Pro Clinics 1996: Better Than Ever
By Paul Jurbala

1996 was the third year of the Water Ski Pro Clinic program. Buoyed by 
the success of the program in 1994 and 1995, we once again put the show 
on the road, criss-crossing Ontario with a truck, ski boat, equipment 
and instructors. Our mission: offer the best water ski clinics with the 
best customer service at the lowest cost.

Not only was our mission accomplished, but with the help of our sponsors 
it was accomplished in high style. This year we hit the water in an 
breathtaking Malibu Echelon LX inboard bowrider, with 320 Mercury Marine 
horsepower. The boat was made possible by support from Multi-Mutual 
Financial Services and Brian Hurlburt, who financed it and even took a 
Pro Clinic for his staff and guests to show off his investment. The tow 
vehicle again came from Rexdale's Summit Ford - thanks to its president 
Scott Vickers - but this time it was a brand new Ford F150 4x4 pick-up. 
The skis, boards and all the other gear came from O'Brien, and Cango 
Petroleum and Mercury Marine added financial support. The best way to 
describe the beautiful rig is the words of instructor Chris Horan as the 
season neared its end:  I'm not giving this stuff back! 

The boat made its debut at the Ontario Water Ski Instructors' Course in 
June, then hit the road for over 16,000 km of driving to a total 25 
clinic-days in July and August.  The team worked with the now usual 
combination of cottagers, marinas and recreation centres to offer a 
great ski experience to about 300 happy skiers. And there were a few new 
twists, as instructors Chris Horan and Ben Bradshaw went above and 
beyond to take the clinic to two summer camps, Wahanowin and Kandalore, 
and to four of the seven events in the OWSA Wakeboard Series. Chris and 
Ben were also on the organizing committee for the first Canadian 
Wakeboard Championships.

July 23rd was one of the more interesting days for the team, as Cottage 
Life TV crew joined us for a day on the water and made stars of Chris, 
Ben and the Pro Clinic as they pulled kids from the Rama Recreation 
Centre and taught Cottage Life host Linda Manjuris how to trick ski.  

Then there was the day in late August when the trailer axle broke on 
Highway 401, resulting in a boat-on-a-trailer-on-a-flatbed tow to Bond 
Lake, where the boat could be kept safely while the trailer was 
repaired. But if the trailer problem was the worst day of the summer for 
Bradshaw and Horan, the Cottage Life filming was only one of many days 
which competed to be the best in a summer which seemed far too short.

Once again the Pro Clinic was a hit with hosts, most giving the Clinic 
ten out of ten marks in the post-clinic survey we send out. Over the 
past three years, the Clinics have averaged 8.9 out of 10 in these 
surveys, giving our teams an unbeatable reputation for customer service 
- stay late, skip lunch, do whatever to make sure the skiers are happy. 

With 1997 on the horizon, the program is beginning to attract bookings 
for next summer.  You can bet that with the support of our sponsors and 
instructors, we'll once again be out there  bringing a water ski school 
to your lake .