What should Krista Rogers do first?

[6balls]

@shaneh writing all that looks like a 5 year plan :)

[klindy]

@6balls - copy/paste takes seconds...wanna guess what @ShaneH did? :)

[ForrestGump]

Duh! I'm too lazy to type more than about 3 sentences.

[boarditup]

Marketing skiing is difficult because it is so distributed. The skiers themselves are the main marketing tool of the sport. USAWS is just the orgainized side of the sport. Most skiers don't even know the organized side exists - they are involved in a physical activity, not a sport.

 

So, I think Krista has a really big job out there is she is marketing the sport. She has a much smaller job of marketing the organization to active skiers. My advice to her would be to pick one of those with the support of the board and run with it.

 

I would say that the magazine is not an effective communication tool outside of the avid tournament skier. So, the decision has to be made whether to change that or keep its narrow focus.

 

That said, if the board listens to Krista and lets her run with a focused approach on one specific area, she will excel and the sport/organization will be much better for it. If they force her to shotgun out there with unrealistic expectations, they will be wasting an incredible talent and asset.

 

I am optomistic and looking forward to what impact she will have on our sport.

[The_Krista]

Thank you for all of the input, support and encouragement. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to share your thoughts and passion. I am listening, digesting and saving to my "ideas" folder. Keep 'em coming Ballers!

[Skoot1123]

@the_krista - maybe when you get to your office/desk and get a little settled down you can provide an update or summary of the scope of your position. Hopefully for us Ballers your scope is unlimited :D

[BobC17]

Lots of interesting ideas. We have an incredibly talented new team we are bringing together at USA Water Ski. Krista (Director of Marketing and Partnerships) comes from the 3-Event world, Taryn Garland (new position - Program Development Coordinator) comes from Show Ski and Britt Hoyland (Director of Competitions & Events) from board sports. Together, this team has the potential to be awesome in making positive and meaningful changes for USA Water Ski. Krista and Taryn start next week and we immediately head into Surf Expo and sponsor meetings. They will certainly hit the road sprinting but we need to allow them to settle into their new positions. We appreciate the support for the efforts being made and for the suggestions that Krista is gathering.

[Than_Bogan]

Thanks for chiming in, Bob!

 

Obviously, the sentiment here is: GREAT HIRE!

[Skoot1123]

Great news @bobC17 - thanks for chiming in!

[sgilbert]

My advice to Krista is to: (1) Ask and listen to what sponsors want, (2) Be an influencer/driver for change within the sport, (3) Think big---and, "out of the box"---i.e. who would have visualized the popularity of the X-Games a few years ago.

 

I've been around this sport most of my 50+ years, and have come to the conclusion that we need to bring "wakeboarding" into the format. I would still maintain a 3-event format, but develop a point system whereby a skier could substitute wakeboarding for trick, jump or slalom. Let's face it, one almost needs access to a private lake to jump or slalom (and there are not many jumps around even on private lakes), but virtually anybody can go out and wakeboard and trick if they have a boat. And, if you would ask Malibu, Correct Craft, Mastercraft, etc. what % "wakeboard" boats they sell vs. "slalom" boats, I think most of us would not be surprised by the lopsided answer.

 

As a few other posts indicated, collegiate skiing provides a huge catalyst for our sport, and I feel this would be a great place to start with this format. I can hear the "moans & groans" now about a big wakeboard boat eating away at the shoreline of a small private ski site, and I'm very sympathetic to that. It will take someone smarter than me to come up with an alternative/solution to that issue. I'm simply of the opinion that if we want to grow the sport, gain more sponsorship, and see fewer % "gray-hairs" (like me) at tournaments, we need complement the traditional format---much like the snow skiing community has with snowboarding, half-pipe, etc. Does anyone truly believe that Red Bull would be sponsoring these winter sports venues if that sport still relied largely on the traditional downhill and jump format?