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Greetings all. This is an early notice that the Council meeting will be on January 4, at the same location as the meeting last January in Birmingham. There will be another email sent with the usual packet of information closer to the date of the meeting. Preference is that all attend the meeting in person. However, there will be a virtual meeting for those who can't make the meeting in person. There won't be any special equipment rented or purchased. We'll do the best we can to make the virtual accommodation work as good as we can with what we have.
Thanks to Heidi Teter for getting the meeting room again this year. Much appreciated, Heidi - thank you. I've checked with the State Federations and believe I have the correct names and addresses for council members. If there are any changes, please forward this email to those who are now on council for your state. I didn't plan on making any changes on Committee assignments, but if anyone currently assigned wants to be replaced, please let me know. This is a first call for reports. If anyone on distribution has specific items you want added to the agenda, please let me know.
Bob The IWWF is delighted to announce that Italy and Australia have been selected as the hosts for the 2025 and 2027 IWWF World Open Waterski Championships, respectively.
Italy will host the 2025 IWWF World Open Waterski Championships from 3rd to 7th September 2025, and Australia will host the 2027 edition from 16th to 22nd February, 2027. USA-WSWS Statement On Skiers Transferring Federations
Skiers may be a member of more than one National Federation. Skiers who have represented one National Federation (country) may compete under another National Federation (country) only if they meet certain requirements under the IWWF rules. Notwithstanding this rule, several benefits and opportunities, such as representing the United States in certain competitions, participating in select competitions, and enjoying certain other benefits require a skier to be a U.S. Citizen. Individuals who represent the United States but are not U.S. Citizens may compete in international events independently under the IWWF “white flag” until they become U.S. Citizens and thus eligible to ski under the U.S. flag as members of a U.S National team or U.S. independent athlete. Event organizers shall recognize these athletes as members of the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Federation but representing/skiing under the IWWF flag rules within all event communications. A transfer to the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Federation is not fully complete until USA-WSWS accepts the athlete with approval from the applicable Sports Discipline board. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Q: Is an athlete that transfers federations eligible to compete on a U.S. team (e.g., World Team) in an international competition? Athletes must by U.S. citizens to be considered for selection to a World Team. Q: Can an athlete that transfers federations but has not yet achieved citizenship in the new country be eligible to compete as an independent in World competitions? Athletes may compete under USA Water Ski & Wake Sports as an independent if they meet the IWWF requirements and those of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports. Q: Can an athlete that transfers federations be eligible to represent the U.S. at the Pan American Games? Unless the athlete is a U.S. citizen, he/she is ineligible to compete for USA Water Ski & Wake Sports at the Pan American Games per PASO and USOPC requirements. Q: Can an athlete that transfers federations be eligible for USOPC benefits like Elite Athlete Health Insurance (EAHI) and Operation Gold benefits? Unless the athlete is a U.S. citizen, he/she is ineligible for any USOPC benefits per USOPC requirements. Q: Can an athlete that transfers federations ski at the U.S. National Championships? Unless the athlete is a U.S. citizen, he/she is ineligible to compete at the U.S. National Championships per Sports Discipline rules. Q: Can an athlete that transfers federations appear on the U.S. Rankings list? Unless the athlete is a U.S. citizen, he/she is ineligible to be recognized on a U.S. rankings list per Sports Discipline rules. Q: Can any foreign athlete whose country has been sanctioned by the IOC and/or IWWF participate in USA Water Ski & Wake Sports sanctioned events? Yes, athletes may participate with the approval of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports and Sport Discipline’s board of directors. Q: How should athletes that transfer federations but do not meet citizenship be recognized by event organizers? Event organizers shall recognize these athletes as members of the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Federation but representing/skiing under the IWWF flag within all event communications such as running orders, international rankings list, website stories and webcasts Video Boat Judge (developed by Chip Shand) is a new software application that is ideal for capturing and reviewing live boat video for the slalom and trick events. It was created by adapting the Video Gates application to a single full frame video stream. Therefore, the look and feel will be familiar if you are a Video Gates user. Video Boat Judge is free and can be downloaded from the 3-Event Technical Controller Resources page.
