BKistler

@MDB1056Without any Google searches, I think Minnesota. 

@MDB1056Joe Cash. That photo was in the lobby of AWSA Headquarters (Carl Floyd Rd.)

@teamsharkeyInteresting. If I understand you correctly, Ricky was doing a flip in practice, not in competition, correct? One ski or two ski? Straight line or figure 8 boat path?

From the days of ash and mahogany. My first real jumpers were hand-me-down Hedlunds with reinforced tips and tails. 

@lpskier My wife tells me they are Russian.  Not too happy about that since she’s of Ukrainian heritage. 

They can stay in Abu Dhabi. 

@dchristman Great article. Thanks for posting. Confirms my hunch. I think Sammy Duvall was probably the first to do a flip in competition. He started by doing one on the way back to the dock after his run and eventually incorporated it into his run. It would bring the crowd to its feet. 

@thager Alan Kempton was the first to perform a ramp flip in competition. He was probably not the first to perform a ramp flip. I have seen references to a Cypress Gardens skier doing a ramp flip on short conventional skis decades before. 

I once saw a clip of Ricky McCormick doing a two-ski (!) wake flip by having the boat drive in a figure 8 and launching into the air where the two wakes combined. Don’t know the date but it was before anyone was doing flips in competition. Wondered if he was the first to ever land a wake flip of any kind. 

Nice ski vest. 

!!!

In the late ‘70s I was working for AWSA and was driving between Phoenix and Tucson to attend a conference and wanted to see Firebird. The site was closed but the gate was not locked. I entered and was confronted by a huge Pima security guard. I explained who I was and said I just wanted to see the lake. No luck. He kicked my ass out. 

I’ve got a bunch of old ski mags that I’m giving away to anyone in the Winter Haven, FL area or anyone who is willing to pay shipping. Mostly The Water Skier ‘80s and ‘90s with some Spray and Water Ski and a few Eastern and Southern Regional guides. Most in good condition a few with articles clipped out. 
 

Let me know if you’re interested. 

New Years Day. Trix. 

I’ve been using prescription RecSpecs for years. I have a homemade neoprene headband that works great. Without them I could not see the course coming much less an apex. 

@Jody_SealThat’s a heck of a story. Intrigue on several levels. 

@dchristman. I still have a hoppy style. 

I tried Saucier trick skis. They were terrible. 
 

In an interview, Cory Pickos  marvels at how he did so well on clunky square-edged Sauciers as a kid. 

@Hortonis reliving the past. 

I’ve had a lot of dreams about skiing but can remember almost nothing about them. I have had nightmares about getting sucked into the turbine inlets of Conowingo Dam. We used to ski right up against the dam when the wind was out of the south. 

@dchristmanyour dream tricks are definitely more advanced than mine. TWLB without a wake. Dreams don’t have to make sense. 

I drove Cory Pickos a couple of times for the AWSA trick series photo shoot. I drove Ricky McCormick a few times for trick practice. 

Joel Polland will break the world trick record. 

I’ve done both. It’s good to have a dealer check it out once in a while, so I sometimes have them do routine maintenance while it’s in the shop. 

Yes. 

Fantastic!  I think Pato’s technique has improved. He looks smoother than ever. Chalk up another record for Lake Grew.