It is going to be an interesting Worlds week

[Horton]

Conditions could be variable.

[Chef23]

Where are they?

[Andre]

@Chef23

Malaysia

[Horton]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ENTRiBcE3/?igshid=1a7wj2mkeff29

[ISP6ball]

Looks like it's gonna be a grind!

[BraceMaker]

Is one end pretty protected and the other end just open water?

[jayski]

#lowestscoresever

[John Brooks]

My opinion that the scores are not important, it's the competition that matters. Hopefully the site will offer good access for fans/spectators to watch and that the competition is good between those showing up.

[TheBigHead]

@John Brooks I agree its the competition that matters, but when the site is on open water every skier is going to have different conditions.

 

Look at the two videos above, if the conditions vary that much it cant really be considered fair competition.

[aspski]

Looks calmer than most lakes i ski on haha

[addkerr]

We need good spectator access yes, but we also need half decent conditions to showcase the best of our sport. No good putting athletes at risk and then showing someone trying pull out for a gate without falling off.

[Nando]

Competition is definitely important, but consistent conditions that allow the skiers to perform at their best is also important. Between this site and Paris in 2017, the Worlds have been degraded to skiing conditions that would be unacceptable at any local tournament. Going back to '15 when we had a last-minute site change- from Italy to Mexico, as I recall, it's been a while since the Worlds have been anything but a laughingstock. At least in '15 the skiers got good skiing conditions, but the number of spectators there was minute. Time to bring them back to the US or Canada- maybe Okeeheelee? Robin Lake? Heck, any of the old Pro Tour sites...

[Brewski]

Looks terrible. I would go home. LOL

[John Brooks]

I agree it would be nice to have consistent conditions for all and that you want to make sure the conditions are safe. My primary point is that scores are not the be all end all; that I am not interested in merely watching events with the highest scores but those with the best competition with good spectator access. I don't know, but although a great event, Moomba conditions are not necessarily great and not always consistent as an example.

[Horton]

@John Brooks my understanding is that this site makes Moomba look like a sheet of glass. IF the conditions were reasonable and it was the same for everyone I guess it might be ok but I understand the conditions can be radically different minute by minute.

[Chef23]

Jacincta’s pass looked worse than Freddy’s. If I pull out and my ski is bouncing around that much I call it a day. Of course I am not that good either.

[MattP]

I pulled the score books back to 2007 for the site

 

Mens Lake Records

Slalom: Nick Parsons - 2.5@39

Trick: Aliaksei Zharnasek - 11,470

Jump: Freddy Krueger - 226'/69m

 

Womens Lake Records

Slalom: April Coble Eller - 2@38

Trick: Marion Aynaud - 8,310

Jump: June Fladborg - 159'/48.7m

[Than_Bogan]

My take-home: The Rabbit is a FREAKIN' BEAST.

[Jaypro]

I would assume this would favor bigger stronger skiers? Explain to this novice why the World Championships aren't help to a higher course standard? It doesn't look like a particularly good venue to watch, either.

[MattP]

@Jaypro here is a pic of the grandstands at the venue. Hosting a worlds is not easy to pull off. There is a lot of money involved. Getting bids 6 years out can be difficult as well.

 

[Jaypro]

@MattP I stand corrected on the viewing question!!

[jayski]

WORLDS, the supposed epitome of our sport...what world championship (any sport) event is held in sub par conditions? EVERY other sport strives to attain a world championship event that will allow it's athletes to perform at their highest level without outside interference (of any nature). Some skiers have forgone other events (ex.PanAms) to prepare and be at their peak for Worlds, and instead of giving them the ability to showcase their talents fully we stifle them.

[Stevie Boy]

From what I understand, there are other boats out on the water, there has been no attempt to curtail their activities, so it could well get rolly for some unfortunate to enter the course at the wrong time, it,s going to be tough, I have been told that Freddie Winter was back in good old blighty (England for you Guy,s and Gals in the USA) training in the worst conditions he could find, not difficult because we have had plenty of strong wind and rain, not a brilliant summer.

[Than_Bogan]

@Stevie Boy I sure hope you've been misinformed. It's one thing for a site to be challenging, but having other boats on the water would just be ludicrous.

[Stevie Boy]

@Than_Bogan Huge lake cannot see them being able to control it, that info came from a competitor, I also hope it is incorrect info, but the source is reliable.

[Andre]

Plan of site on page 7.Looks like other boats could be ...ski boats as there is 4 courses.