Jerry Jackson https://www.usawaterski.org/technical-controller-resources---awsa Four U.S. Water Ski Teams earned overall team medals and 15 U.S. athletes combined to earn 35 individual medals, including 12 gold, at the 2024 IWWF Pan American Water Ski Championships, Oct. 8-12, in Bogota, Colombia. The teams – Elite, U21, U17 and U14 – were selected based on a pre-determined selection criteria approved by the American Water Ski Association’s International Activities Committee and board of directors.
The U.S. Elite Water Ski Team earned the overall team gold medal, scoring 8,465.86 points. Chile earned the silver medal (7,837.65 points) and Canada the bronze (6,410.47 points) in the nine-team field. Members of the U.S. Elite Water Ski Team were: Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Kennedy Hansen (Milton, Fla.), Anna Hunter (Winter Garden, Fla.), Erika Lang (Gilbert, Ariz.), Lauren Morgan (Tampa, Fla.), and Nate Smith (McCordsville, Ind.). Abelson won the gold medal in men’s tricks (12,190 points) and earned the silver in overall (2,862.09 points); Hansen earned the silver in women’s overall (2,511.32 points) and the bronze in slalom (2 buoys at 38 feet off); Hunter won gold in women’s slalom (3 buoys at 38 feet off) and overall (2,642.11 points), and earned the bronze in tricks (9,550 points); Lang won the gold in women’s tricks (10,930 points); and Morgan won the gold in women’s jump (157 feet). Hunter’s win in slalom came after a runoff with Chile’s Daniela Kretschmer. After both skiers tied with 3 buoys at 38 feet off, Hunter won the runoff, scoring ½ buoy at 38 feet off to Kretschmer’s 1 buoy at 35 feet off. The U.S. Under 21 Water Ski Team earned the overall team silver medal, scoring 6,914.79 points. Chile won the gold medal (7,684.74 points) and Canada the bronze (5,810.36 points) in the 10-team field. Members of the U.S. U21 Water Ski Team were: Alexia Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Jake Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Wesley Blair (Mooresville, N.C.), and Emma Davis (Milford, Va.). Alexia Abelson won the gold medal in women’s tricks (7,250 points) and earned silver medals in slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 35 feet off) and overall (2,245.99 points); and Jake Abelson earned silver medals in men’s slalom (3 buoys at 38 feet off), tricks (11,690 points), jump (177 feet) and overall (2,915.69 points). The U.S. Under 17 Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal, scoring 7,223.26 points. Canada earned the silver medal (6,294.82 points) and Argentina the bronze (5,448.65 points) in the nine-team field. Members of the U.S. Under 17 Water Ski Team were: Alexia Abelson (Holderness, N.H.), Aaron Bartlett (Wolfeboro, N.H.), Giovanni Bloyer (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Cameron Davis (Milford, Va.), Ella Gay (Winter Garden, Fla.), and Corbin Pierce (McDonald, Tenn.). Abelson won gold in girls’ tricks (6,870 points) and overall (2,406.64 points), and earned the bronze in slalom (1/2 buoy at 35 feet off); Davis earned the silver in girls’ overall (2,046.99 points); and Pierce earned silver in boys’ jump (152 feet) and overall (1,932.51 points). The U.S. Under 14 Water Ski Team won the overall team gold medal, scoring 8,212.39 points. Colombia earned the silver (7,154.22 points) and Canada the bronze (5,667.11 points) in the eight-team field. Members of the U.S. U14 Water Ski Team were: Ries Bloyer (Lake Elmo, Minn.), Tia Byrne (Wolcott, Conn.), Freddy Davis (Milford, Va.), Ricky Davis (Milford, Va.), Grace Lohr (Orlando, Fla.), and Jaxen Stabel (Chico, Calif.). Bloyer earned the bronze in girls’ jump (46 feet) and overall (2,013.06 points); Byrne won the gold in girls’ slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 35 feet off) and jump (54 feet), and the silver in overall (2,161.37 points); Lohr won the gold in girls’ tricks (4,090 points) and overall (2,754.14 points), and the silver in jump (53 feet); Freddy Davis earned the bronze in boys’ tricks (4,020 points), jump (88 feet) and overall (2,435.77 points); and Ricky Davis earned the silver in boys’ jump (98 feet) and overall (2,527.80 points). The team staff consisted of Rhoni Bischoff (Orlando, Fla.), coach; and Jessica Van Dyk (University Heights, Ohio), Bulletin No. 2 for the 2023 IWWF Senior Pan American Water Ski Championships is now available to view and download.
