Watersports

Seadoo PWC covers are almost never discussed amongst the most serious racers. But that is not to say they aren’t important amongst the most serious racers. Each serious athlete seems to think their seadoo pwc cover is an extension of the machine which is an extension of them. A sleek cover means they are a sleek rider. However, no one admits to thinking this way. Most riders are keen to get on the water to demonstrate their skills but none would show up with a shabby or worn out seadoo cover. Earlier this year I sent out an email to competitors telling them I was looking for content for my blog on seadoo covers. As a lark, one of the competitors suggested having a seadoo cover beauty pageant after Saturday’s races. The rest is history.

The seadoo cover industry is a huge industry. The individual machine manufacturers hope to make up to 50% of their annual profit in brand marked after sales. After market products include covers, stickers, t-shirts, hats, etc. It can be anything that can hold a logo. There are also independent marine cover retailers offer all sorts of covers and can customize them for you. The most successful riders are sponsored by a number of different products and businesses and their covers are covered in different logos. Although loathe to admit it, most riders take their seadoo pwc covers very seriously.

When I asked around Saturday morning, no one would admit to wanting to enter the contest. I did not mention that I would be blogging about it as I thought that might deter people even further. After all, the whole idea was a bit novel and inconsistent with the macho sport of personal watercraft racing.

Saturday afternoon I went to look for the organizer and when I found him I was told that no one had entered the competition. I was disappointed but not surprised. The competitors were standing around in small groups getting reacquainted and I noticed some small talk about the cover contest. Some of the racers were saying that they had no intention of entering the contest but if they were so inclined they would be sure to win. As the afternoon drew to a close the claims of having the hottest cover became more insistent. It was decided that relatives ( read: girlfriends, boyfriends, children or spouses) could enter the seadoo covers on behalf of the athletes.

We got 4 or 5 contestants immediately and then 2 or 3 others decided to join the fun. The winner was an older guy who displayed his cover like the women do at car shows. It was hilarious. He demonstrated every cord and pocket and even spelled out the name of the manufacturer in a sexy European accent. The custom details on the cover were waves and the rider’s last name.

The seadoo cover contest was a lot of fun. I can see it being repeated at this competition year after year. Some of the competitors were taking about swapping covers with some of the international competitors at bigger events. This tournament has always been one of my favorites. As always, it was a lot of quality racing but this year it had the added twist of featuring custom designed seadoo pwc covers.