Longtime paddlesports writer and editor Jeff Moag has been named the new Content Director for The Water Sports Foundation (WSF), responsible for managing the nonprofit’s media campaigns promoting safe boating and paddling.
Moag, the former managing editor of Paddler magazine and editor-in-chief of Canoe & Kayakmagazine for eight years, will also help develop a new website and expand the organization’s social-media presence.
A freelancer for such magazines as Adventure Journal, Outside, Men’s Journal, The Washington Post, and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Moag brings a wealth of watersports experience to the position, including powerboats, sailing and all paddling disciplines.
Since 2018, Moag has directed the WSF’s U.S. Coast Guard nonprofit boating safety grant titled Lessons for Life: Accidents as Learning Experiences, using various media to deliver safe boating messages. He hopes to augment the group’s campaign to increase PFD use, reduce impaired boating, and diversify paddling. .
“The Water Sports Foundation has been a leading voice for boating and paddling safety for nearly a decade,” Moag says. “I’ve been privileged to assist in this important work, first as an editor at Canoe & Kayak, and later as producer of our Lessons for Life program. I’ve seen the positive impact of these campaigns first-hand, and I’m thrilled to take a larger role as the WSF continues to expand its innovative safety content and build its online and social media presence.”
“Jeff’s experience and energy will contribute substantially to the WSF’s boating-safety mission,” says WSF Executive Director Jim Emmons. “Jeff is an award-winning journalist who brings a deep understanding of boating safety and enthusiast media to our team, plus he already has experience working with the Water Sports Foundation.”
Moag will also manage the WSF’s YouTube channel, which features nearly 200 boating and paddling safety videos.
Since 2011, the WSF has been a U.S. Coast Guard Boating Safety Outreach partner through its nonprofit organization recreational boating safety grants program. The WSF currently manages seven boating safety outreach grant projects and enlists industries to promote safe-boating messages to their customers. It’s produced nearly 200 safety video PSAs and hundreds of safety articles.
“This work saves lives,” Emmons says. “For a decade, our follow-up Attitude and Behavior Studies show that the WSF’s outreach campaigns are changing the public’s attitudes and behaviors about safety.The Coast Guard has reported a reduction in boating casualties for three consecutive years. Our job at the WSF is to do everything we can to extend that trend. Jeff shares that goal, and I’m confident his experience and safety knowledge will help us achieve it.”
About WSF: Headquartered in Orlando, FL, the Water Sports Foundation is the non-profit educational arm of the Water Sports Industry Association (WSIA.net). Since 2011 the WSF has received U.S. Coast Guard boating and paddling safety outreach funding through their non-profit grant program. The Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund administered through Congressional action provides funding for the U.S. Coast Guard’s recreational boating safety initiatives.
phenomenal news! safety is paramount to having fun when one is both young and old and in between those ages as well.