MitchellM

I don't know the answer, but I applaud your desire to avoid putting unnecessary and potentially dangerous chemicals into your lake.

That's a beauty, Libby. Where in Florida are you located?

I like how the drunk friend initially toasts the great trick before telling the driver to turn around and see if he is alive.

Finally got my youngest out to McCormick's for some lessons on the course. Air temp 81. Water temp 70. A great January day in Florida.

Air 75 and water 65. Another great day of instruction at McCormick's outside of Tampa. He's really helping my daughter in the course.

Finally got out to McCormick's today with my older daughter for a few sets. Michael was fantastic and patient. Great experience all around. His excellent Nautique was a pleasure!

@ScottScott I agree that Jodi's event was a success. Fantastic weather and participants of all ages and abilities. This truly is a great way to grow the sport and Jodi was a great host. I hope he does more of these. Fun for me to meet so many new people. The response to the photos has been great. Did you catch the few of you I grabbed in the second round from the boat?

Jodi Fisher skiing yesterday 11/14. Beautiful day!

This looks great! Thanks for sharing.

@Cnewbert thanks for the clarification. You had me concerned!! Our shorties have also been dusted off.

@Cnewbert why are you wrapping up your season so early? Still some warm weather on the horizon and very pleasant with wet suits. We are planning on skiing the next 3 weekends.

I'll vouch for the buoy bungalow posted by @GWaterski . I've stayed there with my family twice and we're going back again in a few weeks. You can't ask for a more family friendly, water ski destination and renting from Gary and Kelly is fantastic. Nice to deal with other skiers and the lake has a great course. Sunrise view from the house to entice others. The boat is available for rental on Boatsetter.com https://www.boatsetter.com/boats/cwfgcsq?pos=8&

Just some thoughts from an amateur skier. I've never heard of the AWSA until I saw this thread. Even when I googled AWSA, multiple other sites come up before I get the connection to USAwaterski.org. This is not good. Even though I had guessed the acronym prior to looking, you have a bad search presence. This needs to be corrected in the day and age. What's in it for me if I become a member? Sure, I want to support the sport, but why would an amateur skier want to join each year? I don't see any list of benefits for my membership that would entice someone learning the course. I'm the sort of new member you should be courting if you want to grow and expand your membership rolls.

Thanks for the tip! I've never been and yet they are just 45 minutes from where I live. I'm going to try and get my family out there for some sets this weekend.

@Cnewbert there's nothing more frustrating or demoralizing to the occasional skier than failed deepwater starts. Three of those in succession will turn most athletic 65 year olds into a permanent spotter for the day. Just make sure he gets a wide easy up ski.

Radar butterknife would be a great option. Really made for what you describe. Incredibly easy for deepwater starts yet still turns well.

I'm obviously not the target audience since I am just a beginner running the slalom course, but I enjoyed your podcasts. The banter between you two was entertaining enough to keep me coming back. I would put in a request for a bit more content for us novices. The only episode I didn't really care for was "Favorite Ski Sites". My favorite was "Driving Tips". Looking forward to next season.

@tjs1295 and @MattP it's great to see other rowers here. I started with my Concept2 rowing machine three years ago and have just passed 5 million meters. It's a great aerobic workout that uses 85% of your muscles with low impact. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a home fitness machine. Reasonable cost and built to last. Rowing coupled with my new home pull up bar and pushups has me in the best shape of my life at age 55.

That middle photo looks like that crack runs all the way down the front right side of the ski and not just the tip. Is that accurate? If so, that shouldn't happen to a two year old ski without any history of dropping the ski. I'm surprised HO doesn't consider this some sort of manufacturing defect.

Amazing. I was just looking at a home for sale on Spirit Lake. 4 courses on that one lake!

@oldjeep this child did not die from drowning. His carboxy hemoglobin level was 72%. This is well in the lethal range. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning. What a tragedy we all need to be aware of when operating any internal combustion engine. Best to turn off the engine with anyone on the transom or idle for any length of time.

I'm a mediocre 55 year old skier but just started this month on a Carbon V after watching my daughter ski effortlessly on hers. I'm 6 ft but only 160 lbs and opted for the 67. I simply cannot believe how easily this ski gets me up in deepwater starts with no pressure on my lower back. The ski is so light and buoyant that I'm practically out of the water when my wife tightens up the rope. Also has very low drag which makes for some low effort open water skiing. I hear the carbon omni is very similar, and I almost bought a new Carbon Omni until I found a nearly new Carbon V locally at a great price.

I just got my Radar Vector BOA bindings from Performance Ski. Mike was incredibly helpful throughout the process. Give them a call or shoot them an email. Fantastic service. Just skied them for the first time this weekend, and I was favorably impressed. Great product that should fit nicely on your Vapor.

Refreshing!!

These are interesting interviews, but as a newbie, how about some more episodes on tips and technique. Episode 29 was really the only one like that. Maybe some more gear reviews. Not just skis, but ropes, gloves and vests. Perhaps consider some more discussion on your views on boats. I'm an old free skier taking my first few stabs at the course this summer. Tips? Suggestions?? Best way to work with kids? Just some ideas. Great job on an enjoyable podcast.