It is time for your yearly Who Are You Guys thread:

[JMLVMI]

Jason Long, 29yrs old from Raleigh, NC. Learned to ski at 15 but really started swerving this year when we bought our first boat, a 2000 MC PS195 (wanted an MC since I was 19 when I got to ride in a 2003 TT 197). Tried to run the course but I still have so many form issues I'm not quite there yet. Live about 45 minutes from Coble, so I hope to make a yearly visit!

 

It sucks to love skiing so much and be so bad at it! :-P Always looking for ski partners...

[inland]

My name is Chris and I've become an addict. Is there a support group for us???

 

As a kid, my family always had boats, but never direct drive tugs. We always had I/O or OB fishing type boats but always drooled over the DD boats I saw. I was able to ski on a combo set ok and drop one from time to time. Never was able to get up on one. The last time I did that, I was 13. Fast forward 21 years. Wife and I live on a sweet little semi private lake with a ski club! Light bulb on, boat purchase eminent.

 

After many discussions with the CFO, we settled on a value and specifics (she needed open bow) and we pulled the trigger on a boat. That was 3 years ago. With some help of the guys here in the club, I started to ski again. Last year, I started getting into the course and the addiction grew ever more severe. So much so that I was accused of being "obsessed" by the wife. Well....she's right. Every chance I get to run the course, which is difficult with work and family considering the course can only be in M-F due to permit issues, I run it. I'm now running -15 @ 32 MPH and have made a full pass twice and once at -15, 34 MPH. Next year, at 40, I plan to start running the local tournaments with the guys from the club. I'll be able to take my little dude with me, too!

 

Oh yea....I need a better slalom tug, too. CFO is not real happy with that. In her world, ours is good enough. In my world, the wake is slightly larger than I'd like it to be.

[cragginshred]

I'm Don Anderson 47 years young next month. I did not have the privilege of growing up on a lake or having a family boat. My parents had some friends with boat and I got up on combos at about 7 years old then skied abut 6-7 times over the next 9 years. Never saw a course or skied with anyone who could coach me, just loved the experience! While in 8th and 9th grade a buddies family had a cabin on Bass lake near Oakhurst Ca. (outside Yosemite and the same lake 'The great outdoors' was filmed on). They had a boat in a slip so this was part of those 6 or 7 times skiing. During this time I got up on a single ski. After high school a friend bought a Bay liner and we skied hard all of one summer on a public lake on super cheap skis just happy to cross the wake.

Fast forward with 20 years of intense rock climbing as a baseline of fitness and a strong grip and a move to the Motherload area in Tuolumne county Ca. It all changed as I got the opportunity to ski behind a real ski boat for the 1st time three years ago and then began trying the course 13 months ago. PB now is 5 @ 34mph -15 and consistently making all6 @ 32mph -15. Oh yeah I did make all6 at -22 at 32mph too! Dialing my offside leverage for a bombrpoof foundation.

I own a 98 Ski Nautique to go to New Melones here and there but now hooked up with some great folks at Sunspray private lake whereI bought membership and there is consistent water and Coaching!!

I am hooked and go out there 3x a week and will until it starts raining. At least until Nov 1st.

Super appreciative to all the help and advice I have gotten along the way (much of which has been in forums like this) which has allowed me to make some pretty good strides fairly quickly. Biggest advancement has been the past 3-4 weeks. I feel like the 1st part of this year was wasted on not so good public lake conditions and skiing with friends who were no where near my level which is not saying much (but great guys). Looking forward to many more years getting my 'swerve' on!

 

[SoonerBred01]

@oldjeep - it's good to see you over here from the iBoats forums.

 

My name is Jeremy, live in Broken Arrow, OK just south of Tulsa. I have been skiing since I was 6 or 7, but it has always been recreational in nature. Skiing on a 69" Triumph with Animal double boots behind a 70's era I/O runabout. I've never skied a course, nor have I even seen one on any of the area lakes I frequent, but I don't miss an opportunity to throw the ski on. I mainly just lurk on this forum to learn tips and tricks to skiing better. There is a ski lake within 3 miles of my home, but I never see anyone out there and my type of boat isn't really ideal (or likely welcome) for running the course.

