Greetings, PWC community. We are down to less than 30 days until the 2005 Skat Trak IJSBA World Finals!!!! I am eager to bring you this week's updates. Because I will be traveling to Austria to tour the Hydrospace facility this Thursday, I would please like to hear any comments or questions you might have about this week's updates right away. I will be back in the IJSBA office next Wednesday (September 21).

1. The entry fees continue to roll in. We have received nearly 10 times the amount of early entries from this date on any previous year. It is a pleasure to see how many familiar names continue to be participants in the sport. It is equally as exciting to see all the new names who are showing up for their first crack at a title.

2. This will be your final reminder that this Thursday (September 15) is the last day to receive a $10 discount per class for early registration, please get those forms sent in. The $10 you save can be applied to one of the many fine IJSBA souvenirs which will be available at the event.

3. We have been asked about payout classes. Pro, Pro-Am, Expert, and Amateur classes are the only classes which are eligible for IJSBA payout. Contingency sponsors may vary. Payouts will be determined by total number of entry fees as well as particular entries for that class. Tell your friends to sign up so you can take their money.

4. The IJSBA is proud to announce your announcers. This year's World Finals will Feature Mike Young and Dawn Dawson and the debut of Brian Smith.

5. The United States Region One racers suffered a serious of difficulties with the cancellation of two events. Bullett Racing canceled its last event. Persons signed up to attend Bullett's final event were told that they could race the event at the AVI resort and still register for the World Finals as an alternate. Unfortunately, the AVI event was canceled as well. It is the policy of the IJSBA to foster competition and accommodate racers. I am proposing that racers who present CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE that they were going to attend one or both of these events may apply to the IJSBA to register as an alternate. I realize that there is a tension here between those who have raced and qualified and those that had this misfortune of missing events due to the fact that they decided to start their racing late in the season. Therefore, I am asking those of you who have an opinion on this subject to please either email your support or opposition to me before September 21.

6. The 2005 IJSBA World Finals will include Exhibition Supercourse. The exhibition will take place on Saturday, October 15 upon the completion of the closed course events. Supercourse is limited to 30 competitors. Persons interested in competing should apply to the IJSBA by email or fax. Please include your name, experience, brand of PWC, and whether you will competing in any other classes at the World Finals.

7. I am personally doing everything I can to open the lines of communication between the IJSBA and the rest of the PWC community. I am very appreciative of the emails, faxes, and phone calls offering support. Thank you. When calling the IJSBA, please speak slowly and clearly I have three or four messages where the person leaving the message did not leave a coherent phone number. Please say your name and phone number and repeat it at least once so your call can be returned.

8. There has been a very high response to the PWC give away raffle. Some speculators have inquired about purchasing all of the tickets up front. Due to the high demand we are going to add 50 more tickets to the raffle and offer them for sale according to this schedule:
Tues:25 Weds: 25 Thurs: 25 Fri:25 Sat: 75 Sun:75

In closing up this week's updates, I would like to give recognition to three people who are absolutely crucial to the success of this event. Day after day, Jim Delzer comes into this office and gives 120% to the IJSBA and the World Finals. He is thorough, organized, informed, and always prepared. I am very grateful to have Jim on board. Blake Corning calls in every day, reviews numerous documents, gets in touch with our associate staff, engages in planning, and keeps us up today on all of his progress. Kelly Lezey has the office documents and accounting in impeccable order. Kelly is always on top of the game with updates and never fails to impress me with how familiar she is with every detail of this sport. I want everyone to know that these are the people that make this event happen. Jim, Blake, and Kelly are the most committed people I have met in this sport and if you meet them a the World Finals, please take a moment to express your appreciation for all that they do.

I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. I can be reached by email at:scott@ijsba.com