usawaterskiHQ

I thought this group would find this information interesting. It's an annual sports participation survey done by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA). For the most part water skiing participation has been flat since 2020 with nearly 3 million participants annually (did the activity at least once). According to the survey, there are about 855,000 CORE participants (did the activity 8+ times a year) in water skiing. Water Skiing Single Sport Report.pdf

Join the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Summer 50/50 Raffle, where you can support 3-event skiing and AWSA, and also have a chance to win a 50/50 cash raffle! By purchasing tickets, you are directly supporting 3-event skiing's U.S. National Teams. Upcoming events where U.S. teams will compete include: 2023 Senior Pan American Championships (Harmony, NC from Sept. 18-24, 2023); IWWF World Waterski Championships (Groveland, FL from October 8-15, 2023); IWWF World Under 17 Waterski Championships (Calgary, Alberta, Canada from July 27-Aug. 3, 2024); and the IWWF World 35+ Waterski Championships (Agrinio, Greece from Sept. 3-8, 2024). Here's how it works: 1. Visit the dedicated raffle website to purchase your tickets securely. 2. Choose the number of tickets you wish to purchase. Remember, the more tickets you buy, the higher your chances of winning! 3. The lucky winner will be drawn on Tuesday, Aug. 29 and will win half of all funds raised. Thanks for your support of water skiing! Raffle page- https://www.rafflebox.us/raffle/usa-water-sports/1

@buoyboy1 - since 2018 there have been 24 Safe Sport investigations of USA-WSWS members which includes folks from nearly every sports discipline from 3-event to adaptive to show ski to collegiate to barefoot. You can view the suspended members list here (those that received temporary suspensions that have expired do not appear on the current list) - https://www.teamusa.org/usa-water-ski/suspended-members. As I mentioned in my previous post, happy to have offline conversations with anyone - email me at nboudreaux@usawaterski.org. I'd prefer to not get into a debate in a forum over Safe Sport or any other topic (I just chimed in because one of the original posts had misinformation in it) - but happy to have a one-on-one conversation with anyone about anything USA-WSWS. @Buxrus @34mph - if you read The Why behind Safe Sport that should have explained it quite clearly. We obviously want to protect our young athletes but most of actions being required by sports organizations is being driven by the insurance markets trying to mitigate risk. Again, I share the below which is just a small sampling of what's happening in all of sport. Hockey Canada Pays out $7.6 Million in Abuse Claims- https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/hockey-canada-has-paid-7-6m-in-sex-abuse-settlements-since-1989 Kylie McKenzie Sues U.S.T.A., Claiming It Failed to Keep Her Safe - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/sports/tennis/kylie-mckenzie-usta-lawsuit.html USA Gymnastics, U.S. Olympic Committee Agree To $380 Million Settlement- https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2021/12/13/usa-gymnastics-us-olympic-committee-agree-to-380-million-settlement-with-nassar-victims-report-says/?sh=658708e8556d USA Water Polo players get $14 million in sex abuse settlement https://apnews.com/article/water-polo-olympic-games-2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-837aabce492f3debb492181d77dea80e How USA Badminton found itself at the center of athlete abuse allegations https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-12-05/us-badminton-sexual-assault-allegations $6 million settlement for child abused by bowling coach https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/6-million-settlement-for-child-abused-by-seattle-area-bowling-coach/ USA Swimming To Settle Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed By Former Olympian https://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/814377679/usa-swimming-to-settle-sex-abuse-lawsuit-filed-by-former-olympian U.S. Figure Skating to Pay $1.45 Million to Ex-Skater Who Says He Was Abused https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/us/adam-schmidt-sexual-abuse-settlement.html Court Rules USA Taekwondo must protect athletes from abuse, court rules https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1106178/court-ruling-usa-taekwondo-sexual-abuse

@Drago - this project is costing USA-WSWS $0. We get the benefit of some data clean up, access to over 1,000 member stories for re-purpose in other areas (magazine, website, e-newsletters, social, etc.), a hard cover keepsake book to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sport, and a small revenue share from any books sold. For those in marketing - they realize the value of content. And this project will give us a vast amount of content (e.g. "Why I Water Ski" or "What has Water Skiing done for me"). We won't be doing this project again in the future (maybe for the 200th anniversary but none of us will be around for that one).

