How come more folks don't do public nights?

[escmanaze]

Calls Fort here in Utah does a "public night" a couple times per summer where they allow the shmoes to come up and pay $20 for a set of 4 passes behind their club boat. It's always a great time and there are always at least a few people there skiing the course for their first time.

 

We talk a lot about how to grow the sport. It seems to me that these public nights go a lot farther toward growing the sport than hosting yet another, one more, tournament where we always see the same folks show up that we have been seeing for years.

 

With the growth of the sport in mind, it makes me wonder why we don't see a bit fewer tournaments and a bit more of these public nights.

 

Any thoughts?

[owennibley]

Honestly, it comes down to time (and liability). It takes a fair amount of effort to do public nights and even more for a tournament. Most lake owners don't want to be bothered by taking the effort to hold the events, although some do like yours.

 

Also, I would be supporting and skiing in a tournament this weekend, however, I refuse to pay the $100 late fee on TOP of the $70 entrance fee as I didn't have my weekend cleared up yet. I'm more than willing to pay a realistic late fee ($20-30) but $100.... Come on now.

 

People on this forum and sport complain the sport is dying off, which is most likely true. But in my opinion, it is the very people complaining about high boat prices and how the sport is dying that are contributing to the sport dying by not allowing access to the course or private lakes. Which is completely fine, I have zero problem with that, its their property and they worked hard to accrue it, but then don't complain when the sport is only confined to the 0.01% that have private lake access.