WORLD SNOWBOARD DAY
The press release proclaims World Snowboard Day is December 23, and says the 'day' has expanded to the U. S. from Europe, with a few celebratory events here and there. Is this a true event?
Probably not.
It's more of an attempt to start a new snowboard federation and get some of the money that goes to every sport's national governing body.
The organizers, who call their group the World Snowboard Federation, say they formed in Germany in 2002 to "fill the void after the collapse of ISF and PSA." ISF refers to the International Snowboard Federation, which fought for control over snowboarding with USSA, the United States Ski Association (now U. S. Ski and Snowboard Association), and the FIS, or International Ski Federation. But USSA and FIS are very powerful organizations, and they won.
The World Snowboard Federation says that the collapse of ISF and the Professional Snowboard Association, or PSA, in the late 1990's left an "empty space and need of creating a new international entity," which is not the case---snowboard has been controlled by national governing bodies for skiing all over the world since the late 1980's. But---such governing bodies get millions from the International Olympic Committee, plus various donors and sponsors. That potential payday can look good to would-be organizers of a new governing body.
WSF states that it's mission is, "stimulating activities that can make snowboarding grow and develop in the spirit of the original, genuine culture that has been created by the pioneers of snowboarding and the pro riders – the heroes of the kids."
But WSF's stated mission will have to vie, not only with USSA, but with the domestic group USASA, the United States Amateur Snowboarding Association.
USASA, which has existed since 1988, was the first to introduce slopestyle as a snowboard discipline back in 1993. It already organizes dozens of comps nationally in every discipline, including banked slalom. And it wants to be a rival force to USSA in boarding.
The fight for organizer control of snowboarding---and the millions involved---will continue. But as for controlling the sport? There's an expression which sums it what it means: like herding cats.