@Than_Bogan - your information was NOT sold to any 3rd party. We are working in conjunction with PCI on this project and your info is not being used for anything else. The postcards and emails they are sending to promote the program (although approved by us) – are their standard templates that they’ve used in other projects and have conducted A/B testing on to determine which messages get the most calls/member stories. I agree they do have somewhat of a phishing feel to them, but we didn’t have much leeway on the marketing messages as they know what works for their business. Again, I apologize if you feel scammed but the verification is important for the data clean part of the project. At the end of the day, we’re more interested in our member stories and having a 100th anniversary keepsake to celebrate the centennial of the sport. As an FYI, this project was communicated to membership before it started via an email on 5/31 letting everyone know that you would be receiving an additional email(s) and/or postcard and that the project is legitimate. It was also posted on the website - https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Water-Ski/PCI-Oral-History-Project-FAQs.

@Buxrus - I encourage you to read "The Why" behind Safe Sport - https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Water-Ski/About-Us/The-Why---USA-WSWS Some may not agree with the rationale but there actually is rhyme and reason behind the board's decision to implement. We are actually trying to protect our young athletes and the organization as a whole. "The Why" Behind Safe Sport - (from an Dec 21, 2021 email to members) After a lengthy discussion the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports board of directors voted in March 2021 to add Safe Sport training for all adult members age 18 and over starting on January 1, 2022. The below bullet points should help answer “why” this decision was made: As an amateur sports organization, we are required to follow the Safe Sport code per federal law S534, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017. The bill imposes general requirements on youth-serving amateur athletic organizations which include mandatory reporting and prevention training for adult members who have regular contact with minor athletes (Note: The organization would be subject to following the law regardless of our association with the USOPC). Some state laws (California is the most recent example) also mandate comprehensive background screening, abuse & molestation awareness and prevention training, mandatory reporting, etc. The insurance carriers are simply stating that for insureds to qualify for defense and liability coverage with respect to alleged abuse situations, insureds must be following federal and state law requirements. These laws are NOT limited to USOPC and its NGBs. USA-WSWS recently received a letter from Congressional leaders regarding Safe Sport training and background check expectations of amateur sports organizations that oversee sports with minor athletes. The law requires mandatory reporting and prevention training for adult members who have “regular contact” with minors. The definition of regular contact is debatable but typically covers coaches, instructors, officials, leadership boards and national team members. In our sport, regular contact with a minor is evident within the entire sport discipline of show skiing, as there are minors on teams with adults. Show skiing makes up nearly 40% of USA-WSWS membership. Nearly all USA-WSWS sanctioned events (regardless of sports discipline) have both minor and adult participants. For example, the junior divisions at AWSA Nationals have seen eight straight years of participation grown. It’s obvious that juniors are the future of the sport. Of our 13,700 total members comprising nine Sports Disciplines, 3,400 (25%) are minors. The USA-WSWS board felt Safe Sport training for all adult members age 18 and over was the right thing to do in the best interest of athlete safety. The culture around athlete safety in all of sport is evolving and the board felt it was important to be proactive and take a stand in an effort to protect our young athletes. Currently, 15 of the 50 recognized National Governing Bodies (NGBs) under the oversight of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), including U.S. Ski & Snowboard who has double the number of adult participants as USA-WSWS, have a Safe Sport training requirement in place for all adult members. From a liability standpoint, our general liability insurance carrier supported the Safe Sport training decision. Although the requirement does not affect our insurance premium directly, it puts the organization in a better position with carriers moving forward. Some NGBs and other youth serving organizations have now become uninsurable because of claims regarding sexual abuse and misconduct. According to our insurance broker, carriers are going to expect there to be a Safe Sport protocol (or something similar) and background screening in place, regardless of whether or not the organization is affiliated with the USOPC, if the organization wants to have insurance coverage for abuse claims. Organizations such as Boy Scouts of America and Boys and Girls Clubs may not use Safe Sport, but they are required to implement a similar program if they want insurance