Contact
World Barefoot Center
863-877-0039
wbcbarefoot@gmail.com

The WBC Figure 8 Barefoot Championship

Just a reminder that this season, The WBC will be hosting its own tournament in the 2010 Figure 8 Barefoot Series. The event will be held on Saturday, October 16th, on Lake Conine in Winter Haven, Florida. There will also be a party afterwards at the WBC Ski School Headquarters for anyone who would like to attend. Start building up that endurance! We can't wait to see you all there!
-The WBC Team

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Southern Glass!!!

This Saturday was a big day for WBC!!! Many PB's and world qualifications were acheived. Keith St. Onge put up a PB and pending World Record trick score of 12,900, A.J. Porreca made a tricks PB of 9,400, Ben Groen tricked a PB of 5,500 to set a pending New Zealand National Record, Lauren Lindeman qualified for the worlds in slalom with a PB of 8.8, Conner Findlay qualified for the worlds in tricks with a PB of 1,960, Brian Hetherington posted trick scores of 5,300, and 5,700 points, and Travis Godfrey from Canada slalomed an 11.3 for a PB. Everyone skied well at the Southern Glass tournament, and we had a great time. We would like to thank the Pressendo family for opening up their home, Dale Stevens and Mike Holt for judging, and all who were involved in making this event happen!!!
-The WBC Team

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Footapalooza!!!

On June 11th in La Porte, IN, figure 8 barefooters began to congregate for the first tournament in the inaugural barefoot figure 8 series: Footapalooza. In traditional fashion we started the weekend off with a Friday night supper with drinks and catching up at the No Where Bar and Grill. The night ended fairly early and we all returned to our tents and hotels rooms for some much-needed sleep for the next day’s festivities.

The morning began with some clouds and mist, but warm and the water was smooth. Footers began trickling in for the 0900 footer time start, aka 1000. The tournament started off with Greg Wilkinson versus Chris McWatters attempting to navigate the rollers with the Devils Lake Watersports sponsored MasterCraft X14. After what seemed to be a Figure 8 Tournament decided by who could make it through the first set of rollers, the footers were able to quickly adjust to the larger than normal rollers and started to complete more and more eights. However, even after minor adjustments the rollers from the X14 still swallowed up many of the footers in the first eight.

After the first round was completed footers were able to put together longer figure 8 runs. Some of the longer runs were put together by Jim (J.J.) Link, Freddie Deiser, Chad Meitz, Mike Miller, and Paul Stokes to mention a few for there were a few others that were able to tough out a pair of eights.

The day progressed well with no hang ups or boat problems. The weather cleared up nicely and the sun came out, thus creating a nice hot and humid day. Many footers and spectators were seen putting on Reef Safe SunCare, the awesome biodegradable sunscreen product that sponsors the tournament and the series.

Thanks to the spectacular driving provided by Chris Rising, the footers were able to navigate around the figure eight course battling the rollers and corners slowly eliminating each other.

As the tournament wore on and more and more footers were returned to the beach, we were able to get down to the final four footers. The fight was between Jim (J.J.) link, Chad Meitz, Mike Miller and Freddie Deiser.

After Mike Miller was sent to the beach by Chad Meitz, Chad had to quickly return to the water to face-off with J.J Link. J.J. was able to hold on and advance to the semi-finals where he faced off with Freddie Deiser who had not been knocked off his feet all day. As the other footers watched to see who would be the last man standing at the Footapalooza tournament, J.J. Link was unable to hold off Freddie Deiser in the rollers and thus Freddie was crowned the 2010 Footapalooza champion.

3Rd place was awarded to Chad Meitz, 2nd place awarded to Jim (J.J.) Link, and 1st was awarded to Freddie Deiser.

The tournament was a success in that everyone had a good time and nobody got hurt. We would like to thank all of our sponsors for the tournament: Reef Safe SunCare, WBC, Devils Lake Watersports, Jennie Rae’s, No Where Bar and Grill, Barefoot International, and Barefoot Graphics and Promotions. Hope to see everyone at Lake St. Louis in July.

