the #PassTheHandle project is a national awareness-driven initiative created by legendary wakeboarders Shaun Murray and Zane Schwenk.
the concept is simple: find a friend who has never tried a towed water sports discipline or perhaps has been laser-focused on one or two types and teach them something new. take a wakeboarder out for a trick ski session. a wakesurfer to try out a disc.
share the stoke and spread it to others. below are some tips for how to #PassTheHandle. also, check out our Midwest Towed Water Sports Guidebook that you can share after bringing someone new out on the water — the Guidebook provides direction on how to stay involved locally.
you don’t need a “big” event
start small — as you make new friends and meet new people in your community who have never gone out on the lake, invite them out and teach them how to shred. maybe they’ve never been out on the lake before? throw them in a kayak or on a stand-up paddle board to start sharing your love of the lake.
here’s what you’ll need
- floatation device — for each person on the boat, including coastguard approved for the person you’re passing the handle to
- gear — bring along a few different pieces of gear for your boat guest to try out
- rope and handle — if you have a ski rope and a wakesurf rope, bring both with so you have options
- water — gotta stay hydrated
best practices
- two skis, wakeboards, kneeboards or even a tube — these are the easiest, most entry-level way to get out on the water
- know your participant — not every participant is going to feel comfortable on any apparatus.
- it’s important to be as encouraging and supportive as possible — if they don’t get up, highlight what they did really well
- be patient
- adequate floatation and proper equipment is a must — the participant should be in a coast-guard approved vest; if you can’t see a warning label or it’s too faded to tell, then you should put them in a different vest
join us
1,000 first pulls
someone you know has never been behind the boat. that’s a problem, and we’re fixing it -- 1,000 new riders by pass the handle day. no coaching, no pressure, just lake people doing what lake people do.
bring one more. then let them bring the next.
make your pledgeour goal is simple:
more people on the water, doing it the right way, for a long time to come.
midwest towed water sports guidebook
our go-to list of coaches, camps and contests across the midwest, plus the people and accounts worth following to stay connected, keep learning and spend more time on the water.