How do we really want to ski? Who do we want to ski like and why?

[Horton]

Exhibit A

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[Horton]

Think April is a odd first choice to watch? Watch how she controls the handle

[Horton]

[Horton]

[Horton]

No calling Adam a girl

[Horton]

The boys

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[Horton]

[Horton]

[Horton]

[Chef23]

I love watching April ski. We have been to her ski school 4 times and I always learn something new watching her. April is like a machine her handle control is identical each pass no matter the line length. I watched her run 39 from in the boat two years ago and it was crazy to watch. I like watching Parrish ski even though I will never ski like him because he skis left foot forward, uses a two handed gate and is more of a traditional stacked type of skier which are all things I aspire to.

[Horton]

I think April may be the most under rated skier around

[MattP]

She might be under rated because she has only won one slalom event but she has always been very highly rated in my book for a long time.

[skibug]

I guess I want to ski like Regina...actually I think I am already there which makes it easy; I just can't get it done like she does.  It is amazing what she can pull out of and hold on to....

[Horton]

Well Regina is is who I was thinking about when I started this.  

[jimbrake]

Will Asher and Thomas Moore. I like where their vision is and how they stay open with the shoulders back to the handle.

[Horton]

Regina is so fascinating to me because her skiing is somewhat unconventional. She is near perfect into the ball but is a mess at apex. In the end she drops scores better than most men on the planet. Is there a lesson here? I am always working to be smoother from apex to the wakes. Do I need to reset my thinking?

I still think April is the best model for 55k skiing.

[PBD]

I always have problems seeing what's really happening on these videos as they are real time.  I need to slow things down to get a real understanding of what the skiers are doing.  Without slow motion I'm pretty lost.

I mentioned this problem to my son and he solved my problem, at least for the You Tube videos. If you have TIVO you can use the Video on Demand feature.  One of the menu choices under Video on Demand is You Tube.  Click on You Tube and search for the video you want to watch.  For example" April Coble Eller trying new fin settings".  Now you can watch the video on your television and have the use of slow motion and pause.

[Jody_Seal]

I have pulled most all the open women in the US and internationally in tournaments for many years. Their are two that really stand out that as driver you know they are back their, The first was Emma and second is Regina both very diferent styles but both ski very strong behind the boat. April is so light on the string her technique  is one that many a skier men or women could learn from. One other skier that comes to mind even though I have only pulled her a couple of times is Whitney she too skis with a lot of strength behind the boat. Another to watch in the upcoming next few years is Caroline Hensley.  She is starting to really come into her own getting deep into the 38 line in tournament and practice and she is only 19.

[ral]

Question was

How do we really want to ski? Who do we want to ski like and why?

So, as I read, we do not talk about scores.

To me, April for  sure. My old and abused back would not stand too much of Regina's skiing, and my knees and hips cannot be put in the angles Adam does without resulting in breakage, blood and loose body.

[Horton]

what?

[Chef23]

Parrish looks light on the line for a big guy. From talking to April she said that Parrish is lighter behind the boat into deep shortline than Chris Eller is into 35. Watching Regina it is amazing to me the way she is able to grab more angle after it looks like the ski stopped turning. That tells me to not give up on the pass after it feels like you don't have a great turn.

[ForrestGump]

Regina is a white water to white water skier. As long as she's got the ski pointed in the right direction by the time it gets to the white water, she gets around the next buoy in good shape. 

[skibug]

So is Regina the "new" new school...Sorry Horton don't mean to get your dander up.  Or, is she just freakishly strong, confident, and gifted?

[h2odawg79]

Maybe a bit Odd, but who do I want to ski like? -ME! I want to ski like Me, myself and I!

Why do I want to ski like me? -Not sure, but it's probably never been done before! (even by me)

How do I want do ski? -I wanna float like a Butterfly and sting like a Bee...

[MattP]

Regina is just "freakishly strong, confident, and gifted" Also I think that Whitney McClintock fits this mold as well.

