$50 Malibu Boats June Gear Giveaway

How would you like $50 of Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) gear? As a loyal Malibu Boats Apparel (@MalibuApparel) customer, each time you make a qualifying purchase at gear.malibuboats.com you will be automatically entered to win our $50 Giveaway!

Here's how it works:
Every $25 you spend on gear.malibuboats.com in the month of June qualifies you for 1 entry to our $50 Giveaway!
For example:
• Spend $25 & Get 1 Entry
• Spend $50 & Get 2 Entries
• Spend $75 & Get 3 Entries
• Spend $100 & Get 4 Entries

Good luck, now hurry and start shopping!! gear.malibuboats.com

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Apparel | Malibu gear | clothing | prize | $50 | giveaway

Driving Force

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Malibu Open organizer, Dana Reed’s passion for water skiing has helped bring professional cash-prize tournaments back to the mainstream public.

Written by Chrös McDougall for USA WaterSki's Waterskier Magazine we thought this article really deserved a repost on the Malibu Boats Blog. Dana is a close partner of Malibu Boats and we believe he deserves this type of recognition and more. Thank you for all you do Dana!

Any kid who has ever dreamed of making a living as a professional water skier ought to take notice of Dana Reed. Not that he’d want you to notice him. While the economy has kept many would-be promoters on the sidelines, Reed has put his heart and soul into giving the world’s top water skiers a bigger spotlight to shine – and make some money – in the United States. And he’s really just getting started. The breakthrough came last summer. After several years of organizing well executed but not so well attended pro events at out-of-the-way private lakes, Reed teamed with Malibu Boats to bring the annual Malibu Open to Milwaukee. This time, Reed sacrificed the perfect skiing conditions at private lakes for a beautiful venue at Veteran’s Park, located on a strip of land that separates downtown Milwaukee and Lake Michigan. In return, he got nearly 10,000 spectators for the two-day slalom and jumping competition and created one of the most talked about events of the year.

That success just got him more excited. Speaking from his home in Hickory, N.C., during one of the rare moments when he’s not on the road planning an event, the 55-year-old promoter speaks of big things: becoming truly profitable, having purses as high as a half-million dollars, and getting the events back on television. “I’d love to write a check for $100,000 for somebody to win an event,” he says. In the short term, though, Reed is thinking of his three events for this year: the annual Global Invitational in Grand Rapids, Mich.; the new Katy Ski Jam near Houston; and most prominently, the 2011 Malibu Open in downtown Milwaukee. And he’s thinking big. “The Malibu Open,” he says, “will be the largest event in the history of the United States this year, and you can quote me on it.”

Last year’s event was a success, to be sure, with around $45,000 in purses, high-energy nighttime finals, exhibitions from local show ski teams and barefoot skiers, and a call from the Milwaukee park’s director the day after the tournament to re-up for this year. But still, that’s a pretty bold claim. It’s not so much, though, when you have some added help.

This year, the purse is up to $65,000, the show skiers and barefoot skiers will be back, and Reed has hired local country singer Michael Scott to entertain the crowds on Saturday night of the tournament, which will take place Aug. 5-6. The biggest boon for this year’s event, though, will be the Thunderbird Air Show, which is expected to draw around 150,000 people to Veteran’s Park and nearby Bradford Beach that same weekend. “We hit a home run last year,” Reed says, “but we’re going to hit a grand slam this year because of the air show being involved.” So what’s Reed’s trick?

It’s simple: He works hard, and he’s not in it for the money. Reed, who owns a commercial cleaning company in North Carolina, is basically a one-man show who takes no profit from the events; instead, he reinvests everything into either a better event or bigger purses. “I’ve got two goals,” says Reed, who largely organizes the events by himself but who gets lots of help with the actual execution from a dedicated group of volunteers who share his passion and work ethic. “My first one is to give as much money that comes my way to the athletes. And my second goal is to get the sponsors their money worth. If there’s five dollars left at the end of the day I’m good with it. That’s about all I am.”

