What is IJSBA?

Maybe you own a PWC or ride them occasionally and you have heard of IJSBA, but you aren't quite sure what it stands for. The International Jet Sports Boating Association states that its only purpose is to move its sport ahead. It has done just that.

The IJSBA is a non-profit organization which was formed with the assistance of Kawasaki in 1980. For the first two years of its existence, it was called the United States Jet Ski Boating Association, but it quickly branched out beyond the United States and in 1982 changed its name to International Jet Ski Boating Association to encompass its international growth. In 1991, the ISJBA changed its name again when it opened up its racing and membership programs to all brands of personal watercraft and is now known as the International Jet Sports Boating Association.

The IJSBA was originally formed to help the personal watercraft industry with club formation, public relations, legislative issues, event promotions and sanctioning and to educate the public about PWCs. In the beginning, the IJSBA found that the easiest way to "spread the word" was competition, and for many years the IJSBA was almost exclusively a racing organization. The IJSBA started with only a few races per year and now over 500 racing events are held around the world each year under the IJSBA sanction, including the very successful U.S. National Tour which is regularly televised on ESPN2. For a list of the upcoming races and events, check out the 1998 IJSBA National Tour Information.

The IJSBA is now about more than just racing. The IJSBA's Charter Club Program has been successful in providing the PWC industry with "local leverage" in legislative issues concerning PWCs. There are currently over 100 clubs in the United States combining to form a very powerful communications network. The IJSBA has also launched a major campaign to educate personal watercraft owners about boating laws. They supply their clubs with an assortment of boating safety brochures, and feature a continuing series on boating safety in their official publication Jet Sports.

The membership in the IJSBA has increased from 3,000 to 25,000 since 1987. Memberships are as low as $25 per year and competition licenses are $45 per year. Included in this membership fee are a variety of member benefits. Some of these benefits include subscriptions to PWC related magazines, member discounts on merchandise and apparel and information about PWC related issues. For a complete list of the member benefits, check out the Jet-Boy's page on IJSBA Information or contact the IJSBA directly at (714) 598-5860. For an on-line application, check out the PWC Zone.

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