Issue Report - March 2006 - Recent Adverse Website Claims

Recently there was some misleading unsupported information posted on an Australian waveski website with regard to the sport of waveski surfing in Australia and the WSA insurance policy.

An investigation of the issues found either the claims to be false or lacked supporting evidence. The Association has since received a formal apology and the statements have been retracted from the website.

If any WSA members have any issues with the committee or other members of our association, they should follow due process. All issues are to be submitted by the individual in writing with evidence to support any claims to the WSA secretary so their questions can be fully investigated and dealt with appropriately.

We would like to clarify the two points raised to ensure everyone is informed correctly.

Current State of Play of Waveski Surfing in Australia
Recent reports suggest that the number of competitive waveski surfers in the last 12 months has stabilised and is showing initial signs growth.

Recent reports to support this include:

• Majority of Australian waveski manufacturers reporting record high custom waveski orders;
• Large retailers of waveski’s are anecdotally reporting increases in waveski sales.
• To date there have been more local competitions organised this year versus the same time last year.
• The new WSA website is recording double the number of daily visitors in the last 6 months, and
• The current WSA financial membership figures are higher than same time last year.

Another measure that we are looking forward to reviewing is the number of competitors at the Australia Titles this year.

When considering the size of the sport, it’s also important to consider the number of social waveski surfers far outweighs the number of registered competitive waveski surfers. Moulded waveski manufacturers report approximately 500-800 waveski’s sold Australia wide each year.

Currently the sport in Australia is in an initial growth phase and is a long way from being in the clear. There is a large amount of work that needs to be done to get the sport back on track and in a comfortable position of growth. To achieve this, the sport needs everyone to work as a team and help out – it won’t happen alone. So if you want to see your sport grow in Australia, then put up your hand and help out.

WSA Insurance Policy
The Western Australian Waveski Association (WAWSA) has been responsible for the National insurance policy in 2005. The policy was definitely valid and covered all members registered regardless of residential address - a copy of the 2005 insurance policy certificate is available here. This insurance policy was from 7th of March 2005 through to 7th of March 2006. The majority of members renewed their insurance at the 2005 Australian titles in May which was the earliest opportunity to collect insurance fees from competitors on the eastern seaboard. As such, all members who paid insurance fees in 2005 were covered for the period of 7th March 2005 through to the 7th March 2006.

The 2006 WSA membership policy also includes insurance and starts from March 7, 2006 and expires on March 7, 2007. Anyone who wishes to compete in any Australian Waveski Surfing event between these dates must have current 2006 membership and insurance cover. For further information on the insurance policy please click here.

If you have any further questions about the membership/insurance policy, please email WSA.

Waveski Surfing Australia Inc. looks forward to your continued support and we hope everyone can work collaboratively to continue to develop and promote the sport of waveski surfing Australia wide.

WSA Committee
30th March 2006