Things have been pretty hectic around the WWA office as we continue to countdown to the 2015 Wakeboard World Series. The season is just getting ready to kick off and all of us have been working hard to make this season the best yet. Here’s an inside look on what we’ve been up to over the past month.
After announcing the 2015 WWA Wakeboard World Series in early February, the WWA has been full of activity leading up to the Nautique Wake Open and Malibu Cancun Pro, which will serve as the opening rounds of the World Series this April.
The WWA team first traveled to the Water Sports Industry Association 2015 Summit in the Snow in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The summit brought the towed water sports industry together to discuss camps and schools, wake parks, towboats, and we were thrilled to hear the excitement from everyone in attendance about the growth of the Wakeboard World Series.
Following a week of seminars, meetings, and some time on the slopes, myself and Corrie Dyer Wilson departed for Portugal to meet with the Portuguese Wakeboard and Wakeskate Association (APWW) for a press conference around the Supra WWA Wakeboard World Championships that will be coming to Portugal on September 16-19, 2015. The WWA have partnered with the APWW to establish Portugal as the largest wakeboard tourist destination in Europe, and we’re very excited to bring the WWA World Wakeboard Championships to Portugal for the first time and for years to come.
Everyone in Portugal, from the Center of Portugal Tourism, to the Secretary of State, municipalities, and city representatives are focused on wakeboarding and the country provides a perfect setting for water sports. With world-class surfing already visiting Portugal on the coast, the WWA Wakeboard World Series will now bring recognition to the interior.
We are very proud to bring the WWA Wakeboard World Series to Portugal and are looking forward to years of growth for wakeboarding in Portugal and all over Europe. The APWW are putting all their effort into the WWA Wakeboard World Championships and starting in 2015, all wake sports will now fall under the Motor Water Sports Federation, which will bring even further support and structure to Portugal’s wake events.
The Portuguese Nationals will kick off their season in Castelo de Bode in June, which will also be the home of the World Wakeboard Championships when they arrive to crown the 2015 WWA World Champion on September 16-19th.
See you in Waco,
Shannon Starling
WWA President/CEO