The holiday season just got a little more thrilling for the PWC community. Beyond the eggnog and family gatherings, there’s another tradition that brings racers, enthusiasts, and rulebook aficionados together: the chance to weigh in on the IJSBA Competition Rule Book. That’s right—the official suggestion period is now open, giving you two full weeks to submit ideas, tweaks, and improvements that could shape the future of PWC racing.
Through December 8 at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time, active members of the PWC community can submit their proposed rule changes. IJSBA compiles and shares the suggestions publicly by December 12, ensuring everyone sees what the community is talking about. This year, there’s an added layer of review: a vice-chair of rule oversight will independently examine the suggestions and offer guidance to the IJSBA Managing Director, whose report will be posted by December 16. From there, the recommendations go to the board for final processing.
How the process works:
According to a release by IJSBA President Scott Frazier, the IJSBA Board of Directors is made up of delegates from Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Sea-Doo, with ex-officio votes from the Managing Director and an industry representative—five votes in total. Consensus is the goal, but the board prioritizes Stock Class Racing and policies that ensure safety, community growth, and the long-term health of PWC racing. Community-based classes, like Vintage 550 and Sport Spec, see their suggestions given extra weight because the board wants to hear from the people who live and breathe those classes.
If you’re an active license-holding participant—or someone deeply involved in PWC racing—this is your chance to have a voice. IJSBA has provided a straightforward format for submitting suggestions, including your name, location, license info or racing involvement, and details about the rule change you’re proposing, the positive outcomes you anticipate, and any potential challenges along with why your suggestion overcomes them.
Even if your idea is bold, unconventional, or just a tweak to existing rules, this is the time to speak up. The window closes quickly, and with only two weeks to get your suggestions in, it’s a sprint to make your ideas count. IJSBA’s stated goal: Safe, fair, and forward-thinking racing that grows the sport for everyone involved.
Scroll down for the full press release with instructions for submitting your suggestions—and don’t miss your chance to shape the next chapter of PWC racing.
The best part about the holiday season is the gathering and sharing with your friends and loved ones engaging in the time honored tradition of discussing changes to the IJSBA Competition Rule Book. The period where IJSBA officially opens the window of opportunity for the public to provide input and make change. This period will be open for two weeks beginning today and ending December 8 at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time (California time). These suggestions are tabulated and presented to the public as a list by December 12. This year, IJSBA will engage a vice-chair of rule oversight to prepare an independent review of these rules and advise the IJSBA Managing Director of concurring and divergent findings. The IJSBA Managing Director will post a report of these findings and recommendations by the 16th and will submit everything for processing with in 5 days.
Processing is the vote taken by the IJSBA Board of Directors. The IJSBA is controlled by a delegate from each of the participating OEM Manufacturers Kawasaki, Yamaha, Sea-Doo) with ex-officio votes given to the IJSBA Managing Director and a representative from the industry at large. This totals 5 votes. The board seeks consensus wherever possible. The OEM Board is largely concerned with Stock Class Racing and policies and procedures that are consistent with promoting the safe use of Personal Watercraft and an evolution of racing consistent with the best practices of Personal Watercraft uses, production, and promotion to ensure a stable future for PWC proliferation. This means that suggestions regarding community based classes (Vintage 550, Sport Spec, etc.) are given more deference to community input than those suggestions that affect Stock Classes or the general image of Personal Watercraft.
IJSBA solicits widespread input from the Personal Watercraft Community but, generally, requires that you are an active license holding participant to have a suggestion processed. To make a rule suggestion, please use the following format, including copying the number line and description to begin each paragraph to make a rule and email the suggestion to [email protected] by the deadline imposed above:
1. Full Name and location of residency:
2. IJSBA Racing License Number and country of issue or, a short description of your active involvement in PWC Racing
3. The Rule I would like to make or modify is the following:
4. This is the positive change I believe would result in adopting the rule change I have suggestion:
5. These are the potential issues or oppositions I would expect to my suggestion and how and why I think that the suggestion overcomes those issues and oppositions providing a net benefit:
Please make a separate suggestion using lines 1-5 for each and every rule suggestion made. Thank you for your participation in this process. If you have questions or comments regarding this posting, the IJSBA Rule Change Suggestion Period, or the IJSBA in general then please email [email protected].