The qualifications and procedures (Revised 07/05/23) for the 2023 U.S. Senior Pan American Championships Team and independent skier notification (35-year-old and above skiers only) also are available. The Team for the 2023 Pan American Championships (Sept. 18-24, Skyview Lake Water Ski Club, Harmony, N.C.) will be selected by the AWSA International Activities Committee based on scores taken from the AWSA Data Base from the period May 1, 2022 to August 10, 2023, with a minimum of one score from calendar year 2023. The team selection will be announced approximately Aug. 15, 2021. Notification of Interest to be selected as a member of the US Team (athletes must indicate the event(s) they are in interested in competing in), or to be entered to ski as an independent U.S. athlete (denote what events) must notify International Activities Committee Members Stan Switzer ds.switzer@verizon.net and Jill Smith, bsmith32946@yahoo.com by filling out the form https://forms.gle/nCi5dmcQiyfkiMmK7 no later than Aug. 10, 2021 of their desire to compete to be considered in the team’s selection process. Primary consideration will be given to those individuals that have submitted timely notifications of interest, but the IAC reserves the right to consider other individuals. All independent U.S. Athletes must be entered through this process. Download Q&Ps (Revised 07/05/23) Scot Ellis To Be Inducted Into USA-WSWS Foundation Hall Of Fame
The USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame Selection Committee has announced that former pro water ski jumper Scot Ellis (Auburndale, Fla.) will be the 2025 inductee to the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Foundation’s Water Ski Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on May 3 at Nora Mayo Hall in Winter Haven, Fla. Ellis’ love for water skiing began as a kid in Central Florida when he happened to catch a show by the Lakeland Water Ski Club. At age 7 he was a member of that Lakeland show team, and at 8 he was skiing three-event, too. Used to playing team sports where you might get one trophy at the end of a long season, Ellis won his first three-event water ski trophy and never looked back. “I could walk away with four trophies every weekend,” he says, “and I was hooked.” Most of those trophies eventually came in jumping, but Ellis was more than capable in slalom and was an overall skier into the 1990s. His breakout came at the 1988 Junior Water Ski World Championships. Without a major victory to his name yet, Ellis went to Australia and won gold in slalom and overall, silver in jump and bronze in tricks. They soon knew his name when he broke into the pro ranks in 1990, winning four events and the tour title right off the bat as a 19-year-old. During an era when pro ski tournaments were shown on ESPN and extreme sports were booming in popularity, Ellis was like a literal rock star. Over three decades at the elite level, Ellis was a 10-time World Cup champion, 10-time Pro Tour champion, 3-time Moomba Masters champion, 3-time Australian Open champion and 2-time Moomba Masters Night Jump champion. He also won professional jump titles at the U.S. Masters, U.S. Open and Italian Open. He set 14 U.S. national jumping records throughout his career. At the 2021 IWWF World Waterski Championships, Ellis, at age 50, made the finals and finished in a tie for 10th place. It was his final major tournament before retiring a few weeks later. The U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team won the gold
medal and 37 U.S. water ski athletes combined to earn 44 individual medals, including 19 gold medals, in respective events at the 7th IWWF 35+ World Waterski Championships, Sept. 4-8, at BOTASKI in Sesena, Toledo, Spain. The United States tallied 13,355.67 points in winning the gold medal. Australia earned the silver (10,939.86 points) and France the bronze (10,778.28 points). Athletes and teams from 27 countries competed in the five-day event as the world team title and world individual titles in slalom, tricks, jumping and overall were at stake. Members of the U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team were: Patricia Burt (Greenacres, Fla.), Christopher Eller (Lillington, N.C.) and Jeff Surdej (Wilmington, Ill.), 45+; Mitch Grau (Carrollton, Texas), Lori Krueger (Martindale, Texas), Sally Montavon (Lake Worth, Fla.), and Randy Sterba (San Diego, Calif.), 55+; and Janie Fausold (Pleasant Grove, Calif.), Joy Kelley (Loudon, Tenn.), and Eric Lee (San Diego, Calif.), 65+. U.S. 35+ Water Ski World Championships Team members combined to win 20 medals – nine gold, three silver and eight bronze. Kelley swept gold medals in 65+ women’s slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off), tricks (3,170 points), jump (82 feet) and overall (3,000.0 points); Montavon won the gold medal in 55+ Women’s tricks (4,810 points); Krueger won gold medals in 55+ women’s slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off), jump (97 feet) and overall (3,000.0 points), and earned the silver in tricks (2,940 points); Sterba won the gold medal in 55+ Men’s jump (137 feet) and earned the bronze in overall (2,315.76 points); Grau earned the bronze in 55+ Men’s jump (125 feet); Surdej earned the silver in 45+ Men’s overall (2,285.85 points) and bronze medals tricks (3,320 points) and jump (146 feet); Fausold earned the silver in 65+ Women’s slalom (3 buoys at 32 feet off) and bronze medals in tricks (1,790 points), jump (0 feet) and overall (1,969.69 points); and Eller earned the bronze in 45+ Men’s overall (1,819.36 points). Twenty-nine U.S. athletes also combined to earn 36 medals (10 gold, 14 silver and 12 bronze) competing as independents. Greg Badal (Clermont, Fla.) won the gold in 55+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Marc Bedsole (Orlando, Fla.) won the gold in 55+ Men’s tricks (4,130 points); Brenda Cavenaugh (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) won gold medals in 75+ Women’s tricks (1,130 points) and jump (37 feet), and the bronze in slalom (3 buoys at 75 feet/long line); Leza Harrison (Chuluota, Fla.) won gold in 70+ Women’s tricks (1,760 points); Nancy Congleton (Richland, Wash.) won the gold in 75+ Women’s slalom (2 buoys at 22 feet off); Jack Mills (Jacksonville, Fla.) won the gold in 65+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Stephen Nelson (Arden Hills, Minn.) won the gold in 75+ Men’s tricks (1,100 points); Seth Stisher (Johns Island, S.C.) won the gold in 45+ Men’s slalom (5-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Daniel Wamhoff (Hope, Mich.) won the gold in 70+ Men’s slalom (1 buoy at 38 feet off); John Able (Houston, Texas) earned the silver in 70+ Men’s overall (2,399.43 points) and the bronze in jump (71 feet); Becky Bartlett (Wolfeboro, N.H.) earned the silver in 45+ Women’s jump (92 feet) and the bronze in overall (1,886.40 points); Anne Bennett (Zachary, La.) earned silver medals in 65+ Women’s tricks (2,550 points), jump (42 feet) and overall (1,988.34 points); Skip Dunlap (Lake Wales, Fla.) earned the silver in 80+ Men’s slalom (4 buoys at 75 feet/long line); Jay Eidem (Martindale, Texas) earned the silver in 55+ Men’s jump (126 feet); Patrick Hill (Roswell, Ga.) earned the silver medal in 55+ Men’s tricks (2,780 points); Janet Karr (Akron, Mich.) earned the silver in 75+ Women’s tricks (630 points); Tristina Lindsey (Martindale, Texas) earned the silver in 55+ Women’s jump (76 feet) and the bronze in overall (1,993.77 points); Shann Mills (Jacksonville, Fla.) earned the silver in 70+ Women’s slalom (5 buoys at 22 feet off); Jason Peckham (Cato, N.Y.) earned the silver in 35+ Men’s slalom (3-1/2 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Jill Smith (New Carlisle, Ind.) earned the silver medal in 45+ Women’s tricks (3,130 points); Gwendola Wamhoff (Hope, Mich.) earned the silver in 75+ Women’s slalom (3 buoys at 75 feet/long line); Tim Baker (Brighton, Mich.) earned the bronze in 35+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off); Paul Chapin (White Bear Lake, Minn.) earned the bronze in 70+ Men’s slalom (3 buoys at 35 feet off); Sandra Cummings (Lapeer, Mich.) earned the bronze in 70+ Women’s tricks (320 points); Jazmine Gagner (Pelham, Ala.) earned the bronze in 35+ Women’s tricks (3,010 points); Denise Goldman (Elk Grove, Calif.) earned the bronze medal in 65+ Women’s slalom (2 buoys at 28 feet off); Kelli Kerns (Dublin, Ohio) earned the bronze in 55+ Women’s slalom (4-1/2 buoys at 32 feet off); Casey Mommer (Rivers, Manitoba, Canada) earned the bronze in 35+ Men’s jump (172 feet); and Richard Storelee (Fremont, Calif.) earned the bronze in 65+ Men’s slalom (1 buoy at 39-1/2 feet off). All votes that were cast for the 2025 Southern Regionals bid were in favor of approval, and there was a majority of votes cast. The Regional Championships will be hosted July 23-27,2025, at Rodgers Lake in Ninety Six, SC.