THANK YOU ALL!!!

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Elite Team WBC Member Makes a Splash

This May, an Article about Elite WBC team member, A.J. Porreca was published in "The Waterskier"! His picture was also put on the cover! A.J. is 18 years old, and is a member of the U.S. Elite Team, as well as the Elite Team WBC. This is a big honor for him. Congratulations A.J., we are proud of your success!
-The WBC Team

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The Records Keep On Coming!

At a recent tournament this May, David Small and Keith St. Onge tricked up some major points, setting three different pending world records! Keith scored 12,750 and 12,400 points in two separate runs, and David scored 12,500 points, becoming the second person to ever break 12 thousand! Keep it up guys, we are all excited for you!!!
-The WBC Team

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New Junior Girls World Trick Record!

On April 8, 2010, at the Australian National Championships, Megan Roberts broke the Junior Girls World Trick record that was set by Ashleigh Stebbeings just a short time ago. Megan racked up a total of 3,500 points, utilizing all four surface turns and a Toe-turn! Roberts still has a few more tricks up her sleeve, so look for another break in this record soon. Congratulations on your success, Megan!!!!
-The WBC Team

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The WBC Figure 8 Barefoot Championship

This season, The WBC will be hosting its own tournament in the 2010 Figure 8 Barefoot Series. The event will be held on Saturday, October 16th, on Lake Conine in Winter Haven, Florida. There will also be a party afterwards at the WBC Ski School Headquarters for anyone who would like to attend. Start building up that endurance!
-The WBC Team

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WBC Skier Makes a Clean Sweep!

At the New Zealand 2010 Nationals this past week, WBC Sponsored Athlete, Ben Groen, has just secured the Open Men’s Overall title, along with the gold medal in all three events! He matched his personal best in tricks at 4,750 points, Slalomed 16.4, and jumped 23.3 meters. We are extremely proud of his accomplishments this season. Congratulations Ben!!!

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Things Are Really Moving for the WBC

As a lot of you already know we have had a lot going on down here at the WBC. This past month especially has been the busiest month we have ever had in the history of the school. A lot of the juniors have been coming down to train for this coming season, and we have had many people coming from all over the world to ski. We have been running three boats constantly throughout the days, and are soon planning on rigging up a fourth. Between all of the new additions to our sponsorship programs, all of the great business and skiing that has been going on, and the release of the new products from KSO Wetsuits, this looks like an extremely promising and productive season ahead. Keep checking the website and our Facebook page to stay updated with everything that is going on.
Thanks,
-The WBC Team

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WBC Sponsored Athlete Wins Award!

Mark Niebuhr is a Team WBC Sponsored Athlete from Germany. He is a very dedicated skier that always does his best to learn something new whenever he is on the water to develop his skills. This March, he was chosen as the German Barefooter of the Year for 2009 during the Federation meeting in Berlin. He also received 5th place in Open Tricks and 4th place in Junior Jump at the EAME Championships this year. We are extremely proud of Mark and all of his accomplishments, and we are glad to have him on our team. Congratulations Mark!!!

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Another E-TEC and Adding a Third Boat to the Fleet!!!

In anticipation of another busy season, the WBC has just ordered a 250 HO Evinrude E-TEC, and it is expected to come sometime next week!!! This will put a third boat into operation for the WBC fleet. Like our others, this boat will be comletetly rigged up with B.I. equipment including a tower, Super Fly High Tower Extension, and Training Boom. It will also be sporting GPS speedometers for reliabilty, and a jack plate to shape a perfect wake. Things are really moving along!

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Keith St. Onge and David Small at the Top of the World!

As many of you have already seen, the new world rankings list has been posted online (available for download here). First of all, we would like to give our congratulations to all of the skiers that have achieved lofty rankings on this list. On top of this list are Keith St. Onge and David Small, securing the 1st and 2nd slots respectively. The two of them have been masters of the sport for years and continue to amaze and perform at the highest level. Amidst these skiers are WBC’s own A.J. Porreca at 11th, Ben Groen at 19th, and Adin Daneker at 22nd in the Men’s Overall division. In the Overall Women’s division, there also stands Nicole Blackmore in 8th, and Betsy Anderson in 26th. Congratulations again to all of these skiers!