[GroovyGrant]

Grant Miller--live near Springfield, MO; ski on Table Rock Lake about 30 minutes from home. Have skied on/off for 30 years or so (38 years old). Learned on a lake in Mississippi behind my grandmother's Starcraft that she skied behind into her 80's! When I was a kid, competition skiing was still visible enough on TV and with some pro events in the middle of the country that I got to see some of it right when I was learning how to ski. That's back when slalom skiing was more about brawn and huge turns than it is today and it was so awesome to see those guys nearly lay their ear in the water to get a buoy that I was hooked and knew I wanted to be able to ski like that one day. Although, I'm glad skiing has evolved to more technique than herculean turns because I'm getting too old for that! (By the way, we gotta figure out how to get water skiing back in the main stream in front of society so more kids are getting that hook.)

 

Got an inboard on a lift at the lake a couple of years ago. This summer was the first to spend some time in the course with another baller, @hpskier1, and I've managed to complete a few passes at 15 off this year. Hope to be able to get a course in on my end of the lake next spring to spend some real time chasing buoys and get my 4 & 6 year old kids in it at an early age.

 

Ski on a 2012 Strada with Strada boots on a Sequence plate. My capability may never match that ski, but I got a great deal. I hope to get good enough to ski some tournaments one of these days.

 

My ultimate dream is the same as most ballers I would guess--to have my own ski lake with a house right on the water with an attached boat house. If I had that, I would probably put up lights so I could ski absolutely whenever I took a notion.

 

I have definitely learned a lot from reading this forum and have also learned that it takes more than knowing to make it happen--it takes practice. Hence, the dream for the lake/boat house so I could ski at least once a day about 250 days a year!

[MattP]

@jmlvmi 45 min from a ski school? I would be going 3 times a month at least.

[RLW]

Rob Waltrip - 43 yo, M3 skier. I skied recreationally with my family starting at 7 yo. I started competing after I saw signs for tryouts for water ski team at Baylor University. I then joined the water ski team and have been hooked since. I took some time off during medical school and residency but got back into it after my fellowship. I do orthopedics and specialize in sports medicine - mainly knee and shoulder. I met my wife in medical school and we have 3 boys - 11, 9, and 7. After 25 years, I finally went to my first Nationals this year. The best part of Nationals was going with the whole family - all 5 of us qualified and skied. Grant, my 7 yo, was the youngest skier at Nationals this year. I love watching the kids ski and am amazed how much they progress each year. I live just north of Pittsburgh and ski in east Ohio.

[schafer]

@MattP I was thinking the same thing.

I'm Todd Schafer living in Lacombe, ALberta. 29 years old. Skied a handful of times before the age of 19. Started chasing buoys 4 years ago. Went to my first tournament 15 months ago. And have skied in Canadian Nats twice since then. I ski on a small public lake 25 minutes from home. We put our course in the day the ice breaks up. And the past 2 years we have had to bust up ice around the boat launch to get the boat in for the last ski/take out the course of the year. Met @Horton at the Calgary Pro Shootout this year.

[JMLVMI]

@MattP If I could afford it and they weren't sold out months in advance I would! Hoping to go at least twice a season.

[Bill22]

Billy M. – live in Richmond, VA, I am 37. I am still a rookie at the course but I am addicted to chasing buoys. I ski on public water and we all know what challenges that brings. I grew up skiing on the James River but we never had a course. This year I got a portable course, a new ski and my first inboard ski boat (01 Response lx). A baller on BOS found my boat for me.

 

This year I actually felt my skiing improve. It was awesome to feel the ski curve a turn. Free-skiing and the course have such a different feel to them. I also learned a thing or two about getting around those dam buoys (thanks Corey Vaughn!). It was a great season!

 

There are several clubs with in 1hr drive of Richmond. Two or three times a year I try to ski Grassroots fun tournaments or day clinics. Until I got the Insta-Slalom fun tournaments were my only way to practice skiing in the course.

 

Ballers, Please invite the Grassroots skiers in your area to a couple of tournaments or clinics each year! Us Newbies need a Fun round, C & R are too intimidating.

