Sound-offs can be both fun and stressing. But in all cases, bullying is unmerited. My advice, don't sink to their level. Like Chuck, take the high road instead.
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| International Auto Sound Challenge Association |
Chuck Barbosa, now a serious Kansas City SWAT officer, was once a lost audiophile punk like me. One day, I convinced him to enter one of the most challenging shows in the US. Prior to working together, he had not had much luck at big venues; so Chuck was not too excited. But he obliged in the end.
Battered Spirit on Saturday Morning
On the morning the first day of the event, Chuck was finishing detailing his car when a famous competitor approached him. “Nice car” he said. “What class are y'all in?” Chuck competed in Amateur 251 to 500. “Damned boy, if I was you I'd stop cleaning the car and start tuning. Do ya know that red truck over there? That truck is gonna whoop you boy!”. And after pointing at his teammate's red Florida Mazda he walked away smirking and shaking his head. Needless to say, Chuck was devastated.
When Chuck told me, I replied “So what? What do you worry about? If they are better, you’ll loose any way. But they are not the judges. You just do your best and leave the rest to the real judges. The guy was just trying to intimidate you. Don’t pay attention.
I had known this guy for a few seasons but he didn't know much about Chuck and what we had done with the car. He was therefore talking out of his rear.
Chuck decided to trust on our preparation and did a really good job presenting the car.
Award Anxiety Sunday
Trophy time arrived. Those were very competitive events when plenty of good cars battled for the last few points. Being that his new system was being day-viewed, we had no idea what to expect.
Fifth place was called. Then came fourth place. Third place went to the very good red Mazda truck. Chuck feared the worst and begun to walk away. Second place went to another impressive car.
Totally numb, Chuck didn't recognize his name when called for first place. “That’s you Chuck” everyone who knew him yelled. His smile couldn't grow any bigger. The whole thing erupted into an applause frenzy. Many people knew Chuck's incredible dedication and his previous lack of success.
Still floating, Chuck once again missed his name as Best of Show Amateur winner. It could not get any more surreal! He was finally on his way to becoming one of the most decorated sound-off competitors in the nation.
Sweetness
As soon as the last trophy was awarded, I asked Chuck, who was still glowing, to follow me with his two trophies. We walked towards the guy and, after congratulating him for his trophy, I followed my smile with "I came to introduce you to my new protegee. Meet Chuck".
The following are a few old pictures and a video of how Chuck's car looked at the end of the 1995 season (I will discuss the features in a future post):
As soon as the last trophy was awarded, I asked Chuck, who was still glowing, to follow me with his two trophies. We walked towards the guy and, after congratulating him for his trophy, I followed my smile with "I came to introduce you to my new protegee. Meet Chuck".
The following are a few old pictures and a video of how Chuck's car looked at the end of the 1995 season (I will discuss the features in a future post):
.JPG "This was a time when there was no reality show on TV to make you famous. The work was poorly paid. We worked this hard because of our love for the craft.") |
| Outside of the Red Laser during winter storage |
.JPG "Chuck's Laser was a very mature system. All details were perfected. If he could have only bought nicer wheels for this photo session...") |
| Vehicle exterior as it looked at the end of the 1995 season |
.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F* "In Chuck's car, extreme attention was paid to every detail. There was plenty of color matching hoses and braid. We also bent very thick acrylic pieces. But perhaps the hardest was polishing such pieces by hand. Each took about two days.") |
| Lots of chrome and 3/8" acrylic |
.JPG "Chuck Barbosa's Laser had more chrome and more detail than almost any other car around at the time. Best of shows where thrown at him once we got this very difficult car to sound fantastically.") |
| Engine compartment |
.JPG "In Chuck Barbosa's Laser, extreme effort was paid to every detail, from the hue of the very difficult to match interior color, to the commitment to keeping door and kick panels very thin despite the monstrous speakers we used. But perhaps what was most impressive about the car was its sound quality.") |
| Right door with midbass grills |
.JPG "With the front seats modified and without bulky door and kick panels, listeners were rewarded with the sweetest sounds that a fully modified ODR and Focal combination could muster.") |
| Right door with grills removed |
.JPG "Today, everything is always in-your-face. Back then, we built cars that looked elegant while closed and stunningly flashy when closed. I prefer the old way.") |
| Front-interior with very small kick panels |
.JPG "Chuck liked everything motorized. The globe box. The radio's fake face. The rear seat. The amp rack.") |
| Front-interior with motorized globe box and head unit |
.JPG "In Chuck Barbosa's Laser, extreme effort was paid to every detail, from the hue of the very difficult to match interior color, to the hand polish quality of all acrylic. But perhaps what was most impressive about the car was its sound quality.") |
| Fuse distribution behind the motorized rear seat |
.JPG "Not much to see in Chuck Barbosa's car when the motorization closed all compartments. Yet, the most impressive part was its sound quality.") |
| Closed rear seat |
.JPG "In Chuck Barbosa's Laser, extreme effort was paid to every detail, from the hue of the very difficult to match interior color, to the hand polish quality of all acrylic. But perhaps what was most impressive about the car was its sound quality.") |
| Rear hatch area with amp motorization, woofer box and battery compartment |
.JPG "In Chuck Barbosa's Laser, gobs of time was invested into every detail, from the hue of the very difficult to match interior color, to the hand polish quality of all acrylic, to racks and compartments that were too small for the components they kept. But perhaps what was most impressive about the car was its sound quality.") |
| Rear hatch area with amp rack closed and motorized rear seat with ODR system |
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