coverage. (Side note: our insurance broker took USA-WSWS to market to 26 carriers prior to 2022 and only 3 where willing to even write coverage. Our past provider for 10+ years is no longer in the amateur sports arena with any sport governing body due to risk concerns - our sport has motorized boats, minors, girls in bathing suits, etc. - not an appetite for many carriers). Since 2017, across all NGBs, the U.S. Center for Safe Sport has investigated more than 8,400 total cases. Unfortunately, there are bad apples out there. The goal of Safe Sport training is for USA-WSWS members to recognize and help to eliminate areas where potential abuse and misconduct could occur. Protecting our young athletes is important. And if you look at things from a risk management/liability standpoint, we are trying to avoid this (which has destroyed similar sports governing bodies): Hockey Canada Pays out $7.6 Million in Abuse Claims- https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/hockey-canada-has-paid-7-6m-in-sex-abuse-settlements-since-1989 Kylie McKenzie Sues U.S.T.A., Claiming It Failed to Keep Her Safe - https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/28/sports/tennis/kylie-mckenzie-usta-lawsuit.html USA Gymnastics, U.S. Olympic Committee Agree To $380 Million Settlement- https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2021/12/13/usa-gymnastics-us-olympic-committee-agree-to-380-million-settlement-with-nassar-victims-report-says/?sh=658708e8556d USA Water Polo players get $14 million in sex abuse settlement https://apnews.com/article/water-polo-olympic-games-2020-tokyo-olympics-sports-837aabce492f3debb492181d77dea80e How USA Badminton found itself at the center of athlete abuse allegations https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-12-05/us-badminton-sexual-assault-allegations $6 million settlement for child abused by bowling coach https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/6-million-settlement-for-child-abused-by-seattle-area-bowling-coach/ USA Swimming To Settle Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed By Former Olympian https://www.npr.org/2020/03/11/814377679/usa-swimming-to-settle-sex-abuse-lawsuit-filed-by-former-olympian U.S. Figure Skating to Pay $1.45 Million to Ex-Skater Who Says He Was Abused https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/14/us/adam-schmidt-sexual-abuse-settlement.html Court Rules USA Taekwondo must protect athletes from abuse, court rules https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1106178/court-ruling-usa-taekwondo-sexual-abuse

@Bruce_Butterfield - the email and Oral History project you referenced has nothing to do with membership renewals. We partnered with Publishing Concepts (PCI) on this project as they produce publications for hundreds of military and veteran associations, specialty organizations, colleges and universities, high schools, and Greek organizations. We are using this to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sport and they are working on our behalf to collect stories from our members. Here is an example of book they created for Purdue University - https://content.publishingconcepts.com/pubhub/PurdueAlumni/index.html In addition, they are also helping to verify and clean up our membership data when they have members on the phone. Since moving to a new membership database, we’ve noticed a lot of our member data is not accurate (phone, address, etc.). I apologize if you feel this project is a scam but it is not. We simply want people to verify their data and more importantly share their story for the book. There is no purchase necessary to be included in the publication. Full disclosure, USA-WSWS does receive a small revenue share from each book sold ($10 or so) but fundraising is not the intention of this project at all. We benefit from having a keepsake book celebrating the 100th anniversary of the sport and from crowd sourcing all of the member stories which we’ll use later for member spotlights on the website, magazine and social media platforms. For us getting this content is the real value. We've gotten more than 1,300 stories to date that we plan to repurpose over time. As an FYI, this project was communicated to membership via an email on 5/31 letting everyone know that you may be receiving an additional email and/or postcard and that the project is legitimate. It was also posted on the website - https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Water-Ski/PCI-Oral-History-Project-FAQs. We did our best to give everyone a heads up. This project is to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the sport. For those asking about pre-Covid membership numbers, we are down about 500 from where we were in 2019. But the good news is people came back in 2021 and even more came back in 2022 (despite the addition of Safe Sport). I have an open door policy for anyone who has questions about Safe Sport, the Oral History Project, membership trends, financial health of the organization, etc. Drop me an email and I'll answer any questions and/or address any concerns you may have nboudreaux@usawaterski.org. Feel free to also check out the minutes from all Executive Committee meetings (monthly) and board meetings (quarterly). Our organization is fully transparent. https://www.teamusa.org/usa-water-ski/about-us/governance-documents

