Nate Smith is tricking and jumping at Pan Am Games

[jcamp]

https://www.iwwfed-ea.org/competition.php?cc=T-23PANA04&page=TimeTable

He scored 80 points in tricks, jumping (or at least on the start list) later Sunday.

[Jody_Seal]

@Hortonwhat I tell ya!!

[Wish]

Out of curiosity, it says “Open” for Nate in the trick category. I’m guessing that’s his rating?? Like slalom, do u have to trick a certain number of points to be considered “Open”? 

[Horton]

[Wish]

Wow… earned another. I’ll wait to hear why that was a stupid question.  I don’t trick. Never follow it and have no clues about it but maybe I’m the only one ?
 

But getting a Panda has become a badge of honor. I’ll wear it with pride..again 😂 👍

[Horton]

@Wish

I'm sorry to tell you that panda is not for you. It  is for the clown world that we live in where Smith is skiing three events at Pan-Ams

[Mastercrafter]

Is he actually skiing three events or is this a typo? 

[ral]

@Horton, this is a classic example of a rule that fails to achieve its intended purpose because of its poorly crafted wording and execution.

[Jody_Seal]

it's shiny example of the benefits of a failing sport! make rules and policy's that make the sport unsustainable and then rely on financial income from a bureaucratic institution. what makes it even more ass clownish is they get the guy that should have been thrown out of the sport to carry the the torch for this country... truly a sad state of affairs for sure..

[ETskier]

Just like the world's. Every team member was considered OPEN, even if they could only run 15 off, etc. 

[Cooper_Trelawney]

Smith might have a hard time making a collegiate B team in tricks. 😂

[Jody_Seal]

 i think for the usa and how they go about the team selection or member assignments they should at least verify that the team member has the proper accreditation to do so.

Having a team trials for these events would vastly improve the knowledge that they assign the rite skier to the events they are qualified to ski in. i know of a number of overall men 3&4 that can trick near 8k, jump near 200 and don't mind 36 mph..

Having team trials also gives a true acknowledgment through out the sport as a whole as the selection team gets to make a selection decision based on game day performance and previous qualification.

I guess if the powers to be in the sport did anything productive and useful, we would not have anything to bitch about...

 

[rayn]

Is there a reason why there is only one USA male athlete? 

[Cooper_Trelawney]

This must be some weird rule but Smith and the bottom scoring women all scored exact 1 meter (3 ft) in jump; which is impossibility short.  Did they not go over the ramp and were awarded a cursory score?

[ral]

He did not go over the ramp. 

[ral]

@rayn, at PanAm Games, the maximun number of skiers per country is 4, and USA has Regina, Anna, Erika and Nate. 

[aupatking]

Correct me if I’m wrong but Erika and Nate are single event skiers, so I’m guessing that single first place finishes are worth more than 3 events getting lower placements. Like a skier getting 300 points for each, slalom, trick, and jump still only equals 900 points so putting a possible if not almost likely 1000 point single eventer makes the most sense. Regina is a freak and could win 2 events so she’s a no brainer. Anna is definitely a top of the podium contender in trick and can post solid jump scores and even decent slalom scores. As odd as it seems, I think it’s solid choices for the team

[ral]

There is no waterski team placement at the PanAms, it is a multi-sport event like the Olympics, where  countries win based on gold medals. So the choice makes all sense from a Team USA perspective. 

[ETskier]

Then, why are they showing team scoring?

[ral]

Because the scoring software shows it by default. If you see the tournament page, you would notice that there is not an Overall Team classification link in the left section.

Also, you can notice that the Overall is a separate tournament. 

[Jody_Seal]

 OK! another thought here!

So the whole USAWS push was to get three event in the Olympics? Pan Am is Olympic level  event? So i have been told. Kind of Defeats the purpose of the last 25 year drive!!

Make a Olympic level event available, yet waste an opportunity for a real competitor to participate for a gold medal! what kind of message does that send to the young potential up and coming skier as well as membership or sponsorship or even growth potential???