 

[ChadW]

Chad Wright - Married, 36 years old, 2 kids (6 months and 2.5 y/o), Dentist. Live in Maitland, FL (north Orlando). Grew up skiing, but always open water. Started skiing the course 6 years ago. Live and ski on a small public lake with a permanent course. I came to this site a few months ago because I kept seeing Ball of Spray advertisements on Ski-it-Again and when I'd watch webcasts of tournaments. I initially would visit for the news feed, which always seemed the most current. Then I started reading the forum and have really enjoyed it.

[dbressel]

My name is Derrick Bressel. I started lake skiing around 8 years of age in So Cal. @ Pyramid Lake and Lake Castaic. My family transplanted from So Cal. to Shaver Lake, just outside Fresno, CA in the mountains. A family friend, who at the time was skiing in the Magic Mountain Water Ski Show (years go), got me into slalom after a trip to Lake Naciamento where I was able to ski a slalom course for the first time. After that, it was on --- I made my own floatable course and sunk it at Shaver Lake. In 1986 I joined the Wolf Lakes Waterski Club in Fresno, CA. I competed in Men’s I and Men’s II tournaments and skied in the 2000 Nationals in Bakersfield -- I think I scored a couple boys @ 35 off. I have not completed in some time; however, still enjoy getting in the course and doing the best I can. Now at 46 years old I am able to ski with my Wife and two Sons 6 and 12. I live in Fresno and ski at Shredder Lake (Google earth Unknown #5). We were just up at Diablo Shores Pro Am and my oldest son thought it was so cool that he could go right up to Pro Skier’s to talk to and congratulate them on a great run. My son even mentioned is that that guy; you know, the guy with the long hair is that; Yes! That’s Marcus Brown I replied. Skiing is not dead!! To this day, my Son would rather get on a trick ski than a wakeboard when he is not slaloming because his friends think is so cool and different. I want to thank John Horton and all the posters for a great site. John, when you are at Banana Lakes say hi to Bill Galli for me.

[HPskier1]

Steve King, 46 years old(hard to type that...) Been skiing since I was 5 grew up a small lake in Kansas. As long as I can remember we were always on at sunrise and off at sunset. Best times to ski. 3 kids and a wife. daughter loves to slalom and now want to go to KU and ski on the KU ski team. My other 2 boys like the board sport which is fine, nothing better than growing up on the water no matter what the sport. I've been addicted to slalom since I can remember skied in the old awsa tournaments in the 80 and still have the recording of "hot summer nights" from ESPN when the MC pro tour was going strong. took a couple of breaks after getting married, starting a career and having kids but really got back in to it about 17 years ago. Live in NIxa MO just south of Springfield and try to ski as much as I can on the course at little cow at Tablerock Lake. Met a great ski bud on here,@groovygrant, and have been skiing with him all summer. My wife says I'm a little crazy. live and breath skiing if I'm not thinking about going to the lake I'm thinking about technique. I'm really hoping to make some real progress this next summer. I agree everyone on here is great and it is a great resource for tech tips.

[cragginshred]

@dbressel I found the lake on google earth! My family are in Fresno and I had no idea there was a lake there. I will be in touch and look forward to checking it out and you have my info if you ever come this way! Hopefully see you in Oct!

[Dacon62]

David Kampen-51. Married 25. Son 22.

Something about a boat or ski slicing through the water that got me hooked as a teen.

Sold my Malibu VTX with diamond hull and now own a Malibu Txi as a joint purchase with a friend that I ski with 95% of the time.

Looking forward to slaloming my face off next season on Hatzic Lake, B.C. Canada.

My ski is a 2014 Radar Vapor with double boots. Mainly free ski but have run into 28 off years ago. Will see what this next season brings now that we ditched the V-drive. Most of my posts have been related to 'Boat Talk' as my fascination with exploring ways of building a boat with a flatter, more skiable wake is always on my mind.

Visited Mike Suyderhoud's ski school in '87 and took in the Pro Ski tour stop in Vallejo, CA. Turns out Ray Stokes was the main coach at the ski school. Was privileged to look Ray up again in Australia at his ski school there in '89 and spent a week in his home and skiing at his site. What a solid, genuinely nice guy. Was saddened by the news of his passing. Very fond memories.

Really enjoy the 'Ball of Spray' discussions and appreciate the honest and unfiltered feedback and comments. It is my go to site whenever I need advise on a Boat, Ski or Equipment purchase.

