2011 SUMMIT IN THE SNOWIndustry Recharges and Breaks New Ground
By Kevin Michael
Photos: Meddock.com
Over 60 of today’s industry leaders and retailers converged in Park City, Utah for the WSIA’s annual Summit In The Snow on February 28 — March 2. In the past, there have been several standout moments and valuable takeaways, but the 2011 Summit will go down as a tough one to beat.
With two feet of fresh snow and an all-star lineup of speakers, every single attendee was psyched to be there including a big representation from MasterCaft as well as Nautiques, Supra/Moomba, Surf Expo, The Wake Park Project, Liquid Force, Hyperlite/HO Sports, Ronix, CWB/Connelly, TransWorld WAKEBOARDING and Alliance Wakeboard.
The biggest buzz leading up to the event was for the highly-anticipated speeches from successful action sports entrepreneurs Rick Alden, CEO of Skullcandy and John Vance, COO of Sanuk. Alden had the dinner crowd in stitches with his hilarious stories starting from scratch to becoming “Entrepreneur of the Year.”
Skullcandy CEO Rick Alden (Photo: Meddock)
Vance, who has vaulted Sanuk to great heights throughout the recession, explained his approach being like a “purple cow” rather than fitting in with the rest of the bunch.
He also claimed to be the world’s oldest “grom” and encouraged everyone to “Never lose touch with the kid inside of you. Once you lose touch with that kid, you’re done.”
Sanuk COO John Vance (Photo: Meddock)
Attendees were also treated to a seminar from National Ski Areas Association president Michael Berry, Jim Spring, CEO of Leisure Trends and Peter Reitz of Reitz Law Firm, who specializes in snow ski and sports-related litigation. These speakers provided an incredible amount of advice and support though their decades of experience in the ski/snowboard industry and will continue to serve as invaluable resources to the water sports industry as we forge ahead.
Everyone was encouraged to enjoy the slopes for hours during the days, and the evenings were spent networking over cocktails and fantastic dinners. Amidst all the fun and intelligence shared, no one really knew what would hit them on Wednesday morning for the grand finale.
Through the help of Tony Finn, founder of Liquid Force, the group was honored to welcome NBA legend Bill Walton for a motivational speech over breakfast. For over an hour, Walton had everyone’s undivided attention with his lighthearted accounts of life in the NBA, but more importantly, how to overcome obstacles to keep you “back in the game of life.” Walton’s road to success was far from smooth and his stories of determination made for the single-most motivating moment of the Summit In The Snow’s five-year history.
NBA Hall of Famer, Bill Walton (Photo: Meddock)
Walton’s seemingly endless quotes will stick with us forever.
“Stop counting the days, make the days count.”
“Quickness has nothing to do with your feet, it’s how fast your mind thinks in that one moment.”
“Nothing beats the moment of truth when the world is there for you to take.”
“Success isn’t just about your ability, but your ability to make other people better.”
WSIA President Jim Emmons was more than pleased with the outcome of the entire event, “This was by far, the best Summit to date. The quality of speakers, information shared and networking was at an all-time high,” Emmons said. “This industry is rebounding and ready to accomplish great things.”
WSIA President Jim Emmons at the Board of Directors meeting (Photo: Meddock)
Emmons himself accomplished an incredible feat by smoking over 20 snowboarders to the finish line while winning Alliance Wakeboard‘s Chinese Downhill competition. After serving WaterSki and WAKEBOARDING Magazine for over 23 years, Emmons’ victory was more than ironic. Alliance’s Cory Marotta was surprised and honored to share a victory beer with his former sales competitor just days before Emmons’ 51st birthday.
No matter what capacity you serve this industry, if you’re reading this article you are highly encouraged to make plans to attend the 2012 Summit In The Snow.
Whether you’re a retailer, manufacturer or event organizer this will be one of your highlights of the entire year. Veteran dealer Buzz Watkins said, “This event is so valuable, I can’t understand why every single dealer is not attending.” To get a jump on things, email info@wsia.net.
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Special thanks to Larry and Jan Meddock from WSIA headquarters for spearheading this event and making it into the success it has become. In January, Larry resigned from his position at a law firm in Orlando to focus all his attention on the matters of the WSIA and to help preserve the activity we all love. Larry’s passion is undeniable and contagious as he points out many of the challenges we will face in the future and how we can avoid them.
One of the biggest threats to our lifestyle is the federal initiative to require everyone in a boat to wear flotation devices at all times. The best way for us to avoid that is to make sure that wakeboarders and skiers are wearing flotation in all media and promotional images and videos.
The WSIA is the industry advocate that communicates, produces and distributes safety and educational materials for towed water sports. The WSIA works with local, state and federal agencies in partnership with national governing bodies to ensure the use of waterways for towed water-sports. As a group, we develop best practices and sustainable growth for all towed water-sports. Together, we can accomplish what none of us can alone.