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Jody_Seal

[RobHazelwood]

Could be incorrect but 95% sure each team has to send an overall male and female, a few of the women "jumped" (not sure if they had to take the water and just ride up and down or just needed to be entered) as well to fit the criteria. Also open for the rest of the world just means it's open to any age so doesn't require a rating or anything

[NikolG]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:56 AM, Jody_Seal said:

 OK! another thought here!

So the whole USAWS push was to get three event in the Olympics? Pan Am is Olympic level  event? So i have been told. Kind of Defeats the purpose of the last 25 year drive!!

Make a Olympic level event available, yet waste an opportunity for a real competitor to participate for a gold medal! what kind of message does that send to the young potential up and coming skier as well as membership or sponsorship or even growth potential???

 

Precisely. Very disappointing. Pulled out our sponsorship of the 3-Event scholarship at Nationals. All that work from athletes competing as 3-eventers for naught. And the other countries laughing and recording as Nate tricked 😞

[Cooper_Trelawney]

Back in 87 or 89 prior to the World Championships, ESPN aired the US Team Trials tournament from a site called Wet Set Village in California.   I remember being inspired by seeing many age-group competitors in addition to the Open Division skiers.  It was a cool tournament to watch.

Fast forward to today, why wouldn't USA Waterski select Blaze Grubbs to be on the Pan-Am team?  Or, if he was unavailable due to Collegiate Nationals, send a 3-eventer who wasn't involved in Collegiate Nationals. 

It makes it clear that there isn't many high level 3-event skiers in the US.  Not like a few decades ago...

[Horton]

@Cooper_Trelawney I was at that team trials ( to watch )

[Horton]

my take on the Olympic dream

https://ballofspray.com/forums/topic/46287-the-rise-and-fall-of-water-skiing/#comment-442963

[Cooper_Trelawney]

That was a good article and the whole thread is good to re-read.  Lot's of good points brought up in it.

BTW, that 1972 video is awesome.   One of my favorites.

[NikolG]

Jake Abelson should have been selected as he can potentially win trick and podium overall. Or Blaze but he could only realistically medal in Overall. Jake did get hurt, but it was after team selection so US didn’t have any intention of Overall male competitor. No male jumped for the USA on the World Stage. PanAm skiers did do both Collegiate Nationals & PanAms so no conflict. It’s frustrating that so little emphasis is on overall in US, Jaret had to make a whole tour to try to revive it after Masters threw it to the curb. It’s a lot of work for little recognition in USA but other countries are “all-in” on their Overall athletes. 

[Cooper_Trelawney]

@NikolG 100% 

[jcamp]

In college sports (football especially), collectives have become a massive (if not THE) factor in recruiting. They raise $ specifically to support a college team, and sometimes even certain position groups. For example, the Pancake Factory Collective pays every University of Texas lineman $50,000 a year.  

What if the water ski community developed something similar for overall skiers? $20,000 spread amongst the top three men and women at the top of the overall rankings list at the end of each year would be a good incentive and help support all the training that goes into being a 3-eventer.  

[unksskis]

@jcamp isn’t that what USA-WS is for? 

[jcamp]

@unksskis Are you holding your breath for them to do it? 

[Stevie Boy]

@RobHazelwood I think there has been a Rule change recently, somebody did say to me, that putting a Slalom Ski/ Trick Ski / Jump skis and riding up and down the lake is valid, so if somebody was exceptional in two disciplines and not so good in another, it is not unconceivable that they could win a overall event.

 I might of have got this wrong or the person talking to me may have got it wrong, it did seem a bit of a strange one at the time.

[DW]

@jcamp - how would you create the value and/or incentive for that concept in this sport.  How would the ‘sponsors’ benefit / profit given the niche nature of the sport?

[jcamp]

@DW The same value The Pancake Factory creates for University of Texas football boosters: "their team" winning. Your (and mine) mileage may vary. Just pointing out a way motivated people can build a process that meets the objectives they are seeking.