Boomer has his work cut out for him. <G>
I can cite two areas right off the bat:
1. AZ's ridiculous state ADW law.
2. AZ's 20 pct WPS takeout (which is set at the state level.)
And while Boomer is stepping into a position where he is charged with turning things around... and I have all the confidence in the world that he will... I also understand that things such as changing state law and takeout obviously won't happen overnight.
But I understand that there will now at least be an effort with support from the racing industry in AZ to strike AZ's ADW law from the books. And while takeout is set at the state level, Boomer has assured me that when the time comes he will work to negotiate a fair signal price for all parties concerned: His track, the ADWs, the horsemen, AND for the first time ever the HORSEPLAYERS! - so that AZ's takeout can at least be mitigated by rebates to those players who seek them out.
Boomer, again, congrats on your return!
-jp
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