I just wanted to give you a quick update on the Ohio Water Ski Association's junior development clinics planned for this year.  We have firm commitments and dates are set for three junior development clinics this summer.  The clinics are set for the Cincinnati area, Columbus area and northeast Ohio.  The Cincinnati area clinic will be held at Skiers Runway on June 19th and 20th.  The Columbus area clinic will be held at Emerald Lake in Prospect Ohio on July 1st and the northeast Ohio clinic will be held at the Bootsarosa in Canal Fulton, Ohio on June 24th.  We are still waiting for Sunsite lake in Dayton to firm up a date , but, we are hoping to do this one on July 7th or 8th.  If the interest expressed so far at the boat shows this year is any indication, these clinics will fill fast.  Keep watching the OWSA website, www.skiowsa.com for more information and registration.

The Open Lake Night project is coming together with eleven events already sanctioned and hopefully as many as twenty additional to come in the next couple of weeks.  These events, open to all ages, will provide an opportunity for the juniors to work on improving the skills taught at the junior development clinics and further expand their abilities giving access to a lake, tournament boat and slalom course.
 
Remember, Ohio has changed their novice rule this year to allow skiers to be able to ski the "mini course" in tournaments sanctioned to include novice.  Many of the beginner students last year were able to ski the mini course and were starting on the full course.  This can be achieved quickly on one or two skis even for beginner skiers.  Most Ohio tournaments include novice.  In addition, the Buckeye Bouy Tour tournaments will handicap novice skiers in the same manner as other skiers.  This allows a novice skier to not only be extremely competitive to win at each tour stop, but, also be competitive to end the season as the Buckeye Bouy Tour Champion.  More information can be found at the OWSA website, www.skiowsa.com.
 
All skiers that take part in any of the above events, will have to obtain an appropriate membership for sanctioning and insurance reasons.  Most skiers that took part in the junior development clinic last year in Cincinnati that were not already a competitive member of USAWATERSKI, did the "one event" membership along with an OWSA membership.  I would encourage the juniors to obtain a "grassroots" membership this year if you plan to do more events than one junior development.  A "grassroots" membership will allow you to take part in any "grassroots" events.  The junior development clinics, the Open Lake Nights, the Buckeye Bouy Tour and the Ohio State Championship Tournament are all sanctioned as "grassroots" events   Therefore, if you have a "grassroots" membership, you are able to participate in any or all of these events.
 
I would like to especially encourage the younger skiers to take part in all the events and the Ohio State Championship tournament this year.  The Boys 1 and Girls 1 divisions (age 9 and under as of Jan.1st) and the Boys 2 and Girls 2 divisions (age 13 and under as of Jan 1st) are almost completely wide open this year in Ohio.  There are no remaining Boys 1/Girls 1 skiers after last year that have been skiing tournaments and only a couple Boys 2/Girls 2 skiers.  The top three placing skiers in each event at the State Championships qualify for Regionals.  Last year, an Ohio Boys 1 skier qualified for Regionals in this way where he placed second which qualified him for Nationals.  Prior to Regionals, he had never run a full pass in the slalom course in a tournament.
 
Watch the website, www.skiowsa.com for information or registration for any of the above events.  If you have renewed your OWSA membership, feel free to take part in any of the forums at "OWSA  Talk" especially those related to the above events so we can make these events more beneficial to the participants.  If you haven't renewed or joined OWSA, do so today so you can fully participate.  If you have friends or family in other areas of the  state where we are having any events, let them know so they are able to participate.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
 
 
Kurt Mechler
Jr Development Chairperson