For those into stats: USA-WSWS total members thru June 30 = 13,935 (up 1,409) from the same time period a year ago. USA-WSWS membership with the SS requirement has actually gone up. AWSA membership is 6,668 (up 702 from the same time in 2021) A total of 6,207 members (out of nearly 10,000 adult members) have taken the core or refresher training - more than 62%. To someone's earlier point about age - yes, the older demographic is the one mostly complaining. Those under 30 are used to doing things like Safe Sport and have no issue with it.

This is Nate Boudreaux, Executive Director of USA-WSWS, I've read through a number of these comments and felt it was appropriate to respond to clarify some misconceptions/inaccuracies that I've seen in this thread. The below will be added to the FAQ on our website soon but should help to address a few things. Q- USA-WSWS requiring members do Safe Sport training because the USOPC is making them? No. USA-WSWS is joining 15 other NGBs by voluntarily introducing requirements on members to complete SafeSport training. Given the family nature of our sport, there are very few events that exclude children. Additionally, unobservable and uninterruptible one-on-one interactions that take place between minor athletes and adult participants within our sport create vulnerabilities for sexual abuse and misconduct to occur. By requiring awareness training, USA-WSWS is taking proactive measures to create a safe and positive environment for all members on and off the water. Q- If USA-WSWS was not part of the USOPC we would not be required to do Safe Sport training? Federal law (effective in 2018) broadly applied many minor athlete abuse protections and requirements to many amateur sports organizations (not just USOPC NGBs), and requires those organizations to adopt child abuse prevention procedures and implement training programs for adult members, and the SafeSport programs provide USA-WSWS with the tools to accomplish these obligations. Additionally, I wanted to clarify how much $$ we've received from the USOPC over the last 2 years and what those funds were used for, etc. The below does not consider any USOPC insurance benefit for our elite athletes (six athletes receive health insurance coverage thru the USOPC) or Operation Gold payments (prize money supplied by the USOPC for 1st-4th place open male and female finishers at the Masters Water Ski Tourney or/Pan Am Games). 2020 • Administrative Grant ($25k for compliance staff person and $25k for 3rd party financial firm)- $50,000 • Covid-19 Relief Grant (half restricted for high performance/elite athletes; which we plan to offer thru an USA-WSWS elite athlete grant in 2021) - $32,400 • Digital Media Agreement (move website to Team USA platform) $50,000 o USOPC covers cost of cyber insurance since we moved to their platform (budget relief) $3,200 2020 Total: $135,600 2021 • Administrative Grant ($25k for compliance person and $25k for 3rd party financial firm)- $50,000 • Digital Media Agreement (move website to Team USA platform) $50,000 2021 Total: $100,000 I'm also happy to address any USA-WSWS members concerns over Safe Sport and/or the USOPC relationship. Feel free to email me at nboudreaux@usawaterski.org or call my direct line at 863-508-2095. We do appreciate your membership and your passion for the sport of water skiing. Nate Boudreaux Executive Director USA-WSWS