As we move into another dreary, cold, grey, rainy time all I have to say is ...Die, winter Die!!!

[Mad_Footer]

Bill Docherty - Married, 47 years old, 2 kids (13 and 10). Live in Granite Falls, NC (north of Charlotte) and ski on Lake Hickory - house on lake. We have a Malibu Response LX 2003 and prior to that we owned a Mastercraft 205. Wife and I both spend our time free skiing and I also do a good amount of barefooting. Did not start skiing until my early 20's and now playing catch-up :) Recently moved from skiing a ten-year old HO CDX ski to a new Radar Senate and love the ski. Hoping to get into the course for the first time next year

[dbressel]

@cragginshred -- Sounds great. There are 7 ski specific lakes within 30 minutes of the Fresno area allot of them privat owned; however a few; like Shredder have memberships. Thanks for the invite.

[SkiLady]

Shawna B. - women's 2. I currently live in the north-east Atlanta 'burbs. I started skiing in my early 20's when my husband taught me. :-) We both skied for Purdue for a few years before grad school took complete control of our lives. We own a 1994 MC 190 (LOVE this boat), but ski at Crow Lake with a club Nautique. This season I switched from a Monza to the A2, and from a Wiley front boot to a Radar Lyric with a RTP.

I have to say it's kind of sad being a "young" female is this sport. There aren't too many ladies in the game after college. So fellas - get your ladies out there and your daughters too! I love this sport - it's challenging and exciting with a lot of great people involved. My marriage is strengthened at the lake. It's about the only time we have to actually spend time together and just be. Driving to and from the lake (about 40 minutes each way), driving for each other, and coaching each other (he's much better at coaching than I am). He taught me everything about skiing. Honestly I didn't know it existed until we met.

 

So.... Ski good and have fun!

 

[ForrestGump]

Welcome to all the new people!

[tewbert]

Gary, grew up skiing in Alabama. Ex-Air Force. Been in Phoenix for 20+ years. Some footin', ski raced for 6 or 7 years. Did Catalina twice. Been on course for about last 5 yrs (I'll be 50 at end of Oct) just for fun. 22 and 28 off at 34. Love this sport, totally addicted. Ski the course 2 or 3 times a week year round when I'm in town.

[scotty_alz]

Scott Alsbury from Kalispell, Mt im 25 ive been skiing since i was two. I was the first person from montana to ski in a us nationals and other than my little sister maybe the only one to. My best in slalom is 3.5 38 trick around 3500 and jumped 150. I mainly slalom but love to have fun on the water so if that means a day on the public lake with boat full of wakeboarders im down and ready to go huge but i love the feeling and personal reward you get from the slalom course not mention the speed you grow accustom to.

[ntx]

@wayne have a place on Strawberry Lake. Will touch base with you next season

[Porkfight]

I'm Zac, 35 years old, 5'10 165lbs. I live in Southern California and am a firefighter for a large department.

 

I run marathons, half marathons, mud runs, zombie runs, etc. and do lots of desert and trail motorcycle riding fall through spring.

 

I've never seen a private ski lake in person and I've never been on a slalom course, but I learned to ski when I was in 4th or 5th grade, skied on open water 3-4 times each summer until I was about 20, then skied my ass off this summer after buying my first new ski in probably 20 years.

 

I just got back from Henderson NV, where I sat around the pool for four days because the government closed Lake Mead the day we arrived. Is there anything better than four straight days of mid-week skiing on a beautiful glassy desert lake that you have all to yourself with your best friends? Not according to me. Thankfully I didn't pull the trigger on a portable slalom course this year.

 

Hurry up, Spring.

 

[KcSwerver]

@HPskier1 I will be at KU in 2 years!

[Horton]

Bump... for the new guys

[skialex]

I’m Alex Stathatos, 43 years old and I’m a waterski addict years (that what my wife believes0 for the last 13. I ski about 120 sets per year and I have to drive at least 100km to ski the course.

I live in Greece, weather is great for about 8 months a year ski both salt and fresh water all year round. There are only few waterski schools but most of them are in lakes with great ski conditions. Owning a boat in Greece is not an option, there are no private or man made lakes so the only option to ski the course, is at a ski school.