“I think the main thing that makes him successful and the reason he is able to continue doing what he’s doing is his passion for water skiing,” says Lani Farmer, who manages the pro team, sponsorships, and pro events for Malibu Boats. “He’s mainly focused on putting on a great show for the fans and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. Since it’s not his core business, he’s not focused on the bottom line. Dana has no problem giving every bit of profit he makes right back to the athletes.”

That deep dedication to the athletes goes back to the beginning of Reed’s promoting days. They began in the early 2000s, when women no longer had a pro water skiing tour. For little reason other than to give an opportunity to his friends who had been on that tour, Reed began organizing his own small scale but well-run pro events in North Carolina. When the men’s pro tour began losing a lot of its stops a few years later, he added them to the lineup as well. Momentum picked up when MasterCraft took notice of Reed’s events in 2008 and began helping him out. But then things stalled. With few fans and a souring economy, it didn’t matter how well the skiers were performing – sponsorship money was drying up. There were times when Reed felt like quitting. He was putting on top-notch tournaments for the skiers – sometimes subsidizing them himself to keep them afloat – but he just couldn’t get fans to show up at the private ski lakes, which were often out in the country.

And then he found Veteran’s Park. After a year of prodding to Farmer, with whom he had been working with on some smaller events, Reed finally got his wish. Farmer and Malibu agreed to give Reed the reigns to the 2010 Malibu Open. “I took a chance and it ended up being phenomenal, just phenomenal,” Farmer says, still sounding almost in disbelief at how well things worked out. “And I was very happy for him because he deserves it. He does a lot for a lot of people out of just his passion. He doesn’t get anything out of it aside from the satisfaction that comes from helping the athletes and the sport he loves.”

It was fitting, then, that the star of the 2010 Malibu Open was one of Reed’s longtime friends from North Carolina – and one of the good friends whom he wanted to give pro opportunities to in the first place. April Coble-Eller turned pro 20 years ago and was a top competitor during pro skiing’s heyday in the 1990s – when ESPN broadcast the tournaments, purses were high and stops were plentiful. Yet despite a junior world championship, 28 national championships and even a U.S. Masters overall title, Coble-Eller had never won an individual pro event in her career. So in the era of around four domestic pro events per year, smaller purses and no ESPN, Coble-Eller went to Milwaukee considering retirement.

Then, magic happened. After her husband told her, “go have fun, Dana needs your energy,” that’s exactly what she did, all the way to the pro women’s slalom title. “It was just like everything was meant to be,” says Coble-Eller, who decided to continue competing. “It was awesome.”

“[The Moomba Masters in Australia] has probably been one of my favorites,” she adds, “ … because of the hype, skiing in front of all the people, skiing downtown, and Dana created that in America. He created the Moomba Masters in Milwaukee last year.”

Reed might have a little ways to go to catch up to Moomba, which with tens of thousands of spectators is known as the biggest water ski and wakeboard event in the world, but he is definitely on the right track. “He deserves every bit of credit that he’s never gotten,” Coble-Eller says, “because he is awesome for the sport.”

Reed Credits Volunteers
If it’s not the athletes, Dana Reed prefers that his volunteers be in the spotlight ahead of him. Among them is Jeff Gilbert of Charlotte, N.C., who paid for his own flight to Milwaukee and then worked two 12-hour days installing the slalom and jump courses before the 2010 Malibu Open. Or there’s chief judge Bill Murbach, as well as sponsor reps Jim Stanley (Global Marine Insurance Agency) and Chuck Gleason (Eagle Sports), all of who stayed Sunday after the Malibu Open and helped tear down the event. Reed also mentions Tommy Harrington, who manages Reed’s Web site. “They all give up their time, sometimes three days, and they come and they work tirelessly because they all love it like I do,” Reed says. “But they give up their time, they take off a day, sometimes two days of work, and they put on these great events. “If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Chrös McDougall is a freelance writer based out of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Open | Milwaukee | County Parks | water skiing | competition | tournament | slalom | jump | ski boat | Response LXI | Will Asher | Dana Reed | Pro Slalom Events | USA WaterSki | The Waterskier | Chrös McDougall

Go Shane Carwin!

