BallOfSpray

The Water Ski Podcast Episode 25

A Letter from Connelly

For most of us, April is usually the time we revive the boat from winter hibernation, dust off our skis from the shelf and reinstate weekly water sessions with our crew. But unfortunately, due to current circumstances, many of us are restricted from our normal day activities, including carving up the early morning butter.

So for the time being, we figured we’d tickle your imagination with memories of those coveted lake days to help you get through the downtime and get you that much more excited for when the lake days are ours again for the taking.

Come, take a scroll with us down memory lane.

How was your passion for the water born? For many, it’s a family heirloom, passed down from parents and grandparents who likely fell in love with the sport behind an old outboard boat, or a wooden ski with a binding resembling a flip flop more than a Reflex. The devotion was developed over the summer, at someone’s family cabin after days of edge catches, mouthfuls of water and skiing doubles with friends.

It really takes you back, huh? To the time your dad was flinging you off the tube and being your best coach. To the first time you dropped a ski, or the first time you dropped the handle wake surfing. To the early mornings smelling like sunscreen and gasoline and late nights consisting of sunburned skin and blistered hands. There’s a feeling, a euphoria that only a water sports enthusiast knows and it creates an unspoken bond between all who’ve been lucky enough to experience it.

While we are confined to our homes, we can’t help but realize how damn fortunate we really are to experience the intoxication of running the slalom course for the first time while friends go nuts in the boat…the feeling of breaking glass under your ski as the sun melts over the horizon.

For a lot of us, skiing has been more than just a buoy-counting goose chase. It’s been a lifeline where hometowns, language and culture fall second in how we identify ourselves, because being a water sports buff and part of the family comes first.

The lake has been a place where we’ve bonded with our parents, neighbors, friends and strangers — many of us know all too well the crazy, yet totally worth it episodes of cramming as much camping gear, skis and family members into a car to trek across states to a tournament. Nothing beats enjoying the camaraderie and competition all together.

Water sports have taught us life lessons about strength, humility, determination and dedication.

And as one of the oldest ski companies out there, and one that’s been there since the beginning, we at Connelly Skis are a big proponent of remembering your roots and reveling in the memories that bring you back to the water day after day, year after year.

So go ahead, reminisce. Remind yourself why you get out on there in the first place, and get yourself hyped for when it’ll be a reality again.

Stay safe and we’ll see you all real soon!

—Your Connelly Family

Get your season going with the GOODE Stimulus Package

Special Stimulus Package pricing
For a limited time only, save $500 on GOODE’s lineup of Carbon Core slalom skis, the XTRcc, 9970cc and ReVOcc. Handmade right here in the USA, the Carbon Core series will take your skiing to the next level.

Demo the latest in GOODE technology
Want to try a high-performance GOODE at your own site and at your own pace? With GOODE’s new $200 demo program you can demo the most technically advanced slalom skis in the sport for 21 days. If you like the ski, keep it. If you want to send it back, just call GOODE HQ to schedule next-day pick up. It’s that easy. Click here for more details.

Start shopping online or call 1-888-GO-GOODE.

FlowPointTV 20.10 - Dave Wingerter

Dave Wingerter is an aerospace engineer, a brand manager and vice president of HO Skis, and a pro water skier. He's been leading the Syndicate design Team for 10+ years, and has gracefully overseen some of the best water ski product designs of the past decade. Take a few min to listen to this in depth discussion between MB and DW.