Though the competition in this sport is already fierce as it is, our goal should always be to constantly push the skiing to new levels. This is our focus at WBC. We not only want to increase the abilities of the top skiers, but we also want to help other skiers achieve these levels of skiing. WBC already has been building some young skiers into new up-and-comers, and wants to continue to grow the sport by bringing more and more people up into the top rankings on the world, making the competition more interesting and the sport much stronger. Hopefully our goals can be realized and this great sport can go on in the future better than ever!

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ATTENTION ALL JUNIOR SKIERS!!!!

In pursuit of giving back to the sport, WBC will be opening up the school for the entire month of June to all junior skiers qualifying or trying to qualify for the worlds. We will be donating the Winter Haven facility/equipment. US Junior coach, Swampy Bouchard and Elite WBC skier, A.J. Porreca will be donating time to help and instruct. During this event, it will only cost $60/day for EVERYTHING including room and board! As we only have room for a certain number of skiers, it will be first come first serve so reserve your spot as soon as possible!

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Mens Fitness Interview

Just recently, Mens Fitness has done an interview with KSO! Click on the link below to check it out and see what it's all about!

Click Here for KSO's Interview

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Hello From Hilmar

Hello WBC:

Dear Swampy, David, and Keith,

There is a saying in Germany that means: HONESTY LASTS THE LONGEST

I began my coaching because there was no one else in Germany (Europe) to take that role under the given circumstances. Obviously, I am not a perfect coach, but I never planned on teaching big tricks to anyone. At first, I only wanted to teach skiers strong basics to begin with, and then send them to the “Pro`s” afterwards. The only reason that I started to teach jumping and the higher-level tricks was because of the lack of alternatives for the skiers to learn by. This is why, during these three weeks, I have felt more guilty than ever before. Without insuring myself of what I did, I taught some techniques that, years ago, were the accepted “correct” methods. The problem is that these techniques do not measure up to the top techniques now taught by you. During the last weeks, I have learned more than I have in the last couple of years. It is a shame that I will not be able to use this new knowledge for much longer, as I plan to step back from my role soon. Before this happens, I promise that I will organize a successor because we have all agreed on the fact that we need someone in Europe to teach all of the techniques in order to keep that sport alive.

It makes me very happy to feel that you are not only looking for the fast business, but that you have realized that the sport can only get bigger after the opportunity to progress is made more attainable. We need new kids, like Lavinia, who can learn things like the front and back deep starts, the line-step position, front toe-holds, and back-to-fronts within two weeks. I also must say that I really did not expect the other things that were provided, such as daily video analysis, dry land practice, and work with the skiers’ mindsets.

Thank you very much for welcoming me into the boat every day and being willing to answer every question that I had in the process. I would also like to say thank you to the parents who gave their kids to you and, of course, all barefooters in Germany, who are all glad to ski in the new Team Germany suit by KSO Wetsuits.

-Hilmar

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IWWF Athlete of the Year for 2009!

For the second time in the history of the IWWF Athlete of the Year Awards a Barefoot athlete has been honored with the “Overall” Title.

Keith St. Onge – USA is the IWWF Athlete of the year for 2009. This award encompasses all disciplines of towed water sports under the IWWF umbrella (Tournament, Cable Ski, Cable Wakeboard, Wakeboard, Adaptive, Barefoot, Racing) Keith was also the very first barefoot recipient of this award in 2006, making him the only Barefoot athlete to ever win this award. Congratulations KSO!

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KSO Wetsuits

Keith St. Onge, current World Barefoot Waterski Champion is excited to announce the launch of KSO Wetsuits!

KSO Wetsuits has a product line consisting of barefoot suits, padded shorts & heater shirts. All products have been tested and designed by Keith St. Onge and David Small.