I also snow ski, ride dirt bikes and run long distances. My hobby is to fix things so I have a very well equipped workshop that I can work on my vintage Mini cooper, my dirt bikes, my house repairs and of course my waterski and waterski gear. I can fix dings, scratches, broken bolts, and most of the things on the ski and bindings. I use materials such as carbon, g10, Teflon, adhesives and try not to run anything aluminium on my ski, I can count about 10 teaks on my slalom ski.

I fix other people’s skis as well as most of them don’t like to mess around with their gear and trust my skills.

I currently ride a Nano one xt, I bought during the off season and although it feels good to ski on I have to wait until it gets warmer to ski my best or hopefully better. I run 32s constantly, my practice PB is 4@35@34miles, and I hope that with the new ski will eventually run it this season.

It took me a while to comment on the BOS forum mostly due to language barrier, it takes me a lot more time to express my thoughts and if sometime my writings annoy somebody it would not be intensively; English is not my native language.

BOS forum keeps me going in the offseason, I like the provided knowledge and that I can comment on that and learn new things.

I like that most of you are very passionate about the forum and give your knowledge to anyone in need.

Thank you guys.

 

[Than_Bogan]

@skialex At least you have an excuse. English is my first (and only) language, and I still suck at it. But not as much as @Horton.

 

Welcome!

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

My name is Cole Giacopuzzi, 20 years young and currently work as an insurance broker with my dad at his business. I live in a suburb of Los Angeles, CA. Started skiing when I was 5 years old in Newberry Springs at Great Lakes. My family and 5 or 6 others would rent the lake for the weekend and bring a couple of boats have a blast. in 01 we bought into Creekside Lake in Arvin, CA (By Hortons lake). I've always been super passionate about skiing and want to go as far as I can in the sport. In the past year I've gotten close with the Arvin tourney guys, and we all bum rides off of each other. We help each other as much as we can and its an awesome feeling and a great time skiing with people who love the sport as much as you do. Definitely want to burst out in 2014 and knock down the holy grail of line lengths...39.5. On monday I leave and fly to Florida where i'll spend two months in Clermont at the Swiss Ski School to coach/drive and train for the upcoming season.

 

Practice PB: 3 @ 39.5

Tournament PB: 2.5 @ 39.5

Ski: Goode Nano 1

Boat: 09 Ski Nautique 196

Favorite lakes: Creekside Lake, Ski West Village, Imperial Lakes

[6balls]

@colebrah awesome skiing...will be fun to see what you can do. At first I thought ok this guy has a tourney and practice PB similar to mine...then realized you are a young'in at 36 mph...um...yah you are way better than me! Go get 'em.

[SocalWaterSki]

Hey all, my name is Brett, 31 years old, have been an air traffic controller for the past 10 years (15 to go!) and a commercially rated pilot for the last 12. I live out in Park City Utah, but I was raised in Socal (I really need to change my screen name here) I pretty much grew up on the lake with my family, but never really got into the course until just a few years ago. I was a competitive swimmer growing up, missed the olympics by .02 seconds in the 200m butterfly way back in the day. Imploded my shoulder during that race which kept me out of the water for the next 4 years. I got into biking and running in the time I wasn't allowed to swim or waterski, this later transitioned me into Ironman races when I was able to swim again, I now do 3-4 races a year. When I'm not rounding buoys, I'm in the hills running or biking, or if there's white stuff on the ground I'm out skiing it.

I don't post often, but I lurk daily (government computers won't let me log in... I tried.) I'm always looking for people to ski with, both water or snow, if you're in the area look me up!

[ColeGiacopuzzi]

@6balls hahahha thanks I really appreciate it!! Definitely will go at it and see what happens!

[MarcusDski]

Hey guys, I'm a 16 year old youngster from New Zealand. Started skiing the course a couple of years ago and I'm hooked on it! I get out on the water close to every weekend and sometimes during the week. I hardly post on BOS but I enjoy reading up on all the advice and tips you guys give. My current pb is 2@22off and I can't wait to keep getting better!

[MarcusDski]

Hey guys, I'm a 16 year old youngster from New Zealand. Started skiing the course a couple of years ago and I'm hooked on it! I get out on the water close to every weekend and sometimes during the week. I hardly post on here but I enjoy learning from all the advice and tips you guys offer. My current pb is 2@22off and I can't wait to get better!

