First Time You Ran 6 balls

[Horton]

There is a lot of talk about the first time high end skiers ever ran a really really hard pass. What I want to hear is about that first time you guys ran 6 balls at any speed.

[Deke]

OK, I'll bite. I was part of a large, very supportive, almost tribal public lake group of which Marco was a part of at the time. I was probably 45 (10 years ago) and had been trying for a long time but ended up running it almost by accident after what I thought was a late pullout and way too late turn-in. I found myself without much to do at one ball... Well, not much to do at any of them! Needless to say it was a celebratory night.

 

 

[ral]

I was 35. I had skied for some days in the course, with my ex-beloved and soon to be hated HO Mach 1, which was my open water ski for years. I could not go past 4 @ 43 KPH. I borrowed a Goode 8000 from a friend for the next set. First pass, I could not turn the ski @ 1. Second pass, I ran all 6.

 

Celebration was a tough e-mail negotiation with jdarwin to buy his Goode 9300...

[jimbrake]

1976. Santa Clara County Water Ski Club pond behind Art Rodrigues and his '76 Ski Nautique. 28 mph, long line. I had just turned 18. 66" EP Comp II (yellow with orange bottom). EP rubber binding with rear toe. I didn't measure the fin, but I bet it was 2.5, 6.90, and 0.75. No wing. I thought the wakes were fine.

[Marco]

1996 or so, me and a buddy (both only free skiers) went to Ski Paradise for a ski vacation, not even knowing what a slalom course was. We thought it odd that Gordon introduced us as beginners. We found out soon enough. We were skiing with Will and Elain Bush, Brett and Mary Yager, Jason Parades, Art Rodriguez, Mike Hayes, to name a few. The first day on the water, I understood why they called us beginners. My very first set,(in open water), I went OTF on my 3rd wake crossing, tearing my rotator cuff. Done for the week??? Nope. 2 days later ran my first complete pass (at 32 I'm guessing). Brett and Will were in the boat screaming and yelling. I'll never forget that moment.

 

I brought my new found course addiction back home and hooked up with Deke and a bunch of other addicts on a public lake, where we would camp and ski every weekend of the summer. Finally built a ski lake with a few friends, then a house. I guessing that first trip to Acapulco ended up costing me more than a half million bucks by the time I fed my addiction...

[bxroads]

July 2011 at 38 years old. I was more pissed that it took me so long than excited about running it. If I could just run 30 mph was the first thing I thought. Now that I’m running 30 mph the thought is “if I could just run 32”. The never ending quests has begun.

[6balls]

Grew up free skiing hard w/older brothers (breaking ropes regularly). We thought the guys on the lake behind inboards making those wimpy one-handed turns and not pulling thru the wakes were weenies. Got a shot at a course as a mid-teen and ran 30 mph (or so) long line behind our outboard on first try two hands overhand grip, no release. Was hooked big time but no consistent course time til college.

We bought a portable and used it one week/year on vacation. I remember how we would run 6 or 8 passes spinning on the ends. First pass 30 mph, maybe make 32 mph and take a bunch of cracks at 34 mph...36 seemed crazy back then.

First tourney I ever skied was also my first time behind an inboard in the late 80's. Ran 30, 32 and a couple at 34 mph 15 off. Anyone else remember trying to "ski out of novice"?

[Wish]

I still have my trophy that says I skied out of "novice". Years earlier (late teens) was my first go at a course behind a MasterCraft outboard 200HP. I was a free skiing master of the BIG spray and thought this would be no problem. Just look at how long this course is and how far apart the buoys are. Easy!! Then at ball 2, long line, 28mph, reality hit and I hit the water. Again and again and again. Humble pie was consumed in mass quantities that day.

[Than_Bogan]

I can't quite remember all the details, but here are some fun facts:

I was no more than 10 years old.

I was on 2 skis.

I was skiing behind a 13' Boston Whaler that is now 40 years old and parked at my dock right now.

[Horton]

I was most likely on a wood ski. Or some Taperflex. Not even close to remembering. 5 or 6 yrs old I would guess.

[Bdecker]

I was about 18 behind the Dartmouth college ski team's outboard, first time in the course. Allegedly 36/15, but who knows because that pass gave me plenty of challenges when I started course skiing more regularly in my early 20's.

[thager]

This will really date me but I ran my first pass in 1969 behind a Larsen Thunderhawk with a 65 HP Merc. This was on a course next to the cemetery that used clorox bottles for buoys. You think the buoys hurt now? I was riding a 66 " Northland Shark I think. Weighed in at a whopping 112 LBS in 8th grade. Moved up th a wooden 68" Northland Pro later that year. I have no idea what rope lenth as it had been cut many times and boat had no speedo. Dad had two speeds, tied to the dock and wide open!

