Travers Grand Prix scores

[Horton]

[Horton]

[B_S]

I guess Nate didn't want to go last? That 41 was pretty much as good as it gets.

[B_S]

Also, that was one of the more entertaining days of skiing that I can remember! 

[jhughes]

Amazing scores, Nate is back for sure. Smoked that 39 and the 41, walk in the park. 

[Bill22]

Seriously ski fans, you need to watch round 2, there was some amazing skiing. Just fast forward until 39 and shorter. 

[BraceMaker]

18 hours ago, B_S said:

I guess Nate didn't want to go last? That 41 was pretty much as good as it gets.

I think he has that Wipeout from the MC pro in mind.

[Mearly]

does anyone really care about the seasons point.  besides Tony

[Cooper_Trelawney]

Great tournament with plenty of excitement in the finals, especially watching the last skiers off the dock know what it would take to win, stand up to that pressure and achieve victories.  True winners!

[jhughes]

What a fun tournament to watch, incredible performances. For Freddie to consistently knock out 41 like that under pressure from Mr. Smith, who was at the top of his game, was amazing. Great job FW!

[TallSkinnyGuy]

5 hours ago, Mearly said:

does anyone really care about the seasons point.  besides Tony

I don't know if this is the case with the waterski pro tour, but many years ago when I was involved with sports tour sponsorships there would be athlete prizes for tour standings, e.g. $10K for first place, $5K for second place, etc. It was to incentivize athletes to go to as many tour stops as possible. Anything that can help motivate top athletes to attend a pro event is a good thing for the sport and a good thing for event organizers who want the top athletes to compete in their event.

[ETskier]

So, question?  Was there season championship money?

[Bill22]

4 minutes ago, ETskier said:

So, question?  Was there season championship money?

Yes. Some of the skiers said thanks for the bonus money. 

[Bill22]

5 hours ago, Mearly said:

does anyone really care about the seasons point.  besides Tony

Oh, I am sure the top skiers care. At the MasterCraft Pro Freddie was on the mic and mentioned the points standings several times. 

[Fbris]

Definitely some great skiing by both the men and women. How do you ski half a buoy at 43 and not win? When Freddie Winter is still on the dock. 
 

I enjoyed watching the amateurs too. The young girl that skied so well in her first event. Forgot her name. How about those old guys over 75? Great to see their performances. My hat is off to them. 
 

 

[Than_Bogan]

I like the season points a lot.  Obviously it's not the main reason to watch, but it's probably the most meaningful ranking of the pros as pros.

[Nater]

11 hours ago, Fbris said:

Definitely some great skiing by both the men and women. How do you ski half a buoy at 43 and not win? When Freddie Winter is still on the dock. 
 

I enjoyed watching the amateurs too. The young girl that skied so well in her first event. Forgot her name. How about those old guys over 75? Great to see their performances. My hat is off to them. 
 

 

It would have been even more exciting if the jump was not in play with the slalom course and we could have seen if Nate could have completed his S-turn in time to force a runoff.  Definitely a dangerous situation. 

[Mastercrafter]

18 minutes ago, Nater said:

It would have been even more exciting if the jump was not in play with the slalom course and we could have seen if Nate could have completed his S-turn in time to force a runoff.  Definitely a dangerous situation. 

 Jump is almost perpendicular to the boat guides he had to get through.  I’d guess by the time he was about to hit the jump it was too late to score 1, but my time at 9.75 is limited 😂 Scary situation regardless.  

 

[Nater]

19 minutes ago, Mastercrafter said:

 Jump is almost perpendicular to the boat guides he had to get through.  I’d guess by the time he was about to hit the jump it was too late to score 1, but my time at 9.75 is limited 😂 Scary situation regardless.  

 

I’m not so sure about that.  By the time Nate was finishing his S-turn he had already bled off a lot of his speed and looked like he still had time to complete the one because of that.

[vtmecheng]

On big scores, how about Corey Vaughn pulling out the 3.5 under the gun in round 2? Hell of a lot of heart (and willingness to sacrifice the body). Sucks that he had to because of a handle length but damn what determination. I found it interesting that his handle would be long considering he was using a Masterline super spectra. Spectra rope doesn't have much give after the initial set so maybe it was brand new and hadn't been loaded before initial measurement. I would have thought Masterline would have put some amount of load on it before testing length but maybe that isn't normal.

On a related side note, I couldn't help but notice that Corey is sponsored by S-Lines but uses a Masterline handle. In most other sports, using a competitor's product on the world stage is a big fopaux for a sponsored athlete.

[sixmilelaker]

1 hour ago, vtmecheng said:

On a related side note, I couldn't help but notice that Corey is sponsored by S-Lines but uses a Masterline handle. In most other sports, using a competitor's product on the world stage is a big fopaux for a sponsored athlete.

Strategic marketing - go out there and have a great score DQ'd on a competitor's handle, then come back next event on your sponsor's handle and win /S

[BraceMaker]

2 hours ago, vtmecheng said:

On a related side note, I couldn't help but notice that Corey is sponsored by S-Lines but uses a Masterline handle. In most other sports, using a competitor's product on the world stage is a big fopaux for a sponsored athlete.

