Pro Watercross will kick off its 2020 season with a pre-season race - The Shaun Compton Memorial Race/Sports Festival. The three-day event brings together safety, education and competition, celebrating one of Pro Watercross’ key Mission Pillars, while remembering one of its favorite tour competitor and event organizer. The event, to be held April 3-5 on Lake Eva in Haines City, FL and will combine PWC racing, SUP racing, and the inaugural offering of the Pro Watercross Safety Enhancement Course. The focus of the training will include both classroom and on-the-water training and will be open to persons who are currently PWC course marshals (no matter what their association is) or interested in becoming a course marshal, first responders, and an opportunity for racers & teams to become Red Cross certified in CPR/First Aid and how to use a AED devised to empower them in the event of an emergency.Certified Course Marshal Training Certified SUP Rescue Operator Training Red Cross Training & Certification: First Aid CPR AED (Automated External Defibrillator)“This course is a great example of our commitment to safety education, and demonstrates our mission to lead by example,” said Pro Watercross Vice Chairman, AJ Handler. “It will be the first of many.” The Safety Training listed above will be FREE* to Course Marshals, persons interested in becoming a course marshal, first responders, racers and race teams signing up in advance. Please visit the Pro Watercross at ProWatercross.org/scm for more information and to register for the FREE* safety training course.The course will be held on the first two days of the event, beginning with classroom training on Friday, and concluding with on-water instruction on Saturday. Concurrent with the on-water training will be closed course racing on Saturday and Sunday, which will serve as a season warm-up races for the coming 2020 national tour.“The loss of athlete Shaun Compton shocked everyone involved in the world of watersports. We are honored that Lake Eva was chosen for the event and feel privileged to contribute not only to the sport of Pro Watercross in general but to promote the legacy of Shaun Compton as well. Central Florida’s Polk County, with more than 550 lakes, has long been known as the Water Ski Capitol of the World. We hope that our contributions to this event helps to show that everyone involved in watersports are members of a larger family” remarked Josh Hicks of Central Florida Visitors & Convention Bureau.We caught up with Haines City’s Deputy of Parks and Recreation - Ryan Ritchie today, and he said “On behalf of the City of Haines City and the Parks and Recreation department, we are excited to have the opportunity to host the Shaun Compton Memorial Sports Festival! This is a unique opportunity for our community, and we are committed to not only hosting a successful event, but honoring Mr. Compton and the legacy he has preserved for the sport. I can’t thank Polk County Sports Marketing and Visit Central Florida enough for providing this opportunity for our community and venue, we greatly appreciate our partnership!”