[9400]

I would have to say Terry Winter, it just looks so consistent and smooth. But in reality I just want to run the next pass, I don't care what it looks like.....I'll take Regina's or April's skiing

[ForrestGump]

I'd venture to say that most of us look like Regina from the apex to the hookup.  But if we don't get what we want out of the turn, we give in to the boat or give up. Whatever angle we get at the hookup is what we take across course. She forces the ski to gain angle after the hookup if she needs to. And does it with a very stacked, centered body position on top fo the ski.  That's what's impressive about her skiing. Behind the boat, she is in as leveraged a position as any other skier out there, be it man or woman.  I would take the strong out of strong, confident, and gifted.  How many men who can bench press her can't do what she does?

[Horton]

I guess my question is do we really need to try to ski super smooth like April or Parsons or CP. I do not understand Regina’s skiing but I would love her ball count. There are dudes that are the same way. They do stuff that looks all wrong but they get huge scores.

[9400]

I want to be smooth, because at 50 you feel hits more (or they don't go away as soon). But I want buoy count more and longevity. I rode in the boat when Regina was barely a teenager and she was tenacious then. Her skiing doesn't look a whole lot different but the buoy count has gone up a few buoys. I think Shane may have said it earlier...she gets it done in the white water, no matter what happens at the buoy. Hopefully one day, people will say that about my skiing. I've seen a few skiers over the years where I think "how does that person get that many buoys"....but Regina's not one of them, she's gritty on a slalom ski!!

 

[Horton]

I also think that what she does at apex is so crazy that we miss what she does from the wakes to the ball. She is really good on the way out.

[9400]

No doubt, I think that's where all the people with huge scores get it done. I think these last 2 39s where she set the record looked better than the 39 I saw where she tied the record.

[LakeOneSkier]

"I guess my question is do we really need to try to ski super smooth..."

My chiropractor says yes!  And after my noon'er set that was more Regina than April, I say yes too!

[6balls]

She's almost more old school.  I can remember the years where my goal was to hit it behind the boat, the old "work zone".  Trouble is if I give it that kind of smoke now the boat gives it back via throttle.  I don't understand how she can deliver the goods behind the boat like that and not get slung by ZO.  Perhaps the difference between how hard a woman can load and how hard a man can load?

Agree w/9400 above.  Regardless of buoy count, I gotta keep working on smoother skiing to preserve my aging frame.  No way I can hammer the way I did as younger skier.

[Chef23]

April still talks about working hard behind the boat from white water to white water. I think the key is the excellent body position they all have so they can hold the good angle they have at that time.

[skidawg]

They (elite's) are all super efficient in moving the ski out, there is no flat skiing or down the lake movement.  All of their (elites') energy is outbound, thus giving them time to turn when they please.  Most of us mere mortals have a dead area in our skiing that leaves us with a less than optimal trajectory.

[Horton]

Dawg,

Can you get off your bike and be even more specific

[Drago]

I hate to say this, but I recommend not watching  much video. I coached many high level ski racers that watched too much video. they really should have looked at their tracks in the snow. They end up "posing" . In waterskiing, I think any coach could say, "Your letting go of the handle too early" to any student without even watching them ski. Also, in short-line skiing, let's say 38 and shorter, you absolutely cannot hold your edge much past the second wake. If you "have to" , then I would suggest your ski is set up wrong. The usual disclaimer....Just my observations over the years, of course.

[Horton]

well that is interesting. I do not think very many skiers really understand all the mechanics. I watch video to get a better understanding. For me part of the problem is that I do not ski with better skiers very often.

[danbirch]

Drago, what do you mean by "have to"? Have to what? Change edges??? thanks!

[h2odawg79]

Very AMBIGUOUS subject matter!

If one "Has to" hold (forces) an edge past the 2nd wake it's most certainly because they are behind in the 1st place and that probably began @ the previous turn... -SnowBall effect. imo, This practice, produces gritty but polished scrappers!  

[kona]

Dont really know what the H your talking about but that was some good skiing.

[6balls]

Regina and April are both off the pull early, but keep the handle and maintain outbound.  At shortline (38), they are both still outbound when passing the buoy, and the apex comes downcourse from the ball.  Even when Regina really honks on it I think the difference between she and others who try to scramble is that others not only honk it but pull too long and get slung.  She gets on it, gets off it, but has a magical ability to then maintain her outbound trajectory.  Others load, pull too long, then get "unloaded" upcourse...then it's all she wrote at 38 and beyond. 

