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Congrats Bradley from Team D3!!!
UPDATE:
On the same day Brad also set a new Mens 8 national jump and Western Region Mens 8 Jump Record. 97 feet!
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BallOfSpray Posts
BallOfSpray PostsBrad Conger ran 2 @ 39 today on his Quest to set a pending National slalom record.
Congrats Bradley from Team D3!!!
UPDATE:
On the same day Brad also set a new Mens 8 national jump and Western Region Mens 8 Jump Record. 97 feet!
Hey World!
Liquid Image, to run a month long prize contest through LockerDome. I am giving away a Liquid Image EGO Camera! Follow this link to the contest - http://lockerdome.com/ There are many ways to enter the contest to increase your chances of winning. Contest ends September 8, 2014.
The Liquid Image EGO is a WIFI-enabled mountable HD Action Camera that is highly adaptable and can be mounted with a variety of accessories; it is much more than your average helmet cam. The Liquid Image app, for iOS and Android, enables the camera to stream live view, let you view your photos and videos, act as a remote control to activate the camera and much more.
Skiers riding GOODEs once again dominated the action at the GOODE U.S. National Water Ski Championships, winning 16 of 29, or just over 55 percent, of the slalom titles awarded at San Marcos River Ranch in San Marcos, Texas.
A week that began with Regina Jaquess leading a 1-2-3 GOODE sweep of Open Women’s slalom on the first day of competition ended five days later with Don Aschenbrenner winning the last event of the championships, Men’s 4 slalom.
Skiers winning national slalom titles on GOODEs were:
http://www.goode.com/images/14NationalsCollage.jpgB1 Cooper Tate
B2 Griffin Stange
M1 Dane Mechler (
)
M4 Don Aschenbrenner
M5 Tim Huston
M7 Dennis Longo
M9 Jerry Hosner
M11 Harry PriceG2 Brooke Baldwin
W1 Keri Mcclure
W3 Trish Burt
W5 Joy Kelley
W7 Ruth Johnston
W9 Maria Walsh
W10 Artis Price
OW Regina Jaquess (
)The Team GOODE national title count was nearly 18, as two of GOODE’s top junior skiers tied for first in their respective divisions before eventually finishing second in runoffs.
In Boy’s 3, Daniel Di Pol, the 2013 champion, tied Taylor Garcia, with 2 buoys at 39-1/2 off, before getting edged in the runoff.
In Girl’s 3, Ruth McCreary tied eventual champion Samantha Dumala with a score of 2 at 38 off before finishing second, a huge accomplishment for a skier competing in only her second year in Girl’s 3.
Our congratulations go out to all skiers who participated, made the podium or won titles.
It’s difficult to track hundreds of skiers across multiple lakes over the course of six days of action, so if we failed to include you in the list above, or mistakenly did so, please accept our apologies and email us the details at team@goode.com.
To say that the 2014 BigDawg finals did not happen as planned would be an understatement. Until the last paring of the final 4, it was perhaps the most enjoyable webcast I have ever seen. Kudos to the great guys at WebCast-TV.
After a morning on the phone with officials, skiers, and spectators, I understand the details of last night’s BigDawg final as follows:
It was pretty dark, and visibility was a factor.
Another factor is that the officials were asked to keep things moving for the WebCast and spectators on site.
The pairing was Miller vs. Rogers. They both ran opening passes.
When it was Miller’s turn to run 39, he ran it without issue.
As Rogers was getting ready to make his deep water start and head down the lake for his 39, a VW Jetta was driving along the berm between the lakes. On the bumpy road the car’s headlights were essentially creating a strobe effect. The bouncing headlights were reported by one source to be bad enough to distract the boat driver and impact the boat path. Others on site strongly disagree that the distraction was no more than the other skiers encountered.
Because of the light distraction (or not), Rogers did not run 39 and immediately requested a re-ride. While the judges were being polled, the boat with Miller brought him back to the dock. By this point, the clock was ticking, and time was an issue.
When the decision was made to grant Rogers a re-ride, Miller requested a warm up pass. The fact was, that after Miller ran 39, he had to wait for Rogers to request the re-ride, then for the re-ride to be granted, and finally for Rogers’ second attempt at 39. This means that Miller was waiting longer than he would have preferred between his 39 and 41 passes. Because it was believed by the officials that all of this happened within the 10 minutes allocated by the rulebook, Miller’s request for a warmup pass before his attempt at 41 was denied.
Rogers ran his re-ride attempt at 39.
Miller then ran 1 at 41.
Rogers then ran 1.5 @ 41.
At this point, a faction of the skiers on site felt that Rogers had been given an unfair advantage and protested in mass. They asserted that Rogers should not have been granted a re-ride to start with, and that because Miller had to wait so long between his 39 and 41, he had a potential disadvantage. The result of the mass protest was an hour delay in the event. Spectators on shore walked away, and I can only imagine what happened to the webcast viewership.