[454SS]

this summer, and now I'm addicted ;)

[thager]

Oh, it can get much worse than that! : )

[Chef23]

I was under 10 years old and it was on a Northland Bantam which I still have in my basement.

[Bulldog]

I was about 15 or so on a taperflex apex, it has a pattern on the top of a stripe going aroung the balls! Classic.

[lundberg]

I skied open water for 25+ years (I'm 37) never even sniffed a course. Last year I entered the drawing to win the EXO bindings (thanks BOS) and some how won them. I felt like such a poser on the lake that I decided I should be able to run the course to justify my fancy equipment. I spent an afternoon last September at the public course at the north end of lake Washington with a bunch of good friends trying to figure it out. I remeber making it around the 4 ball and thinking "if I can just make it to 5 I've got this" and I did (30mph @ 15off). Everyone skied a little harder afterward but no one else made a pass after that (including me).

[Bulldog]

@lundberg, nice story!! How have the EXO's held up??

[Nick Sullivan]

Lundberg,

That is a great story and thanks for sharing it. We are about the same age (kind of, I'm 32), anytime you want to come down south to Woodland give me a call and lets get you in the course again at Mint Lake.

[lundberg]

Overall I like them a lot. I've busted two tips (but I haven't broken any since I reduced the spring setting). They are super comfortable and perform great for me (on and S1). I actually bought a second pair as a backup (my wife was out of town and it was too good of a deal to pass up). I got the EXO Forms on the recomendation from HO and the second pair I picked up were the PROs. The Forms are softer and more comfortable but the PROs feel great too and I think I ski better in them.

[MrJones]

Horseshoe Lake outside of Rush Springs Oklahoma in 1987. I saw a flyer in an area marine shop for a beginner/novice tournament. Me and some buddies were avid free skiers. I also had read a book by Joel McClintock so I had a general idea of what to do. Ran the first pass I ever tried at 26 mph long line in practice on Friday before the tournament. Won the beginner division and a sweet trophy the next day. Been hooked ever since. Big thanks to the Brays, Varnells, and Latimers for getting me started.

[travnews]

I started skiing for the first time July 2010. I use to be a wake boarder, and my bro-in-law has always skied (open water). I told him about a slalom clinic nearby and he was all for it. He talked me into going, so I started to ski to try to prepare for the clinic. So I bought a radar theory and then participated in the clinic. After that I spent the fall skiing in open water behind a i/o. I loved the clinic and the course so much it drove me to buy a inboard last winter, a Moomba outback. This year I've been skiing a 1 to 3 times a week, half the time in a course. I purchased a new ski, strada w/reflex. I ran the course at 30mph at 15off early in summer, very ugly though no technique at all. Now I am starting to get through the course at 32mph at 15off, I am just trying to work on form and technique. I'm trying to think for the long run, by getting my technique down and stop muscling my way through the course. I am hooked, I would have never have guessed I would be so addicted to the sport, I am constantly thinking about it. My success in the course is getting consistent and I feel the technique and my ability is getting better. I'm loving it.

[jwr]

1978 on an el diablo behind a 24 foot sea ray. It was great. We would camp out the whole weekend on the sea ray right next to the slalom course. Get up first thing and get a set before breakfast. We eventually graduated to a 75 nautique. My parents had to force me to ski the course in the beginning. All I wanted to do is jump the wakes and see how far I could go. It was always the best when my dad and I would get out there together and see who had the biggest air.

[tru-jack]

about 9 or 10, on a wooden sea glider 'george athens jr' ski with concave tunnel. Not sure engine size but definately behind a J-Craft and I'll guess a 140 Johnson. I'll dig out a photo and post, should be good for a laugh. Also remember my Dad and his friend feeling pretty proud of themselves as we took the ferry back from Toronto Island, site of the 1980 Worlds that Joel McLintock won overall, (in a speedo no less) because they just purchached the new APEX by Taperflex complete with the Wetboots (one of the first versions of high wraps) Also remember that the skis were both 63", talk about a turn and burn stick.

[skidawg]

One summer (18 yrs old) tried a course on public water in Texarkana (@36 mph cause thats what we thought you ran the boat at cause the pros did it at champion lake) and failed miserably, duh! Went to college in the fall and had ski team try outs (LaTech). Low and behold the guy in charge said "you can slow the boat down", Ran 15-30mph, 32 mph, 34 mph. Been a junkie ever since. Also learned to jump and trick in the same week.

