The Tournament (Waterski) Committee met yesterday and discussed the ongoing Covid-19 situation and its impact on this years waterski season.

The current position is that all sanctioned Tournament events in the UK have been cancelled up to the end of June. We said that a decision about the events scheduled in July would be made at the end of May but as Lockdown restrictions are slowly changing a decision about July and beyond will now be taken by the TC in a meeting scheduled for 11th June. This includes a decision about the August National Championships.

While the current restrictions on social distancing and group gatherings stay in place it is difficult to see how competitions can resume however we want to leave all options open as we move forward.

At the World level the U17 Championships have been postponed until 2021 with dates still to be announced. The 35+ Championships have been rescheduled for 13 – 19 September 2021 and a decision about the World University Championships is imminent.

In Europe the 35+ Championships have been cancelled and decisions about the Open, Youth and U21 events will be taken 60 days before the events are scheduled. If these events do ultimately take place the TC will consider the safety and well being of our skiers before deciding to enter individual or team skiers.

We remain hopeful that some part of the competitive season might well be salvaged but clearly we, like all competitive sports, will be guided by the government guidelines and advice from the Sports Councils.

📣 We are delighted to announce the 2020 GB Squad. The Tournament Committee has selected the top water ski athletes from across the United Kingdom, based on performances from the 2019 Tournament Season. 📣

We would like to congratulate everyone who has been selected, your hard work and dedication to our sport does not go unnoticed despite these difficult times. We await decisions from IWWF and E&A with regard to future competitions. If events are to go ahead, the Tournament Committee will review the safety aspects surrounding this before any decisions are made to send a GB Team.

The April Draw of the 200 Club Lottery took place yesterday with Mark being socially distanced from the camera person. This month there were 141 balls in the bag generating a prize fund of £1,145.63. The lucky winners were:

1st £458.25 No 10 Stuart Scott-Ely
2nd £343.69 No 60 Colin Slater
3rd £229.13 No 85 Juliet Thompson
4th £114.56 No 125 Jo Kelly

Congratulations to them and a big thank you to everyone who continues to support the 200 Club.
Click on the link below to see the video.

Next year will be challenging with the World Open Championships and World U21 on the calendar as well as the postponed World U17 Championships. So while we may not spend all of our planned budget this year we will certainly do so in 2021 so building up our funding remains as important.

Since we started a total of £114,000 has been raised and £74,000 spent. The major areas of expense have been travel grants to our World and European Team member, Development Days and Youth Squad Training, as well as the lottery prizes of course.

So far 124 prizes have been won by 65 different ticket holders and £31,500 has been paid out in prizes since 2017.

LET’S KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

200 Club April 2020 Prize Draw

Tournament Calendar July 2020

In our communication at the beginning of April we said that a decision about our June calendar of events would be made at the end of April. The Tournament Committee has reluctantly reached the conclusion that it is unlikely that any Government easing of lockdown restrictions will facilitate sports activities involving travel and gatherings of many people over the May and June.

While we are all looking forward to getting back on the water and all competitions resuming as soon as possible we have a duty to ensure the safety of skiers and officials participating in any sanctioned events.

Consequently, the TC have decided that all sanctioned events of the calendar for June will be cancelled.

This decision has been communicated to the organisers of the scheduled events who have confirmed their understanding and that they will reimburse any entry fees paid.

As far as the Combined National Championships are concerned, we said that a decision would be made at the end of May and this remains the case.

We will review the July calendar at the end of May.

World and European Championships

The IWWF have already announced the postponement of the World U17 and 35+ Championships until 2021.

The E&A Waterski Council have said that decisions about European Championships will be made 60 days before the events are due to take place.

Steve Sopp

Chairman Tournament Committee

In light of current events affecting most countries, to ensure the safety of organisers and athletes and to show social responsibility, the IWWF and USA Water Ski & Wake Sports have agreed to reschedule the 2020 IWWF World U17 Waterski Championships to a date to be determined in 2021.
his will remain as the 2020 IWWF World Junior Waterski Championships, so skiers born in the year 2003 or after will be eligible to compete and the IWWF will provide Federations with updates as soon as available.

The event, originally planned for August 2020, will be held at Pickos Ski School, located in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, minutes from the top beaches in the United States.

The IWWF will continue to monitor the world-wide coronavirus situation while the organiser advises on any travel restrictions leading up to the event. Federations will be informed ahead of time if there are any further changes.

The March 2020 FoT 200 Club Lottery Draw has taken place. There were 142 balls in the bag for this draw and the winners were:
1st George Hazelwood £461.50 No 11
2nd John Philips £346.13 No 107
3rd Peter James £230.75 No 175
4th Jose Antonio Perez Priego £115.38 No 105
Congratulations to them and a big thank you to everyone who supports this fund raising initiative. It’s a difficult time for everyone but it will pass and we will eventually be able to restart our sport. When we do the money we are raising will be put to good use to support Development initiatives and our Teams’ participation in World and European Championships. There have been 122 prizes since the 200 club began, won by 63 of the participants……a total of £30,406. so if you haven’t been one of the lucky ones so far , good luck in future draws.

