I have a very impressive story that I have been meaning to
write but till this moment now it had eluded me. I would
like to think you would be interested in this story as I
think it is a great representation of the positive people
that surround us and make our
experiences within the wakeboarding community so unique. I
have been involved in water sports for most of my life and
began focusing on wakeboarding in the mid 90's. This sport
has had a dramatic impact on my life and the direction that
I have chosen. Every summer I have returned home from
wherever I am in the world to our small town of Penetang,
Ontario Canada simply because the thought of missing out on
our already short wakeboard season would be too utterly
disappointing. My craving to get back on the water is
consistent throughout the winter months but amplifies during
May and June while I am up in the forests of Northern
Ontario running a tree planting operation. My passion for
the sport lately has not yielded and in fact has only
swelled over the past few seasons and this is in a large
part attributable to a certain individual.
The purpose of me writing to you is to recognize someone
that I feel has done a great deal for the positive
representation of our sport. Wakeboarding was introduced to
a now friend of mine from across the bay three summers ago.
Kirk Ruston was out with friends cruising up the bay to a
friends' cottage and had decided to pick up a wakeboard for
the trip so they would have something to entertain
themselves.
From the moment he took his first ride he was hooked, like
so many others who are first introduced to the sport. The
next season he had a welder build him a tower to add to his
nineteen foot grew bow rider. Last season we started
Georgian Bay Watersports, the first ever water sports school
in Penetang. That was our project last
winter, yet that was not enough. One night in January of
last year we were discussing the benefit of purchasing an
old school bus to use as the main headquarters of the
school. Plus it would be a mobile base, which means we would
be able to travel around and visit different places in our
area. However, talking
about this idea was simply not enough for Kirk and a week
later he had purchased a mid-size school bus and had it
parked outside of his home. Throughout those cold, bitter
winter months in Canada, one has a lot of time to think
about the next season and the possibilities it will bring.
For example, each year prior to beginning the season the
boys get together and discuss what goals they are going to
set out to
achieve throughout the boarding season. It can be anything
from just enjoying being out on the water and riding to
aspirations to become more consistent with your spins. That
winter the wheels were turning as another idea was born.
Ruston had thought about taking the school bus idea a little
further and transform the bus into a mobile surf shop. He
would call it the "School Bus Surf Shop".
During the winter months Kirk began to strip down the bus
and begin its transformation towards a mobile surf shop. He
spent hours upon hours working towards his goal. It was his
new winter project that would dominate his free time
throughout the winter. In June 2003, the bus opened for
business. Reactions to his project were mixed in town.
However, most people were fascinated with the idea and
detail of the bus. Almost immediately there was a buzz
around about this
unique bus that was driving around town, as people had never
seen anything quite like it. In its first season the "School
Bus Surf Shop" was very successful and wakeboarding has
received a great deal of recognition in the area and the
popularity of the sport has increased dramatically. People
who have no ties to wakeboarding and who were unfamiliar
with the sport are now becoming interested and respect those
who are taking part in the sport. We now often see boats
follow us up the bay as we make a pass on our board where as
in years past know one seemed to care what we were doing out
on the water.
Last summer we traveled to Wakestock, the largest wakeboard
festival in Canada. This proved to be an incredibly
successful weekend and further reinforced that the idea was
a hit. Thousands of young and old wakeboard enthusiasts
alike passed through the bus that weekend in awe of the idea
and the detail of the inside of the bus. It was here that he
was introduced to "Skate For Cancer". A teenager who was
planning to raise money in the fight against cancer by
skateboarding from California across the United States
homeward bound for Newmarket, Ontario Canada. The distance
to be traveled on this journey had never been done on a
skateboard yet this boys' determination was fuelled by his
personal loss of his mother to cancer
and he was determined to achieve his goal.
His goal became more attainable when Ruston decided to
donate his bus to the boy for his journey. Kirk believed
strongly in the boys' "Skate For Cancer" campaign and
thought it would be great if he could use the bus to live
out of while completing his task. The bus would provide him
with a place to sleep at night once he finished
skating for the day. It is to be transformed further to
accommodate living quarters inside. In the meantime, next
summer the "School Bus Surf Shop" will operate out of a
stationary store located on the main street of our town. The
"Skate For Cancer" campaign begins in the summer of 2004 and
when completed, the boy will make history in the Guinness
Book of World Records as the longest distance ever traveled
on a skateboard.
So you may ask why I am writing to you. Well I believe that
it is important to recognize those whom have done a great
deal to promote our sport. Furthermore, we should be
fortunate to be surrounded by people in this industry who
have helped distinguish our sport of wakeboarding and pave
the way for others to share in our passion.
My name is Greg Martin and I am the Director and Head
Instructor at
Georgian Bay Watersports. I would like to invite you to
visit the "school bus surf shop" website
www.schoolbussurfshop.com to get a clearer picture of
this project.
