THE WSIA REPORT
2010
The Collective Voice of the Industry
…together we can accomplish what
none of us can alone
Who We Are
• Mission Statement: The Water Sports Industry
Association (WSIA) is the only trade association that
promotes and protects towed water sports activities
• Value Statement: The WSIA is the industry advocate that
communicates, produces and distributes safety and
educational materials for towed water sports. The WSIA
works with local, state, and federal agencies in
partnership with national governing bodies to ensure the
use of waterways for towed water sports. As a group,
we develop best practices and sustainable growth for all
towed water sports.
What We Do
• Board of Directors consists of the major industry leaders of towed water
sports
• WSIA, under the leadership of Surf Expo, produces the only industry trade
show to include the Leadership Awards and Wake Awards
• WISA produces an industry summit for the purpose of networking to get
better and smarter at what we do with numerous seminars and various
non-endemic speakers
• WSIA produces the industry survey of sales
• WSIA publishes Water Sports Retailer, which provides timely news to
improve market share and profits
• WSIA publishes The Ultimate Water Sports Handbook to provide
education and boating safety knowledge
• WSIA prints The Responsibility Code – a safety poster for retail shops to
display in order to promote and encourage safety
• WSIA solicits membership at the manufacturer and dealer level to promote
a strong bottom line and encourage communication serving as an industry
advocate to the government agencies and the USCG
• WSIA funds waterways rights initiatives and is involved with government
to protect waterways and interpret for lawmakers our various sport
disciplines
• NASBLA member
• NBSAC member
• NSBC member
• Active with the USCG
• WSIA works closely with the USCG regarding safety issues, such as
attending ‘propeller strike avoidance’ workshops to reduce injuries
• WSIA is a member of the UL Life Jacket Standards Committee supplying
input to encourage safety & better flexibility in jackets for skiers and
riders
• WSIA is currently communicating with lawmakers regarding the proposed
‘mandatory life jacket’ initiative whereby all boating occupants would be
required to wear a life jacket at all times. WSIA feels this would be a
serious detriment to the boating industry, but continues to maintain that
safety and reducing boating deaths is a serious concern. WSIA’s public
service ads promote safety through life jacket wear for water sports
participants
• WSIA is working on a safety education video with the state of Florida
regarding wake surfing
• WISA offers a free retailer liability program on its website
• WSIA established universal binding hole patterns for wakeboard bindings
helping to create the multi-million dollar wakeboard binding industry
• WSIA is intently aware of the destructive activities with the Quagga
mussel on the west coast, which is affecting many boaters crossing state
lines causing undue delays and long lines for inspections. Our boating
manufacturers have rallied together to eliminate the mussel, while
avoiding water contamination, and finding a solution to expedite the
decontamination process
• WSIA has established a warnings committee to provide unified warning
labels for manufacturers of product
• WSIA has 14 committees that work on projects to enhance watersports
worldwide
• WSIA reviews grant applications to support grassroot initiatives and
encourage growth in all sport disciplines
• WSIA donated more than $10k in 2009 to a legal fund to hire a
professional industry-wide counsel to interpret the new CPSIA laws for
watersports manufacturers
• WSIA formed the Water Sports Foundation in 2005 – a tax exempt
corporation, to function as the educational arm of the WSIA
• WSIA is currently assisting the parasail industry develop standards and
practices for their sport
Why Do We Matter?
• The water sports industry, world-wide, benefits from WSIA relationships
with government, the USCG, members, and industry contacts
• WSIA works diligently behind the scenes and often times industry is not
aware of this until a problem actually affects them, their product, or their
bottom line! Here is a sample of WSIA’s influence on industry
– Boat sales – WSIA was instrumental in convincing the USCG that their
proposed rule change regarding licensing captains for water sports
instruction be reversed
– Board manufacturers – unified hole patterns on bindings created a
new binding industry
– Inflatables – WSIA funded counsel to help define the CPSIA issues to
protect this industry
– Wake Surf – WSIA has intervened to halt passing of unfair laws based
on inaccurate information regarding this sport
– Life Jackets – the proposal for mandatory life jacket wear for all
boating occupants is gaining strength. WSIA believes this proposal to
be detrimental to the boating industry and is taking a position with
national government that education is first and foremost for reducing
boating accidents. WSIA’s public service announcements support life
jacket wear for those being towed
– Parasail - WSIA assisted in standards and practices for this industry as
well as securing valuable insurance
– Warnings – unified warning labels benefit all manufacturers of product
as well as consumers in an attempt to avoid potential liability
– Safety – Carbon monoxide issues have been studied by the WSIA to
protect all boaters or dispel myths
– Dealers – retailers would not be selling as many boats or toys, if WSIA
was not working on your behalf to protect this industry
Our collective voice is being heard!!!! Join TODAY!