bassfooter

@Than_Bogan it's kinda telling, don't you think? And maybe a little scary.

So that's the seventh 2015 MC registered in Florida? @Roger @pregom In other words there are 10 kinds of people in this world: those who understand binary and those who don't.

Thank you, @ShaneH. You nailed it. The kids are stoked and the resulting halo effect of having these talented young athletes skiing among the up-and-comers creates a buzz across all age groups in this sport. The people who love this sport seem to appreciate the aspect of competing against yourself as you share the starting dock with Masters- or Open-level competitors. Am I the only one who’s concerned that an AWSA Board Member seems to be criticizing one of the things that’s actually working in our sport?

Good job, @TWB. Congratulations, and thanks so much for the excellent description!

@TWB Any helpful hints for someone who just starting to take a look at -35? I'd love to know what worked and what didn't.

I also found that solid gates are critical to running -28. I think it's primarily because it starts to get really tough to make up for mistakes at that rope length. It struck me that the times you start to drift in, you might have been waiting too long in your glide. Without 55s and entrance gates to gauge your position, it's going to be tough to be consistent with your timing, right? Your body does look to be in good position in the glide, but it's hard to tell if you're really weighting your front foot. The guy who coached me really focused on that front foot and initiating the turn with the hips, just like in the Digasperi video. It's been a huge help! Another key to -28 and shorter is keeping your elbows pinned to your vest all the way out practically to the buoy line, but that's a different thread, my friend!

There are many readers who are far more qualified as coaches, but I'll happily draw on my recent experience to take a stab at this. I'd love to know what was happening in the course that makes you think your gates are to blame. You appear to be doing most things correctly. You are drifting in a bit before your actual turn-in. It will help to get your weight on your front foot during your glide, and keep the handle low and your elbows in. Then it appears you turn in on the tail of the ski. This prevents your getting the ski on edge in a good stack, and that means less speed and angle across the wakes. In a few of the attempts in your video, you can see that your ski is riding on the tail almost all the way to the wakes. Instead, during the glide, get your weight on your front foot and look down the course, then drop your hips in the direction you wish to go and allow the handle to move to your outside (left) hip. This will get you stacked and gets the ski on its edge earlier so you can get some work done behind the boat and get flung out wide and early to one-ball. Here's a great video that helped me immensely: Cheers!

Great stuff...congratulations!

A fully-instrumented slalom ski. How cool! You guys need a telemetry pack to get all that data off the ski in real time. I'll quit my day job. Tomorrow. @eleeski, are you seeing this?

I have a pair of the neon green men's medium 41 Tails that I am looking to sell. Used less than 20 passes over a two-day period in June, so...essentially new. PM me with a reasonable offer.

Good for you gettin' back to your home lake, @bishop8950! Great photos. I grew up near there, but I don't think I ever got on that lake. Is there a scout camp there, or am I thinking of another lake near you? We'd play G-A in high school football. I think you guys always kicked our butts. The Michigan skiing scene has been strong going back several decades. For one thing, there are thousands of lakes. Gull Flight skis were built right near @bishop8950 's lake back in the sixties. There were a ton of tournaments every weekend in the seventies, when I got the first course permit for Gun Lake. G&L Ski School operated a slalom lake (probably a gravel pit) right outside Charlotte for a number of years, the '78 Nationals were held outside of Brighton, and there's a ton of stuff going on over by Detroit (which is "right next to Michigan", as I like to say). We had a little cottage at Gun Lake, a half-hour from our house in the 'Zoo. After we kids got out of school and moved away, we would return for a week or two every summer. We finally had to sell the place, after nearly 75 years in the family. It was like someone died. We still miss it. I got to take my little girl there a couple summers ago, and she couldn't believe we spent the night with a lake right out our front door. A lake that actually has water in it. She doesn't get to see a lot of that in Southern California.

@Horton - the speed at the gate is......what?

@mwetskier @Razorskier1 - Excellent article and advice. Thanks!

