boarditup

Not much more. I am switching from Progressive to Global. I'll get a complete quote tomorrow.

Global Marine Insurance writes these policies. Be sure to run your events through an corporation or an LLC.

Yes. There are multiple materials that can be used to various levels of effectiveness. However, for the size of wakes we are dealing with the depth of the water for the shoreline is about 6-feet deep. In other words, the depth of treatment is about 6-feet deep and then up about 2-feet above the resting water line. The density, shape, and size of the material used will determine how well it will perform. The selection criteria is based upon the slope of the ground and the composition of the substrate. The typical best performers include geo-grid fabrics with stones to hold it down and filter the water as it recedes. You are correct, a properly shaped shoreline in relationship to the substrate material is the best performer.  Karl (www.placidwaters.com)

Darwin: I feel your pain. I don't have a good solution because of the way AWSA is set up - the old guard and the elite athletes run the show. However, the way is paid by the recreational skier who funds the sport by working for a living. Sort of like our political class. Anyway, the Tea Party movement is showing that we can shake up the system to get it more rational. The price will be a severe disruption of the normal flow of events. Hopefully, we don't have to go there and "they" will get rational on their own. It is in their own self interest in the long term, but not in the short term. Tough situation we are in. Good luck and let me know if I can help.

I agree with the multiple divisions and the drop at the end. Good points. I had planned on having a pure novice division with the mini-course as well. I am really shooting for beginner families. At the same time, we will have a boarding tournament - wakeboard and wakesurf. There will be a prize for the best combined score. The new 3-event. Bulldog - in my area, a beer infused event is not popular. BBQ, yes. Beer, no. You can, however, bring your own.

In August, during the Nationals, I'll be putting on a tournament. I know most of the elite skiers will be gone, but that leave the 90% at home wondering what to do. I plan to have a two round tournament - WUSS and Wide Ride. The rules I plan on using include: 30 mph top speed - then cut rope Opening pass mulligan - you get a restart 4-pass minimum - but scoring starts after the first "good" pass F-class rules What else? Give me the benefit of your insight.

Wakeboarding, wakesurfing, wakeskating, hydrofoil, show ski, etc (I don't know about barefoot, sorry) do not have any restrictions on the boat or speed control to be used. Wakesurfing, wakeskating, and showski are growing. INT does not have a mandate on boats being the recent year, either. They are doing better than AWSA is for membership. I think we have painted ourselves into a corner and don't know how to get out. For most tournament organizers - run it is as F. Have fun. Post the scores to the GR site. Most people don't go to Regionals or Nationals, anyway. So what if the rules are "loose." Enjoy skiing. I don't have an easy solution to the problem for those who are at the elite performance for the sport - Regionals, Nationals, and IWSF elite skiers. I'll have one tournament this year for the IWSF crowd. One for the Regional's qualifier's crowd, and three for the FUN crowd. Maybe I'll upgrade one or two if there is a need, but I think we have to get back to the basics of the sport -fun - before the Rules Committee gets enough pressure from falling revenues to adapt to reality in 2010. PS. Boats should be sold because someone wants to buy one, not because they feel pressured by the Rules Committee. That is the job of the boat manufacturer's, not the AWSA.  Karl

Running works, but it is hard on the joints. Keep your running distances short. I have cut my distances down to 1-1.5 miles 4-5 times per week. What I do, however, is interval training after an intensive circuit training workout. That means a .1 mile warm up, 40 yard all out sprint, jog the rest of the .1 mile loop, repeat. Final cool-down lap. Personally, I prefer rowing, but cannot afford the price of the concept 2 rower. My local high school gym is free.

Anyone else sad to see Steve go? I have traded e-mails and phone calls on several issues. I like his movement to a more beginner-friendly and family-friendly organization. Your thoughts?

Heck, I want them in size 14...

I would guess that if there were a tournament with a 5-digit cash prize for a new world record you would have many training passes at 43-off. What gets measured gets done. Pros measure their success by the cash they bring in. Make the prize the record, they will respond.

How do you perform chin-ups with the bar so low? My knees would still be on the ground.

It is the owner's responsibility to protect their interest and property. Although I am a strong supporter of all skiing and boarding, I will protect my property and interest. When the culture changes, my response to the culture will change. It can come from the top or the bottom. The top takes leadership, the bottom will take either a death of a person or the absence of sites. I am a fan of leadership.