Check out the Pro Shop to view the new gear, and reserve your spot on our pre-order list today! KSO Wetsuit product will be available at the end of February.

All gear includes sizes XS to 2Xl, and the KSO Suits include the following colors:

K-Pro: Blue, Grey, and Red
David Small Signature Series: Unique Orange, Green, and Black mix

Click Here for KSO Wetsuit Sizing Chart

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IWWF Male Barefoot Athlete of the Year 2009
Keith St. Onge

St. Onge is once again proving he is the most dominant international force in Barefoot Waterskiing. He turned in another unbelievable performance in 2009, repeating as the World Overall Champion in New Zealand. He once again reset the world trick record, this time at an amazing 11,250 and he retains a stranglehold on the world record in Wake Slalom. St. Onge also turned in an incredible performance at the World Games in Taiwan helping bring the U.S. team to victory, as well as winning the individual Gold Overall medal on the international stage.Stateside, he completed “barefooting’s triple crown” by capturing the U.S. National Championship for the tenth time in 12 years. This year, he not only won the overall championship but also the gold in tricks and slalom. Just weeks after his Nationals success, KSO switched gears and finished second in the endurance figure eight championship, “Footstock.”

St. Onge’s participation in all forms of barefooting makes him a respected ambassador of the sport, recognized around the world. He is now turning his attention to growing the sport by training the next generation of Barefooters.

KSO recently joined forces with former World Champion David Small to create the World Barefoot Center in Winter Haven, Florida. The WBC is nurturing young barefooters to rise to the top of the competitive world by offering sponsorship programs and all levels of training. St. Onge is also inventing new equipment and training techniques to give his students the edge. Everyone will soon want to be on Team WBC.

Throughout all of his success, St. Onge has developed a loyal following of fans because of his humble and kind nature. The best barefoot water skier in the world still pitches in to help at tournaments and even drive the pick up boat.

And St. Onge is showing no signs of slowing down.
“I am staying motivated and looking ahead to Germany in 2010. I want to raise the bar on the record and the world,” says St. Onge.

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WBC Announces Three New Programs

WBC Customer Loyalty Program:

WBC is now opening a new policy to our school called the WBC Customer Loyalty Program. This is a way for us to recognize and reward our loyal customers and supporters. Join the crew for a small membership fee to receive a 15% discount on all pro shop items AND SKIING. This is now the only place in the world where a membership can earn you deals on the cost of training. Call the school at (863)877-0039, or drop us an E-Mail at wbcbarefoot@gmail.com in order to find out more.

WBC Sponsorship Program:
The World Barefoot Center is now officially choosing the members of Team WBC. Team Heads David Small, Keith St. Onge, and Gary “Swampy” Bouchard will be creating a new sponsorship program and selecting its members. The program will include an Elite Team WBC, and a group of WBC Sponsored Athletes. We will be completely starting from scratch with this selection, in order to make the process as fair as possible. Our goal in this endeavor is to make a win/win scenario, and to build world-class skiers by giving them an opportunity to train with the best skiers and coaches in the world, and elevate their skiing to the highest level. These individuals will become a part of a very special group.

WBC Sponsored Athletes:
In order to reach our goals, we need to be sure that we have members who want to go all the way and are completely committed to improving and doing things the right way. The WBC Sponsored Athlete qualifications include:
-attending all major tournaments
-willingness to help in all aspects of Barefooting (such as helping out during tournaments, taking pictures/videos, and writing articles)
-commitment to the school and spending time there
-courtesy
-openness to teamwork
-professionalism/class both on and off the water
-ability to represent the school and sport in an exceptional way
-and most importantly a burning desire to be among the best.
There will be no set qualification scores. All athletes will be expected to spend at least 10 skiing days per year at the school, and must be dedicated to learning and progressing in the sport. Any interested skiers can notify Swampy of their intentions at the school E-Mail, wbcbarefoot@gmail.com, and provide him with: a bio including current PB’s and accomplishments (see worldbarefootcenter.com for examples) your future goals/ambitions both short and long-term, and a small description of what you believe you can bring to the table and what you will be willing to do for the team. If chosen, the skier is a part of The WBC Sponsored Athletes Program, and will be expected to honor all above statements. All WBC Sponsored Athletes will receive a 25% discount on all equipment, pro shop items, and lessons, as well as a deep discount on room/board and a new KSO suit.

