FAQs: Discipline Committees (formerly Discipline Councils) – September 18, 2025
Water Ski and Wakeboard Canada (WSWC) is the National Sport Organization responsible for the oversight of towed water sports in Canada. WSWC is a non-profit organization, recognized by both the Canadian Olympic Committee and Sport Canada as the Canadian Federation of the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation.
Currently, there are five recognized disciplines in Canada: Adaptive, Barefoot, Water Ski, Show Ski, and Wake.
To support discipline-specific needs, WSWC’s Board is supported by five volunteer Discipline Committees (formerly known as Councils). WSWC works closely with the Provincial Sport Organizations.
Who do the Committees report to?
The WSWC Board. Each Discipline Committee is a committee of the WSWC Board. As they are not independent legal entities, they cannot contract or make financial commitments for WSWC.
What are the Discipline Committees?
Discipline Committees are groups of dedicated volunteers who support the management and growth of their respective sports.
What is the history of these committees?
- Early Development: Organized water skiing in Canada began in 1949, and WSWC filed its first Articles of Incorporation in August 1971. Over time, as new disciplines were added, the Board structure evolved, and discipline-specific councils were formed. Initially, these groups operated informally to manage rules, teams, events, Nationals, results, officials, and scoring.
- 2010 – 2015: Committees were given additional expectations, however no formal structure was in place.
- 2016 – 2019: WSWC recognized that a formal structure would be required. In 2018 a process to create Terms of Reference (TOR) began.
- Formalization (2020): In June 2020, the WSWC Board approved the first official TOR for the Discipline Councils. These came into effect after the September 2020 AGM, with the 2021 season being the first year under the new structure. The TOR outlined the number of committee members, appointment and election procedures, and Council responsibilities.
- Evolution (2020–2024): Since 2020, elections have been conducted in various ways per the TOR, most often informally at the Council level. In 2024, Wake became the first discipline to implement a formal election process open to all participants of the discipline.
- Recent Updates (2025):
- February 2025: The WSWC Board approved a Sport Council Member Job Description to clarify roles and responsibilities. (Note this document will be revised asap to use the term “Committee in place of Council” and to include reference to the new discipline specific TORs.)
- September 2025: WSWC Voting Members approved revised By-Laws which led to further formalization of discipline committee TORs, election processes etc.
- September 2025: The Board created a Discipline Oversight Committee, first tasked with assisting each discipline in customizing a discipline specific Terms of Reference based on a standardized template.
- September 2025: The Board standardized the election process of Committees to ensure transparency and representation across all disciplines, including the Participants of each discipline will participate in the election of the Committee members.
Discipline Oversight Committee & Terms of Reference (TORs)
The Discipline Oversight Committee, created in September 2025, will support the development of discipline-specific Terms of Reference.
- Each committee will complete its own TOR using a template that includes required structural elements (e.g., election processes).
- The WSWC Board will have final approval of all TORs.
- The new TORs are expected to be finalized in Fall 2025 and implemented for the 2026 season.
Important Committee Election Dates (2025)
| Discipline CMTE | Positions Open for election | Term Length – 2 and 1 year terms to even out the # of votes per year.
(highest # of votes get the 2 year terms) |
Submissions Open | Submissions Close | Voter Registration Opens | Voter Registration Closes | Election Date |
| Show Ski | 5 | 3 seats = 2 years
2 seats = 1 year |
Sept 11 | Sept 22 | Sept 22 | October 2 | Oct 9 (Zoom) |
| Wake | 8 | 5 seats = 2 years
3 seats = 1 year |
Sept 17 | Sept 28 | Sept 28 | Oct 8 | Oct 15 (Zoom) |
| Adaptive | 8 | 6 seats = 2 years
2 seats = 1 year |
Sept 17 | Sept 28 | Sept 28 | Oct 8 | Oct 15 (Zoom) |
| Barefoot | 6 | 3 seats = 2 years
3 seats = 1 year |
Sept 25 | Oct 6 | Oct 6 | Oct 16 | Oct 23 (Zoom) |
| Water Ski | 6 | 4 seats = 2 years
2 seats = 1 year |
Sept 29 | Oct 10 | Oct 10 | Oct 20 | Oct 27 (Zoom) |
Key Updates to Elections (effective September 2025):
- All Discipline Committees will hold elections this year. All open elected seats and previously appointed seats will be filled through elections (no appointments).
- Terms are staggered, with ½ of the committee being elected each year. For the 2025 election, any member elected in 2024 will remain as an elected member for the balance of their 2 year term. In the Fall of 2025 the balance of the Committee will be elected. Terms will be either 2 years or 1 year to balance the annual election cycle for members.
- Example: If a Committee has 11 members (Adaptive) and 3 of them were elected in 2024 (therefore 1 year remaining for the balance of their 2 year term), for the 8 positions to be elected in 2025, 6 will be elected for a 2 year term, 2 will be elected for a 1 year term.
- Elections will be managed with WSWC staff support (Google Forms/Sheets). Disciplines choosing alternate platforms (e.g., Election Buddy) must cover costs and provide their own lead, with staff oversight.
- Show Ski is the first discipline to begin, with nominations opening September 15, closing September 22, and elections on October 9. Other election dates will follow shortly.
- Each Discipline Committee will also appoint at least one athlete Rep. The Athlete Rep will be either non-voting – appointed or an Athlete may run for an elected position on the committee. The Athlete Reps from each discipline will form the Athlete Committee of WSWC.
- Members must have a membership purchased by September 30th to cast a vote in the Election.
- Members must register to vote based on the date in the table above.
- Members may register to vote in more than one election if they meet the criteria.
- Candidates for Committee spots must have a valid membership by the close of Nomination period for that discipline.
- See Quick facts sheet for more detailed information on this.
What are the responsibilities of the Discipline Committees?
Discipline Committees are responsible for overseeing and supporting their sport’s development in alignment with WSWC’s strategic objectives. Responsibilities include:
- Managing National Team programs, including promotion, funding, partnerships, fundraising, coaching, and training.
- Developing annual and quadrennial strategic plans in line with WSWC’s Strategic Plan.
- Evaluating Domestic and High-Performance programming against established performance objectives.
- Reviewing and updating rules, fees, policies, criteria, procedures, and schedules.
- Planning and executing National Championships, including promotions, funding, partnerships, and fundraising.
- Reviewing and approving results and records, where applicable.
- Supporting sport partnerships, sponsorships, and promotions.
- Contributing to the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) model.
- Engaging in sport-specific advocacy.