2011 Reggae Rail Jam Winners

The 2011 Reggae Rail Jam was held at Idaho Water Sports in Burley on Saturday, October 29th. There were 59 riders from all across Idaho and Utah that came for the event. New items at the event this year were the slack line, and the National Guard brought their climbing wall. The event was a great pre-winter party with freshly made snow trucked down from Pomerelle. For more information about the event contact Carol at 208-678-5869 or visit our photo albums to see pictures from Saturday. Here are the winners of this year's Rail Jam:

Men’s boarder

1st Tristin Heiner—Liberty, UT

2nd Jordan Ganoe—Paul, ID

3rd Tyson Bunn—Brigham City, UT

Men’s skier

1st place Ian Hamilton—SLC, UT

2nd place Jesse Edge—Ogden, UT

3rd place KJ Redder—Declo, ID

Best Crash

Tyler Smith—Eagle, Id

Girl’s skier

1st place Alexi Micinski—Meridian, ID

2nd Place Kylie Tingy—Rupert, ID

Girl’s boarder

1st place Jessika Jenson—Rigby Idaho

2nd place Brittany Grainger—Boise, ID

Young Gun

Cash Redder—Declo, ID

Extreme Slack-lining

This is Christian Hansen, Gordy's son. He loves his slackline so much, he took it to Hawaii with him. And this is where he decided to set it up.

If you are interested in trying out a slackline for yourself, come into Idaho Water Sports a check them out!

Reggae Rail Jam 2011

Idaho Water Sports will be hosting the sixth annual Rail Jam on Saturday, October 29th in the Idaho Water Sports parking lot in Burley, ID. We will be trucking in snow from Pomerelle to allow anyone to ride the powder before winter really sets in. This competition always gets everyone excited for the snow to start coming down.

Competitors from all over the area come to IWS to participate in this event. There will be an open session from 11 am to 2 pm, where anyone can ride the rails for just $10 - plus get a beanie. The competition begins at 2:30pm and runs until 4pm. It only costs $10 to compete. We will be giving away some great prizes including headphones from Skull Candy, ski poles, shirts, hats, and helmets from Burton, K2, Rossignol and more; and even ski passes to Pomerelle.

We are excited to introduce the addition of a slack line; new to the competition this year.

For safety, all riders under 18 must have parents sign a waiver. Also, all riders are required to wear a helmet.

We hope to have a great turnout at the Reggae Rail Jam this year. Come join us at Idaho Water Sports.

We be jammin' on the rails, man!

IWS Team Rider, Julie Robinson,just got back from her first college wakeboarding competition in Chehalis, Washington. The USA Wakeboard Collegiate Wake Nationals 2012 Qualifier was help at Lake Silverado, is a scenic man made ski lake which is deep enough for big wakes and much longer than a traditional ski lake. Lake Silverado was host to the 2006 Barefoot World Championships.

Julie is a member of the BSU wakeboard club. She won her division, and four other members of the club from Boise State competed as well. Their next competition will be in Chico, California at Villa Lagos Lake in Gerber,CA on October 22nd. We wish her luck!

Supra Boats Voted Most Exiting by WSIA

Skier’s Choice, maker of Supra (@SupraBoats) and Moomba Boats, was voted the 2011 Buzz Brand of the Year by Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) members at Surf Expo.

Skier’s Choice was announced as the 2011 Water Sports Industry Buzz Brand of the Year by the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA) September 8th at the TransWorld Wakeboarding Magazine Wake Awards at Surf Expo in Orlando, FL. Being dubbed the most talked about brands in the water sports industry is a big deal for this improvement-driven company, but it isn’t the only recognition they are receiving. This 2011 WSIA Leadership Award joins a 6th consecutive NMMA CSI Award for Customer Service Excellence in the Skier’s Choice trophy case already this season.

Water sports retailers, dealers and operators overwhelmingly cast their votes for Skier’s Choice, manufacturer of Supra and Moomba Boats, as a company who is on the move and the focus of conversation in the water sports industry.

When asked about this latest award, President of Skier’s Choice, Rick Tinker, had this to say. “I would like to thank the industry’s retailers for this honor! It’s a great feeling to be recognized as the buzz brand, especially by those who know water sports boats best.”

WSIA honored the water sports industry's best retailers and manufacturers with a variety of 2011 Leadership Awards for outstanding efforts in advertising, promotions, and branding. Skier’s Choice received the 2011 WSIA Buzz Brand of the Year Award during the Wake Awards on September 8, 2011 at Surf Expo in Orlando, FL.

Visit your local Supra Boats dealer (like Idaho Water Sports!) to experience the “Buzz” surrounding their 2012 model line-ups.