Elite Team WBC:
The Elite Team will also be expected to have all of the same qualities and ambitions as the WBC Sponsored Athletes but, on top of this, the Elite Team is meant to be made of truly Elite skiers. We want skiers who are well rounded and who stand out in ALL 3 events. To qualify, the applicant must meet at least one of the following scores. Boys: 17.2 in slalom, 7,000 in tricks, and a 24-meter jump. Girls: 14 in slalom, 2,500 in tricks, and a 14-meter jump. The remaining two events must meet the following. Boys: A 14 in slalom, 5,000 in tricks, and a 20.5-meter jump. Girls:  A 10.2 in slalom, 2,100 in tricks, and an 11-meter jump. Again, any interested skiers can notify Swampy of their intentions at the school E-Mail, wbcbarefoot@gmail.com, and provide him with: a bio including current PB’s and accomplishments (see worldbarefootcenter.com for examples) your future goals/ambitions both short and long-term, and a small description of what you believe you can bring to the table and what you will be willing to do for the team. If chosen, the skier is a part of the Elite Team WBC, and will be expected to honor all above statements.

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Team WBC Explanation and Application Info

This fall, The World Barefoot Center is officially choosing the members of Team WBC. Team Heads David Small, Keith St. Onge, and Swampy Bouchard will be creating a new sponsorship program and selecting its members. We will be completely starting from scratch with this selection, as we are looking for an entirely new team of representation. Our goal in this endeavor is to make a win/win scenario, and to build world-class skiers by giving them an opportunity to train with the best skiers and coaches in the world, and elevate their skiing to the highest level. These individuals will become a part of a very special group.
In order to reach our goals, we need to be sure that we have members who want to go all the way and are completely committed to improving and doing things the right way. The qualifications include: willingness to help in all aspects of  Barefooting (such as helping out during tournaments, taking pictures/videos, and writing articles), commitment to the school and spending time there, courtesy, openness to teamwork, professionalism/class both on and off the water, ability to represent the school and sport in an exceptional way, and most importantly a burning desire to be among the best. Any interested skiers can notify Swampy of their intentions at the school E-Mail, wbcbarefoot@gmail.com, and provide him with: a bio including current PB’s and accomplishments (see worldbarefootcenter.com for examples) your future goals/ambitions both short and long-term, and a small description of what you believe you can bring to the table and what you will be willing to do for the team. If chosen, the skier is a part of Team WBC, and will be expected to honor all above statements.

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World Barefoot Center
August ’09 News Update

The ski school has been very busy, as the students pile in to ski with last years Developmental Coach of the year, Gary (Swampy) Bouchard. People from all over have spent time here, including skiers from Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Canada, and Holland. U.S. Junior Team Member, A.J. Porreca, has also spent this summer down in Florida, training with Swampy and helping out with the school. Students seeking quality instruction and training are also tuned into the school’s state of the art Pro Shop, featuring the WBC shoe-skis (formerly known as the KSO Shoe-skis), which have been flying off the racks, along with all other products on sale at the pro shop, soon to include a new line of KSO brand wetsuits. These items are endorsed and used by Keith and David. Be sure to call or order through wbcbarefoot@gmail.com.

After a relentless search for the perfect tow boat set-up, we have been using an Evinrude outboard motor this past month, and have completely fallen in love with the new E-TEC HO. We are skiing two of these fantastic machines on a pair of (dated, well preserved) Sangers. The wake table is as good, if not better, than the any other outboard we have skied behind. These motors are as smooth and powerful as they come, and are awesome on fuel consumption. We cannot thank Evinrude enough for the sponsorship.
If interested, all WBC E-TECs will be available for sale after 6 months. They are the 2010, 200 horsepower HO models. One is available around Thanksgiving, and the other in December. To inquire, please call the ski school.

