a_bax

I have a full body Titanium suit and I love it and don't feel restricted at all. I find it's very warm in respect to it's thickness. However, you have to baby this material. I have tried to take good care of mine, but it is threadbare and work in some areas after just a few years and not that many sets (IMO). But I'll probably buy another one...it's just the perfect balance of warmth without restriction. (I have not tried the Blacktec. My hubby has this one and it seems more restrictive by look/feel).

@Cnewbert - Melanie...welcome to the waterski addicts club! I'm the girlfriend (now wife of @jpattigr) who got hooked 8 years ago...on 2 skis, then 1, then the course....and my hubby is my biggest cheerleader (and I'm his, too)!

 

Waterskiing is thrilling and there's always a challenge to look forward to. I love hearing about other women who get into the sport! It's inclusive to everyone at any level! My cousin, Amy just started in her forties and now she's hooked too! (And she's on a butterknife, too)!

 

If you have the chance to go to a ski school, do it...even if you're not competitive, they help you build good habits and a good technical foundation. (Also important to prevent injury).

 

Anyway, you look great out there! Keep at it! Join the forum and post your accomplishments...we'll cheer you on!

I am just getting back to skiing after a minor injury. Through this, I've found out some info which I'll share, in case it's helpful to anyone.

 

1) Symptoms: Pain in chest/ribs on my right side. Pain breathing deeply. The "spot" was hard to identify - I could feel it in the back and the front. Pain increased as I continued skiing for a couple of weeks until it was really bad after an 8-pass slalom set where I was very afraid I had really done some damage.

 

2) Cause: Unknown. But, the timing corresponds to me changing the way I do deep water starts. Before the pain began, I had a slight bend in my elbows (thus using my biceps a little on the get-up). But then I started really straightening my arms on the get-up. Discussion with my PT about this and he agreed that more straight arms would put more pressure on the back muscles. So...now that I've started skiing again, I have gone back to the slight bend in the elbows.

 

3) Treatment: I went to Physical Therapy and found out that a rib was out of place. He could tell by feeling each rib and there were 2 ribs much closer together (not evenly spaced) like the other. Apparently, if you have more pain on the inhale, a rib is "down", or more pain in the exhale, a rib is "up". He did massage and cupping on my back muscles to try to relax the muscles. He recommended daily massage (@jpattigr) and cupping plus exercises.

 

4) Exercises: (1) Side bend/stretch with deep breathing. (2) Lay on back. Bend 1 knee and then cross that knee over to the floor on the opposite side. (3) Lay back on a pool noodle with knees bent and feet flat on floor. Deep breathing and then rock knees side to side. Move the pool noodle and repeat inch-by-inch (rib-by-rib) up and down the back.

 

5) Results: After 1 week off and faithfully and patiently doing these exercises daily, I'm back to skiing pain-free. I know this won't help for broken ribs, but perhaps can help anyone with minor rib injuries.

As a skier/athlete, there are only a few things we can control. So allowing other things to "matter" is a waste of energy. What you do control is: training (on and off the water), nutrition, sleep, recovery, and mindset. If you can find slight improvement in those areas, over time, I believe (and hope!) that technique and (so-called) "talent" will follow.

I've had tendonitis in both forearms (before I ever skied) and have also had tennis elbow in both elbows, so I have to be super careful with my arms. I'm 41 and had my first problems starting at 32.

 

Here are things that have worked for me (in addition to chiro and physiotherapist visits):

 

1) I stretch my forearms by bending my hand in both directions and holding with one finger at a time.

2) TENZ machine like Dr. Ho. (It gives little electro pulses which apparently confuses the nerves and relieves pain).

3) Take a bouncy ball or a Lacrosse ball and massage/roll the ball into all the painful spots... especially focusing near the joint.

4) I have also used clincher gloves. I have Masterline and Radar ones. I have narrow hands (I'm female) so I find the Radar ones fit me better.

5) Getting stronger by working out.

 

Good luck! Remember to keep stretching and massaging even after you heal to prevent future injury.

 

 

 

Love it @jayski ! As someone who is interested in trying a tournament...this is such a great way to dip my toe in! I'm all signed up. Now if winter would end...

Our season doesn't a start until May, and hoping our club will be able to run. But hubby and me were supposed to do a road trip through the US (we are Canadian) this April with a lot of ski stops...and that's not happening, so that will mean less sets overall this season. More time for pre-season dry land training!

My husband, @jpattigr is my constant ski partner...from Day 1 on the combo skis 8 years ago, to now. There's nobody I'd rather look at in the mirror, whether skiing or driving :)

Haha thanks @jayski ! Hope we get a chance to ski together again soon!

Thank you so much for this post @AdamCord ! This is something I have noticed in better skiers (than me) but I couldn't put my finger on it.

 

I think with consideration that there are many levels of skiers who this will reach, there are a few areas where it might be helpful to clarify the language and terms. Water skiers throw around a lot of terms and a lot of times the points of reference are assumed to be understood...

 

"stand up out of angle"

1. "stand up" - I agree with @BlueSki 's wife that a reference point for "standing up" would be helpful

2. "out of angle" could be clarified as to which angle (the ski on edge angle?)

 

I did find @Horton 's photos helpful for illustrating the force on the handle (and a strong upper body) being separate from the force on the bottom of the ski. (But noted your comment regarding reference points and direction).

 

Anyway - a million thanks for this!!

 

@david_quail I recall some of the Waterski magazines over the years contained exercise guides with Todd Ristorcelli's 'alter ego' (can't remember the name). I can say that in Cross-Fit, I kick butt in the "farmers carry" because it's all about being in a stacked position under load. So that's definitely a good slalom-specific exercise, also.

@75Tique & @Greg Banish - not only is swimming an excellent workout, my friend Klaus Obermeyer, who turned 100 in December, believes that the full range of breathing in swimming is a big key to his longevity. Klaus swims every day.

I do Crossfit 3-4x per week. My husband has never worked out. Luckily he leads a pretty active lifestyle and water skis. But he's a better skier than me. I just want to kick his butt! ;)

I didn't mean to put this post under Trick & Jump but I can't seem to change it now.

If you work out, what do you do? How many times per week? How long have you been working out? Has it impacted your skiing?

Thanks @Chad_Scott. It makes sense. How far off center should the prop wash be? Which side of center would be correct when driving a Nautique versus Malibu/Mastercraft? Thank you

Thank you for all the insights! Question: I use the line of the wakes behind me to judge how centered I am but I have heard that your wake should be slightly off center and that the direction depends on the direction of the prop rotation. Is this significant?

I have not been successful at tracking consistently. I have 2 motivations for tracking. 1) General interest: I want to know how many sets I do in a summer, and 2) I want desperately to improve so I want to remember what was working or not and write down coaching tips I get etc. BUT I found by mid summer the #2 part of that was quite depressing. (But now I wish I'd still tracked for the purpose of #1)

I'm Alana Baxter. I got up on 2 skis for the first time ever on Sept 10th, 2011 in Idaho on the Pend d'Oreille River...and since that day I've been hooked! For my birthday that spring, my boyfriend John (@jpattigr) gave me a ski and a comp vest. Now seven summers later, the boyfriend is my husband, I don't ever miss a start, but I do (on occasion) miss my 22' off pass and I'm hopelessly trying to learn trick and jump...and I'm reminded of that first summer when I thought I would be just be happy if I got up on every try. I am so grateful for all the memories we've created on the water and for the ones still to come.

32 OFF IPA

 

You could incorporate the color green into the label (the loop color) somehow. (Or any other rope length/color...but I picked '32 off' because it's relatable - whether it's your opening pass or what you're working towards)