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) sponsored athlete, Shane Carwin (@ShaneCarwin) is going into battle tomorrow night against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 131 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Check out this video of the Shane Carwin sponsor banner being made. It will hang in the octagon at UFC 131. Malibu Boats joins all of Shane's partners in cheering him on for tomorrow's fight. We're proud to be a part of Team Carwin. Go Shane! We're pulling for you!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Shane Carwin | Mixed Martial Arts | MMA | UFC | UFC 131 | Junior Dos Santos | Cain Velasquez | UFC Heavyweight Title | video | banner | wakeboard boats

Wakeboard Video Tweet

Nick Jones "Not Just Clockwise" from Absher Films on Vimeo.

Nick Jones (@NickJonesWake), who rides behind the Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Wakesetter VLX, tweeted this sweet wakeboarding video Absher Films shot with him last year. Makes you want to be on the water right now! Thanks for tweeting Nick! It's a great clip!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Nick Jones | wakeboard video | Twitter | video tweet | wakeboarding | wakeboard boats | Wakesetter VLX

Malibu Open Water Skiing Heats Up Again This Summer

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) will pull the world’s best water skiers to compete for $65,000 in prize money August 5th & 6th at Veteran’s Park Lagoon.

The most talked about water skiing competition of 2010, the Malibu Open, is returning to Milwaukee’s lakefront Veteran’s Park Lagoon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 5-6, 2011. World record-breaking Response Series Malibu ski boats will pull the world’s top professional water ski athletes in slalom skiing and water ski jumping events as they compete for $65,000 in prize money. Sure to surpass the amazing performances of last year, some of these athletes could be poised for record-breaking success. This momentous water sports event is free to the public and will also feature demonstrations like free-style jumping, barefoot skiing, hydrofoiling, show skiing and trick flipping. Make plans to be at the 2011 Malibu Open.

The Milwaukee Parks and Recreation is estimating attendance in the neighborhood of 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. In addition, the Malibu Open will be in conjunction with the World-renowned Thunderbirds Air show bringing in approximately 100,000 spectators over the Friday and Saturday event.

When Lani Farmer, Event and Team Director for Malibu Boats, was asked what makes the Malibu Open so successful, this was her reply. “The Malibu Open in Milwaukee seems to breed high performance. The athletes, the boats, the lake, the crowd it all combines to create a kind of momentum that is as obvious in the performances on the water as it is in the buzz along the shore.” Lani explained, “We saw some of the highest cuts ever in a water ski competition last year. This year we may see some records fall.”

“Athletes from around the world will be here competing,” event organizer, Dana Reed said. “Fans will have an opportunity to interact with them, grab photos and autographs. Returning Malibu Open Champion Will Asher of England, World Jump Record holder Freddy “The Nightmare” Krueger of the United States and World Women’s Slalom Record holder Regina Jaquess of the United States will be just a few of the top athletes making a splash in the Veteran’s Park Lagoon.”

In slalom skiing, athletes navigate through a six-buoy course while the Malibu ski boat travels at a constant speed of 36 mph with an initial 32-foot line. After completion of each pass, the rope is shortened by a pre-determined length to increase difficulty. Whichever athlete rounds the most buoys at the shortest line length, wins. In the breathtaking long-distance jumping event, skiers race toward a 6-foot high ramp reaching speeds of 70 mph and fly distances over 200 feet. Top men’s jumper, Ryan Dodd of Canada jumped 226 feet at the 2011 Moomba Masters night finals held in Melbourne, Australia earlier this year. The athletes get three approaches at the ramp. Whoever goes the furthest, wins.

“Professional waterskiing events are usually held on private lakes, so we are very excited to be returning to the perfect venue that Milwaukee offers the Malibu Open,” Reed said. “The finals will be held Saturday night starting at 5 p.m. and ending with the men’s jump finals at 8 p.m. A country concert with Milwaukee’s own Michael Scott, will be held immediately after the event at 9 p.m.”

