Champ follows in dad’s wake with hydroplane racing title

Andrew Tate always had aspirations of a career in professional sports.

However, the Michigan native thought it would be on a sheet of ice after growing up playing hockey.

Sure, he had that other hobby of boat racing in the spring and summer once the frozen ponds of his native Michigan had melted.

But it was skates, sticks and pucks he saw in his future.

Right choice.

Last month in Detroit, Tate clinched the 2018 H1 Unlimited Hydroplane championship and in doing so — along with father Mark — became the first father-son combination in the history of the sport to claim the crown.

“Certainly, it means a lot for our family,” said Tate, whose title now stands alongside his father’s championships in 1991 and ’94. “My family name and history has been built around boat racing. It’s a prestigious sport and an honor to be able to compete.”

Being a fourth-generation boat racer, Tate always envisioned capturing checkered flags on the water, but wasn’t always sure his vision would become a reality.

“You always have childhood dreams, whether you’re playing with boats in the bathtub or whatever,” said Tate. “But now that it’s actually happening, it’s all kind of surreal.”

Dad couldn’t be more proud of son, whose U-9 Delta/Realtrac team is competing in the circuit’s season finale this weekend on Mission Bay.

“When Andrew won, I was more choked up than when I won my first one,” said Mark Tate. “He’s carved his own path in the sport — it’s a great feeling as a father.”

Racing has always been family-oriented, with some of the greatest names in the history of the sport, regardless of discipline, passing the tradition down from one generation to the next.

The Tates are no different.

According to Andrew Tate, it’s a natural progression.

“We travel together, stay in the same hotels, eat meals,” he said. “It’s one, big family experience which really becomes a way of life.”

Not to mention the sport being in his blood.

However, Andrew was faced with a choice early in his racing career.

“I had to choose between either cars or boats — one or the other,” said Andrew Tate. “But it was easy because boats were all I knew.”

After focusing on the water, it wasn’t always easy having a world champion father in the same sport to which he was now dedicating his life.

“At times, my dad could be overbearing,” he said. “But he just wanted the best for me. Over time, as I’ve had more success, he’s begun to step away a bit and let me figure out things on my own.”

Mark Tate said there was always a method to his madness.

“You tend to hold your children to the same high standards you had for yourself,” he said. “No matter what I did, I always put 110 percent into it.”

But, at a certain point, father realized he finally had to let son find his own way.

“It’s a process of learning and experiencing things for yourself,” said Mark Tate. “Andrew’s a great kid — he’s always willing to listen and learn. As a parent and fellow racer, I couldn’t be more proud.”

Andrew Tate’s championship-clinching victory in Detroit was especially gratifying because it was in front of a hometown crowd.

“All of my friends and family were there to support me, which made it that much more special,” he said. “It was great to be able to share it with all the people who made me the person I am today.”

Water seems to have agreed with Andrew Tate just fine after all, only not the frozen variety.

This article appeared in the September San Diego Tribune in 2018.