Enforcement is key for underage drinking. However, I cannot possibly police 300+ college students all night long and still support a tournament with buoys, magnets, jump water pumps, jump cameras, boat fuel, and a complete scorer's computer system the next morning. That is what the LCC permit is all about - adult supervision that the college students were supposed to pay for (wait, the underage kids can't drink then). That is my policy - LCC permit. Period. The NCWSA policy has no detection method, responsible person, or threshold limit identified. The policy is window dressing, has no teeth, and was completely ignored in my case. Nothing is impossible for those who do not have to either perform or pay. Everyone will risk anything for someone else. When it is their butt on the line their thinking suddenly gets clearer. Anyone who wants to buy my site out can do with it as they wish. In Ottawa County, MI, there are several people in jail for hosting parties with underage drinking. With two large colleges in the county, enforcement had to become stricter. I will not be the first site owner cooling my heels in jail for the sake of a college party. In my community - I am "Mr. Waterski." If there is a party that attracts the wrong kind of attention connected with my site, my reputation suffers along with my ability to sell high-end lots. With the high level of attention and the official displeasure from both the township board and the county sheriff, the college skiing community had their one warning. Until there is a way to eliminate the risk, preferably with a policy from the NCWSA that is realistic, I will not participate. I believe (like a proud father) that I have the best skiing site around. What is wrong with skiing? I am an enthusiast who has taught literally hundreds of people how to ski, wakeboard, surf, wakeskate, and barefoot over the years. My commitment has boundaries - I will not sacrifice my family or their security. Asking me to put that on the line is going too far. Just come out and ski, board, have fun on the water and leave the booze back at your house.

Just so everyone knows: I did not charge a cent for the use of my site. The college team still has access to train at the site - at no cost. They assist with the maintenance of the courses, the jump, towers, and jump. I pay for all of the materials. It takes about 3-4 work afternoons to get the site in shape and taken down every year. Today was the planning meeting for the 2010 season. Although I will have several events here, none will be college skiing with any kind of party. We will have alcohol served under my site policy - a Liquor Control Commission permit with a licensed server. Last year the pro event we held - the Global Invitational - went off without a hitch with over 900 people in attendance. 2010 will see two tournaments specifically designed to attract first time skiers. We will hold this concurrently with a wakeboard tournament on Lake 2. The goal is to attract the whole family. Tearing a page from John Horton, I anticipate holding a WUSS round on August 7 - just for fun. Any and all college students are welcome to come and ski. I just will not tolerate a party on site, any underage drinking, or anyone under the influence on the starting dock. I believe we have to get kids skiing before college to grow the sport. I want to start a high school ski club (s). Parents can buy the boats, the students cannot.

9-years old, 4-th grade, is a bit too young for that discussion. Maybe in a year or two. You have to be age appropriate. The argument seems to be: kill the underage drinking (or drunken behavior or legal age) and you kill the sport. If that is the option and I have the only lake left in the US - the sport is dead. I do not have the risk tolerance. If the ski teams can act as responsible adults, sure, no problem. However, the current culture around here is party oriented, not skiing oriented. I host skiing events. I do not host parties with alcohol for anyone, even myself.

Lottawatta:  All good stuff. I agree with your sentiment and where you are going with this. I did go to bed. I thought I had an agreement regarding the party - 11:00 pm for the music turned off, etc. I was way to trusting, but this was my first college big event. I did not understand the culture. I had heard a lot, but no direct experience. Now, I have a great education. It is a fools errand to expect the college students to police themselves. Nobody wants to be the cop. That belongs to the adults..

If it were about skiing, I have no problems. However, my rules were violated and the cops were called out by the neighbors, not me. My rules were a simple restatment of the township, county, and state laws. Responsible adults should not have a problem following the law - even if they are college students pushing the limits. Under the law in Michigan, I am responsible and can suffer the consequences of their poor behavior. My reaction, although regrettable, is not incomprehensible. It is, however, very sad. All they had to do is follow the laws. The NCWSA has allowed a culture of exceeding the limits of the law. That must change for college waterskiing to survive. We must have younger skiers filling the ranks but not at the expense of my liberty or property. For me, it is not worth the risk. Here are some questions about the used condoms in the street:  Who is supposed to clean it up? Do I really want to explain what it is to my 9-year old after the dog takes it home? While I still support college skiing and will continue to be a home site for practice, I am turning my attention to high school skiing. I think we need to start earlier. Finally, if you are selling homesites, do your prospects really want a college kegger party as neighbors? Will that atmosphere assist in sales?

Pros get noticed. M4, M5 podium finishes grants legitimacy. However, most skiers don't really pay attention to tournaments because they don't ski in them. Most do not have access to the course. They either buy what is on sale or the latest pro model, depending on their budget.