[Than_Bogan]

Awesome story, @travnews! You've for sure got the right idea. At this stage you just have to drill body position like a maniac. Buoys are much less important than working on getting your "stacked" (i.e. all muscles aligned against the rope and working together) position behind the boat.

 

I remember oh-so-clearly about 15 years ago, I had just started skiing with local slalom god Mike Tilton. I don't *quite* remember the context, but I remember the words: "You shouldn't be focusing on getting 32 mph, you should be focusing on getting 32 *off*." At that point my career, 32 off was a VERY distant hope. I think I had run 36/-15 about twice in my life. But he understood and reinforced that I was in it for the long haul. And the fact that he believed I could run -32 made me believe it.

 

I wouldn't run -32 until about 5 years after that conversation, but I did. And then yesterday at the end of my set, I *lengthened* the rope to -32 and ran it 3 times in a row in ridiculous backwash just for the strength building. (Admittedly, I'm at 34 mph now, but still.)

 

So keep the faith and the long-term focus and you'll get there!!

[jedgell]

1998, at No Wake Lake in Helena, MT. I was 22, been free skiing since I was 13. Thought I was a bad ass skier until I tried the course. Thought the guys were crazy when they told me they were going to pull me at 30 mph, I was used to skiing 36, or as fast as our outboard would pull me. First set couldn't get around more than a couple balls. Then ran a couple passes at 30 mph, 15' off on my second set. Been addicted ever since.

[35 in the bag]

Ok Horton….you’ve taken me on a trip down Memory Lane…………..

 

We moved to Lake Shannon (Fenton, Michigan) in the summer of 1973. I was 11 years old and got up on skis on my 3rd try behind the neighbors tri-hull outboard. Dad bought a Rinker Bilt with an 85 Johnson that next spring and we started to ski daily. Lake Shannon had many good/great skiers back then. So it was only a short time before dad & I were skiing the course, buying an inboard ( a Correct Craft – Skier) and going to tournaments. I do remember that the speed was 19 miles an hour when I 1st made the course on a flat wood ski (half of a combo set) at age 12. That next Christmas my folks gave me a Northland Shark and the rest of my youth summers were spent every evening with dad in line around Peterson's raft talking with 4-8 other boats while waiting for our turns in the course (6 passes or 2 falls). During the day we would ski with whoever’s mom would drive. Our family limit was 36 gallons of gas / week.

 

Here are some names from Lake Shannon back then. Some of you will recognize them and it will take you back to the 'good old days'. ... sorry for misspelling the names.

 

Of course, Jerry Hosner (many time national slalom and trick champion) with the renowned, and recently passed, Lawry (sp) Brown driving.

 

Bobby Scoughten (sp) - great slalom & trick skier back in the 70s...... and still skiing today I believe.

 

Jeff Peterson - probably the best slalom skier on the lake at that time. Running 32 and into 35 back when the Lapoints held the record of 3 @ 38 for years. He was a huge physical specimen of young man. Probably 6'3' or 6'4", 220#, and the spray he would put up was absolutely towering and amazing to me as a 12 &13 year-old.

 

His brother Scott Peterson, my age and one of my ski buds.

 

Scott Anable (the animal). An absolutely amazing jumper back then.

 

Harold Cole- another ski buddy who developed into one of the best professional show skiers in the world in the early 80s. Inventing many tricks off the jump with his "aerials" which were a shorter, wide, goofy pair of jump skis. Kind of trick skis with a jump fin on them.

 

Harold's sister Cris Cole, a great show skier in her own right……. We “liked” each other a lot!! …."and that’s all I have to say about that".

 

The Doc Schroeder family.

The Edwards family.

The Giovaninni family.

Carl Boyer - My best friend and ski bud back then.

 

Many, many others. It was a water skier’s paradise. What a community….we had a blast!

 

John Miller - Michigan

 

 

[jipster43]

I grew up snow skiing much more than waterskiing. It was just more accessible. For the past 20 years I've been a telemarker and I've tried to relate that technique to my waterskiing. I was sooo overconfident of my athletic abilities and technique that I really believed I could probably run 22' off in the course! Until I saw a video of myself. Wholly mackerel I'm a wally.

 

A week later (June 16) I went to a Marcus Brown clinic and discovered that I couldn't get through the course at all, but I had a great time, got a taste of the tournament crowd and I was stoked. Unfortunately I tore my rotator cuff a week later! But it healed just enough for the Jody Fisher clinic (August) and Jody made it his mission to get me through the course. He had to break me down to nothing and I had to ski without using any lean at all, but he got me "connected" and by the last day I ran the course back to back at 26mph - with some tremendous driving by Jody! He was stoked and so was I, but I sorta' felt like my big brother had let me win. The next week I went out with a pal and I continued to run the course while he was driving and then I was truly stoked.