The WSF and the WSIA are two non-profit organizations headquartered in Orlando, Florida that promote water sports safety and the unencumbered access of public waterways for the pursuit of watersports activities. WSIA is a member of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council, (NBSAC), the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), the National Safe Boating Council (NSBC), and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA). For more information contact the WSIA at 407-251-9039 or visit www.wsia.net.

About Skiers Choice, Inc.: This customer-centric wakeboard and ski boat manufacturer is located in Maryville, Tennessee and is privately owned. Skier’s Choice manufactures two lines of boats: Supra, the leading luxury performance line of wakeboard and ski boats, and Moomba, which focuses on providing high performance water sports boats at amazing prices.

Malibu and Axis Make Big Impact At Surf Expo

Surf Expo is undoubtedly the industry's biggest weekend of the year. In 2011, Malibu Boats dug deep with intentions to make a big impact. With the launch of two new models, the Wakesetter 22 MXZ and Response TXi, all eyes were on the boats and the team was psyched to show them off.

Wakesetter 22 MXZ

The trade show kicked off with a bang on Thursday morning, with our booth featuring a sparkling metallic, dark blue/white MXZ and a metallic Charcoal/Reuben Axis A22. Besides talk of the perfect wakes, plush amenities and the spacious bow on the MXZ, anticipation was creeping for the 8th Annual Wake Awards that evening. Malibu went big, securing an 80-person VIP list and coming on board as a title sponsor.

Excitement set in early, during the WSIA Industry awards, where Malibu won "Best Ad Campaign." Ad creative and photography was a big focus this year, and it was an honor to take home this coveted award. Special thanks to Larry Meddock of the WSIA and our incredible photographer, Tom King. Also, congrats to Chessie Marine for their hard work resulting in the "Break Out Dealer Of The Year" award as well as Tommy's Slalom shop for winning top honors as "Retailer Of The Year." "Best Promotion" went to Active Watersports, which made a clean sweep for all three retailer awards going to Malibu dealers!

Friday's action was shared between the trade show and Malibu's on-water demo day in Windermere, just minutes from Surf Expo. Team rider Brian Grubb brought his all-black 23 LSV, which is still one of the most appealing boats on the water today. Over 20 dealers showed up from places all over the world like Argentina and Poland to get a first glimpse of the new MXZ and TXi. Eddie Trogdon, an active INT League member was on hand and we also saw appearances from owners like David Henderson and his son Hunter, (8), who just took first place in the Junior Boys division at the WWA World Championships.

The Response TXi already made its mark at the Malibu Open in August, but here, the dealers got a chance to take it for a spin, including Mark Watts from Liquid Sports in Orlando as well as Tommy Phillips from Tommy's Slalom Shop in Denver, Colorado. Tommy was impressed with his continuing tests of the Response TXi. "The TXi handles like a dream, has no wake at 15 and 22 off and very little fluff," Tommy said. "All the skiers at our ski school think it's their favorite boat of all time and I would agree. The drivers seat feels secure and you have command of the boat. There is no glare off the dash like other boats and the simplicity of the operating system is a big plus."

With deep roots in wakeboarding, going back to literally day one, Tommy knows what his customers are looking for in boat design and he likes how the MXZ accommodates everyone. "The MXZ has great wakes for all levels," Tommy said. "Very rampy, clean and smooth! The bow space is maximized and we had four people comfortable up front and they could see all the action as Chad Sharpe put on a show. Deep storage allowed us to have ten people comfortably on board with lots of gear stowed. The auto pull up feature will turn new boat owners into pros at driving their family and friends."

The Auto Pull-Up feature Tommy speaks of is another unprecedented innovation from Malibu and Indmar, and implemented into the line by Danny Gasper, Malibu's Director of Product Design. It allows a rider or skier to record the rate of acceleration they prefer, and the driver just punches the throttle and you will get the same start every time.

The MXZ's Hi-Flow ballast pumps were also a hit. The hoses were enlarged to 1-1/8" with an 1100 GPH pump, which allows an increase in filling speed from 40-50 percent. The riders on hand were impressed with the wake without having to add any additional ballast. Phillip Soven actually got to take this gem home with him.

Dealers came into Saturday's trade show amping on the new boats, and it was a great plus to be able to have them share the on-water experience with others. Lani Farmer also attended the WSIA meeting on Sunday morning, where the board of directors discussed and voted on multiple issues affecting our waterways and industry.

Overall, the Malibu staff and dealers considered Surf Expo weekend a home run. The factory is busy churning out new orders and the sales team are getting geared up for boat show season. Look for new videos from demo day in a matter of days! For any questions, please email Kevin Michael atkevinmichael@maibuboats.com