Cable park pioneer Mike Olson has sold Kansas City Watersports to an investment group that includes Liquid Force co-founder Tony Finn. Kansas City Watersports was one of the first cable parks in the U.S.
“I didn’t want to sell it to just anybody”, Olsen says. “As a matter of fact, it wasn’t really on the market. However, I am focusing on a new Wake Nation park in Houston and multiple other wake park projects around the country. At the same time, I wanted to keep the great tradition of KCW going. I called Tony, he called a few of his friends that love wakeboarding, and the deal was done. I will still be involved in helping them make KCW as good as it can be.”
“I love cables,” Finn says. “I have ridden at countless cables around the world, and I always have a great time! Also, I love the fact that you don’t have to be rich to wakeboard on a cable. Riding wakeboards at cables is super fun and it opens up our sport to millions of people that wouldn’t normally be able to enjoy wakeboarding! I am really stoked to be involved in Kansas City. KCW has pioneered lots of cool things in the wakeboarding world. We will continue Mike’s great traditions such as the Fools Fest, which of course is on April Fools weekend, Relentless Weekend, Ladies Night, Student night, and Beginners Night. The more cable parks there are in the world the better!”
Serial entrepreneur Marco Thompson is behind the investment group. His background includes one other cable park, four other action sports-related businesses, and a total of 45 start-up companies over the last 35 years. Thompson is an avid wakeboarder.
“I wakeboard and wakesurf in San Diego two times a week,” Thompson says. “Our business vision is to help create 20 cable parks in the next 5 years, and 50 in the next 10 years. A chance to continue the Kansas City Watersports tradition was a great opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
Die-hard wakeboarder Sean Hollonbeck will run the park. Sean, who has managed both small and multimillion-dollar businesses, looks forward to working in a field that he is passionate about.
“This is a job that where you just can’t wait to get out of bed and get to work,” Hollonbeck says. “I get to use my marketing background and draw on the decades of business growth experience Marco brings and the industry knowledge and enthusiasm that only Tony Finn can bring. I am also looking forward to reaching out to our local colleges and high schools, and running camps alongside our world class roster of Pros.”
Kansas City Watersports is a full-service cable wakeboarding park in a beautiful setting 30 minutes from downtown Kansas City at 25825 Edgemore Road, Paola, KS 66071. It offers excellent riding for wakeboarders of all ages and abilities. It also has a full-service pro shop, offering a full suite of rental equipment and the latest 2011 Liquid Force wakeboarding gear for sale. KCW also has a snack shop, sand beach and a paintball facility, so you can show up and spend an entire day with us. Kansas City Watersports will have its grand opening weekend for 2011 during Fool’s Fest, which starts on Friday April 1, and continues through Sunday, April 3. During April, Kansas City Watersports will be open Friday through Sunday from noon-7 p.m. Starting May 23, the park will be open 7 days a week .
For more information, go kcwatersports.com or join Kansas City Watersports on Facebook at KC Watersports or Twitter at @kcwatersports.