[rayn]

@Than_Bogan‌ don't kid yourself. 'C' is your first language.

[dchristman]

Don Christman, hopeless addict. Hooked in the spring of 1977 on a senior skip day at Lake Wallenpaupack. Started my first real job at Bell Labs in Reading, PA because "there's a ski club there!". Ski'd 3-events in the early 80's, but tricks was my primary event. Wallenpaupack and the Schuylkill River were not very conducive to slalom. Although Reading was a great site for jumping, I gave that up early on. I decided I would rather be able to trick (and walk) later in life. I found out how, mmmm, passionate jumpers are when I declared in an interview for the local newspaper that "jumping is not for intelligent people".

 

I tricked daily with Jimmy Mandolos on the river, and took annual spring pilgrimages to Lakeland and then Okeeheelee with Jimmy, Kenny Mead, Bud Raley, and Al Luck. I can remember Bud sanding on my slalom ski edges ... "see how that works" ... and Schnitz showing up with his top secret fin in a sock.

 

I married in the late 80's, kid's in the early 90's, so skiing took the back seat. I came out of retirement briefly for a tournament in '91 in men 2, and thought that maybe I would ski in one tournament in each division. I didn't ski in another tournament until last year. The comeback begins!

 

We (Reading Water Skiers) lost our site when the dam broke in hurricane Floyd (1999). A group of us was lucky enough to find another great private site locally - Christman Lake. No, I don't own it, but it sounds good when people ask me where I ski! Now for some reason I just can't get enough of this. Last year I became more obsessed, got some new equipment, and thanks to this site and the never-ending winter even more new stuff. I'm ready to go! The oil's changed in the boat and we're just waiting for the ice to melt... unfortunately it looked like about a foot of it left on Wednesday when we checked it out.

[DefectiveDave]

30 year old engineer/analyst/software developer near Charlotte, NC. Started skiing when I was 5 but took a 16 year break. Now I'm back and loving it. My goal is to get back to where I was when I was 13 and then stop sucking at slalom.

[ETEXAG]

Blake - 28 years old. Learned to ski at 5 or 6 but was off and on through college and high school. Recently got the itch to actually learn to ski well. I joined Muddy Waters last month. Hoover has started trying to break my bad habits and teach me how to ski the course.

[ForrestGump]

@ETEXAG Try not to be the victim of the Hoover-Manuever . I still have whiplash and it's been a year. lol

[lhoover]

That Shane is indestructible. Great One asked if I could rid the Holy Land of said rascal and I tried my best to no avail. One tough SOB.

[Horton]

@SocalWaterSki‌ do you think it's likely that the air traffic controllers who should have been watching the missing malaysian jumbo jet were reading BallOfSpray?

[Razorskier1]

This is always a great thread! Hmmm. This year what do I say? Me: Hi, I'm Jim and I'm a Ski-Aholic. You: Hi Jim. Seriously, I am 50 and have been skiing since 5, but only course skiing since about 30. Started skiing the course behind my old outboard Ski Centurian Warrior Barefoot Comp. Since then a Gekko GTR22 and a PS197, with a new ProStar this year. Currently on the Mapple 6.0. Hard to believe but even after 20 years some of my bad habits from the pre-course days (like pulling WAY too hard) still crop up from time to time. Best advice I ever got was to see a coach. I've now skied with quite a few and it has been critical to my advancement. I only wish I'd started sooner as now I have to fight my age to keep getting better.

 

If the weather lets me I'm lucky enough to ski every weekday before work from April through October here in MN. Hard to get up at 5 to ski at 6:30, but there's also nothing like walking down to the dock and seeing the sun coming up when you idle off the lift! If I'm really lucky then I ski weekends on a private site. Rinse and repeat until I get a rainy or windy day to give my body a break. Nice that @Horton has created this forum -- I've connected with a lot of people here and thoroughly enjoy it!

[lpskier]

I am the same as I was before, just older. As I site here watching the snow fall over the site of the 2014 Eastern Regionals, I am thinking of the 18 sets I have in this year so far. It's nice having my wife and daughter in Florida for the winter.

[waterskigirl]

It has come to my attention lately, that just because I know who I am, others don't? LOL!

