Baller torontoboater Posted July 15, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 15, 2014 Wanted to post on 2 milestones and get your thoughts. 1. Slalom Milestone: My slalom skiing has seen slow improvement over the last few years - I have been spending all my time at speeds between 28-31 mph at 15 off. I have been trying to successfully master a speed and then move on, with the plan to be that once I reach 32 mph I will shorten the rope to 22 off. Last week my boat driver accidentally had the rope at 22 off unbeknownst to him and me.... Well the good news is that I was able to get all 6, and the entry gates, on my 6th pass (at 29mph). I thought I was just having a difficult day as I was struggling with what I thought was 15 off. When we got back to the dock, and the driver realized the mistake, he said "I think I am going to make your day" and then told me the news. Obviously I was thrilled. The question is, now that I have done a pass at 22 off, do I continue with the old plan (stick with 15 off and progressively move up speed) or work 22 off into the program and how?? 2. Took my 4.5 year old twins waterskiing (sort of)! I had them ski between my legs so they could get used to the feeling and they loved it. Now the question is do I continue to do this for a little while longer to increase their confidence or should I start with them trying their own deepwater starts? They're still small (about 40 pounds) and young, so my plan was to keep skiing with them for a while until they are really comfortable before jumping to a deepwater start with them on their own. Thanks folks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller cobber Posted July 15, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 15, 2014 congratulations on your 2 milestones, very exciting. In my opinion, I would go back to 15 off go to a good ski school and get some lessons. If you can get some good coaching at a comfortable line length and get yourself in a good position for the slalom course now rather then later it will make progression that much faster and easier. At longer line lengths it will give you more time to work on things. I would also try to get your Twins to a boat that has a boom and get them to learn off of that, then move them to long line. It seems when kids are close to the parents riding in the boat they are way more comfortable and it is easy to give them instructions. Just my 2 cents, keep skiing and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ScarletArrow Posted July 15, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 15, 2014 I don't use a boom often, but when I do it's reminds me how useful and fun of a tool it is to get kids in the water. One of our favorite game is to play "superman" on the boom... basically the kids hang on for as long as they can while the boat gradually picks up speed. Heck I like doing superman myself! My thought is if they can't or won't ski, it's better than putting them on a tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Jordan Posted July 15, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 15, 2014 Just ski 22 a lot...my two centivos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Chef23 Posted July 15, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 15, 2014 Think about something like this for the kids:http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Zup-Board&i=731608&r=view&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlebase&s_kwcid=googlepla&cvsfa=2587&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=373331363038 Really easy if they are small. You can feed them right off the platform and they can stand up on it easily. I used one of these starting when the kids were 3 and it worked great also. http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Gladiator-Ski-Trainer&i=715608 Older kids can use the Zup like a knee board or try to stand up on it so you will get longer use out of the Zup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller bdougherty Posted July 15, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 15, 2014 My vote is for the Ez Ski Trainer. Instant success and a big confidence booster. I have 4yr old and 2 yr old sons who love the Ez Ski. They love it so much I had to buy to so I could pull them together and free up some skiing time for dad. I have had at least 10 sub 5 yr old kids use the ski all were successful and loved it. My 2 yr old started skiing last summer on the Ez Ski well before his second birthday. My 4 year old has progressed to trainer skis and knee board but he stills loves his Ez Ski. Here is a link, I highly recommend! http://m.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Airhead-EZ-Ski-100-Trainer&i=715458 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller torontoboater Posted July 16, 2014 Author Baller Share Posted July 16, 2014 Thanks for the responses. I do have a Ski Trainer (much like the EZ ski) and the kids love it. The question for me is how to progress from there. We don't have access to a boom. Is it ski with them between my legs and eventually get them up on deepwater start with me in the water but without skis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller bdougherty Posted July 16, 2014 Baller Share Posted July 16, 2014 I never had them ski with me. We progressed to trainer skis, tied together and with the tow rope pulling the skis. I get in the water and help steady the skis, as the boat goes I steady until the skis are on plain. We then went to a knee board to get our son used to holding the load of the rope. Next, I plan to weight the tail of the ski so he can try deep water starts on his own. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now