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Here in the US, as in other countries with natural coastlines, the sport of surfing has grown and prospered. Not only those who surf, but countless others who don't, are helping to make Surfing's mark on the World. Many people from all walks of life have embraced the Surfing lifestyle and look, spending much on cloths and accessories without ever owning a board. The time is here to go beyond our early foundations and lay the groundwork for worldwide promotion of not only our lifestyle, but our sport as well.

The USSF has recently embarked on a five pronged effort to solidify the Olympic recognition process. Although the International Surfing Federation has been contacted for their support over an extended period of time, no response from ISF has been forthcoming. Therefore, this effort is being undertaken primarily by the USSF, with some help from other surfing organizations around the world with similar interests in Olympic surfing recognition. Also, an activity like this was very difficult in the past, but we now have the power of the Internet and this will significantly help us keep our communication channels open worldwide.

Our initial task is correlation study to identify all countries in the world with existing coastlines. These countries will then be compared to known national surfing organizations. When countries are identified with no official surfing group, an effort will be made to identify and then help someone willing to organize a national surfing group for their country.

The results of the study will be listed with both the official surfing contact and the official International Olympic Committee contact on the USSF web site for everyone to see. It is our hope that the immediate availability of official contacts will stimulate interest within each country for Surfing's recognition.

Another activity underway is research to identify both emerging sources of technology and builders capable of producing "judgeable" quality man-made waves. Part of this task is to figure out the characteristics of a wave that would be suitable for major competitions. The USSF currently has a questionnaire being circulated (and available on their web site) related to this question. As far as technologies and builders are concerned, at least two sources have been identified for quality man-made waves. One technique is pool based while the other, the Wave Cannon, can be implemented in a pool or any natural body of water.

It is our hope that we can serve as a catalyst for the development of surfing activities in land-locked countries using quality man-made wave techniques. If you want an artificial break, get together a group of investors who are willing to develop a competition quality wave pool. The sport is expanding and the time is ripe for developers to make their mark in the surfing world.

Still another activity underway is oriented primarily towards US conditions, but can also be adapted to other countries as needed. We are looking at a set of judging rules, judge selection criteria and team selection criteria that will be acceptable to all surfing organizations in this country. The intent is to be both fair and practical during Olympic years. This may be a difficult process for us in the US, but maybe not so difficult for other countries.

One of the concerns that we must also address is judgement criteria when an artificial wave is used, and also how an Olympic type event should be conducted. We would have liked ISF input for this study but thus far they have not responded. It is our intent to widely circulate the results of this study for comment once it is completed.

The USSF will at least do its part to reach our ultimate goal. However, more support is needed by surfers in other countries. If one doesn't exist, create a national governing body for surfing competitions within your country. Where a national organization exists, have them contact their IOC representative. If you don't know who that is, look at the USSF web page at http://ussurf.org/olympic.htm or the IOC web site for contact information. If you can't use a computer, you can always call the IOC at 011 4121 621 61111.

Regardless of what we do, the fastest anything can happen in the Olympics is 7 years, so this isn't a project that can show immediate results. We can only work towards our longer-term objectives. I don't think we are worse off than other Olympic sports and we certainly can't claim any special "fast track" status. Therefore, let's approach our goal with a positive focus and at least get our foot in the door. I believe there will need to be some give and take, and there will also likely be winners and losers. We need to explore all possible avenues to Olympic recognition.

During my trip to Australia this September, I would like to meet with any official representatives that can talk to me face to face about some approaches that might lead to Surfing's formal Olympic recognition. I will be in Freemantle, Adelaide, and finally in Sydney during my trip. Anyone wishing to get the communications channel rolling may do so by emailing me at sea@blackmagic.com. Other members of the recently formed USSF Olympic Recognition Committee include Terry McCann, Jim Lucas, Mike Downey, and Tim Maddox.