I love analogies

[escmanaze]

So in the spirit of Michael Scott comparing sports to types of music, I'm going to compare towsports to regular sports. Here we go. Let me know what you think.

 

 

Wakeboarding = football. High power, high injuries, impresses the chicks.

Slalom Skiing = basketball. Strength meets finesse and form, rhythm, flow.

Trick Skiing = baseball. Old school, really techy, exactness required, data math driven

Kneeboarding = Soccer. Great introduction for the kids - people grow out of it as they get older and discover the other ones.

Tubing = Disney/video games. "I'm going to sit here, and it's your job to entertain me."

 

Here are the ones that are less well thought through I probably need more feedback to fine tune these.

 

wakeskating = volleyball? Also quite techy, won't get you hurt like football but still good athleticism needed

Wakesurfing = cornhole? "Dude, we're all gonna get together and socialize and have some beers"

Jumping = polevaulting? "What I'm gonna do is get going as fast as I can and then use this little doohickey to launch myself way over yonder. Are you silly? I'm still gonna send it!!"

Barefooting = cycling? I still see a bunch of old guys killing it out there, but have you seen the wrecks these guys take?

[LeonL]

I can concur on the basketball = slalom. Basketball was my game when I was younger. Now it's the only sport that I spectate. Slalom is my water sport of choice.

[MISkier]

Trick skiing = gymnastics. Looks cool, harder than you think, requires true perseverance to excel.

[ScottScott]

So if basketball is like jazz, and slalom is like basketball, then slalom is like jazz. I'm good with that.....I like jazz, and basketball......and slalom. And 2 and 4 are the keys for me in the course.

 

I'm with LeonL, basketball was my sport growing up (growing up between UNC and Duke,) and is the primary sport I spectate now.

[oldjeep]

Trick skiing = curling. Technical, old school, 99% of people have never heard of it, might watch it for a minute if they run across it. :smiley:

 

[LeonL]

@oldjeep pardon the pun, but that's cold man really cold. Curling!!

[skiinxs]

I thought curling was a drinking game??

[Keith_Menard]

I can't even tell you how much I look forward to curling in the olympics. Far and away my favorite sport to watch.

[DaveD]

Was watching curling the other day and had an overwhelming urge to drink.

 

I think slalom is more like golf, a few "I'm getting this" moments surrounded by lots of frustration.

[MISkier]

+1 on the slalom = golf - at least from the mental anguish standpoint.

[BrennanKMN]

Curling is basically a drinking game.

I curled in college. Every one of the clubs I had bonspiel's at had a bar in them. It is expected that after your game the winning team buys the loosing team drinks. Alternatively you can just go watch curling and drink. That is fair game too.

 

Once you understand curling it is actually a really fun sport to watch.

[andjules]

It pains me to suggest this, as I love slalom and am completely uninterested in tennis, but... slalom & tennis: have a rhythm, the timing comes "at you" (you don't control when to shoot or not shoot, like in basketball), and the average "unit of effort" is about 20-30s (including the pull out), followed by a break to re-group. While there is a rhythm, that doesn't mean you can't find yourself in a frantic scramble.

[andjules]

And tubing is like a rollercoaster. It can be thrilling, fun and exciting. But there's a reason there's no World Championships of rollercoaster riding. Practice doesn't make you better (unless you're the driver).

[escmanaze]

@andjules I actually like tennis and I like that analogy, that is really good. And yes, the rollercoaster is part of the disney aspect of tubing in the disneyland side of things.

 

[ScottScott]

@DaveD @MISkier I still agree with the analogy of slalom and basketball, from a standpoint of the athleticism, speed, and grace. But, I often compare learning and trying to improve in slalom with golf. Just as with a golf swing, there is so much going on in a slalom run. You can really just think of one thing at a time in trying to improve, and as soon as you get one thing, and start thinking of something else, that 1st thing falls apart. Constant frustrations till that one round of golf (or slalom pass) where everything comes together. A new PB, or you break your previous low round.....nothing better.

[MISkier]

@ScottScott, while waiting in the water or boat between passes and discussing slalom nuances, I’ve often mentioned the old Tiger Woods commercial where he takes a slow motion swing and all sorts of technique reminders/tips/actions appear on the screen to show everything to concentrate on. That is how I sometimes see a slalom pass.

 

Like you said, slalom and golf share that oppressive frustration when it’s going poorly until that awesome moment when it all comes together. You transform from wanting to break all your equipment and quit to reliving the moment of excellence and anticipating the next time.

[ScottScott]

Ive broken many golf club shafts around my cart (usually my 3 wood.) There could possibly be some people here that have seen me do that on the 3rd fairway at Swiss fairways while they were skiing (at Swiss ski school.) Fortunately I haven't banged my ski against the boat. Usually the anger goes away to that degree by the time the boat is back to me and close enough for me to hit with the ski (and thats too expensive anyway.) Fortunately you can pound the water all you want and not hurt anything.

[DaveD]

Wrapping that club around a tree doesn't cost as much as wrapping a ski around one.

[lakeaustinskier]

Show skiing = figure skating or ice dancing. To be clear - not a negative. Takes athletic skill but the primary goal is the show.

 

Barefooting and jumping - meh it's the same sport. I respect the people that do it but both of those disciplines take a different mindset. And on both if don't go in 100% with no fear you're screwed.