If you can see this you are on the Ambassadors List - Please Read

[RichardDoane]

I'm not really interested in teaching first time skiers, but would be glad to teach the basics (slalom course 101) to anyone who looks me up on the ambassador's list. It's not the gas or the little bit of money that's involved, it's the time that is so precious as there is only so many ski rides available in a day. @horton - it's a good idea to organize the where2waterski.com as yet another way to get more people (recreational skiers) involved in course skiing.

[jjackkrash]

I have a new Nautique and access to a fantastic public course. The hardest part for me is usually finding a second or third when I want to go. Until my phone starts ringing off the hook I'll take all comers and hopefully get a new driver or two out of the deal.

[6balls]

Here's a pay it forward story...tho in family.

 

Bro Joe (6 ft 6'') one year older than Jim (razorskier) got back into skiing a few years back. Toiled at 30/15 but this summer breakthrough making 28's at 34 mph outta no where. Moving, though, to CO where can be a club guy and no need for boat just ski/vest/gloves.

 

Nephew Carl 9 yrs younger than me--19 years younger than Joe who learned to ski with us when we were outboard glitter boat wallies for 2 weeks per summer in Wisconsin each year...has a young family and had a chance to ski this summer and was like "What???? I forgot how much fun this is!"

 

He contacts me wants to source a boat...well Joe is moving selling his Nautique. He buys Joe's Nautique, ropes, trainer skis, knee boards, wakeboards, tubes etc...turn key deal at family pricing.

 

Carl needs a slalom contacts me to source. I sell him a Vapor on the cheap and he gets some bindings--like BIG bindings. Talk to Joe today and he says Carl looking for a ski for his two brothers cuz Carl is 6 ft 5'' and has huge feet...his brothers can't use his ski/bindings.

 

Just emailed Carl and will sell him another Vapor with a used binding set up on the cheap vs. same binding set up on a D3 Nomad RCX--his call and price range---the D3 almost free if that's what he decides.

 

Another nephew Sam (we taught him to barefoot in about 2 days years ago--strong, athletic, stubborn--perfect footer) wants my '91 Centurion Falcon Barefoot (was my Dad's boat)...timing not quite right yet but when it is will get him that mint condition boat cheap, unload my bubble butt Nautique and consolidate to one modern boat TBD based on where I end up in 3 years (just had biz buy-out but paid over 3 years so going nowhere til then).

 

Kinda fun all said and done tho not sure it will make more buoy skiers...gotta start somewhere I was a wally back in the day as was Jim and we have tourney PB's into 39 so who knows???

 

 

[Horton]

FYI -

I have been tied up with other stuff and have not looked at this project in 2-3 weeks. I will refocus on it the first week or 2 in March.

[jayski]

Slacker ;)

[dwfrech]

I am an ambassador. Live in Pacific NW. This summer, I got two lady skiers who really go for it,and another very skilled kiteboarder. They picked up skiing really fast. The less experienced female skier has started making the course, and showing so many signs she can figure it out, and her athleticism shines in the most difficult parts of her skiing. It can take a long time, unless you are unusually gifted, to get slalom working like clockwork. She may get there sooner. It has been awesome. Also our kiteboarder, no matter what he tries (Tricks/Slalom) he is good at it. Share your gear too, Ambassadors. They won't know what good gear is or can do for you. I brought gloves and they borrow handles from time to time. It is an investment, so educating them on what to pick up really helps. They don't want to make bad purchases and most everyone on this thread knows difference between Hard Shell/High Wraps/What diameter handle/how to adjust a fin and move bindings ... all of it. That in addition to getting them ski rides really makes a difference. I also like the guy who said pay for student gas. I am halfway there. Drove the more experienced lady (a college student) to and from the site. She was really skilled already but learned a lot in a month and a half. KEEP THIS PROGRAM GOING, HORTON!

[ski6jones]

I'm interested how many ambassadors have gotten inquiries. Me, just crickets.

[skiinxs]

Crickets here as well.

[Kelvin]

@ski6jones TS first contacted me through the ambassador program. Have also picked up some other recent (or not so recent) college grads trying to stay in the sport. I feel its part of my responsibility to the sport. Besides, I'm gonna need somebody to buy my house when I'm too old to ski.

[sunvalleylaw]

Hey. I am very willing but have had no contact. If you have any ideas how I can better help, please let me know. I remain willing to help.

[6balls]

The young guys I taught simply came thru the BOS forum

[braindamage]

Nothing here through the Ambassador site, but we picked up 3-former UW skiers who saw my buddy’s MC at the launch ramp and asked him for a pull. We’ve got a great crew going now.

[Chef23]

I have had someone reach out to me but unfortunately I was not around for a good chunk of the summer and couldn't squeeze in a time. W

[Mateo_Vargas]

@dwfrech was one of your skiers Maria? If so thanks for hooking her up with rides.