@drewski32, thanks. That reinforces my thinking, especially not pulling too long and being the most powerful behind the boat going into the transition. It's just that I see the vids online -- Terry, Regina, etc. -- and they essentially come off the wakes and land on their inside edge, and stay there, elbows in, all the way to the reach. I am looking for the mechanism that initiates that transition and gets them on that edge. Is it keeping the handle in while letting up on the pull? Shifting the hips? Both? Bueller? Bueller?

+1 on the 422 running 3400 - 3500 on a TSC1 hull.

@A_B - I sure am doing a lot of that, at least most of the time. Always looking for any advice on how to initiate that early edge change. Currently working on moving the hip from one side to the other as I come off the centerline, all while keeping my elbows into my vest. Results are sporadic.

At Canyon Lake's season opener in May, a bunch of us watched a duck hop up on the ramp as a jumper from San Diego approached. The duck flew up just as she hit the ramp, and bounced off her helmet. Photographer Mike Clary (mikeclaryphotography.com) managed to catch most of the sequence, include this awesome shot that shows both jumper and duck in somewhat less-than-ideal midair positions. Both skier and duck were fine -- thankfully, no trips to the ER for either one. Mike's sequence of photos was featured on San Diego Fox5's newscast, which is anchored by San Diego Waterski Team skier Troy Hirsch.

I was very skeptical at first, but I found these to work much like the model they replaced. They are hard to get on, at least for the first few times out. But I like them just as much in both warm and cold water, and I haven't missed the extra flap @Kelvin mentioned. Your mileage may vary.

+1 for @Horton. At 170 lbs. skiing at 34 mph, I cannot help but think 68" is too much ski. This is based on my recent experience. I too am 55 and I run roughly the same speed and rope lengths as you. I lost a bunch of weight over the winter, and I'm holding steady at 188 - 190 lbs. The only problem was that my 68" ski was suddenly too long, so -- gosh darnit -- I just HAD to buy a new 67" Lithium Vapor. Much better match for my new weight.

+1 on mineral spirits followed by acetone, but lots of other great things to try here. Plastic scrapers are helpful with thicker buildup. Use heat carefully; I would avoid a heat gun and use a hairdryer instead.

StarBrite is great, but pricey. You can snag a jar of oxalic acid for a fraction of the cost -- follow the directions, wear gloves and don't get the solution on your lawn or other plants. Works like a charm.

@curly71 - I've spent several years taking care of both a '94 Prostar 190 and a '98 SN. Both are outstanding slalom tugs and both have amazing slalom wakes. In my humble opinion, the SN is a better bet for a used boat. Both will deliver many more years of service if they've been maintained and not abused. In other words, a low-hours, babied Prostar will be a better deal than a neglected SN. But I think the devil is in the details, and the SN has the edge in design and build quality, with a few exceptions. @Santa is right that they feel real solid. Again, just my opinion after several years of working on the hulls, electrical systems, and doing light mechanical work on both. Your mileage may vary.

@onamission - I'm a tournament newbie too. There are lots of great ideas here. Having fun is the most important thing, and I especially like what @6balls said about helping out. Putting on a tournament requires a lot of work, and your hosts will appreciate someone pitching in. Make sure you're ready when it's your turn -- it's not like at practice where every skier is out there 6 or more passes. It's nice to have some quiet time and not be rushed before your turn. Good luck!

Absolutely fascinating, and the best tour guide imaginable. What a treat! Thanks so much, @Horton. I no longer believe what they say about you.

@Horton this is way better than any other ideas I've seen. I think you're on to something, and I think @DefectiveDave has some good ideas for enhancements. I tried to do the same thing moving from a Wiley high-wrap to a Reflex front on my old X7 - I went for a measurement on my leg and foot vs. the binding hardware. I ended up with the Reflex an eighth-inch or so too far forward at first, but I had to ski on it to reach that conclusion, which was made more complicated by having to adapt to the very different feeling of that front Reflex. It was well worth my time to carefully measure. Moving this setup to my new Lithium Vapor went that much more quickly and my skiing got better after only a couple sets on the new ski.