It seems shortline skiing is all about from the wake to the ball, not the ball to the wake.  Snowing here today...so fun to watch, analyze and dream.  THanks for posting the vids, Horton. 

[thager]

6ball, 4 inches here in Mankato and still snowing. Nothing to do now for the next 5 months but work and dream! Nice to know after watching Regina that if you scramble and do it right you can still make some bouys. Think I'll have to work on being smooth and invisible after to many years of doing it wrong. Ski change may be in the works too.

[ForrestGump]

Regina is a perfect example of something Mueller's been schooling me on this year.........

 

He says........."dude you're making this too hard. I'm gonna break it down to two simple steps for you. Turn and Lean. Nothing else. All this other crap doesn't matter. Just turn and lean."

 

If she doesn't get the turn she wants, she turns down course, gets the ski in position and leans. She may be coming off the 2nd wake at mach 3 at times because of this, but since she sets that ski on the outbound edge so well and keeps that direction going outbound, the ski slows down. Watch where the water is breaking on the forebody of the ski as it's going outbound. Watch Parrish and you see the same thing. I don't think it's any coincidence that the two WR holders have so much ski in the water going outbound even before the ski starts to make it's arc back towards the buoy. I think there's a lot to learn from that.

 

The rest of us mortals panic at the buoy and think we've got to step on it or push it to make up time and she(and other elite skiers) make it up behind the boat.

[Drago]

6 balls pretty much answered the "have to" for me.If you are sking well and change edges at the 2nd wake or so, your set up should have plenty of glide to apex up before the buoy a bit.

If you are getting into 38 consistently, your next step is to learn way more about your ski and fin and binding placement and how they effect Your skiing. My first hand example: Last summer [09] I started on a new ride. I knew it was going to be great, but everyone kept telling me " your turning too hard". "I" wasn't turning too hard, but my ski was making me turn too hard. I finally dialed her in [unfortunately after Regionals]. If I had been watching videos, I would keep trying to do something to fix my turning hard.

How many years have you been watching videos and trying to look like someone else.? Go for no video for a season. Challenge yourself to Feel what's going on. You know what you need to do: get over there with a tight line.Feel and ask the driver to feel for you, too. And don't let go of your handle! it's yours.

[skibug]

I get much more information watching a video of myself skiing than watching the pros.  Not that you shouldn't watch different techniques to get a frame of reference; but.....when I watch myself I can definitely see what I am doing correctly or not doing correctly.

[ForrestGump]

The way someone skis and the base technique they use are two entirely different things. There's a lot to learn in comparing technique, especially once you can discern why an event in the course happens. A lot of times, if you just watch yourself you have no frame of reference for what the correct technique is or the amount of technique to apply.

[slow]

Still like to watch Mapple. Athletic, strong, great technique and consistant. Also not human.

[colo_skier]

One major thing I have seen from video's of myself is that what I am doing, doesn't always seem to match what I think I am doing. This for me is great feedback. As nearly everyone else who ski's a course is better at it than me, watching other people ski lets me know what I should be doing and were I should be doing it. I do agree with Drago that feeling what needs to be done and getting it right is great. It is really nice to have that pass on video so you can see why it felt great and compare it to the passes that didn't work. BTW I really like the comments above from everyone of what to look at when watching the pro's ski.  Some things seem to apply to what I do and somethings seem to be odd. For instance April is a great skier and really knows how to get through the course and make it look so easy. This being said if I were to have my stance on the ski be as far back as she appears to be on her glide after the pull out I would be messed up for the rest of the course.  I therefore put that particular trait down to what works for her may not apply to how I have to do things. As always it is great to watch any of the Pro's becuase they make it look so darn easy!!!!!!  Seems most sports are that way though.  

[Horton]

that brings me back to my original point.... if April does things that do not make sense to you and she kicks your (my) ass, maybe what she does right is more important then what you are (I am) working on.