The Malibu Open is a free event for family, friends and all to enjoy. The event is produced by Pro Slalom Events and sponsored by Malibu Boats. Concessions and parking will be organized by the Milwaukee County Parks Department.

About Pro Slalom Events, LLC: Pro Slalom Events, LLC’s goal is to bring water skiing back to the national spotlight giving our spectacular athletes a stage to perform on. Founded by Dana Reed, Pro Slalom Events, recreated the Pro Water Ski Tour for the 2008 season which became an immediate success. In 2011 Pro Slalom Events will continue its momentum supporting events in Michigan, Wisconsin and Texas. Through its passion and enthusiasm for water skiing Pro Slalom Events will continue to bring the amazing talent of these athletes to fans across the country and around the world for many years to come.

Tags: Malibu Boats | Malibu Open | water skiing | slalom skiing | The Pro Ski Tour | Will Asher | Regina Jaquess | Freddie Krueger | Veteran’s Park Lagoon | Milwaukee | Team Malibu | Response Series | ski boats

CTWS & Ladies Danskin Triathlon

Central Texas Water Sports and Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) were the official lifeguard/pickup boats for the Ladies Danskin Triathlon last Sunday on Decker Lake in Austin. There were 2 Wakesetter VLX at the event, one boat in the water to set the swim course and during the race they had lifeguards in the boat patrolling the swim course making sure the participants are doing ok. The other Wakesetter VLX was on display up near the transition area where they go from swim to bike and bike to run.

Rob from Central Texas Water Sports tells us “It was a great event. Wicked early on a Sunday morning, but worth it”

Thanks Rob!!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Malibu Just Ride Clinic in Dallas Sunday

Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) Dallas, Texas dealer Waterski America is hosting a Malibu Just Ride 2 Clinic Tour Stop Sunday June 5th at Pier 121. This customer wake and surf instructional will be presided over by pro wakeboarding elite like Pro Tour and King of Wake Champion Phillip Soven (@PhillipSoven) and Chad Sharpe (@ChadeSharpe). These riders will be supported by wakeboarding's young guns Olivier Derome (@OliDerome) and Sam Thomson (@SamrThomson). Legendary wakeskater Brian Grubb (@BriankGrubb) will be schooling the wakesurfers. Wakeboard and surf sessions will be going off 9:30-11:30 and 12:30-2:30. Wakeboard sets will be pulled by a 2011 Malibu Wakesetter VLX wakebaord boat and Surf sets will be behind a 2011 Malibu Wakesetter 247LSV! Call Waterski America at 972-620-2377 to sign up for your spot. They're going fast!

Tags: Malibu Boats | Just Ride | JR2 | wake & surf clinic tour | Team Malibu | wakeboarding | wakesurfing | clinics | Phillip Soven | Brian Soven | Chad Sharpe | Waterski America | Olivier Derome | Sam Thomson | wake boats | wakeboard boats | Wakesetter VLX | Wakesetter 247LSV

Gunnar's 04 Wakesetter 23XTi

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) photo is of Gunnar Lindberg’s 2004 Malibu Wakesetter 23XTi. Taken in front of their house in Columbia, MD and sent to us through the Malibu Boats iPhone App.

Thank you Gunnar for sending your photo to us, look forward to more this summer!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!

Chisholm's VLX

This Malibu Boats (@MalibuBoats) photo is of Katharine & Brandon Chisholm’s 2007 Wakesetter VLX floating on Lake Anna in Mineral VA. Katharine tells us they are “getting ready for a fall ride”. Katharine sent us this great photo through the Malibu iPhone App.

Thank you Katharine for sharing your photo with us!

If you capture or come across a cool Malibu Boats-related photo like this one let us know. We would love to post it on the Malibu Boats Blog and Flickr Channel. We will even Tweet about it on Twitter and add it to the ever-changing Malibu Boats Screen Saver. You can also submit your photo or video through our Malibu iPhone App.

E-mail blog@malibuboats.com with links and/or images. Also make sure to include the name of the person who took the shot and give us a short description of the photo's contents. If you do not know this information and you are only forwarding a link, we can track it down. Thanks!