First water ski club receives ClubMark status

Members of Merlin Brae Water Ski Club are celebrating after having one of their most successful seasons to date.

The club, based at Kielder Water, Northumberland has not only seen its junior section become National Cutting Edge championship winners and club member Harry Young take the Champion of Champions title from the Northern Region competition but also ended the season on a high by becoming the first water ski and wakeboard club to receive ClubMark status.

The ClubMark scheme ensures that clubs are being run with proper policies and procedures in place and helps them to plan for the future. The club has been working closely with Northumberland Sport, the local County Sports Partnership (CSP) to gain ClubMark status. Volunteers have put in a lot of hard work in to achieve the national cross sport standard in only a few months.

“When we first looked at the ClubMark process it appeared to be a daunting task, however we soon realised we were already doing most of requirements, just in a different format”, said Paul Weatherburn from the club. “At Merlin Brea we focus on the youth skiers & now we have ClubMark it will allow us to attract other youth groups in the area to experience water skiing at our club.

“A huge thanks has to go to Stephen Parsons of Northumberland Sport for guiding us through the ClubMark process. Also to Rachel Tallon of British Water Ski and Wakeboard (BWSW) for supporting us and giving a guiding hand”

Stephen Parsons, Club and Coach Development Officer at Northumberland Sport highlights the hard work put in by the club. “It is great to see a new sport taking up the ClubMark accreditation”, he says, “and it is a testament to all the hard work the volunteers have put in over a number of years at Merlin Brae. The clubs success this year should be a shining example to all clubs especially those in rural location, it shows what can be achieved with committed volunteers and a strong committee supporting sporting activity. Northumberland Sport is delighted to support the first Water Ski club in the country to gain ClubMark, the volunteers and coaches at the Kielder based club deserve a lot of credit. ”

What next for Merlin Brae? Now that they have ClubMark status they are looking to work with BWSW and Northumberland Sport on the Sport England Sportivate programme - a £32 million Lottery programme that gives 14-25 year olds access to six-week courses in a range of sports including judo, golf, tennis, wakeboarding, athletics, and parkour or free running. They will also be entering the 2012 Cutting Edge Competition.