 

Now that 22' off is a little more realistic.

 

JP :)

 

[Laz]

Wow, all these stories sound very familiar.

 

When I was about 10 my dad bought a "fix 'er upper" outboard since he suddenly decided that we would be water skiers. To this day, I'm not sure what possessed him. We then free skied for the next 25 years and went through two more boats. All this time I knew you could do this sport on some sort of "course", but had never seen one.

 

Then, with small kids and still not finished school we nearly gave up skiing. And even, (tough to admit), looked into selling our I/O and getting a sailboat.

 

Then, on a lark, my dad and I drove down the highway to McClintocks and had a lesson. This was 4 years ago. The first time through the course I had no ideas which buoys where for me and which were for the boat--I was so confused. By the end of the lesson, I had run 5 at 28mph. I was hooked and wondered why no one had told me about this say...20 years ago. Within two months we had ordered a Moomba Outback and that winter I ordered an EZ-Slalom course. I have now run 32' off once and am trying to master 28' off (34mph).

 

My wife (who is loving her new Lyric ski and bindings, BTW) complains that I have nice winter hands and horrible rough summer hands.

[gregy]

I don't remember exactly the first time but my first year in college (1984) there was a guy on my dorm floor on the water ski team whom I quickly made friends with.

 

I had been free skiing since about 7 years old and I thought I was a bad ass slalom skier. I had seen pro tours and it didn't look that hard. Well, I quickly learned that I wasn't near as good as I thought and I was doing everything wrong, but I definitely got hooked. I managed to talked my father into trading in the SeaRay for an inboard and slowly started correcting my bad habits, that summer I went to Bennets ski school.

 

After not skiing for about 15 years I made my return this summer. So I starting over ran 15 off 30mph a few times. Still fighting all the bad habits, then there's this whole new west coast thing?

[RioDP]

Thanks to KrLee I was given the opportunity to try my hand. Unfortunately I did not make 6 balls I think I might have seen 2 but have been inspired to take lessons. I will report back if I find any success.

[Than_Bogan]

@RioDP GOOD LUCK! It ain't easy, but if it were it wouldn't a lifetime worth of fun (oh and frustration -- but mostly FUN!)

[Chef23]

I remember the first time my son ran 6 buoys he was 8 years old and skiing on a 59" HO combo ski the speed was 18 mph and it was about 8:30 pm. Somehow it clic,ked for him and he figured out he needed to crash through the wakes. He ran 18, 19, and 20 mph that night. It was the beginning of what I hope is a life long love of skiing.

[Razorskier1]

A long time ago, in a land far, far away. Seriously, I grew up skiing and the old man just told me the lower you get to the water and the better job you do "stopping the boat", the better you were skiing! First saw a course at around age 30. The first time I ran 6 was that same year. The only thing I can say in retrospect is that running that first six was far more difficult then than running 35 off is now! It only took me 18 years to start skiing with better technique!

 

As an aside, I recall seeing guys run 22 off back then and wondering how the heck I would EVER do that kind of a pass. All a matter of perspective!

[crashman]

Hi- I'm new here but I remember exactly where I was the first time I ran all 6- that's because it was Sept 23 2011. I'm 34 yrs old and have skied in open water since I was 9. I had always dreamed of skiing a course but just didn't have access to one. Last year a spot opened up and I joined a local ski club and tried the course for the first time. In July last year I fell and sprained my ankle and was out for the rest of 2010. Well this year I started taking it a little more seriously- took a few sets at the swiss ski school and had my wife record some videos of my skiing. By mid season I met a "ski buddy" at the club and we started skiing a few times a week and little by little I've been trying to make those bad open water habits go away. I changed my grip (LFF; changed from right palm down to right palm up) and squared my shoulders to the boat and by late July I could consistently get balls 1,2,3,4 just miss 5 and get 6 at 15off 28mph. Sept 23 I went out to ski with the main goal of working on some Terry Winter tips from this site- more balance and bringing a little counterrotation into the mix. I was not going to "ski hard" I was just going to work on a few things. Next thing I know I'm rounding 5 ball and pulling over to six. When I rounded six I felt like I won the Olympics and hardly could hang onto the rope- thanks to the info on this site! Here's hoping that I still have enough good years to keep getting better!

[6balls]

Hmm...another addict created, eh?

[ForrestGump]

April 2005. 15 off 30 mph. Tore my hamstring two weeks later and was 2006 before I ran another full pass.

