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theboardingschool

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    Competition waterskiing is the only thing that can save the sport

    in News & Other Stuff

    Posted

    @RazorRoss3 It definitely has more of a collegiate feel to. That's what has me intrigued to do collegiate events.

     

    @ntx I'm not saying it couldn't happen. But, it's a super laid back event. By no means it is a rager where people are getting hammered. More of having a beer or two. And honestly, you could take the beer away, and it would still be just as fun.

     

    Yes, I have a waiver, and yes, I have insurance. No it is not sanctioned as a tournament, because technically it's not. It's no different than anyone coming to ride at TBS on a normal day.

     

    @DW Yes, it sux that this gets brought in to discussion. Especially considering the fact I don't make any money off of the event. The first one we did completely for free, and the second one we just ask for a $25 donation to raise money for a friend of ours with health problems.

    Competition waterskiing is the only thing that can save the sport

    in News & Other Stuff

    Posted

    @aupatking It's really loose. We have a running order, but as long as someone is on the dock and ready to ski, we'll pull them. We typically have a few guys rotate out driving the boat. And, I try to have guys in the boat that are fun and helpful. We just try to keep people smiling and laughing, and offer some coaching as well. We do 6 passes, whatever you want to do...run the same pass 6 times, shorten, go any speed you like, etc. This last time we have someone running the course on jumpers and a disc, and I had a lady who just learned to ski ride combos. Our judging is completely non traditional. We do scrappiest completed pass, smoothest completed pass, best crash, and best performance (which does not mean best score). We just have a sheet of paper in the boat taking notes on stuff like that, and whoever is riding in the boat is judging, and our driver usually chimes in as well.

     

    One thing that Corey Vaughn pointed out last time, is that it was all young guys in the boat, and we had a lot of older guys skiing. Where it's normally just the opposite. Once again, this just provides a different atmosphere. We've got music playing in the boat, and people cheering from the boat. It's just super light and fun. It's how we operate every day at TBS, so why not do it for an event?

     

    We have beers and music flowing all day, and a sit down BBQ dinner at night. Try to have corn hole, horse shoes, etc set up for kids to play around with. The one in the spring I had a kiddie pool set up for families with babies to play in. It's really more of a day at the lake, than a tournament.

     

    I love doing them. Some of my favorite days I've had at TBS.

     

    I really do feel events like this, Herb's Cup, Radar Nation days, etc are where it's at. We all started skiing because it was fun. Let's keep it fun!

    Competition waterskiing is the only thing that can save the sport

    in News & Other Stuff

    Posted

    @jcamp Sorry for the generalization. I'm sure there are communities out there that are very different than what I described. Maybe it's more of the pro scene that I'm talking about. Maybe I'm wrong all together. But, one thing that a lot of skiers(pro and amatuer) said to me after coming to B, B, & B, is how nice it was that everyone stuck around to watch everyone ski. I had several guys pull me to the side that run tournaments up north asking me what the draw was, and I how I got so many people to come out to ski and hang out all day. And, the only thing I can answer is that it is a way different atmosphere than your standard tournament.

     

    Look I owe my life to traditional 3 event skiing. It was what got me to where I am today. I have nothing against it. And, although I don't have any interest in hosting a regular tournament, it is a huge goal of ours to host the collegiate nationals here at TBS. But, once again that is a different vibe than the normal tournament, and more aligned with how we view skiing.

     

    Once again, sorry if I offended you or anyone else.

    Competition waterskiing is the only thing that can save the sport

    in News & Other Stuff

    Posted

    I may be biased here, but I think more events like Buoys, BBQ, and Beers, or Radar Nation days could have a lot more of an effect than tournaments. I ski a lot, and I never have any intention of ever skiing in another tournament. Nor do I have any interest in hosting a traditional tournament at TBS. Honestly not much appeal there. Waiting around all day to ski one time, in a pretty intense environment, with a large portion of the people upset about how they skied, with very little interest in how other people skied other than their ski partner. It's not exactly an environment that breeds expansion.

     

    But, casual days on the water, based on fun, with more of a focus on hanging out than setting your personal best, are days that people walk away from wanting to do more of. I'm not saying there isn't a place for competitive skiing, I just don't think it has much of an effect moving the needle. People will make time and pay to have a quality experience. My family will come out and spend all day at B, B, & B and have a blast. And, I'll barely see they because I'm bouncing around doing stuff all day. But, I'm pretty sure if I had a 3 round record, they would stay at home.

    RIP WaterSkiMag

    in News & Other Stuff

    Posted

    It's sad to say the least. It's definitely a sad day for our sport, and for many of my good friends that have invested their lives in to that publication.

     

    I may be biased since I was asked to do the instructional last year, but I think Trent did an amazing job. When we first spoke, he told me that he didn't want to magazine that was written for water skiing's elite, but for all water ski and water sports enthusiasts. Honestly, I read both of those issues pretty much cover to cover, because they struck a cord.

     

    I can understand purists being upset about there being articles about surfing, wakeboarding, tubing, etc. But, the fact of the matter is, the sooner we all embrace other people doing other things behind the boat, the better we will all be. Should there be articles about adjusting your fin? Sure. But, guess how many people really need that? Not that many in the comparison to the number of people skiing. Skiing, and all towed watersports, need to become more inclusive, and less exclusive. You want things to survive? Encourage people to come out to do whatever makes them happy behind the boat.

     

    Stop pointing fingers at other people and point one at yourself. Ask yourself, "What am I doing to help promote and prolong the thing I love doing?" I get on my soap box all the time and tell people in the industry to stop scrapping for their little piece of the same shitty pie, lets make a bigger pie so that everyone can eat a slice.

     

    But, I'll finish as I started off, it's sad. One of the crowning achievements of my life is to have an article in print, in which I got to teach my daughter to ski. It's as proud as I've ever been. Heart breaking to think that this is the end...unless WE fix it.

    Ski Schools/coaching around Miami?

    in Technique & Theory

    Posted

    @Spesh if you can't sort anything out down there, we would be happy to help you in Orlando. I think you would find we are exactly what you are looking for, excluding the fact that Freddie is a current pro, but he happens to be an amazing coach as well. I think you will find out program quite different that most "ski schools". It's more like skiing with your friends, but in the nicest conditions and boats possible, and they actually know what they're talking about.
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