 

http://iwwf.sport/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Bulletin-1-2019-Waterski-Championships.pdf

[Nando]

The site looks nice and the surrounding area looks gorgeous and the northwest leg of the lake, where one of the jumps is located looks pretty well-protected, but if they're skiing on the main part of the lake, by the stands and the wind is up- yikes. The lake records show that big scores can be accomplished there, but a world championship site should be at least comparable to a typical local site. I have no doubt that they can keep other boats away, but without wind protection, conditions could be pretty awful.

[Horton]

A little birdy told me ferries may be crossing the lake as normal.

 

The fact that the other slalom courses are named "Monkey", "Godzilla" and "Godzilla 2" tells me everything I need to know.

[jercrane]

Yeah man they should be skiing on Godzilla based on that site map.

[keithh2oskier]

I just had a layover in Singapore Saturday... I guess I should have looked at the dates a little closer. probably would have been pretty reasonable to head into Malaysia for a few days... dammit.

[whitem71]

Every time I see footage from past comps on this lake I just wince..

Not matter how calm the weather seems, big lakes are normally a little deeper and thus always have an element of swell and changeable water conditions minute by minute. One for the heavier, experienced or European skier? Would love to know how they plan to combat the conditions - fin, bindings, soft knees or bigger skis!?

[thager]

Wonder who's going to get hurt in those conditions?

[brody]

I ski and train on a public lake and feel there should be more (not all) tournaments done on public lakes. That being said, would you hold world track and field championships on a dirt track??

[Horton]

I'm sure it'll be fine. See the below news story. They have it all under control.

 

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2019/08/508860/calming-waters-putrajaya-battles?fbclid=IwAR0ndLPi9dgys0q4PF3wIP1yx-GD5lEFHSvQx8hkyvJVNPpeBtmvp9jTn-4

[MillerTime38]

World class athletes should be able to compete in any conditions and welcome the challenging conditions. The conditions don’t look dangerous at all just not gonna see anyone world records but that doesn’t mean it will not be a great competition.

[brettmainer]

I like combat skiing competitions. I watched the videos posted by @whitem71 and have to say I enjoyed that more than watching everyone get 2-4 at 41 on a pristine site, just as I enjoyed watching ‘80s skiing more than I enjoy watching skiing now. We won’t see a world record, but that is ok. I truly hope the conditions are even, for that is important for fairness. May the best and toughest skiers win.

[unksskis]

Tough conditions are one thing. Potential rollers while jumping are another.

[Stevie Boy]

@Horton I read the article that you posted , positive yes but the comment that there should be less rollers made me smile.

[Killer]

One thing to be clear on this site, it's a regular ski site and club/school. People ski there everyday.

 

Looks like a beautiful venue, if nothing else!

[LLUSA]

Tournament is under way, Freddy K has been replaced By Brittany Greenwood! Just learned that men and women's scores do not count equal towards team overall. Women placement is slightly higher.

[The_MS]

Has our BOS international correspondent interviewed anyone on site?

We should track down Aaliyah Yoong Hanifah and she what she has to say. Maybe she is a Baller

[Horton]

@Stevie Boy I was being sarcastic.

[Andre]

Lower scores are good for them.They won't make Horton's graph... ;)

[Horton]

@Andre oh my gosh I can't wait to make the chart to show how abnormally low the scores are

[NikolG]

Those clips look like they are from some of the various courses on the open water. Teams practicing in the absolute worst conditions to prepare. The actual event course and site familiarization is in front of the grandstand with significant improvements. Correct me if I am wrong.

https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2019/08/508860/calming-waters-putrajaya-battles?fbclid=IwAR0ndLPi9dgys0q4PF3wIP1yx-GD5lEFHSvQx8hkyvJVNPpeBtmvp9jTn-4

[Horton]

@nikandsteve the video of Fred at the top of this thread is from the event site. In the video is sort looks not too bad but skiers on site say it is super bad.

[Yeaitsslo]

Guess you won’t have to worry about getting a sunburn.

[Horton]

@Yeaitsslo Hot as balls, sunny, humid, and sunlight reflecting off the water. Everyone is going to get fried if they do not pay attention.

[jercrane]

@Horton that article cracks me up.

 

"The only setback, if any, is that the water condition there is not the best as the water tends to get rough and choppy from the winds, and also due to the backwash coming back to the ski course after each pass of the tow boat at the stadium site."

 

Imagine ...

"The stadium is an amazing world class infrastructure facility for Baseball. The only downside is the shards of glass around the bases and occasional one foot deep potholes in the outfield."

 

:D

 

 

[jcamp]

I'm glad somebody is willing to host big events like worlds and (since I just got back from West Palm and it's on my mind) Nationals. It is a TON of work and a completely thankless job.