[Laz]

Hey, my 9 year old son just ran all six red buoys at 37k followed by a great fist pump and cheers all around.

[DUSkier]

oooo somewhere around 1991 would have been 28mph on a public course in a river, skied my first tourny not long after that, may have had an all nighter beforehand, no sleep, borrowed car to get there, borrowed ski, borrowed jacket, borrowed gloves and boardies. YEP crashed at one ball and the hangover kicked in.

Been working a lot coaching kids and can probably remember everyone that got through for the first time. We ran some Novices (mini course) in conjunction with an "L" Class and had one of my students (11year old girl) run full course for the first time while I was boat judging, the look on her face was priceless and I may not have acted in a proffesional judges way by jumping up in the boat, but who cares!!!!!!!! =)

[Guest]

1963. I was 10 years old and had been free skiing trying to mimic Joe Cash's spray. My dad must have seen potential and got the dimensions for a slalom course and built one on a reel that could be removed at the end of the summer. We installed it in front of our cabin on Lake Guntersville in Alabama. Lake Guntersville is a huge public lake that is part of the Tennessee River. Anyway, we had a jet boat. It was not one of those low slung things, rather a 18' Inboard with a top speed of 33 mph pulling a skier. It was heavy and threw a huge rooster tail. It took many gallons of fuel and many hours each day, but after I decided to get off my Billy Spencer Lil' Monster and try a big wide Taperflex, I mastered some slower speeds. I then went back to the Lil' Monster and progressed to faster speeds and then a year later, some 12' offs. Two years later it was on to 18' off and some 24' off at the max speed of 33 mph. The next year, 1966, I went to ski with Vic Varallo and Dave Andrews who had real boats. At 13 they were pretty well amazed that a newby could run short line the first time on a real slalom course behind a real inboard. That fall after skiing in several tournaments we bought our 1966 Correct Craft Ski Nautique that is still used on Lake Guntersville. I still run a few loops and love the sport.

 

Ham Wallace

[swc5150]

1988. I was 15 years old, and ran -15 @ 32mph behind our 1988 Prostar 190. I felt like Bob LaPoint that day (my hero back then)! I still remember the golfball sized spray smacking me in the face from that boat - even at 15 off:-(

[Horton]

The spray was not that bad unless you were in a head wind. That is a great area for MasterCraft.

[jipster43]

I completed my first pass at 15' off and 26mph in August of 2010. I have rarely thought about anything else since. My four-year-old daughter keeps me relatively grounded, but she started skiing this September, so now that's yet another thing that I dream about.

[GAJ0004]

1986 age 15 behind a 1985 Ski Nautique. Long line 30 MPH. By the end of that summer I was making it through at 34 MPH long line. I did not know about the rope shortening at the time until I got Tony Krupa, and Joel McClintock's books.

 

[Ed_Johnson]

1960, age 12, Paddock Lake, Wisc.....Built a course out of Linco Bleach Bottles. Had a 16' Glastron with a 45 HP Merc. All we new was to ski buoy to buoy as fast as you could and turn as sharp as you could. Throwing the BIGGEST SPRAY was how we rated success.

[TomD]

My friend, Bob Maher (Maherajah Skis), had given me a copy of The Water Skier magazine which had a listing of tournaments in it The magazine opened up a whole new world to me. I had free-skied for years but never in a course.

 

June 7th, 1973 – My first time ever in a slalom course was in the novice division of the Pacific Coast Open at Winchester Lake in Sacramento. Shirley Perkins (RIP), the boat judge, yelled at me after I rounded 4 ball at 30 mph long-line and stopped skiing because I forgot there were 6 buoys in a course. I was hooked and came back the next day to ski in the M2 division. Made 2 passes and then 2 at 34 long-line, my first complete pass ever.

[RogerC]

Got six on a full course (at probably 22 mph or so) at Coble Ski School when I took the family there for an active family vacation, at about 42 years old. Had to move onto a lake with a course, and we've gone almost every year since. I'm 47 now, "into" 34mph.

 

With all this money I see being spent and talk of addiction - this is like some backwards support group where we're indulging in a vice proudly. :)

[19skier]

This should be in the "ugliest pass" contest but it is one of my first. The summer I turned 50 a friend introduced me to the course - I couldn't stop trying even after summer was long gone. Still hooked - if I could keep from breaking things.

[19skier]

This should be in the "ugliest pass" contest but it is one of my first. The summer I turned 50 a friend introduced me to the course - I couldn't stop trying even after summer was long gone. Still hooked - if I could keep from breaking things.