[jjackkrash]

I got s few inquires through the ambassador site but no one followed through. I did pull a few rides this summer for ballers who called/pm'd new to the area or on vacation.

[hbfs]

Just want to share some thoughts as someone who was very recently in the target audience. I picked up waterskiing just 4 years ago after graduating college and it is now my primary hobby during the warm months. Course skiing is relatively new to me, and only this summer did I start looking forward more to skiing the course than open water. There were quite a few barriers to entry to overcome as a curious skier, in the following order.

 

1. Perception

I grew up thinking of waterskiing as something you do for fun just once when on vacation in Mexico. It wasn't until after college that I was introduced by a friend to the idea that it was a lifestyle and a sport. To this day, 99% of my peers in their 20s think of waterskiing as strapping two planks on your feet, and interest is low because wakeboarding is perceived as the "cool" thing to do behind a boat. 90% of my peers have never been exposed to wakesurfing.

 

2. Access

Okay, now I've been exposed to the idea of waterskiing as a lifestyle, but I've moved away from the only family I know with a boat. During this phase, I knew that I enjoyed waterskiing, but wasn't yet connected to the larger skiing community. I thought I would have to wait until I owned a boat to be able to do it again. Access at this stage is so essential, because if I hadn't been able to form the right connections here, I probably would have moved on with my life and never continued waterskiing as a hobby.

 

After becoming involved with local clubs, I became familiar with a recurring theme of thought in some of the community: a) waterskiing is a shrinking sport, how do we get more young people involved with waterskiing? and b) I don't want to spend my time teaching someone I'm not personally connected with to waterski. It's definitely a chore to teach someone how to waterski. But if someone is curious about waterskiing, that's already a big a step in the right direction for the community. If that someone doesn't have any access to someone willing to show them the ropes besides that $80/hr ski school that instructs for something called a slalom course, then they're quickly going to forget that curiosity.

 

I understand that this effort's target demographic is current skiers without course access, since these are the easiest wins. But by widening the large end of the funnel (people who waterski), more people will trickle down to the small end (people who waterski competitively in a tournament setting).

 

3. What is course skiing?

I think this is where the effort in its current stage will shine. @Mateo_Vargas was essential to introducing me to the idea of competitive waterskiing on a course. After moving to Seattle a few weeks ago, @jjackkrash gave me my first pulls on a course in my new locale. But there currently isn't any user-friendly way to easily identify where to access course skiing. Emphasis on user-friendly. The current where2waterski is a great first step. But to make it user-friendly and easy, we have to think about how the interface can be made really welcoming. A link to a club website and submitting a form to inquire about courses = not welcoming. A short paragraph about the location and history of the club, pair with link to website for more info, plus email of the designated point of contact = a welcoming user experience. Think about how you feel when someone says "I know someone I can recommend to help you", as opposed to "there's an organization that does that kind of thing". If someone curious about course skiing sees that, "gee I have so many options nearby me on this map to try this slalom course thing, and I don't have to jump through all these hoops to find an actual person willing to take me to try it", then more people will ski the course.

 

 

Pretty long post, but I don't see too many people here on these forums from my demographic (mid 20s, exposed to waterskiing by a non-family member, picked up waterskiing recently, new to course skiing), so I thought that my perspective might be helpful.

[Jaypro]

The challenging part no matter how you define "new skier" is making them aware that the ambassador program exists. Should this program direct new skiers to local clubs to leverage the membership? If there is a club in a particular geography leveraging the club for intro clinics, coaching, etc. might be the most cost effective way to start.

 

For example, if someone has access to a lake and they see the course and they are curious about it you could google "Vermont water ski courses". I did and it brought me to Green Mountain Water Skiers", our local club. In geographies where there is no club, finding the directory for ambassadors is the challenge.

 

After college I stopped skiing for almost 30 years and just started again 3 years ago. I got back into skiing because one of my 9 year old sons friends father had a nautique and took us out. After struggling to even get up on my 30 year old O'Brien TRC, I was determined to get back into skiing. I got a new ski, bought a used 91 prostar for $5000, and I was backk into the sport.

 

It's guys like me that need find this sort of program where local clubs don't exist, and skiers who are leaving the sport as I did, after college.

 

Finding ambassadors in itself would be difficult simply from the time commitment. If someone around here was interested I would probably refer them to Bruce Epstein who is the president of the local club.

 

[Jetsetr]

Only my opinion...

You’re trying to grow a sport that is shrinking every year...

You’re trying to cater to only 2% of all active skiers...

 

In my opinion the emphasis should be getting new skiers into the sport and as they progress promote the course skiing. New blood is what’s needed- now it’s kinda putting the cart in front of the horse...

 

I’m kinda the exception in that when I started skiing again last year after a LONG time off the bug bit and I bought a boat, new skis/gear and a portable course. I personally ski a course for my own satisfaction. Probably will never compete...you have to be a fairly skilled slalom skier before you venture into a course.

