Wakesurfing Day With State BLAs

In September, the WSIA taught over 20 state boating law administrators how to wakesurf during the NASBLA conference in Wichita, Kansas. Many more BLA’s came along for a ride in the boat and became more familiar with the activity.

So why was this outing so important? Boating law administrators are the leading authority for boating safety in their state. If any homeowner or boater has a problem with wakesurfing, each BLA will now be more familiar with the activity (and now might even be an enthusiast). With the WSIA’s mission to promote and protect towed water sports, this event was invaluable for protecting the future of wakesurfing on public waterways.

Saying the BLAs had fun is an understatement. Some said that wakesurfing was the highlight of the entire event. WSIA’s assistant director, Kevin Michael, drove one of the two towboats supplied by Marine World and had a great time teaching many how to stand up on a board for their first time. “Growing up, I thought that water patrol officers were pretty stiff and a maybe a little up tight,” Kevin said. “But these BLA’s were great guys and they had more fun than I’ve seen in a while.”

If there was an MVP award, it would’ve gone to Brody Young, assistant BLA from Utah. With a surfing background, Brody was able to start riding immediately and throw the rope while screaming “Yewww!”

Special thanks to Nathen Blasi and Marine World for setting up the boats as well as Major Dan Heskit for arranging the outing.

About NASBLA

The National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a national nonprofit, 501(c)3 organization that works to develop public policy for recreational boating safety. NASBLA represents the recreational boating authorities of all 50 states and the U.S. territories. 

We offer a variety of resources, including training, model acts, education standards, publications and more. Through a national network of thousands of professional educators, law enforcement officers and volunteers, we affect the lives of over 76 million American boaters.