ESPNSkier

BTW: Your new ‘94 may need a new fuel gauge like mine. I’ve tried 3 different gauges and 2 sending units over the years and it always shows full. This new one seems to work well though! ?

The wheel on my 93 MC never did free spin like my buddies 2018, but it turns easily enough and drives great.

I worked my 15th straight New Year’s Day Bowl game but am retiring next week and will most definitely ski on January 1st next year. Happy New Year’s and great skiing to all!

Finally retire so that I can stop traveling every week and start skiing regularly again!

As @rawly notes, I'm an ESPN "insider", however, I'm in Production Safety & Health and Programming (where these decisions are made) is a totally different world. @Horton is correct that most of our programming revolves around big money pro sports and NCAA sports although we do still produce ESPN Owned and Operated events such as X Games, NCAA tournaments and NCAA Bowl Games. Our industry was hit hard when sports shut down in the early spring and we did offer some interesting ESPN 8 "The Ocho" content such as corn hole. I doubt that we'll see water skiing back on ESPN or other major broadcasters but fortunately great alternatives now exist.

Hi Bill! I'm riding a 67 with double vapor boots on a sequence plate set to stock (I believe the front boot is at 30.5". I'm also running a WhisperFin set to stock settings. Good luck and enjoy the ski, I think you'll love it!

I’ve had my 1993 PS 205 for 24 years and plan to have it forever. It does everything I need and has awesome wakes (other than a bit of a bump at -22). Keep that 190 and add PP Stargazer.

I'm on my 2nd one (had one on my old HO for a short while before I changed to a Radar) and I would not consider going back to a traditional fin. I loved it from the first ride and have total confidence in it. Between a new ski, great coaching with Matt Rini, and the whisperFin I have pretty much picked up two full passes in the last year. I know the WhisperFin definately helped. You know, I loved the whistling effect at first but now I don't hear it anymore....must be losing my hearing!

2 to 3 for me. I used to be a 4 but have been working on trying to lighten up the grip a bit as I've gotten older. It seems that when I grip really hard I also subconsciously bend the arms which leads to all kinds of bad things. It's also much easier on the hands and it's been a few years since I've ripped off a big callous! I run -32/-35 @ 32 mph.

@BS74 Come on down anytime but I'll definitely be learning from you!

Thanks @Andre and @ScottScott, I'm really stoked!

 

@ScottScott, You've made great progress this year and I have no doubt you'll pass me by at some point in the near future. In the meantime, thanks for the great driving!!!

I never thought I would see myself in a BOS Instagram repost....but then again I never thought I would run -35 off either! I'm an older, 32 mph skier who has been in the course off and on over the past 40 years. Up until 2 years ago I was pretty much stuck at -15/-22 with occasional forays into -28 and the rare shot at -32. I started going to Matt Rini and the experience has been unbelievable....ran -32 for the first time in late October and ran -35 for the first time this week. Tried -38 and got around 1 ball and damn near got outside of 2 ball. Matt is a miracle worker and he has a calm, positive way of presenting suggestions for improvement. Conditions are always great there and you get to ski and hang out with some of the nicest people who also happen to be some of the top skiers in the world. Kudos and many thanks to Matt and his team!!!

 

BTW: If you read his post carefully, he said that I was "ruining -35 off" but I didn't think that pass looked that bad! B)

Gotta put in another vote for the Radar Lyric! My wife picked up a used Lyric about 6 weeks ago and she is loving it.

Sounds good, thanks @keithh2oskier!

Any suggestions on how to listen to this file? I can't get it to play.

Gotta love ESPN 8, The Ocho! Live sports (with no spectators of course) will be making a significant comeback in June and July.

You guys really, really make me appreciate the fact that I live and ski in Florida!!! I just can't handle that cold water....dry suit or not!

Halloween Nautique!!!

 

My first real ski boat was a 1972 SN that I bought in 1980 (one of the orange and black models). We had just finished a set in a small bayou in Louisiana and headed back to the boat ramp. My wife was sitting on the engine cover and she tapped me on the shoulder and said "I smell something burning". I didn't smell anything and the temp gauge was right at 160 where it always was....so I kept going. By the time I stopped at the dock I could smell something burning and I turned the engine off. Turns out that the transmission cooler was stuffed full of weeds and the smell was spark plug boots melting. I guess the temp gauge doesn't work so well when no water gets to the sending unit! :) Engine was locked up and would not spin over for more than an hour. Got lucky and only damage was a small drop in compression on the number one cylinder. Bigger damage was that my wife was right and I was wrong and I still hear about it 40 years later when I state an opinion and she'll say something like: "Yeah, well remember when I told you that the engine in the boat was overheating?!?".

I'm still skiing and my wife has started back in the course for the first time in years. We live on a public lake with 4 courses but the boat ramp is still open so it can be difficult to find calm water due to boat/jet ski traffic. Most of the local course skiers on our lake have gone to "family only" in the boat which means that we can't ski with some of our good ski buds in the boat. However, now a typical morning is 4 different boats at one course with 2 people per boat taking turns. Still get to see the gang but we social distance by staying in our own boats.

Thanks @DavidN! I definitely get it and want to do my part but it's hard to see where the risk is in my wife and I pulling each other on the lake we live on.

@Wish Where did you find this quote? As of this morning the public ramp on John's Lake in Lake County is still open and everything I read indicates that they are still enforcing the "stay 50' away from other boats rule."

Love the Animal house reference @Jody_Seal!!!

@Gloersen I believe that is an old Casale V Drive.

@Jody_Seal Love it! Is that a Cole?