As was anticipated, the ski season is well under way, and Keith and David are busy traveling worldwide to conduct various clinics. KSO’s tour includes stops at Georgia, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, and several locations in Wisconsin. David’s busy schedule includes stops in Wisconsin, California, a few locations in British Columbia, and even a few in Sweden, Great Britain, and Austria. As if that were not enough, both athletes have just taken a trip all the way to Taiwan to compete in the 2009 World Games. The tournament included many of the top skiers from all over the world, and provided the expected fierce competition. Keith took home the gold and David followed close behind, taking the bronze. Both athletes have now continued on their trips, and are expected back in Florida by this October.

In other news, a special mention must go out to Episode #3 of the MSN.COM Subway Sandwich “Fit to Boom” video, starring our very own WBC teammate, Judy Myers. MSN had a production crew come all the way from Hollywood just to video her doing her thing, on and off the water. Click the link above, and jump to number 3 (on the right hand side) to check it out. Judy will also be a guest on the “Today Show” on August 6th, so be sure to tune in during her appearance on National television. Congratulations on your big Hollywood moment Judy!

Keep footin’ and enjoy your ski season!

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World Barefoot Center
June ’09 News Update

The ski school has been very busy as we  head toward the mid-year mark of the 2009 season. The students are piling in, each to get a chance to ski with 'Developmental Coach Of  The Year', Gary (Swampy) Bouchard. Students worldwide have been spending time at the school, including skiers from Ohio, Illinois, North Carolina, Missouri, Florida, Canada, and Holland. U.S. Junior Team Member, A.J. Porreca, is spending his summer months at the school pushing his skills both as student and teacher. Students seeking quality instruction and training are also tuned into to the school's State Of The Art Pro-Shop featuring the WBC shoe-skis (formerly known as the KSO Shoe-skis).These as well as a host of other products are endorsed and used by Keith and David for training and competing. For all your barefoot needs please inquire via telephone or order through HYPERLINK "mailto:wbcbarefoot@gmail.com"wbcbarefoot@gmail.com.

After a relentless search for the perfect 'school savvy' and 'training competent'  tow boat set-up. We have completely fallen in love with the new Evinrude E-TEC. We are driving a single E-TEC behind a (dated, well preserved) Sanger. We currently have an order out to drive a second similar towboat set-up . These outboards are Fast, Powerful, Smooth Driving, Quiet and awesome on gas consumption. We cannot thank Evinrude enough for taking a part in sponsoring the WBC's efforts.
If interested, all WBC E-TECs will be available for sale after 6 months. They are the 2010, 200 horsepower HO models. One is available around Thanksgiving, and the other in December. To inquire, please call the ski school.

As was anticipated, the ski season is well under way, and Keith and David are busy traveling worldwide to conduct various clinics. KSO’s tour includes stops at Georgia, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Maryland, Montana, and several locations in Wisconsin. David’s busy schedule includes stops in Wisconsin, California, British Columbia, and even  Sweden, Great Britain, and Austria. If that is not busy enough, both athletes will be competing in Taiwan for the 2009 World Games.

            A special mention must go out to Episode #3 of the HYPERLINK "http://fittoboom.msnbc.msn.com/"Fit to Boom video, starring our very own Judy Myers. MSN had a production crew come all the way from Hollywood just to video her doing her thing, on and off the water. Click the link above, and 'jump to number 3' (on the right hand side) to check it out. Congratulations on your big moment Judy!

In other news, Marketing VP/Artist, Jay McCarthy has been collaborating with web-designer, Shauna Pasanen, to get HYPERLINK "http://www.WORLDBAREFOOTCENTER.com"worldbarefootcenter.com up and running. The new website / pro shop should be finished in one to two months. Also, late this fall, we will be introducing the new line of KSO brand wetsuits.

Keep footin’ and enjoy your ski season!