 

I like teaching former/new/never skied folks...I’m pretty good at it. Worked with 3 new people just the other day and got 2 of the 3 up really quick. The 3rd was there but ran out of time. My ski partner owns a resort and we usually can grab some off the beach as an observer if need be. Next question to them is “ya wanna try it?” The two that we got going right away were former skiers that dont have Lake/boat access. They asked me if we would let them try it. Worked out great, they both want to ski more-the seed was planted.

 

I know that’s not the direction you’re looking to go in...but should be considered....

[jayski]

Not a one for me, north or south of the border

[sunvalleylaw]

I am going to buy a HO Freeride with a front boot that takes 7-11 feet, and covers the weights I will typically find, so I can get about anyone up on a slalom ski. We already have combos, a drop ski, etc. So ready to get anyone out there that wants to.

[Jetsetr]

@sunvalleylaw: that’s where we are at- nice adult combos, kids combos, my Butterknife, linked training skis...

[Mateo_Vargas]

@hbfs thanks for sharing your prospective and happy you finding places up north to ski. I like your analogy of the “funnel” and enjoy your journey to the bottom!

[Horton]

Everyone says that water skiing is shrinking. That is completely false. Ask the ski companies and they will tell you that slalom ski sales are flat or slightly up year over year for the last few years.

 

Wake boarding is way down and surf sales are way up.

 

Tournament or competitive skiing is another story. USAWS /AWSA membership shunk substantially for the last decade or more. I understand the membership has been flat or slightly up in the last 12 months.

 

 

[Drago]

Worse than I thought. Does that chert go back to 2000?

[Horton]

About the Ambassador program and Where2WaterSki.com -

 

As a proof of concept I think it has been pretty successful. With an advertising budget of $15 per day we were able to drive about 30 people a day to Where2WaterSki.com. These are people who specifically searched on Google for generic water ski information.

 

Once they landed at Where2WaterSki.com if there was not a near by Ambassador then the effort was a waste. I have anecdotally heard that some Ambassadors were contacted a number of times and others were never contacted. This is a numbers game - we need more Ambassadors and more ad dollars so we can dive more traffic to the Ambassadors.

 

We have some AWSA funding to do a campaign in the spring. For now the Google Advertising is turned off. I would not expect anyone to get any hits until we turn the advertising back on in the spring.

[Glydon]

@Horton for us a low 2 new skiers this summer, BUT they did not come from where2waterski.com , that being said I do not think it matters . I will continue to offer my experience to ANYONE that asks, #passthehandle .

[PeterAK]

Just seeing this thread now, guessing @Horton changed the setting so the masses can see it... In my former life as a (not very good) wakeboarder I met a few guys through the "find a pull" section of a wakeboarding web site. I just looked at the ambassador web site for the first time and it's a bit clumsy. Searching my zip code (Milwaukee burbs) I get one close by hit for an ambassador, and it is not a person, it's the name of a lake. There is a picture of a person, but I don't know his name or if he is offering to help at all. Not sure what to do with that.

 

@Jetsetr 's recent thread about buying a course and offering access is the first hope I've had of trying out a course. Scheduling hasn't worked out yet, but I look forward to meeting him and trying out the course.

 

As a rec skier who loves going for it on open water and would like to try a course for fun but will not likely compete, finding enthusiastic partners is not easy. I have one buddy who is of the same mindset as I am, and we either bring our kids out for find a non enthusiast who is game for an evening on the boat. Trouble is we like to head for the lake around 4 on a weekday, so we need someone who is willing and able to cut out of work.

 

What about adding a sub forum here that is for finding a pull or a 3rd?

[Horton]

@PeterAK I 100% agree that the Ambassador's website needs work. What I don't understand is why you needed a person to contact as opposed to a lake to contact. If you clicked the contact button for that Lake somebody would have contacted you & invited you to come ski.

[PeterAK]

@Horton I didn't see anything saying that the site functioned that way. Are you supposed to leave a comment? Click on the "Send Enquiry" [sic] link? When I think ambassador, I expect it to be a person with a name. I only looked at a couple of the ambassador pages but they seemed to be more location than person.

 

To be clear--I think this is a great idea and my feedback is intended to be constructive!

[Horton]

Every listing does have a "Send Enquiry" button that lets you send an email to the person who be taking you skiing . That is the idea.

[Broussard]

I think that @PeterAK might be on to something. Instead of putting up site names and pictures of lakes, perhaps having a person's name and picture will make contacting an ambassador more approachable and will lead to more contacts. Making it more personable can't be a bad thing. Also, currently some of the profiles are site/lake names and pictures, some are personal names and picture, and others are combinations. I think that there needs to be some kind of standardization.

[Jetsetr]

@PeterAK will get ya on the course yet this year! Been crushed @ work and only skied once a week for the last 3-4 weeks. Only had the course in once so far. It worked great. Even if ya want to free ski let me know. Bring your wetsuit...waters gettin a bit chilly. ALWAYS looking for ski buds...We are going ski into November again this year.