Ya wanna make your next Pro stop better then anything ever seen...ever..? combine these.

[Wish]

Light Suits and dual course night Tourny.

 

 

yes yes ....lots of reasons why it couldn't work but it's winter. Try thinking of ways it could. And just think how that would look. Media (at least local) would be all over that.

[The_MS]

Kinis and beer.

[Rpc29]

If you want more people interested in a pro event, you need more people who have actually slalom skied. A beer tent, magical glowing skiers, and dual slalom will not fix that.

 

We have a governing body (USA Waterski) that does almost nothing to help get people on the water. Waterski Atlanta dies, what did USA Waterski do? It sounds like @jipster43 is having issues with liability at his site in Bozeman, Mt isn't this a great opportunity for USA Waterski to come in and say "we are the experts in private lake skiing, here are some insurance companies we've worked with that can help you with your issues."

 

It's hard to have better events with a powerless governing body.

[Wish]

@MS ok those to. @Rpc29 those are the knowns that we all know and doesn't change how this would still look spectacular. Wasn't segregating this would turn the sport around. The U.S. Open was a sad "F" tournament the past several yrs. And they made no changes or attempts to draw crowd interest of non skiers and they could. Oh, they did have a beer garden..crowd size was still same size..small. The look and feel of an event matters. Why do you think there are more night jumps year after year.

[RazorRoss3]

Jump is an easier spectator sport

each skier hits the ramp three times and the farthest jump wins. It doesn't take a skier to be able to figure out

1) what is going on

2) who won

 

I think illuminated night slalom would look really cool but for my spectating pleasure I can see what's happening better in the daylight.

 

[Texas6]

As awesome as that would be; lights and water? Would that even work?

[Orlando76]

Underwater lighting is worlds beyond what it used to be.

[Wish]

Pretty sure that tech is out there that would work. Especially with DC LED strips. @RazorRoss3 you are correct. Night jump is better to boot. Big Dawg under the lights at Okee was easy to see. So imagine at night the dude on the right course falls around ball 3 and the other skier went further. Do you think you could find anybody that could not identify which skier won that set? Conceptually that's easier to grasp then jump and no one has to wait for a score to be announced. That's the point of a dual course, it literally removes buoy count, line length and speed as a must need to know by non skiers and it looks better then a single course seeing the same skier going back and forth. Amazes how we complain about changes needed and yet so many come up with ways, reasons it can't , shouldn't or won't. Anybody wanna chime in with ideas...promise not to chop ya off at the knees. Probably will just brain storm with Ya. At least @Horton is attempting to mix it up. Pretty damn successfully too. Gonna do my best to get to one of them..why. Cause it was fun, competitive and differant. Why the heck do we think non skiing crowds should be treated to the same ol same ol and toss the blame around and then change nothing. Makes no sense to me.

[jrs]

The Big Dawg at Okeeheelee this year will have dual course (side by side) slalom for the Sweet 16. Then we will break for dinner/darkness and hold the Elite 8 to the winner under the lights.

[Wish]

@jrs ... PERFECT!!!

[Deep11]

For spectators - Make slalom like Jump - 3 goes at your hardest pass (no warm up passes which are boring).

[disland]

@Deep11 so Nate does 3 cold 43 off passes. I dont get it

[dchristman]

Since we're into the winter brainstorming for mass skiing appeal and comparing to snow-skiing again - I think maybe special attire is a good idea...

 

Let's face it, there is a very limited pool of potential spectators who want to watch because they understand and enjoy the sport themselves. The masses need to be sold on something other than the technical aspects and athletic achievement of the sport.

 

How about all competitors are required to wear body hugging silver Camaro .5mm suits and nothing else? Sex appeal is timeless. The masses won't care what the skiers are doing out there on the water or the effects of its viscosity. They'll just stare mindlessly as they sip their beverage.

 

Pursue Chevy, Camaro Wetsuits, and one of those mass appeal beer brands for sponsorship. As they sip their sponsor beverages, they'll dream about gettin' one o' them there fancy speedboats with a biiig ol' Chevy engine and maybe even gettin' fashionable by stuffin' themselves into one o' them fancy silver saugage casings when they head down to the lake...

 

[Horton]

TO ALL OF YOU

 

I hate to be captain negative but generally if the spectators do not know or care about what they are looking at when they walk in you are not going to inspire them to take up the sport with a better pro event format. Bells and whistles are not going to save water skiing.

 

I am sure a better format might bring in new skiers but not a very high rate. If you spend $25,000 or $100,000 on an event and get one new skier as a result I am pretty sure your ROI sucks.

 

@dchristman Chevy was a major sponsor of Pro skiing 10 years ago. The sport gets smaller every year and non endemic advertising/sponsorship has fled.

