US wakeboard championships

spudski67 · Newbie Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 15 City: burlington

did anyone notice that they are being held on onondaga lake in Syracuse, NY?

I am from there, and onondaga lake is known to be one of the most polluted lakes in the world. There are laws against waterskiing and swimming. Last year we put the boat in and decide to wakeboard because we are young and foolish and the police yelled at us within a few pulls.

Is this legit? Are they really doing the championships there? Its a beautiful lake. I could see why it would be good for syracuse to get the exposure, but as far as i knew they were still saying it was too dangerous to swim in.

either way, i've ridden in it and i'm still here.

devon · Posted: Mar 27, 2007 5:22 am Post subject:

that retarded, why dont they just hold it in florida like they do for most contests
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Honda Trailsport

wakejumper17 · Outlaw Joined: 25 Aug 2005 Posts: 234

^^^ lol

spudski67 · Newbie Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 15 City: burlington

yeah its pretty ridiculous

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

Copy and Paste from Wikipedia-

Onondaga Lake is northwest of the city of Syracuse, New York and south of Lake Ontario. Water outflows from the lake to Lake Ontario through the Oswego River. The lake is five miles (8 kilometers) long and a mile (1.5 kilometers) wide. It has an area of 4.6 square miles (11.9 square kilometers) and has a maximum depth of 73 feet (22 meters). Although it is near the Finger Lakes region, it is not traditionally counted as one of the Finger Lakes.

Around 1450 or possibly earlier, Onondaga Lake was the site of the founding of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. According to legend, at this spot the warlike Onondaga chief Tadodaho was persuaded by Hiawatha and Deganawidah (the Peacemaker) to accept the Great Law of Peace. Historically, the lake and the surrounding area was a site of salt springs and later salt mining.

Today, Onondaga Lake is a severely polluted lake, one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world[1], primaraly due to industrial dumping. It's advised not to fish or swim in the lake. The lake has high levels of mercury, salt, phosphorus, and ammonia. The EPA has declared it a hazardous waste site. Recently, an effort has been made to clean up the water in the lake. The lake is also the subject of a land rights action filed in 2005 by the Onondaga Nation.

The lake is surrounded by the city of Syracuse and the suburban area of Solvay, a center of industry in the Syracuse area. Many of the companies in the areas of Solvay and Syracuse are held to blame for the lake's high concentrations of hazardous chemicals. The now defunct Allied Chemicals, currently owned by Honeywell International is being held responsible for the clean up of the lake for their mass depositing of mercury and salt over the years. From a large municipal discharge the lake in the summer is generally covered in many areas with algae that creates a vile odor that can be smelled for miles. The highest concentration of mercury is believed to be in the tributary of Onondaga Lake known as Nine Mile Creek, which was a major dumping ground for Allied Chemical.

Onondaga County is spending $500 million on a 15-year project to stop polluting the lake with sewage by 2012. The county is under a federal court order to make the lake safe for swimming and fishing and comply with the federal Clean Water Act.

ontrider · Ladies Man Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 16491 City: Russia

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

That struck me as odd as well. I am not 100% sure why it takes 500M to stop dumping chit in a lake or why that takes 15 years....but then again, I am not the smartest guy this side of the Mississippi....

He in the West, we decided years ago that it is against the law to dump chit in public bodies of water.... We do not generally hear "Yea, take your boat out, but don't get in the water....we dump our chit in there." Laughing

From USAWakeboard.com-

Friday, 23 March 2007
2007 USA Wakeboard Nationals To Be Held In Liverpool, N.Y. Eighth annual event to be held at Onondaga Lake Park, July 12-15
POLK CITY, Fla. Top-level wakeboard riders from across the country will compete for national titles at the 2007 USA Wakeboard Nationals, July 12-15, at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, N.Y. Hosted by Onondaga County Parks and the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau, the event provides riders of all ages with an opportunity to be crowned national champions. “We couldn’t be happier to have the city of Syracuse, Onondaga County Parks and the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau host the 2007 USA Wakeboard Nationals, USA Water Ski’s premier wakeboarding event,” said Andy Jugan, executive director of USA Water Ski. “With the continued growth of wakeboarding across the country, this year’s event is sure to live up to the hype.”

