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an expression of wonder . . . and acronym (I love those) for
World of WomenSports
Three
time world record holder Jennifer
Leachman(Slalom)
and three time world record
holder Sherri
Slone(Jump) started
WOW
in 1993 after Women's Jump had been dropped from the Pro Water Ski Tour.
They foresaw all womens waterSki disciplines being dropped from the Pro
Tour - leaving professional female athletes like themselves with no place
to work. It happened two years later. Had it not been for WOW
many
of the Worlds Top WaterSkiing Women would have been out of a workplace,
as in no job. As it turns out (like life always does) there is no
such thing as a problem without a gift for you.
WOW
was nothing short of a Godsend:)
WOW-
On Tour
recreated competition waterSkiing
for women by using an exciting, crowd thrilling, team format. Five
of the worlds best waterSkiing
women, (1 trick, 1 slalom, 1 jump, 1 wakeboard, 1 wildcard) per team -
4 teams. WOW's
gotten
more airtime than the Pro Tour ever dreamed of :) Sponsors haven't
exactly thrown money at their skis, but there are several who have really
supported WOW.
WOW
- Sports Clinics were created to build a wide,
solid foundation of new skiers, a few of which might elect to make waterSkiing
their career. Although WaterSkiing is a family sport (youth learn it with
their parents, they grow up and teach their children) competition skiing
is male dominated; most women feel intimidated.
Jennifer Leachman tells a great story about after setting her first world record when a leading towboat manufacturer gave her a free boat, She stood on her driveway, admiring her boat, drinking a cup of coffee, thinking it was pretty awesome; she'd earned a world record in a sport she loved, and there was a new boat as reward . . . then she realized she had no idea how to hook it to a tow vehicle or tow it to a lake . . . her Dad or brother had always taken care of such things. (This is the type of personal story told at a clinic by a Pro.)
WOW - Sports Clinics are for women and children (men may attend but they must bring a woman whose skiing level is lower than theirs - or wear a dress- the dress deal's just at our place - I told my husband and World Champion Mark Turner they could only attend the clinic if they wore dresses - they are indeed mighty men! The women were not at all intimidated - they loved it:) From Left to right - BrieMoore, Pro Wakeboarder, KeNyA Brett-Sandhagen, Neva Brett, Kent Sandhagen in the flowered dress and Mark "ANIMAL" Turner in the leopard number!
Women
learn how to ski, improve their skiing, basic boat maintenance, trailering,
safety, boat driving, and enjoy the non threatening atmosphere of the clinics.
The idea is to get more women and children out on the water, they need
to feel confident to do so, they need to be able to go without their men.
(Guys, think about this - if your woman starts enjoying skiing, can
handle the boat alone, she's going to be more inclined to agree to BUY
more ski stuff, go the lake more, A win-win situation, as long as
you spend responsibly.)
It's quality time spent being instructed from one or more of the top female waterSkiing athletes on the planet at a phenomenal value, The clinics are awesome, the pros are awesome. Very, very, down to earth, no intimidation. (That's Sherri Slone kneeling, a 2 time world record holder, Our KeNyA Brett-Sandhagen, a former World Record holder @ 4 months/29 days, April Coble, Master's Champion, and Jennifer Leachman, 2 Time World Record holder, hamming it up after a WOW Clinic at our Pond in 1996. It was 112 that day, we had 50 women participating in the clinic. Jennifer spent 45 minutes in someone's truck on the launch ramp teaching trailering/launching.)
Are
you convinced WOW
is an expression of wonder? As you can tell we're WOW supporters, we've hosted clinics since 1995. From the world of waterSkiing
it's grown to include many women's sports, check out their site, join up,
pitch it, ski on ! :)
Seriously folks, WOW needs you, and me, and our neighbors too! Guaranteed WOW can do a lot for you . . . what can/will you do for WOW?
| WOW fell apart this year(2001) as all the sponsors broke their contracts because women were back on the men's tour. The industry saved $250,000. and they thought that no one would notice the difference. What a kick in the gut...now the rumor is that there will be no men's or women's skiing on the tour:( Sorry there won't be any more WOW clinics in the near future, but don't fret . . . I'm certain it will be back. Women's water sports, particularly skiing, need WOW. |