Dear Members and prospective members of the Nipmuc Water Ski Club, the 2020 Season is rapidly approaching! Now that the days are getting longer and warmer, many of us will be thinking of Summer and waterskiing on Webster Lake.  I would like to pass along a few updates and reminders that everyone should be aware of.

• We have a new Website!!  The new website is  www.NipmucWaterSkiClub.org . Club Secretary Andy Marks spent a LOT of time over the winter getting this  new, more functional, and “easier-to-maintain” website up and running. The old website (NipmucSkiClub.org) is still owned by the club and if you inadvertently use that site you will automatically be redirected to the new site!  Andy Marks is going to send everyone a separate email soon with some details about his plans for our new website—there will be a LOT of ways for members to interact, post photos, etc and your feedback is welcome.
• The membership cost will be the same as last year, $165 per person. 2020 dues should be made by April 15th.  Membership forms and Checks can be mailed to the club as in past seasons, BUT, even easier,  we now have the ability for members to fill out the forms AND make payments right on the new website!! Yippee. You can use your PayPal account as that is the most secure way to do this for a club like ours.  Each Nipmuc member is also responsible for maintaining their USAWaterSki Membership/Insurance also (go to  www.USAWaterSki.org  for details).  There are several levels of membership and typically the less expensive “Grassroots” one is fine for most Club members.
• Dates to remember:  We will be waterskiing from approx. June 1^st to September 1^st.  The ski evenings will be Monday and Thursday throughput the season, and during July we will add Wednesday evening to the schedule (so July will have Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday eves). Weekday ski times are 6:00 PM until dusk.  Each Saturday morning there will be Barefoot, Slalom, Jump, and Show-Ski practice according to a time schedule as last year.  Saturday mornings often have some spare time for recreational skiing and/or learning too! (not to mention the homemade pancake and egg breakfasts that our chefs whip up on the grill on Saturdays .)
• The annual Nipmuc Water Ski Club Ski Show is planned for Saturday August 29^th, with a rain date of September 5^th.
• There will be several  “Learn To Ski” days during the season again; the dates (all Sundays) tentatively chosen for these are June 28^th, July 19^th, August 16^th, and September 13^th .  Volunteers from the club are needed on these days.
• Before the season begins we will have a  big  “Clean-up and Dock Launch”  day (or 2) scheduled for the Shack area. This will take place in early May and we will send out a reminder. The Club needs as many people as possible to show up at this cleanup event as the docks are heavy (yes even the newer ones) and there is a lot of Spring Cleaning to do. When everyone works together we can get a lot done in one day!  
• Improvements: We are planning to purchase a new slalom course, and this should be huge improvement over the old “bent and broken” one that has been there for a LONG time. We will need the expertise of our slalom experts to get the new course installed reasonably straight. The Ski Jump will have some modest repairs to ensure that it is safe by the time it goes back in the water this Spring.  There will be some new Dock sections built this year, too.
• Lastly we have agreed to buy some additional  ski ropes and ski vests, etc,  to replace the worn out ones.
• Important– We are now officially a non-profit organization under the IRS 501c-3 code. That means that anyone that donates money or goods to the Club can generally deduct the donation against their income on their taxes. Please spread the word on this and encourage donations from businesses and individuals that may be able. We can provide a letter recognizing donations of any size.  Our 501c-3 status is a huge step forward in the fundraising process.

Lastly, this is YOUR Ski Club and it requires a lot of time and talent from all the members to keep it running smoothly. Any extra expertise/effort  that ANY member can bring to the Club is needed and appreciated. There are opportunities to put your skills to work whether it be landscaping at the Shack, or designing T-shirts, or helping build docks, or Website updating, or Fund-raising for the club. If you have a special skill (or extra time)  that you would like put to use, please let us know!

Thank you for being a member,

Henry

Henry Coz

President 

Nipmuc Water Ski Club 

A 501(C)3 Charitable Organization

PS…..the mailing address for the Club is:  Nipmuc WSC, PO Box 1001, Webster MA 01570 and the general email for the club is nipmucmembers@gmail.com