WIsconsIN · Posted: Mar 27, 2007 10:33 am Post subject:

E.J. · Ladies Man Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 7597 City: Mogadishu

Problem, if they want more corporate money and fan base.....they need to expose more people to it.

It is unfortunate, even the LF Trip Across America died last year as far as I know, and seems things are going the other way. Loved going to TAA and trying some of the new LF product, maybe catching some off day riding.....

devon · Posted: Mar 27, 2007 1:35 pm Post subject:

i wonder if any of the pros know about this
i wouldnt ride their
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Oliver Lang

david hair · Newbie Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 1 City: Tega Cay

I have communicated with Andy about this and have attached his response below. A couple of things to note. One- there is no dumping of pollutants into lake. This was stopped long ago and the current pollution is the residual effect of previous dumping. Read Andy's response below.

Secondly, USAWaterski would never jepordize the safety of any athlete. USAWaterski has a very strong tradition of watersports safety. They have developed most of all the safety programs associated with watersports. I know the people on the board at USAWaterski and will personally vouch for them.

Finally, I am the father of athletes and would never expose my children to unneccessary danger. Austin Hair will be there competing as a pro in both wakeboard and wakeskate. I am also entering my 10 year old daughter in the competition and will be very sensitive to anything which may cause harm to her. If you have any facts which you feel I should know you may contact me personally.- David Hair

Response from Andy

Historically, Onondaga Lake has had the reputation of being one of the more “polluted” lakes in the country. Millions of dollars have been invested and MUCH has been done to improve the situation and water quality. The pollutants that are there are from dumping of industrial chemicals into the lake over 100 years ago are concentrated on the Lake bottom and on the opposite side of the Lake from the Park and event site. The fishery has come back to the point where they now run an ESPN BASS Master’s Tournament and a Carp tournament on the Lake. Several years ago, when I was running the sports commission there, I ran a number of events on the Lake including the National Collegiate Rowing Championships, Unlimited Hydroplane Races, a pro Water Ski Event and canoe races. I personally, have spent more time in that Lake water than anyone and I don’t glow in the dark and to my knowledge none of our participants have ever gotten sick or suffered any ill effects.

I had a dinner meeting with the Deputy Commissioner of Parks, who manage the Lake and the Park last week he was very positive and confident about the water conditions. It is not recommended for long-term, continuous exposure, but something like this will not be a problem or dangerous. We will also have a showering/washing area available for everyone to rinse off after leaving the lake, if they so wish.

Andy Jugan

Executive Director

USA Water Ski

devon · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 6:54 am Post subject:

david hair, wouldnt it just make more sense to just have it somewere that pepole arent going to complain about
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recesion

spudski67 · Newbie Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 15 City: burlington

im psyched. after party at my place... every night.

~Last Summer~ · Outlaw Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 205 City: Overland Park

I think its a great idea to have it somewhere different every year to try and expand interest. Having it in Florida every year is helping wakeboarding as a sport and there are plenty of great, accessible lakes out there across the nation to use. And If the USA Water Ski people say its okay then I'm all for it.

~Last Summer~ · Outlaw Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 205 City: Overland Park

devon, It's the US Wakeboard Championships, so your opinion doesn't count.

devon · Posted: Mar 28, 2007 1:56 pm Post subject:

~Last Summer~, im not saying my opinion matters im just saying that it would make more sense to have it somewere people are more familiar with
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BMW M3

~Last Summer~ · Outlaw Joined: 10 Feb 2007 Posts: 205 City: Overland Park

I know man, I'm just giving you a hard time. Totally not serious at all and I know what you're saying about having it in Florida but I disagree because I think it's good to have it somewhere different each year.

LakeDeltaMalibu · Newbie Joined: 28 Mar 2007 Posts: 8 City: Rome

I was shocked to hear that the championships were going to be held in NY. Ive lived here all my life and can say from personal experience the weather here sucks and we're lucky if we can wakeboard for 6 months out of the year. A big part of the reason that the championships are here is because Andy Jugan, USA Water Ski's executive director is former coach of the Syracuse University track team. SU may not have been invited to the NCAA but it wasn't a huge loss. I'm still not sure why the picked the most hazardous lake in Ny when there are plenty of public and private lakes that don't contain mercury but I'm sure its not that bad they make haz mat suits for a reason.