 

I know my assessment is not a happy one but I think it is a realistic one. Personally I think grass roots is the most important thing we can focus on. We need Pro Events and we need more of them but those events reach those of use that are already involved with the sport.

 

When I say grass roots I do not mean what ever 1/2 assed thing USAWS has done in the past. I mean stronger Jr Dev and local access and ?

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@dcristman the sight of skidawg or some of the other big dawgs in one of those suits is NOT something any spectator should be subjected to.

[dchristman]

ooookay... so Kinis and beer it is.

[Horton]

On an amature level I belive the Centurion BallOfSpray Cash Prize format is more fun for the skiers but I am clear on the fact that it is not a spectator event. Even the folks at Centurion understand that water ski tournaments are painfully boring to watch.

 

On the Pro Level I am pretty interested in what Radar is doing with the Herb O'Brien Memorial Cup. From what I can tell there is going to be a lot going on and might be a super fun time for all. http://www.herbscup.com/

[dchristman]

... but I insist it has to be good beer.

[ALPJr]

Yes definately need good food & beer... Now for a short ramble... There's just so many other sports and activities competing for people's time and money. Agreed it has to become easier, while being more attractive than other options for youth to become involved. Do we need decent entry level boats that can do a decent job of tugging kids around? How many young families have 50k for a boat plus gear, plus private lake fees? How about a couple ski companies partner with a couple boat manufactures and start making little open bow runabouts with a 50-60hp outboard, a tow bar, skis, vest, rope that seats 4 or 5 kids. Throw in a free one year INT or AWSA membership. A recent thread went on and on about the 13-14 footers with 20-40hp that many of us grew up with. Do we need more events like the Herb fest? Can paddle board racing be the new event? It's almost February in New England ! Probably in the wrong thread @MarcusBrown @savaiusini @eddie_roberts_jr @Horton and @matt_b

[Texas6]

Horton is dead right. Grass roots is really the only way

[ALPJr]

What do grass roots mean in our sport?

[Wish]

You all did catch the title right? It doesn't say how to expand our sport or fix all that is wrong with its popularity or lack of. It's how to make a Pro Stop look cool. Carry on :-)

[Horton]

@wish my mistake.

 

My comment should have been as follows:

Bikinis, beer and designated drivers

[jipster43]

Waterskiing used to be way cooler both to participate in and as it was seen by outsiders. But that was back when the vast majority of the boats on public water were under 20 feet. As long as there are wakeboard boats on public water, waterskiing will remain less appealing. It's no fun risking a swamping to ski through 3-foot rollers.

[MISkier]

In addition to the wakeboard boats, I think the emergence of the Jet Ski and Waverunner helped to shrink water skiing participation. It suddenly became much easier to enjoy speed and maneuverability on the water. I suspect some thrillseekers who would have skied had subsequently pursued those other activities requiring less skill and commitment. Those machines also added to the turbulence of a public lake, not to mention overall safety concerns with inexperienced riders.

[Alberto Soares]

Thats the best we can do, 2 sets of wake and slalom, best result counts, bikini contest, big party after. Watch the teaser at www.masteboatcup.com

[Deep11]

@disland not quite like that - I am thing about it as a spectator rather than skier.

 

I can't remember which comp it was last year, but we watched the whole weekend only for the finale to be a dud when Will missed his gates at 12 against Nate. Ridiculous - everyone knows Will can make 12 in his sleep - There was no way that anyone - even Danno the manno - could make that result exciting, a serious let down. The problem being the rules and the format.

 

So what I meant was:

"Qualification" rounds as normal to establish the "cut off" for finals.(we still get to see the pros cruising 13m)

Finals = everyone starts at the "cut off" line length.

If a skier makes the pass then they shorten as normal until they fail.

Whatever line length they fail on - they get 2 more goes.

 

Effectively all skiers are still getting to ski about 4 passes but it elimates the whole "missed the gates " and "falling early" elements. crucially pretty much every pass is going to be exciting. Imagine Nate standing up round 1@43 knowing that he is going to turn and have another crack at it!

Lots more for us, sponsors and commentators to cheer about.

As a spectator you also get to enjoy watching skiers compete against their own scores as much as each other.

Nobody has to be tentative to get down the line they can "go for it" every pass.

 

As for the skiers having to, say start at 39 or 41 off the dock - why not? In athletics sportsmen/woman have to perform at their peak, from then start, all the time - just need to warm up properly.

 

Anyway just an idea to chew on.....

 

 

 

[ToddL]

There was mention of the quality of the beer earlier in the thread. I suggest that all of three elements listed by @Horton should be high quality.