What is your "realistic hope" to add to your buoy count in your life?

[Than_Bogan]

Feel free to interpret the question as either tournament or non-tournament, whichever one you focus on more.

[skidawg]

4-5 bouys

[Than_Bogan]

The truth is, I may never run -38 in a tournament again. But in the back of my mind, I think maybe I could see part of the 3 ball in a tournament someday, which would be +1.5 to +2 for me over my tournament best 1 @ -39 from John's Pond in July of last year.

 

So I call that a "realistic hope."

[Horton]

I should move my tournament PB by 3 or 4 balls someday. Then I quit or become a tricker or something

[6balls]

I still gotta run that tourney 38. Ran 5 @ 38 an hour ago coming up just short of the 6 ball. I'm improving so I believe at some point before I begin physical deterioration I can become consistent at getting thru 38 instead of 5 times/season.

[Horton]

@6balls we are in the exact same boat.

[gjohnson]

@6balls @Horton is there room for one more in that boat?

[Horton]

us three should start a thread. Why is 35 so easy and 38 such a mental monster?

[Than_Bogan]

Answer: It ain't mental. It's that much harder.

 

About quiting and becoming a tricker: I definitely had a strange feeling when I finally banged out that -38 on the crazy-easy water at John's Pond. I did have a little sense of being "done." But it wasn't long before I realized that I really want to have that feeling again -- and that I want to try to eek out another buoy at -39!

 

I thought I'd be really unmotivated this year, and it probably will be true that I'll do slightly fewer tournaments. But I'm actually really motivated and I want to get fundamentally better so that maybe, just maybe, someday that "neutral" line won't laugh in my general direction...

[crashman]

I'm just getting started- I have no idea what my potential is and I wish I would have started skiing the course a long time ago, but I'm 35 so hopefully I have some good years ahead of me.

[Horton]

I have chipped away a 1/2 ball last year. If that happens again this year and I score 5 1/2 this year... BallOfSpray will become a drinking site with bikini girls.

[Than_Bogan]

@crashman NO DOUBT! While I skied pretty much my entire life, my lifetime best (so far!) came at 40. My regular ski partner's best was at 43. And since you might not be on a plateau at that point, it's not insane to think you lifetime best could be in your 50s!

 

Much to look forward to.

 

Someday I hope to be one of those guys that is so old he can barely remember his name, but still running some buoys at however slow the boat can pull me!!

[Chef23]

I think I can get to at least mid 38. I am working on 35 right now but I am in better shape this year than ever before and think with another winter of training I can get there. I would love to see a piece of 39 someday but right now I would settle for a piece of 38.

 

My tournament PB is 3@32 but I have been running 32 more this year than ever before.

[dave2ball]

Horton you said it all. 38 is a mental ................mess. ya that's it

[Garn]

If I could run 32 then I'd be satisfied.

[Horton]

I think it important to say.... I say a lot to skiers I ski with....

 

We are all struggleing for more balls . 32 mph - 32 off - 41 off - it is all the same struggle

[tsixam]

Pb 4@38 on the old Sixam. Bought an Elite, gone downhill since then. Got a Razor a month ago and I think the feeling is coming back. I will gain at least 2 balls this summer.

[Klundell]

My tournament PB is 3@39 right now I'm 29 years old and would love to get a peek at 41 before I turn 35 and my speed drops. No reason to have goals if there not lofty right! So I guess this puts me in the 2.5 to 6 Category.

[Chef23]

@Garn once you run 32 you will be looking for more.

[bogboy]

I feel like a young 55. I just did a pb at bow lake last Monday. 6 full passes at 15 off, 26mph. Up from 25mph before. I need to be realistic in my goals, but I would like to do consistent passes of 30 or 32 mph at 15 off. I just don't know if I am setting my goals too low, or not. Hard work, time, fun, and who knows.

[skier2788]

I would like to up my tournamrnt pb by 10 and earn an open rating. Get beat bad by the real pros but it would be awesome to be on the dock with them once.

[rayn]

Right now I would settle for attaining my practice pb 3@35 anywhere, but I still think I can clear that pass someday, and hopefully before I am 50, so that gives me 1 year.