An hour later, Mapple and Rogers finally went out as the final pair, and Mapple won.
In my opinion, the victory was far overshadowed by the previous round. The skiers were divided and angry, and the show became a farce. The value to sponsors was tarnished. If skiers wish for BigDawg type events to continue, they need to understand the idea of “don't bite the hand that feeds you”. At some point, the skiers have to understand that the judge’s call is final even if they disagree with it
Notes:
Sources strongly disagree about how distracting the light was and/or how different it was for Rogers compared to the other skiers.
There will be rumors of conspiracies. Don’t be silly.
Some skiers assert that there is an unwritten rule about not asking for a re-ride in a Head to Head. If there is such a rule, it is “unwritten”.
The G5 is O’Brien’s flagship ski for their 50th anniversary in the water ski business. The green and black graphics pay tribute to the great O’Brien skis of the 60s and 70s. The difference is that the O’Brien skis from past decades were never nearly this fast or generated this much angle.
The G5 is best suited to a skier who approaches slalom skiing with more finesse than muscle. A skier who strives to exert less physical effort and rides the center of the ski will find an extremely fast and smooth ski. A skier who is used to getting around 6 balls with aggression and strength will find more angle and load then they can practically manage.
Off Side Turns:Off Side turns on the G5 are almost guaranteed to result in massive amounts of angle. Tempered and calm skiing will result in a fast but smooth change in direction and a controllable amount of angle. Abrupt or aggressive moves by the skier to initiate the finish of turn will result in a radical change in direction.
On Side Turns:
On Side Turns are on the G5 as good as any ski tested to date. With the skier’s shoulders high off the water and at least moderate front foot pressure, the G5 seems to automatically backside the ball every time. More than any ski tested to date, the G5 gives the feeling of apexing early, arcing to the ball, and then finishing the turn early. The G5 makes it easy to carry considerable speed back to the center of the course.
As with Off Side turns, calm technical skiing is handsomely rewarded, and clumsy skiing is poorly tolerated. Back foot heavy or impatient On Side turns will result in a stall with the tip high. The ski will still acquire more than enough angle, but the skier will find the resulting rope load to be challenging.
From the wakes to the ball
The G5 is almost guaranteed to draw a path wide and early in front of the ball. Slalom skiing fundamentals, like controlling rope tension from the wakes to the ball, are the key to better skiing, but the G5 will get out wide and early even when those skills are poorly executed. The G5 is legitimately a very fast ski.
From the ball to the wakes
The G5 needs a skier who can take the angle achieved in the turn and then resist the temptation be overly aggressive to the wakes. If the skier simply maintains their stack, the G5 will create more than enough speed to get wide on the other side. For the skier who cannot resist the temptation to be overly aggressive, the G5 may create more than optimal load, which makes the skier vulnerable to mistakes at the next ball.
ConclusionOver the course of the review period, I rode the G5 up to my personal all time practice PB numerous times. In addition, I ran passes near my limit that were as smooth as any I have ever run. On days where I was not well rested or not skiing my best, I found the G5 to be challenging.
For the technical skier who can regulate their aggression, the G5 is one of the best skis available today. For the skier guilty of depending on brute strength to run the course, the G5 may work at longer line lengths but will require an attitude change past 35 off.
"The disabled life is all I know." To some, Mark Turner may just look like a man in a wheel chair, but he is far from that. In fact, he is far from being anything ordinary. He is an extreme athlete. Despite having to do things differently than others, being a paraplegic has never stopped him.
Shortly after birth, Turner was injured which left him immobilized from the waist down. Unlike other paraplegics, Turner's injury is considered incomplete, meaning that he can use his legs for things like maintaining balance. Thus, when Turner was twelve years old his mother persuaded him to try waterskiing.
"I initially hated it," Turner said. "I was a punk, the water was cold and nothing my mom could suggest would be cool."
Though Turner was opposed to it at first, he was soon captivated by the rush and thrill of skiing. By age 14, he competed in his first tournament, and from there Turner's career took off, and he began to make history.
In 1999, Turner won the slalom title in the MP3 division at worlds in England. He also set a slalom world record in that same year and went on to set another world record in 2000. In 2001, Turner won the overall medal at worlds in Australia.
While world titles and records are indeed an incredible feat, Turner's hunger for more took him to new and greater heights.
According to Turner, prior to 1999 paraplegic skiers used a smaller version of the full course. Yet, slaloming through the mini-course was not enough for Turner, and he soon became the first paraplegic male to win the disabled worlds on a full slalom course.
Turner's passion to push paraplegic skiing to new levels and his continuous vigor on the water is contagious everywhere he trains.
"He is one of the most passionate people I know in the sport," Marc Austin, a friend of Mark's, said. "He really gets excited to be out there and doesn't seem to let anything stand in his way. I'm always impressed at his drive and positive attitude towards skiing and improving. Plus his slalom turns are absolutely sick."
