End of wake boarding?

[jmvotto]

Smart money may think so...

From wakeworld.

MasterCraft Withdraws Sponsorship of the Pro Wakeboard Tour
Author: MasterCraft Press Release9-16-2014Categorized in: Articles, News
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Vonore, TN - MasterCraft Boat Company announced today it has chosen to withdraw its sponsorship of the 2015 Pro Wakeboard Tour season, opting out of the final year of its contract with World Sports and Marketing, the event-marketing firm that activates the PWT. MasterCraft and World Sports & Marketing have over 25 years of bringing pro watersports and its pro athletes to fans all over the country. However due to the ever changing landscape of wakeboarding, event marketing, athlete and fan expectations, MasterCraft has chosen to move forward with a new direction for the 2015 summer season.

"MasterCraft thanks the team at World Sports for over 25 years of making the Pro Tour such a highly regarded event," said Aarne Clow, MasterCraft team and event manager. "Despite our wonderful history, there have been so many changes to the wake scene over the last few years that have resulted in the slow decline of attendance and participation, we felt it was the right time to go back to the drawing board, work with our team of world class athletes and deliver a different experience for 2015 and beyond."

While details of MasterCraft’s forthcoming event is still under lock and key, its goal remains to bring a premium experience that progresses and exposes the sport, improves the life of the athlete and rejuvenates the fans of wake sports. More information will be coming out in the early spring of 2015.

About MasterCraft
MasterCraft strives to deliver consumers the ultimate water sports experience by designing and building the world’s highest quality, best performing sports luxury boats in every significant inboard niche. Tours of MasterCraft’s world headquarters in Vonore, Tennessee, are available Monday-Thursday from 2pm to 4pm.

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[KG's Supra24]

That's crazy it has been 25 years!

It sounds like MC has plans in place, though. I wonder if surfing will be involved?

I think owners events would be easier to put on and reach out to far more potential customers. It has become a boating lifestyle, not a pure wakeboard tool. It will be interesting to see what MC does.

[tnbrooks01]

It's been a long time coming. Same thing has happened with motocross/supercross.

The boat/Watersports industry is too small to survive without industry outsiders getting involved. Need title sponsorship money from business outside the industry. Ie energy drink, beer, cell phone etc. that can still co-mingle with the actionsports lifestyle.

World Sports and Marketing needs to have major emphasis put on venues. For example, although not an actual PWT event the Nationals were held at BSR in Waco Texas. Excellent venue to hold both cable and boat events but it's out in the middle of nowhere, there is no one to buy tickets and the attendance showed. If you didn't have child or family member competing you probably wouldn't even have known it was going on there. Not too mention the heat was absolutely brutal. The temperature would not have changed but the event should have been in Dallas to capture major metropolitan area for ticket sales.


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[cornrickey]

Just because something is no longer on TV doesn't t mean it's dieing. My 15 year old daughter wanted to learn how to slalom ski this summer. She dropped once then deep water started and was out side the wake on her second time in the bindings.

[slipperyrockTKE300]

Couple years ago Kyle Schmidt told me (and I paraphrase) "I'm 30 years old now and I'm to old for this sport".

I bet $1 "the world class athletes" who attract the crowds are aging and feel the same way - they are tired of the injuries and the training....and the next generation of popular pro wakeboarders have yet to come forward.

Heck even The Wakeboard Camp where many of the Supra and Moomba team athletes honed their skills no longer exists - now an empty ugly blue shack

[slipperyrockTKE300]

in addition....I think Malibu will be stepping up and taking over the PWT sponsorship.

Looks like they are throwing big bucks into promoting their product - at least in Central Florida. The new dealership in Clermont is HUGE - I'm amazed at the size of their inventory.

Just recently one of them huge Prevost luxury motor coaches with a total Malibu theme wrap appeared out front.

It's gonna be going places and it will be noticed!

[tnbrooks01]

Just because something is no longer on TV doesn't t mean it's dieing.

The king of wake is on TV on NBC Sports network. The Nationals will air on Sept 20th.



Couple years ago Kyle Schmidt told me (and I paraphrase) "I'm 30 years old now and I'm to old for this sport".

I bet $1 "the world class athletes" who attract the crowds are aging and feel the same way - they are tired of the injuries and the training....and the next generation of popular pro wakeboarders have yet to come forward.

Heck even The Wakeboard Camp where many of the Supra and Moomba team athletes honed their skills no longer exists - now an empty ugly blue shack

Darin Shapiro returned to the sport this year and he's 40 and killin it!

The "world class athletes" of the sport are now younger than ever. Multiple time KOW just turned 21 on Sunday ( Harley Clifford). Mike Dowdy, tony Iaconni, Corey Teunissen, are even younger than that. Sam brown who just won worlds in boys is 11 and doing tricks that were "wildcard" tricks in the earlier days of the sport.

The wakeboard camp still exists. It's now on the west shore of minnehaha. The blue building owner sold the building so they had to move.