[A_B]

I would like to get back to where I was before I got pregnant.

That would ofcourse assume I deliver a healthy 50 lb baby.

[BRY]

No matter where we go down, its always one more buoy. 32MPH or -32 or -43. Seems everytime a skier come out of the water it's "If only I had done __________ then I would have got _______(always 1 more buoy)"

I don't believe any Baller who says they would be happy with X. As soon as we get X, we want X+1.

I get inspired by the old guys (at M4 THAT is relative) who are way down from what they did when they were younger yet still fighting with everything they have for 1 more buoy today. And loving every minute of it.

[Marco]

Running a 38 is on my bucket list, but after the past 2 surgery shortened seasons, it might not be attainable. 4 ball is as far as I've seen (in practice) two years ago, but now I'm struggling with my 35's. If I can run 38 just once, I think I would be content. At my age (mens 5 next year), 39 is not even on my radar screen.

[Murrski]

I didn't ski any tournaments last year and the year before my best was 5 @ 28' off. I jumped from the 2005 X5 to the Fusion this year... got in better shape and started getting into 35' off. I'm running 28' 100%, 32' 90% and got around 4 at 35'. It's a big leap from a couple years ago. I attribute that to technology and time on the water. I'm hoping to run 38' sometime in my lifetime! No matter what... I'm just having a blast and hope to stay healthy!

[bigtex2011]

if your average is 4@anything, seems likely to pick up 4 buoys..for example my average is 4.33 at 38...close out 38, and anyone can get to 2 at the next pass... good times

[eleeski]

I lied in my vote. I'm way past my peak. But the dream is still there. If I just build the right ski...

 

Bouy counts (or trick points) are a long ways from my goals. I enjoy the sport for what I can do and the immediate challenges I face. I get great pleasure from the ski R&D. I get great pleasure from the skiers I help develop (nothing was better than getting beaten straight up in Open by Kirk at Regionals last year!). I enjoy the people who ski at my lakes. I enjoy the people in the waterskiing world. Who needs more buoys? But I'm still chasing them as hard as I can (maybe too hard for my body). I was within 1/2 buoy of my tournament PB last year despite struggling a bit. So who knows?...

 

Eric

[Than_Bogan]

@bigtex2011 actually I've run -38 a grand total of 4 times, but never seen the 2 ball at -39, including in practice. I feel this year I have a chance, though.

[rawly]

Getting into 38 off has always been a fantasy of mine that I knew would never come true.I was stuck at -28 for about 10 years.At 49 I am skiing better than ever (3@35) and hopefully this summer I will get into that magical pass of 38 off. Thanks to the stuff I read on this sight!

[ForrestGump]

I plan on 12+ more buoys. I'm coming for Skidawg.

[Razorskier1]

2.5 to 6 -- There's more in there -- time to let it out!

[skidawg]

@shaneh...I'm looking forward to it!

[Texas6]

38 years old, just began working on 35 off in the past few weeks. 32 has been smoothed out quite a bit more this summer. I have plans to take down my first 35 soon. I don't think there is such thing as buoy count satisfaction, theres always room for one more. Even if you're Regina or CP

[6balls]

@horton and @gjohnson, nice to know I've got company. Let's all break down the purple monster this season and start smoking 38's.

 

[Horton]

@6balls I have rounded 5 so many darn times this year and not sealed the deal that it is killing me.

[GAJ0004]

I would like to get to 38 off in my lifetime. It would be a major milestone for me since the lake I ski on could not be used to host a tournament since the conditions are not good enough. I don't get to practice near as much as I would like. In my circle of my family and friends I am the only one who is single, and does not have all the obligations of wives and kids. When I go to tournaments most of my competition practices on private water ski lakes so I am at a bit of a disadvantage, but when compared to my competition(skier's that also trick) I am not that far behind(about half of a pass). The guys who only slalom leave those of us who ski multi-events in the dust in slalom course. The one thing I have in my favor is I am consistent. So far I am able to hit my average practice score every round in a tournament. I just need to push up my buoy count.

[cwillygood]

someday i would love to run 38, but that might not be for a while

[Than_Bogan]

@Horton. Ok, THAT might be mental...

