On June 25th and 26th, I will be part of a team of wakeboarders that will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the longest distance travelled on a wakeboard (in 24 hours). Our record attempt will take place at Wake Nation Cincinnati and together, we will travel a distance of 470 miles, which is the equivalent of wakeboarding from Cincinnati to Atlanta, Georgia! The record attempt is officially sanctioned by Guinness World Records and all proceeds raised from the event will benefit Dr. Henry Hamilton’s charity, MedLend (www.MedLend.ord).

The Guinness team will be composed of ten riders, including: Tom Fooshee (2008 World Wake Park Champion), Adam Errington (2008 World Wakeboard Association National Champion), Amber Wing (2009 Australian National Champion), Tony Finn (founder of Liquid Force), Brian Wheeler (managing editor, Wakeboarding Magazine), Neill Barker (Liquid Force team rider), Mike Olson (president of KC Watersports), and Peter Kennedy and Nick Binkley (co-owners of Wake Nation Cincinnati).

As some of you might know, I came up with the idea for Wake Nation when I was on a MedLend medical mission in the Philippines with my father-in-law, Dr. Henry Hamilton. We were in a very remote town called Naga City and there happened to be a cable wakeboarding park less than a mile from our hotel. Dr. Hamilton and I visited the cable park after surgery one night and after one spin of the cable, I was hooked. A year and a half later, Wake Nation Cincinnati opened for business.

My experience with Medlend in the Philippines was a life-changing experience, both personally and professionally. I travelled with over one hundred doctors, nurses, and support staff to Naga City, where we provided free medical assistance to thousands of impoverished people. I was fortunate enough to help in the OB-GYN operating room and was assigned the task of cleaning the medical devices between each surgery. What may seem like an insignificant task was actually an important part of increasing throughput in the operating room. As with every medical mission, we had very limited supplies, and before we could bring a new patient into the operating room, the medical devices had to be scrubbed and sterilized. Sterilization was a lengthy process because each device needed to be soaked in a solution for a predetermined amount of time. MedLend brought in all the supplies from the United States, including operating lights, operating tables, anesthesia machines, medical instruments, patient monitors, electrocautery machines, and medicine… but we needed more!

Medical missions around the world cannot operate without the help of organizations like MedLend. It is my hope that you will help us raise money for MedLend by supporting our wakeboarding team as we attempt our Guinness World Record. Donating is easy. All you need to do is click on the link below. It’s that easy. All donated proceeds will go directly to MedLend. MedLend will use that money to buy medical equipment and supplies which will be used for MedLend medical missions and by other non-profit health organizations also performing overseas medical tours.

Click here to donate: http://medlend.com/wake-nation.html

Once you click on the link, you will be able to choose which rider you would like to sponsor. Any amount helps!!

For more information about MedLend, please visit theirwebsite at MedLend.org.
Thank you in advance for your generosity. Please feel free to come out to Wake Nation Cincinnati on Friday June 25th and Saturday June 26th to watch the Guinness World Record attempt. We will have open public riding on both days, so you can actually ride on the lake right alongside the Guinness team. Dr. Hamilton and his team will be also onsite handing out MedLend materials.

Thanks again and much love to you all!

Peter Kennedy
Wake Nation
www.wakenation.com