| Every
year the Wisconsin Waterski Federation hosts a waterski
convention where skiers, show teams, coaches,
directors, boat driver, event organizers, official, sponsors and more
can learn about all aspects of waterskiing. Being that Wisconsin
is home to nearly 50 show ski teams, the primary focus of this event is
show skiing. But skiers of all disciplines who attend find that
there's a part of the convention dedicated to them. Top
professionals from all disciplines are invited to the convention each
year to host classes throughout the day. So if you're a barefoot
waterskier, slalom skier, wakeboarder, swivel skier, jumper, or just an
weekend warrior looking to get more information about the various
watersports, this event is for you. It's like going to a 2-day
school on the sport. Classes (or Tanks as they are called), are
each one hour in length and range from beginner to expert levels.
If you've never been around watersports, you can start in the morning at
the beginner classes and work your way up to more advanced information
throughout the day. The professional skiers hosting the classes
typically run ski schools and are invited to the convention to share
their teaching techniques. So, not only can you learn about the
sport, but you get a chance to meet some of the top skiers in the sport
including names like Geno Yauchler, Kyle Eade, Scott Ellis, Lucky Lowe,
Ron Scarpa, Paul Macdonald, Mike Siepel, Peter Fleck, and more each
year. Typically, the Wisconsin Waterski Federation invites one or
two top pros from each discipline.
Along with the classes, expo attendees get a chance to
browse the convention hall which is filled with watersports vendors and
USA Waterski Representatives. We attend the convention each year to give
the expo attendees a first hand look at the upcoming summer wetsuit
lines from Eagle Sports and BFC. We also make sure to bring plenty
of the latest Freestyle Barefoot videos for everyone to watch.
It's always fun watching the reactions from the crowd as they watch
skiers like Andre & Zane De Villiers, Paul Macdonald, Jamie Kumlien,
Nolan Lough and all the freestyle footers. We here the word "WOW!"
a lot.
Each year, the convention kicks off
on Friday evening around 8pm in the main hall. They always try to
have an event tied into the kick-off to get everyone in a good mood.
In the past, they've had fashion shows, dry land doubles competitions,
and their version of American Idol. This year, they came up with a
great idea that had everyone cheering along. We call it the Showski Team
Skills Challenge. Three Teams of 6 skiers formed to competed
against each other is showski & waterski related tasks. Tasks
included building pyramids, costume changes, rope winding, doubles
lifts, and much more. The funniest was a task that included
putting 5 marsh mellows in your mouth and saying the Pledge of
Allegiance. The team with the lowest overall time won. It's
an event I really enjoyed watching and one I think will grow each year
due to the amount of laughter I saw throughout the auditorium. For
all of you who missed it, fear not, we videoed it for you. Click
on the link below. Please note, we haven't edited any of the
footage. You see it as we did, including all the chaos surrounding
a 1st time event.
Most of the day on Saturday was
spent in the BarefootCentral.com and Eagle Sports booth. We had
all the 2010 BFC Freestyle videos playing back-to-back throughout the day. They were
a big hit as always. It's so cool to watch the reactions of people
as they watch them for the first time. If you having seen the Freestyle Videos or any of the BFC
videos we've shot over the last 10 years, you need to check them out.
Just click on the links below:
Dan Baumgartner,
the Wisconsin State Barefoot Representative, invited me to conduct a
couple classes this year on Freestyle Barefoot and Video Production.
I want to thank Dan for the opportunity. I had a blast
answering questions and sharing stories of our adventures with the
up and coming Freestyle barefooters around the world. It was
nice to see so much interest from the skiers. They all knew
the videos and had their favorite moves. Maybe some day we'll
see some of the students from the Expo at the top of the Freestyle
ranks.
While I was off
doing classes and talking to skiers, my wife Michele, Renee
Erickson, Karen & Scott Reed were holding down the fort at the BFC/Eagle
Sports booth. This year was one of the busiest we've seen.
Skiers were trying on ski vests and barefoot suits all day. We
even had live models walking around in Eagle gear handing out
discount coupons. The girls were all very excited to hear
about Eagle's new line of women's bikinis. They were all
trying to decide what colors they liked best and were able to play
around with Eagle's Customize Your Look website to get ideas.
We ended Saturday
evening with dinner at Kiminski Brothers Chop House. Our way
of thanking everyone that helps us in the booth that weekend.
The food is 5-star and you won't leave hungry by a long shot.
Thanks to everyone that helped make
our trip to the Wisconsin Waterski Expo & Convention a success.
Special thanks to Scott & Karen Reed, Renee & Mackenzie Erickson,
Dustin Ludwikowski, Dan Baumgartner, Chris
Copeland and all the skiers for making our stay an enjoyable one.
We'll see you all back in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Malibu Open.
Be sure to come out to that event. It's going to be HUGE!
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