What is your reaction to the new USAWS SafeSport Requirement?

[Horton]

What is your reaction to the new USAWS SafeSport Requirement?

[ral]

Already took it.

[gjohnson]

However, I need to be safe sport certified to be involved in youth soccer.

[ALPJr]

Imo it’s a good thing and may likely help bring more families into the organization over time.

[ForrestGump]

I put I am unsure. but that's really whether or not I renew my membership. Because I've already taken the training in order to be a bmx coach. That I get.

 

Bring more families? hahahahahahahaha. Sorry, but that is delusional. Nobody sits there on saturday and says, You know, I think we should try tournament waterskiing because those guys have taken Safesport training. No one.

[skiinxs]

I have already taken the training. I believe this is an overreach however, and that this will severely impact membership, especially the ability to attract new members.

[ETskier]

I don't care that much about tournaments anymore. My club requires at least a trained driver rating, a CPR/First Aid certificating and encourages Safey training. So unfortunately I need to remain an active member.

[bishop8950]

I expect this is about the organization protecting itself more than anything. I expect many other organizations will do the same whether we like it or not.

 

It would be great if the training will make an actual impact on the youth we seek to protect. I hope so. Many speculate on this. You can consider this irrelevant (to your choice of whether to comply) or a part of macro problems in the world today. But here we are, with this issue between me and my sport and I can comply or quit.

 

I won’t quit competing in the sport I love because of something like this, regardless of a view point of A) full support B ) unconvinced C) indifference or D) fully opposed.

[gjohnson]

Well said @bishop8950 . All the training in the world won’t help until people start believing the victims account of the attack. For some reason, humans tend to believe the predators who have the most to gain by lies that smear and traumatize them again. Maybe capital punishment for all those who gas light the victims would help?

[JackQ]

I will take the training and going to tournaments, holding my nose in disgust of the forced mandate.

[Jody_Seal]

For me it is not just the Safe Sport issue however it is more of the constant Hypocrisy and cronyism that continues to permeate and bleed members in this organization. BS policy like the level 10 Mandate was one of the last blunders this organization had. even after signed petitions hard heads with clout disregarded it, rammed it up many skiers backsides.

 

The constant implication of cheating drivers with no accuser putting their name on it.

 

The lack of communication and information from derelict EVPS and directors has become the norm.

 

excessive Rules, policy's and anal ideology is a contributing factor. All for an electronic score!

 

Two of the biggest however is the hard handed way some of these policy's are implemented.

The sport of competitive water skiing will never be an Olympic sport. Having a government enity within this sport such as the USOC is unnecessary and I am tired of putting in my money and time for maybe 15 people in our organization with no real return at all for the general population of members.

 

Lastly the Hypocrisy to me is the pathetic Idea that a previous suspended athlete would be considered and accepted as a board member within this organization. suspended by the same safe sport entity.

having seen first hand the distraught victim and knowing the damage caused by this person on multiple family's I find the handling of it piss poor at best.

 

 

I think the Elites in the sport are looking forward to culling out the membership.

 

Sadly i know of two other athlete / members that said they too will not rejoin and will walk away

 

[MISkier]

I had already taken the training and had already taken this year's refresher/renewal before this was announced, so there won't be any additional commitment on my part to continue skiing.

 

Regarding the Olympics, the only way that water skiing will be an Olympic event is if it is a team sport and your teammates are rowing the boat. They will never, never allow motorized equipment to be included.

[lpskier]

I took it as a member of the AWSA board.

[klindy]

I’ve you’ve taken the training for any other organized sport that requires it, you do not need to take it again. So @ForrestGump, hit the “pay” button, you don’t need to take it twice.

[Jody_Seal]

Still looking for my usoc benefits! They going to give me a tank of gas to drive 200' miles one way to volunteer to officiate a Rankings list event?

[Jody_Seal]

@klindy

 

You might want to utilize BOS as your comunication platform for your directors and counsel.

They and we are getting far more out of you as EVP on this board then any other avenue.

[klindy]

@Jody_Seal thanks but it’s all in the press release too -

 

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Water-Ski/News/2021/April/06/Board-Approves-Annual-Safe-Sport-Training-Requirement

 

About 1/2 way down it says -

 

“ Since Safe Sport works with all NGBs, any member who has already completed training for another USOPC affiliated sport (soccer, swimming, gymnastics, hockey, etc.), will have satisfied the initial requirement with USA-WSWS (although refresher training will still be required each year as explained below).”

 

I assume any refresher training required by another NGB will also apply. USAWSWS isn’t the first NGB to do this. There are currently 15 others (that’s in the press release too).

 

[ForrestGump]

It's not whether I have to take it or not. It's whether I agree with the direction the sanction and it's "parent" are going.

[Jody_Seal]

Still looking!

[LeonL]

I ski in very few tournaments any more, but when I want to I can. It's just the mandate that irks me, that and the foolish affiliation with USOC over the years.

[Booze]

It is a mandate that irks me as well. (for the same reasons aforementioned by Jody and others)

But;

a) the core goal of the 'training' I cannot argue with. It is imperative we keep our Sport as clean as possible, and utilizing the tools available to help achieve that, is a good thing IMO.

b) I have loved (tournament) slalom skiing since the 70's. I've strived to be better and compete on a higher level for so many years. I also look forward to continuing that quest. I'm not ready to quit because of this 'speed bump'. I use that term because I freakin HATE speed bumps, but they don't stop me from using the road I want to travel.

[Booze]

BTW...@Jody I will miss you Bro. Hope to see you later this year.