You can see Mark Beard and Robbie Douglas performing the video via this link:

FoT 200 Club March 2020 Draw

Dear Tournament Event Organiser, Competitor/Licence Holder and Tournament Official,

The Tournament Committee over the past few weeks have been monitoring developments regarding the Coronavirus outbreak and the guidance given to us all by the Government.

We believe that the time has come to make some decisions about the 2020 Calendar which is due to get underway in the middle of May so that there can be some clarity and certainty for organisers and participants.

Most water ski sites are currently closed, and some Organisers have already taken the decision to cancel events.

It is clear that the current restrictions on unnecessary travel and the requirements for social distancing prohibit any participation sporting events from taking place and even when these restrictions start to be lifted it is unlikely that sports will immediately recommence.

Consequently, the Tournament Committee have decided that all events on the Calendar for May 2020 must be cancelled and will no longer be sanctioned.

Thereafter each month’s activity will be reviewed one month in advance. So, a decision will be taken about June events no later than the end of April and so on.

Any fees already paid to BWSW in relation to events will be reimbursed to the organising club.

Of course, Organisers may decide to cancel their events in advance of our monthly review and in those circumstances, fees will be reimbursed as well.

Combined National Championships 2020

The National Championships are due to take place in August at Oxford Wake and Ski Club.

After consultation with the Organiser we have decided that the situation will be reviewed at the end of April and a final decision about going ahead with this years’ Championships will be taken no later than the end of May.

These are challenging times for all of us, but we will get through them, get back on the water and enjoy the sport that we all love. In the meanwhile, stay safe and well.

World and E&A Titled Events

These are all under review and decisions will be taken at least 60 days in advance of the Competition dates. It is already decided that the U17 World Championships will be postponed until 2021. In this case all skiers who are eligible to participate this year will be able to take part in it.

Please all stay safe and keep well . . .

Steve Sopp

Chairman Tournament Committee

An update on the March Draw. It will take place on the 10th April and so there will be a little bit of fun to look forward to amid all the gloom. As usual the draw will be videoed and put online. The March Direct Debits are a bit late but will be taken next Tuesday 7th April.Thank you everyone for your continued support.

The E&A Waterski Council have published the E&A Additional Rules 2020 which can be downloaded on the following link. Following the restructuring of the World Rulebook the Additional Rules have been updated to reflect the way in which the World Rulebook has been modified.

Additional Rules 2020 Version a

The E&A Waterski Council have developed some online learning resources and live webinars to replace this years seminar.

All level 1 and 2 Officials should have received joining instructions.
All other British Officials should have received an email today containing the information below and with a link to register if you would like to access the courses or webinars.It is a great resource so please check it out.

Dear Official,

As promised the WaterSki Council is pleased to provide some Online Resources that we would normally present at the Seminar.
We hope the resources will be useful and educational for you.
They have been launched on our new educational platform. learn.europewater.ski

We will use this platform for all our Educational and Exam material now and in the future.
Please have a look around and give us your feedback.

Please take the Courses listed under Seminar 2020. These include:

2020 Rule Changes

Situations for Discussion

End Course Discussion

Questions you have asked

Feedback and request for Online Sessions.

Workshops

SplashEyeDrive

Sure-Path

& Waterski Council

This weekend the WaterSki Council will present three online sessions:

Saturday April 4th. 11:00 CET

“According to the Rules”

Presented by Candido Moz and Other WaterSki Council Member.
An interactive session covering Rule Changes and other questions you have asked
Approximately 60 minutes
You will receive an invitation at 10:30 CET with Zoom connection instructions.
The meeting will open at 10:45 CET
Please connect in good time as we will start promptly at 11:

Saturday April 4th. 13:00 CET

“SplashEyeDrive Setup and Usage”

Presented by Donal Connolly
Live Demonstration of how to Setup and Use SplashEyeDrive Approximately 60 minutes
You will receive an invitation at 12:30 CET with Zoom connection instructions.
The meeting will open at 12:45 CET
Please connect in good time as we will start promptly at 13:00

Sunday April 5th. 11:00 CET

“Sure-Path Questions and Answers”

Presented by James Timothy, Sure-Path Inventor and WaterSki Council Member.
Everything you wanted to know about this exciting new technology
Approximately 30 minutes
You will receive an invitation at 10:30 CET with Zoom connection instructions.
The meeting will open at 10:45 CET
Please connect in good time as we will start promptly at 11:00

Other online sessions will be presented by the Council if there is demand for them based on the Seminar Feedback form.

All Level 1 and Level 2 Officials will automatically receive an invitation to the platform.

Please feel free to invite other Officials, Organisers or Federation members to register by filling in this form.

Hoping you are all safe,

Donal

Donal Connolly

WaterSki Council