As athletes, we have an obligation to protect, enhance and promote the brand of our sport and the companies and products that sponsor our event. As competitors, we must remove even the perception of cheating of any type from our sport to have fair competition.
As a positive step toward promoting our sport, giving back as well as isolating any suspected users of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) we are organizing a 35+ Skiers Association rooted in the following principals:
- Mission: A volunteer organization dedicated to building and growing the companies and brands that support and sponsor over 35 water skiing events through fair competition, engaging events and community involvement.
- Vision: We will build a world class association that is the model for how athletes build value for companies and brands that support and sponsor worldwide 35+ competitive events.
- Values:
- Help those who help us
- Play Fair
- Give Back to our Sport
- Aid in promoting current sponsors/partners and bring new sponsors into the sport
- Objectives:
- Have 100% of Big Dawg series skiers join
- Have 100% of Skiers skiing in +35 World Championships join
- Unite the athletes, and lead through our actions
- Strategy:
- Build brand awareness and preference for sponsir products through active promotion
- Engage fans using both social and participatory events
- Establish rules and standards for competition that increase fan entertainment, participation and engagement.
- Tactics:
- Protect the brand reputation of sponsors and our sport as well as the safety of our athletes.
- Athletes who win prize money or receive a medal agree to volunteer PED testing.
- Raise money for charitable causes, the athletes advancing to the “Finals” of an event will participate in a Charity Auction or Bracket Challenge.
- Create a higher degree of fan engagement and excitement.
- Track and post member athlete competitive statistics such as head to head records, top scores, average scores, conversion rate etc.
- Processes:
- Train athletes and follow best practices for interviewing and promotion using the NASCAR model.
- Establish both online and live charitable events using methods and best practices established for such events.
- Follow World Anti-Doping Agency http://www.wada-ama.org best practices where appropriate.
As a first step to organizing these athletes, the Following Big Dawg finalists have volunteered and agreed to PED Testing at the Big Dawg Finals in Texas later this week.
Andy Mapple
Ben Favret
Bruce Dodd
Chad Scott
Chet Raley
Chris Clark
Darren Janzig
David Miller
Greg Badal
Harald Hintringer
Jason Seels
Jay Leach
Jed Blackburn
Jeff Rodgers
Jeremy Newby-Ricci
Jerry Goodson
John Shealy
Kevin Bishop
Kris LaPoint
Kyle Jones
Kyle Tate
Marc Shaw
Mark Brandt
Mike Robinson
Scot Jones
Scott Larson
Seth Stisher
Steve Schroeder
Tim Henderson
Tim Huston
Todd Johnson
Todd Kuykendall
Todd Ristorcelli
Ward McLain