ORLANDO, FLORIDA – To provide support for the newly formed Paddlesports Trade Coalition (PTC), the Water Sports Foundation (WSF) has agreed to become a sponsor of the group’s first-ever PTC Colab event in Oklahoma City Sept. 3-6.
As its name suggests, the PTC Colab was created to bring like-minded individuals together to build and renew relationships, improve business practices, and meet industry challenges. Colab also will include three days of whitewater and flatwater demos at the OKC Riversport adventure park in downtown Oklahoma City.
The Water Sports Foundation’s executive director, Jim Emmons said, “Every industry should be supported by a trade association dedicated to improving commerce, increasing popularity, limiting liability, and promoting safer participation. We’re excited that the PTC was formed to support the paddlesports industry and the Water Sports Foundation is proud to be a presenting sponsor of the PTC’s inaugural event.”
The Water Sports Foundation is a non-profit outreach organization, focused on boating and paddling safety. One of the WSF’s primary campaigns aims to reduce paddling accidents, which in 2023 accounted for one-third of all boating fatalities in the United States.
The PTC was formed by paddlesports industry leaders as a member supported organization and is led by an 11-member board of directors. Members include manufacturers, retailers, outfitters, sales reps and individuals with a common goal of growing participation and promoting safer paddling. The organization was created to represent the paddlesports industry as one unified voice.
The Water Sports Foundation was created in 2004 as the educational division of the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA). Since 2011, the WSF has managed 54 U.S. Coast Guard administered federal boating safety grants promoting boating and paddling safety. The WSF’s projects encourage boaters and paddlers to practice safer behaviors.
The new relationship with the Paddlesports Trade Coalition promises to deliver increased paddlesports safety awareness through the industry’s manufacturer and retailer connections with consumer paddlers.
For more information, please contact the Water Sports Foundation at [email protected] or visit WaterSportsFoundation.com.
