2019 was an exceptional year for the sport of wake surfing.
Our sport and the CWSA continues to see tremendous growth and we are excited about what lies ahead in 2020. With the growth of the sport, the ‘season’ continues year-round. Unbelievably by the end of December, we have already had seven events into the 2020 season!
Recently the CWSA Board elected Directors and Officers for the upcoming year. The Board is excited to welcome Anita Chen, Ekaterina Kuznetsova and Luca Quaroni as new Directors.
Below is a complete list of current Directors and Officers.
Anita Chen, Director (Taiwan)
anita@thecwsa.org
Svetlana Belova, Director (Russian Federation)
svetlana.belova@thecwsa.org
Sean Cummings, Director (United States)
sean.cummings@thecwsa.org
Eric Grindland, Secretary & Director (United States)
eric.grindland@thecwsa.org
Ekaterina Kuznetsova (Russian Federation)
katja@thecwsa.org
Luca Quaroni (Italy)
luca@thecwsa.org
Sang Han Jung, Director (South Korea)
han@thecwsa.org
Troy Mann, Director (United States)
troy@thecwsa.org
Jon Shields, President & Director (United States)
jon.shields@thecwsa.org
Samar Suleiman, Vice President & Director (Switzerland)
samar@thecwsa.org
Mike Viland, Treasurer & Director (United States)
mike@thecwsa.org
Recently, we saw two board members depart. Caro Villeneuve and Chad Hudson departed after many years of service and contribution to the sport, and the CWSA. The Board of Directors wishes to acknowledge and thank Caro Villeneuve and Chad Hudson for their years of volunteer service and many hours of hard work with the CWSA for the advancement and growth of the sport.
Caro joined the Board in 2013 and served six years on the Board. Caro brought to the Board her unique perspectives on the development of the sport based on her experiences as a pro level competitor, an event organizer, and as an ambassador of the sport.
On the Board, Caro has served on several committees, including World Ranking System (WRS), and Judging Scoring & Judge Training, and Marketing and Membership.
As an event organizer, Caro brought the first World Series of Wake Surfing event to Western Canada, the Koocanusa Wakesurfing Challenge, and has been critical to the development of other wakesurfing events and the development of the sport in Canada.
On the judging side, Caro has served as a head judge and pro level judge at events all over world, and as a judge at Worlds for several years.
Caro has been instrumental at coaching and developing wakesurf athletes from both Canada, the United States and other countries. As a pro level competitor, Caro has competed in Pro Women Skim in every World Wake Surfing Championships since 2008. She was the 2015 Pro Women Skim World Champion.
Caro was the 2015 CWSA ‘Wake Surfing Person of the Year’.
Chad joined the Board in 2016 and served the Board for 3 years in many capacities. He was Treasurer and member of several committees including Executive, Budget, Marketing and Membership, World Ranking System (WRS), and Scoring and Judging. He was instrumental in the planning and marketing of the 2019 CWSA online contest. The online contest offered a unique event in which riders were able to compete against each other from all over the world.
He has also been active with various events as a head judge, and a pro division judge at many events, including the World Wake Surfing Championship.
As a competitor, Chad has competed as an Amateur, Outlaw and Pro, and has frequently qualified for an invitation to Worlds. He is a currently a co-owner for Kanuk Board Company.
The Board is thankful for their contributions and assistance. Both Caro and Chad have had a significant contribution in the sport of wakesurfing. The Board wishes them both well and all the best in their ongoing and future endeavors. We are confident that Caro and Chad will continue to be involved in various aspects of the sport for years to come.
Coming in January: Release of the approved World Series of Wake Surfing and WRS events for 2020.
Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Old New Year!
Stay tuned!
P.S. Are you interested in competing in the 2020 season? Make sure you upgrade your membership to an annual or single event athlete account to be eligible for competition!
Your membership will be good through the 2020 World Wake Surfing Competition.
Simply hit the ‘Upgrade Your Account’ tab in your profile to pay for a new membership and update your profile through the current season.
Login by clicking the link below.
https://www.competitivewakesurfing.com/login/
Don’t already have an account? Sign up by clicking the link below.
https://www.competitivewakesurfing.com/sign-up/