 

So, this is who I am...I am waterskigirl a "Baller" since November of 2009, yikes! I am also Robby of Robbysskishop and 1/2 of SkiSunsetRanch. I am a decent waterskier and posted my share of tournament scores, having been involved in the sport for over 20 years. Loved it so much that in 1996 Doug and I built(yes, we are both crazy) our own lake Sunset Ranch. For many years we had a club and hosted tons of tournaments and then started doing the waterski vacations about 8 years ago. We have lived under the philosophy if we build it they will come and so far so good! We started our pro shop 7 years ago as a convenience for our guests and its moved on from there. We ski on and sell D3s, sell and stock lots of Eagle, Camaro and Masterline, know the products because we use them. Offer all Ballers a discount on pro shop purchases(click on my ad to see info on "Baller" discounts)! I encourage customers with questions to pick up the phone and call. You might run into someone who has bought one of our Centurion Carbon Pro school boats, we love them! We jumped in right away and had one of the first boats built and they do nothing but improve. As our resident driver I know first had how they handle since I drove over 400 hours last year alone.

I am an advertiser here, doin my part to support the forum that keeps our sport connected!

PS Also, very proud of the awesome article about our place in the April Waterski Mag!

[JJVDMZN]

I'm Johannes ,I have been skiing since I was 10 years old (back in the 70's). I live in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa where we have good ski weather most to the year.

 

In Nov/Dec last year I saw these buoys in the water and guys making the most awesome spray when they go around them. We joined the Inanda Waterski Club and now the whole family's hooked!!

[rj60]

Wats up ballers,my name is Rick Jones i'm 60 years young. I live in St.Cloud,Fla. I started slalom skiing i the early 80's with a good friend of mine,he moved so there goes the boat. After a couple years of no skiing Orlando Water Sports Complex opened did alot of cable skiing when Mike Ferraro was out there. He hooked me up with some instruction and i learned alot from him. Several years ago through another friend at o-dub i got to meet Wade Cox need i say more. I now ski with Wade a couple times a week and am having the time of my life. Skiing with a legend wat could be better.

[Commuterfisher]

Hello,

 

Craig Huenergardt from Vista, Ca. I am a dentist in Oceanside, CA and work three days per week. I am 54 years old and ski a 69" Triumph with Attack Bindings and a 69"HO Coefficient XL with Attacks.

 

I never skied regularly as a child. I used to beg my dad to take me. He had a friend with a boat at Clear Lake, CA. In college I had an inflatable Zodiac with a 40 hp out board that would pull me up on a single ski at 212 lbs. Interesting to have your ski boat in your apartment closet. Lake Perris and Lake Silverwood while I was in dental school at Loma Linda. At Lake Perris you would cut and see a wall of green algae.

 

Many trips to Ensenada, Baja and skiing behind the Zodiac and with the dolphins. We would ski right outside the breakers early morning.

 

Last spring 2013 I started buying tows at California Watersports for $78 per tow with a 12 half hour card. More like 5 minutes at first. Back problems slowed me down and I bought Fluid Motions harness which helps take the pressure off my back. I got addicted to it and had a patient with a boat at the lagoon who took me for tows. I could see that $78 a few times a week was going to get expensive quick. So I bought a 1999 Malibu Response LX. Skied three times today! Loving it. Never skied the course.

 

Always looking for people to drive the boat and to ski with.

[bogboy]

@erik4c, go cougs! (Class of 79). Have skied many times with g. Tate. Congratulations on your accomplishments.

[Porkfight]

@Commuterfisher, I love your boat! I'm looking for a `99 RLX right now. Diamond hull, nicer interior...mmmmmm. Silverwood was my main camping/skiing lake when I was a kid, but now I (attempt) to throw walls of green water in the air at Elsinore.

[Commuterfisher]

Yeah. I am so pleased with the diamond hull. Skied behind all of the boats at California Watersports. The Malibu was always my favorite. The wake is perfect. Price was good for a boat that was going in salt. Just upgraded the perfect pass. Skied hard today to build up endurance. Hopefully, ready to ski the course soon.

 

 

[jipster43]

@Commuterfisher Go get some instruction from Parker Staver in Newberry Springs. He'll get you through the course with good form in no time!