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[sandm]

it'll go in cycles. surfing is the latest craze. wakeboarding is just going thru a lull right now. how many boat manufacturers are touting new surfing systems in the last 3-4 years and how many are touting new wakeboard initiatives?

it's happening in golf as well. viewership is down, new club sales are down and iirc, for the last 7-8 years more courses are closing than opening. with tiger out of the picture(I say for good), there is not a single dominant force that is drawing crowds. someone will fill that bill, as I'm sure someone/something will be that next big wakeboard thing.


perhaps a 3-event competition... surfing/boarding/slalom. that would be interesting to see..

[KG's Supra24]

World Sports and Marketing needs to have major emphasis put on venues.

I've never searched out PWT events but I would have thought, as someone interested in the sport and living near some of the (arguably) best lakes in the country, I would have seen them come through at some point. Brostock came close by but I don't recall ever seeing a PWT event.

[tnbrooks01]

PWT was at Branson 2 years ago on Table rock the week before Brostock at the Ozarks. Conditions were horrible and attendance sucked. No one that is going to Branson to see the Baldknobbers or Shoji cares about wakeboarding.

Need to go back to Texas Mastercraft in the dfw metro area, the Oklahoma River in the middle of downtown OKC. The river where the university of Temnesee is. etc. go back to the metro areas and advertise the hell out of it in large metro areas.


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[New Guy]

I think that a lot of it has to do with boat pricing. Lets face it this sport / hobbie is ridiculously expensive if there is not a cable close by. Even at that when you board, bindings, jacket, helmet, wetsuit, ect are costing $700+ it is not a cheap sport to pick up. With boat pricing going the way it is there are very few mid 20 year olds that can purchase a new boat. Even with used boats in the mid to upper 20's it is a big investment when you are just starting off in life.

Not to mention if it is a nice day out and I can't take our boat to go watch the event we are going out wakeboarding on our own. We did go to Brostock in the Ozarks a couple years ago and had an absolute blast.

MX is going through a similar trend with the bikes creeping up to 10k. It is no longer a family affair where "dad" can go out and by bikes for everyone in the family.

Just my 2 cents.....

[skiyaker]

Pro skiing and wake boarding could do a better job of connecting with the guy who skis or boards behind a 17 foot bass tracker or pontoon. For the pro level to survive I think they have to reach out to that crowd- there's a lot of people out on the water but not that many skiing the course or riding a board behind a 6 figure boat. On the skiing side Marcus Brown has done a great job reaching out to that crowd with the message "if you're on top of the water making spray then you're a real skier." And I think the skiing community has really embraced that message. I don't see that as much on the wakeboard side.

[slipperyrockTKE300]

"The wakeboard camp still exists. It's now on the west shore of minnehaha. The blue building owner sold the building so they had to move."

Cool! I had no idea they were now open for business. I drive past the Cypress Cove Marina everyday and there is no signage out front for TWC.

The old blue building is soon to become a parking lot for a future out of business restaurant.

[deerfield]

"The wakeboard camp still exists. It's now on the west shore of minnehaha. The blue building owner sold the building so they had to move."

Cool! I had no idea they were now open for business. I drive past the Cypress Cove Marina everyday and there is no signage out front for TWC.

The old blue building is soon to become a parking lot for a future out of business restaurant.

Good thing I took a photo of the old blue building! Something more to add to my scrapbook.

[Blueliner]

In the wide world of sports wakeboarding is pretty obscure; therefore I think that it is more exposed to a cycle of interest (which might be ebbing). If you consider that there is such a high cost of entry, steep learning curve, high cost of operation / maintenance, and a very good chance you could be injured (per outing), no wonder. Furthermore with an aging demographic…that lately is cash strapped, it should come as no surprise things might be falling off a bit. It could very well be that wake surfing might be wakeboarding’s saviour…it will keep the boat manufacturing and allied industries going until interest is on the upswing again, until those little kids grow up and don’t want to do the wakesurfing stuff their parents and grandparents do and discover wakeboarding. This might be true if the boat industry can get back to its roots of making a product that has good value. It is ludicrous that an early twenty something can afford a $100K plus boat, look at all the marketing, I am not sure you will see a family unit with their grandparents enjoying an afternoon on the water with a range of activities, all the brochures show teenageish looking individuals. As a newcomer to this sport all I can say is that the marketing and double barrel blast pricing is scaring a large cross section of public away. Too bad, it really is an exciting sport…and a lifestyle. The boat manufacturers MUST market the sport and boat ownership as a family activity.

[WhiskeyRunner]

Maybe Mastercraft saw technology eliminating the need for the boat all together like this self propelled wake board:

http://gizmodo.com/an-electric-wakeboard-is-probably-the-best-way-to-spend-1636624275/all

I kid, I kid. Just wanted an excuse to share this cool video. Not sure I would ride one personally, but kudos on the design nonetheless.

[bashton]

Hats off to Supra/Skiers Choice for stepping up to sponsor the PWT 2015!

http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/news/2015/02/02/2015prowakeboardtour/

Here is to supporting those who support what we all love.

Bashton

[maxpower220]

Sponsorship of riders and events costs money. Those costs are generally past on to buyers. There are many reasons that Mc bu and cc cost more and sponsorship is one of them. Just a thought.