 

I did that 5-ball thing a lot at 36/-35 in practice, especially my last season at 36 when I really wanted to squeak out one more -35 before I committed to 34 mph.

 

For some bizarre reason, I've been the opposite at 34/-38: I've only seen the 5 ball a grand total of 4 times (3 practice/1 tourn), but I ran all of those. I'm almost looking foward to a score that is in between 4 and 6, because hopefully that will imply I'm going deep a lot more often!

[Horton]

In this rare case it is not mental. At 38 I am getting the best ever 1 balls and slowly losing ground down the lake. Think I just need to be a little more techinal off second wake.

[skidawg]

@horton=wuss

[RB]

Put me in the +2.5 to +6 ball zone.

 

Keep getting around 5 ball at -38, so if I can get 4 more I'd be ecstatic.

 

It is a curious sport, every year I get better, I'm 47 now. PB last year 5 1/2 at -38.

Actually did that a couple of times.

 

For those of you kids out there, the under 40 crowd, keep trying. I ski with a guy who's 70 and will run -32 occasionally.

[Horton]

This thread got me thinking today about what drives me to ski and to ski tournaments. What drives me to ski is purely the challenge of getting one more ball. No one else on earth besides my wife will really notice if I get “2 @ 28” or “2 at 38” or “2 at 39”. Yea, I know a few friends care but that is not why I ski. I want to achieve more for me. I am never going to win Regionals or Nationals or a BigDawg and I am not sure I care. Yes, a national gold or to be competitive at a BigDawg would be really super cool but the fact that I am not at that level of skier does not change my passion.

 

I am envious of skiers who are a few passes behind me because they have so much more potential for improvement. Freak’n Shane Hill picked up like 3 passes a few years ago. I can not imagine how cool that was.

 

So why ski tournaments? A tournament score is official. It is the real deal or it should be. This is why I am totally humorless about the rules. The point of a tournament is I want my score and yours to be 100% beyond reproach. If we are going to fudge the rules then it is just practice. My practice PB is 4 balls above my tournament PB. The practice PB is my personal mark of what I think I can do. My tournament PB is what I have proven I can do.

 

[Nick Sullivan]

2 years 2 months ago I joined a lake. The first day at the lake I couldn't get up. I now am getting through 32 at 36. I want to run 35 off in a tournament before I drop to 34 in 2 years (maybe its 3 years, I'm 33 and my b-day is in Feb.)

[Horton]

@Sully that is amazing.

[TylerR]

I just hope I can get over my injuries and get back to my best practice runs.

[crashman]

This thread got me thinking today about what drives me to ski and to ski tournaments. What drives me to ski is purely the challenge of getting one more ball. No one else on earth besides my wife will really notice if I get “2 @ 28” or “2 at 38” or “2 at 39”. Yea, I know a few friends care but that is not why I ski. I want to achieve more for me. I am never going to win Regionals or Nationals or a BigDawg and I am not sure I care. Yes, a national gold or to be competitive at a BigDawg would be really super cool but the fact that I am not at that level of skier does not change my passion

 

funny- that's kind of how I feel just substitute longer line slower speed. I'm never going to win anything nor do I care but each mph I add to that 15 off pass gives me a new sense of personal satisfaction. Unlike wakeboarding where the point is to show off for an entire boat of other people, skiing seems to be an activity that one does to satisfy one's internal goals.

[6balls]

@than welcome to our club as well...plenty of room for you! Feels like I'm about to crack some code...will know if it's all hooey soon enough but running deep consistently and blowing passes I'm smoking. Good to be getting good starts and riding that ahead thru mid-course. Die purple die.

[Triplett]

@horton, stop being so technical and just finish the turn and go. Let me know how that helps. But really, in all seriousness, that is how you maintain or even gain time. Andy told me don't wait for stuff to happen, the boat isn't waiting.

[Horton]

@Triplett Yea Yea... Trust me I wait for no boat.

 

What happens to me when I start doing dumb stuff is I lose outbound direction and carry to much speed down course to the ball. I know how to fix it. Doing it is another matter.