KYLE EADE – UPDATE FRIDAY 19th FEBRUARY We have just received this message from New Zealand from Murray Eade, World Cup Star Kyle’s father, with a very moving summary of the past week. Very soon, Kyle will have access to a Laptop and will be able to see the extraordinary number of good wishes from all his many friends around the world. A total of 3,487 messages have already been posted on http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kyleeade  Scot and Roger Ellis have also done a wonderful job on  http://www.skifly.com in setting up a Trust Fund to help contribute to the unavoidable costs facing the family. Ryan and Sarah Green have also set up a fund in Australia. This global generosity is just another reminder of what a great sport we have and how thoughtful so many people are when one of...

ASIAN BEACH GAMES 2010 TO INCLUDE WATERSKI & WAKEBOARD Muscat Games 2010 The Asian Beach Games are what are known as Multi-Sport Games – similar to the PanAm Games and the Mediterranean Games. The first Asian Beach Games were staged in Bali, Indonesia in 2008 with athletes from 41 Countries. The 2nd Games will be held in Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman – just south of Qatar and the UAE on the Arabian Gulf and 45 Countries plan to participate this time. The dates are December 8/16 2010 and at that time the expected temperatures will be around 25C / 80Fh. Muscat on Arabian Gulf The Sultanate of Oman has a population of just over 3 million people with a strong Economy based on Oil and Gas. This will be the largest sporting event ever staged in the country. A spectacular purpose...

  Melbourne, Australia, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moomba Masters Waterski and Wakeboard Championships on March 3rd / 8th. The spectacular downtown Yarra River setting, located beside the Rod Laver Australian Open Tennis Arena on the Southbank, is expected to attract record numbers of spectators which at times have exceeded 200,000 in past years. This will be a very special occasion for the sports of Waterskiing and Wakeboarding. Over the 50 years of entertaining the fans, it is estimated that 750 million international viewers and over 50 million Australians have tuned in to this unique event. The Golden Anniversary Championships this year will feature the best male and female tournament Waterskiers from 18 countries around the world plus the latest Nautiques...

KYLE EADE (NZL) SHOWS EARLY POSITIVE SIGNS OF RECOVERY Kiwi behins to respond to treatment Some good news from New Zealand. We have just received this report below from the family of Kyle Eade who was injured in a freak Jump crash while training last Friday. All his family are with him now and have been very well looked after by the Hospital and friends. The CaringBridge Website page opened just two days ago to provide Kyle’s friends with an easy way to send messages of support has already recived over 1400 contacts. While our sport is a relatively safe one, it is great to see such a worldwide response from Kyle’s many friends and supporters. He is certainly one of our most liked and respected World Cup Stars and we all wish him a speedy recovery. MESSAGE FROM KYLE’S FAMILY 5pm...

ANAKIN ALI MAKES HISTORY IN PUTRAJAYA Putrajaya Maritime Centre It is not often that a young athlete aged eight years and six months makes history. This is the happy news from Putrajaya, Malaysia. Young Anakin Ali landed his first jump at the Putrajaya Maritime Centre where Malaysia’s athletes of the future have been based over the past year.  This is no small achievement. Following the staging of the successful Waterski World Cup Stop in 2008, the Malaysia Water Ski Federation (MWSF) set about creating a comprehensive programme to develop Waterskiers and Riders in a very professional way. Young Anakin has now proved that the World Cup legacy has major benefits. Congratulations to Anakin and the Malaysia Water Ski Federation. For our World Cup team, this is also great news. One of...

Kyle rests at the Dubna Russia World Cup Stop With Melbourne’s 50th Moomba Masters coming up in the first week of March, the World’s top Waterski and Wakeboard athletes are training hard right now for the very significant season opener on the Downtown Yarra River. The Entry List is one of the strongest ever and most of the World Cup Stars will feature in this spectacular annual event. Being the 50th anniversary makes it even more exciting. Kyle Eade, known to his many World Cup friends as Kiwi, recently moved back home to NZL from his Waterski School business located at the USA Waterski HQ on Lake Grew where he and his World Cup partner Scot Ellis USA have started to develop a very successful operation. His move back to NZL was to help him prepare for Moomba – before the...

GREAT NEWS FOR MANY ATHLETES WITH CARTILAGE INJURIES Ageliki Andriopoulou & Dr Lorenzo Benassa When Ageliki Andriopoulou GRE took the title of World Waterski Jump Champion last Summer, thousands applauded the happy moment on site and it appeared to be the perfect day for her. It was certainly a very special achievement – but she was also in pain. For some years, she actually avoided the Jump Ramp during practice where possible to save her damaged knee for the big World Cup events and World Championships. Just before Christmas, Ageliki decided it was finally time to take action and do something to solve the problem. Ageliki's damaged knee before treatment Dr Lorenzo Benassa ITA is Chairman of the IWWF Medical Commission. He also happens to be a Sports Medicine Specialist plus a...

JARET LLEWELLYN JOINS MasterCraft INTERNATIONAL MasterCraft International have just announced the signing of professional waterskier and World Cup Star, Jaret Llewellyn, to the MasterCraft team. His track record is outstanding. His successes over the years include World Overall Champion, 4-time World Jump Champion (1997, 1999, 2001, 2005), 5-time World Cup Jump Champion (1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005), US Open Overall Champion in 2000, 3-time US Pro Tour Jump Champion (1998, 1999, 2001) and 6-time US Masters Overall Champion. Jaret Llewellyn joins MasterCraft With over 100 professional wins and 11 world records under Llewellyn’s belt, it goes without saying that MasterCraft are thrilled to have this world-class athlete as part of the team. Ian Birdsall, MasterCraft VP of International Business,...

WORLD CUP DVD RELEASED TODAY – FULL 2009 SEASON FEATURED World’s top Skiers and Riders on the big screen ! With 29 Waterski and Wakeboard World Cup Stops now completed, not many have had the thrill of actually being there on site to share the fun.  It has been an amazing global journey – exotic venues, extraordinary scenery, huge numbers of cheering spectators, extremely generous hosts and sponsors, spectacular ceremonies – and of course, outstanding performances by the World’s best Skiers and Riders ! DVD launched today Now you can enjoy all the thrills on your own big screen at home. Today we have launched the official World Cup 2009 DVD. To get your copy, just check out this URL today : http://www.sportsactiondvds.com/pages/skiwake.htm On site, we have also made available the...

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OFFICIAL TOW-BOAT AGREEMENT WITH MasterCraft London Boat Show Celebrations Even heavy snow, airline cancellations and storms could not stop the teams from MasterCraft and the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) from meeting at the London Boat Show last weekend ! With some serious business to conclude, Kuno Ritschard IWWF signed the formal TOW BOAT Agreement with MasterCraft’s Ian Birdsall, VP International Sales,  and Will Furze, International Marketing Manager.  This major six-year official towboat agreement will cover the World Championships for Tournament, and Disabled Waterskiing, Wakeboard and the Waterski & Wakeboard World Cup series. MasterCraft have provided the official tow boat for all 29 World Cup Stops to date. The experience gained...