Thanks a lot to Rodgers Water Ski Club for making their site available, and to Scott Snape for leading the effort for placing the bid and being the tip of the spear to make this happen. The prior Regionals just a few years ago at this site were very successful, and we can all look forward to having another great tournament next year. Bob Harris Hello Drivers,
The IWWF Drivers Portal is ready for your use. Please login to your account and see your driving data. Watch the Help Videos (links below) and explore how to search and analyze your personal data. HELP LINKS:
Encourage drivers you know to register for the Portal at www.drivers.ski They must be a registered user to participate in the clinic and receive attendance credit. Please reach out if you have any questions to info@drivers.ski Thanks, IWWF Drivers Portal Team Remember when you drive – Always login into the Rover with your Name and Unique PIN Drivers Clinic - Slides and Video for Sure Path
Session 1 SLIDES (35 MB) https://www.dropbox.com/s/8a6sq5txdgzahzx/DRIVERS%20CLINIC%202022%20SLIDES%20Session%201.ppsx?dl=0 Session 1 VIDEO (3.3 GB) https://www.dropbox.com/s/vp94yyg3ku7g3ge/DRIVERS%20CLINIC%202022%20VIDEO%20Session%201.mp4?dl=0 Session 2 SLIDES (4.2 MB) https://www.dropbox.com/s/vwjteyape0llthj/DRIVERS%20CLINIC%202022%20SLIDES%20Session%202.ppsx?dl=0 Session 2 VIDEO (1.6 GB) https://www.dropbox.com/s/mnbnj5ng207n4i5/DRIVERS%20CLINIC%202022%20VIDEO%20Session%202.mp4?dl=0 Will Bush 8920 Shortline Lane Elk Grove, CA 95624 (916) 837-7464 willbush@att.net www.shortlinelake.com BEWARE OF SPOOFERS AND PHISHERS
One of our AWSA Southern Region members received an email yesterday, which used the name of Bob Harris and his title of EVP of AWSA Southern Region. The email address used was gs469@comcast.net which is not an address belonging to Bob. If you receive any emails using Bob’s name or title like to the one below, please forward to Bob at rbtharris@yahoo.com. It will be reported to the FBI internet fraud department, just like the one received by the member yesterday was. A subsequent email to the member requested a loan of money, to be repaid later. You can also file a complaint yourself to https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint From: Bob Harris <gs469@comcast.net> Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 11:29:56 AM CDT Subject: Re: Greetings Are you available at the moment? Regards Bob (EVP of AWSA Southern Region) One of our AWSA Southern Region members received an email yesterday, which used the name of Bob Harris and his title of EVP of AWSA Southern Region. The email address used was gs469@comcast.net which is not an address belonging to Bob. If you receive any emails using Bob’s name or title like to the one below, please forward to Bob at rbtharris@yahoo.com. It will be reported to the FBI internet fraud department, just like the one received by the member yesterday was. A subsequent email to the member requested a loan of money, to be repaid later. You can also file a complaint yourself to https://www.ic3.gov/Home/FileComplaint From: Bob Harris <gs469@comcast.net> Sent: Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 11:29:56 AM CDT Subject: Re: Greetings Are you available at the moment? Regards Bob (EVP of AWSA Southern Region) 
Shannon Waters is now Southern Region Rep for Jr. Development and Allison Blair is now the 'Chair' for the AWSA Jr. Development Committee
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