Few things to consider, S-Line's is also now the distributorship for KD Skis in the US.  So using those skis and that rope company is it really wrong to like masterline handles?  Might his ski school still use the S-Line product or might he just like the ski or might the ski come along with a rope sponsorship deal?

Famous examples would be CP riding skis "painted" like his sponsors skis despite clearly no being those skis.

But ya not great showing if your product fails even if the skier isn't your under your banner.  I can see how one could easily have a sponsorship by KD-Skis and S-Lines Ropes and still use a Masterline handle, we see countless skiers ride Goodes using Reflex or Radars while riding reflex bindings.  Seems like invented drama.

 

I've always hated the athletes who are clearly not enjoying their redbull.

[vtmecheng]

19 minutes ago, BraceMaker said:

Few things to consider, S-Line's is also now the distributorship for KD Skis in the US.  So using those skis and that rope company is it really wrong to like masterline handles?  Might his ski school still use the S-Line product or might he just like the ski or might the ski come along with a rope sponsorship deal?

Famous examples would be CP riding skis "painted" like his sponsors skis despite clearly no being those skis.

But ya not great showing if your product fails even if the skier isn't your under your banner.  I can see how one could easily have a sponsorship by KD-Skis and S-Lines Ropes and still use a Masterline handle, we see countless skiers ride Goodes using Reflex or Radars while riding reflex bindings.  Seems like invented drama.

 

I've always hated the athletes who are clearly not enjoying their redbull.

I'm not trying to manufacture drama, just something I noticed. I know that Corey is enjoying his KD ski but have no idea if S-Lines is what he uses at his school. You are likely right about the sponsorship deal being a package thing. I always notice when an athlete is sponsored but doesn't use that product. Maybe this isn't the case but I assume (foolishly?) that a sponsored athlete likely gets the associated products for free or steep discounts. If so, choosing a different product doesn't show well. Again, not trying to drum up drama but found it to be an interesting observation and I do think you are right about the package deal.

Riding a competitor's ski is obviously a real egregious example. Riding different branded bindings I overlook without question. Binding changes are huge and it can be nearly impossible to get the same feel with a different setup. It does seem that most HO skiers go with their hardshell and other brand skiers use Reflex or T Factor. Again, probably sticking with what they are used to because of the huge change a binding makes.

[vtmecheng]

Back on topic: Crazy scores and insane heart from these skiers. They give so much!

[Bill22]

10 hours ago, Nater said:

It would have been even more exciting if the jump was not in play with the slalom course and we could have seen if Nate could have completed his S-turn in time to force a runoff.  Definitely a dangerous situation. 

Not sure it could have been any more exciting. Especially for those of us anti-smith fans, I couldn’t have dreamed up a better way for him to lose.
 

How many years has that jump been in the same spot? He doesn’t have a leg to stand on to complain about it. 

[Drago]

@Bill22 Did he complain about it?

[ScottScott]

He almost didn't have a leg to stand on.....

[liquid d]

How about the YOUNGSTER? Jaeden Eade runs 39 twice?  Awesome skiiing young man....

[Cooper_Trelawney]

@liquid d and another youngster, Nicolas Nelson running a silky smooth 39 in the second round and scoring 2 at 41.  I think he's 17 or 18 years old and looks like he has a bright future too.

[Bill22]

On 9/25/2023 at 9:57 PM, Drago said:

@Bill22 Did he complain about it?

No.

[rico]

it was a great event. Great webcast, great skiing. 

[h2oSkiJunkie]

@vtmecheng @sixmilelaker @BraceMaker

 

I would like to clarify the handle scenario.  The reason I am using a Masterline handle is because I prefer an ARS (anti roll system) handle and S-Lines does not yet make one. I ABSOLUTELY prefer S-Lines ropes and use them at my ski school and for my training. Next year S-Lines will have ARS handles and I will be SO thankful.

In my whole life I have never had a handle measure long. This year, it has happened 3 times with this defective Masterline product. Each time, I checked the handle first, adjusted it (shortened it) even and the stupid thing just continues to stretch and far more than I conceived possible. I would caution anyone skiing record tournaments to make this handle about 3 inches short of the out line, if they want to be careful. That's what I did for round two and the finals. 

I had to hold back my frustration on the webcast, but I will say here that once S-Lines is producing ARS handles, you will never see me on tour with a Masterline. 

 

And just for the record, their is no package deal with S-Lines and KD. I happen to believe that both brands are the best and at this point in my career, my only interest is to ski with what works best for me. I see both brands as "start ups". I am in it for the long term growth of both and for the good that they will bring to the sport. At this point, I have not taken a penny of payment from either brand, other than good dealer margin on the product and free personal product. I trust that as I help these brands grow, they will take care of me in kind. 

[vtmecheng]

@h2oSkiJunkie is standup And honest, as always.