Turner's drive has recently achieved him possibly one of his greatest successes. After competing in the South Central Regionals in Cypress, Turner took 4th in Men's 3 overall. This placement guaranteed him a spot in the US Nationals, an accomplishment that has made him the first paraplegic and disabled skier ever to qualify for the US Nationals.
"After I had verified I was qualified for the US Nationals, it felt awesome," Turner said. "I got a little choked up when I realized it."
Though some may let such an accomplishment go straight to their head, Turner believes that opportunities like these are not to gain praise for himself, but rather to spread the word to others.
"This is about getting the word out," Turner said. "I know there are people that got hurt, or will get hurt, and don't know water skiing exists. What better way to spread the word than by skiing at nationals."
He's a fierce competitor, and he means business. Watch out M3 skiers! Mark Turner is coming to Texas!
As athletes, we have an obligation to protect, enhance and promote the brand of our sport and the companies and products that sponsor our event. As competitors, we must remove even the perception of cheating of any type from our sport to have fair competition.
As a positive step toward promoting our sport, giving back as well as isolating any suspected users of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED) we are organizing a 35+ Skiers Association rooted in the following principals:
Mission: A volunteer organization dedicated to building and growing the companies and brands that support and sponsor over 35 water skiing events through fair competition, engaging events and community involvement. Vision: We will build a world class association that is the model for how athletes build value for companies and brands that support and sponsor worldwide 35+ competitive events. Values:Help those who help us Play Fair Give Back to our Sport Aid in promoting current sponsors/partners and bring new sponsors into the sport Objectives:Have 100% of Big Dawg series skiers join Have 100% of Skiers skiing in +35 World Championships join Unite the athletes, and lead through our actions Strategy:Build brand awareness and preference for sponsir products through active promotion Engage fans using both social and participatory events Establish rules and standards for competition that increase fan entertainment, participation and engagement. Tactics:Protect the brand reputation of sponsors and our sport as well as the safety of our athletes. Athletes who win prize money or receive a medal agree to volunteer PED testing. Raise money for charitable causes, the athletes advancing to the “Finals” of an event will participate in a Charity Auction or Bracket Challenge. Create a higher degree of fan engagement and excitement. Track and post member athlete competitive statistics such as head to head records, top scores, average scores, conversion rate etc. Processes:Train athletes and follow best practices for interviewing and promotion using the NASCAR model. Establish both online and live charitable events using methods and best practices established for such events. Follow World Anti-Doping Agency http://www.wada-ama.org best practices where appropriate. As a first step to organizing these athletes, the Following Big Dawg finalists have volunteered and agreed to PED Testing at the Big Dawg Finals in Texas later this week.
Andy Mapple
Ben Favret
Bruce Dodd
Chad Scott
Chet Raley
Chris Clark
Darren Janzig
David Miller
Greg Badal
Harald Hintringer
Jason Seels
Jay Leach
Jed Blackburn
Jeff Rodgers
Jeremy Newby-Ricci
Jerry Goodson
John Shealy
Kevin Bishop
Kris LaPoint
Kyle Jones
Kyle Tate
Marc Shaw
Mark Brandt
Mike Robinson
Scot Jones
Scott Larson
Seth Stisher
Steve Schroeder
Tim Henderson
Tim Huston
Todd Johnson
Todd Kuykendall
Todd Ristorcelli
Ward McLain
The 2014 Canadian Water Ski Championships presented by Nautique are just around the corner! Headlining the world-class Canadian content coming to Spray Lake Watersport and Activity Centre in Newmarket, ON, Aug 13-17 are four-time World Champion Whitney McClintock, her brother and multiple Canadian record-holder Jason of Cambridge, ON, world bronze medal winner Ryan Dodd of Olds, AB, Manitoba's Kole Magnowski, and Winnipeg, MB's Taryn Grant, fresh off a gold medal performance at the Pan Am Sports Festival. In all over 150 athletes from a variety of age groups will be competing!
Spray Lake Watersports and Activity Centre is situated on a one-of-a-kind, private lake. The Canadian Championships, the last national-level competition before next year's Pan American Games in Toronto, is a classic three-event tournament composing of slalom, trick and jump.
"I'm excited to perform so close to home at the Canadian Water Ski Championships," said Jason McClintock, a Pan Am hopeful and gold medal winner at the 2014 Pan Am Sports Festival in the trick event, and member of the world-famous McClintock water skiing family from Cambridge, ON.
"As a test event for the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games, the nationals are a great opportunity for people to get a sneak peek at our Canadian national team and future talent," he continued. "The Games are huge for our sport, and I'm focused on being prepared to make Canada proud on home soil next summer!"
The highlight of the Canadian water ski season, admission is free and includes a vendor village in addition to the competition. A complete competition schedule can be found here.
Event Schedule