I am a home site for a college team. I was also the site for a conference championships this year. I will never again allow a college event at my site unless the NCWSA comes up with an enforceable NO ALCOHOL policy. Although the neighbors are 1/2 mile away, I still had the county sheriff at my door at 2:55 am. The neighbors also went to the township board meeting and complained. I am still getting negative feedback two months later. In Michigan, the property owner is responsible for conduct involving underage drinking on his property - so I could have been cited. Of course, I was informed about this at 2:55 am. My rules included: 1. NO UNDERAGE DRINKING. 2. All alcohol must be consumed under a Liquor Control Commission permit. Both were violated. Friday night was very low key and respectful. Some drinking, but very well controlled. Saturday night was a blow-out kegger. At 4:00 am some were still drinking even after two were cited for Minor in Possession. Thankfully, I knew the deputy so I was cut some slack, one time.  My opinion is that hosting college events is not worth the risk to your reputation as a criminal record is hard to shake. The potential of a civil suit can ruin you financially. For me, I will not put myself or my family on the line for anyone's alcohol consumption. By the way, no insurance policy covers illegal acts. The AWSA policy will not cover underage drinking or injuries caused by drunken skiing or hangovers.  I am still the host site for the college team, but I will not hold any college events until the NCWSA steps up and gets control of its members. My perspective is the NCWSA is responsible for the culture I experienced by not tackling this life and death issue and turning a blind eye to it. It is not acceptable to attempt to push the responsibility to the site owner. The organizer is responsible for setting the limits of acceptable conduct. Since the organizer is a combination of a group of college students and the NCWSA, you have to have a set of rules. They have them for the conduct of the on-the-water tournament, now they have to step up and have a code of conduct for the entire tournament time. At 2:55 am, what was I to do? Throw them off site while still drunk? Skiing while drunk? Skiing while hung over? My site stank of puke, had condoms in the street, and one of the skiers who fell climbed out of the lake in my back yard, unzipped her wetsuit to reveal PLEASE F*** ME! written across her cleavage. The host team restored the site on Sunday - they were very embarrassed. For the most part, they are a great group of kids who got in over their heads. Why? There is no support from the NCWSA for off-the-water conduct. No rules, no enforcement. I was asked to host another conference championship and turned it down. Even if the camping is off-site, I still would have a reputation damage issue because they are there for the skiing. This is sad because I have one of the very few multiple lake sites in the region. It is time for the NCWSA to act before college skiing evaporates due to the lack of sites. End of rant. However, you asked.ÂÂ

Hemispherical buoys -  They have an edge. You can displace against the edge. You can get tangled in the line below (I have seen a fin with a metal hook through a hole) - nasty OTF fall, but luckily, no injury. You also can have the ski essentially stop if it hits it at the right angle. You need the bottom skirt to prevent this from happening. A ball shape is much better. Finally, you need tension to keep the buoy in the right place. Take away too much of the bottom, you have a moving buoy. Having enough tension, you have a lot of the hemisphere underwater. You are back where we started....  This winter I'll work with a spiny buoy. Maybe I can find a plastic or rubber compound that will not support algae...

I have experimented with a spiny buoy. Essentially a 6" foam disc with Koosh Balls attached. The concept is to have floating, flexible spines about 6" long (or longer) peeking out over the surface. If the skier runs over it, the spines (essentially colored rubber bands) just displace and there is no drag. The bad: They fade quickly. Algae sticks inside of the spines. I needed to clean them frequently. If you don't know what I am talking about, go to a toy store and look at the Koosh Balls and imagine a circular brush.  For what we have to work with today - water filled balls are the way to go. Reduce the size to 6" and have them 2-2 1/2 inches exposed. Yes, it is harder for the judge to see. But, you will significantly reduce injuries.  I also spray the buoys with 303. It keep them from fading and they are really slick to a ski. You don't have the friction of the buoy to the ski. I don't know for certain this helps, but it cannot hurt...  Karl

As a non-drinker, it would not make a difference to me. However, due to Coors sponsorship of the Heritage Foundation, whenever I had to buy beer, I have purchased theirs. So I guess I would be brand loyal. To date, I have purchased virtually all GM cars due to their sponsorship (I bought one non-GM project car).ÂÂ

A move from the Triumph to the Senate would be a positive move. You can get to -35 on the regular Senate without the expense of the carbon version. It is a narrower ski with a more aggressive rocker. While still wide, it will feel like a sports car to your family sedan. The advantage to you is lower cost plus more dampening in chop and wake crossings.

I concur with buying a ski beyond your level. I have several skis. The ski I am using right now is a Radar Theory with Source bindings. My technique and form is improving rapidly on this easy riding, smooth turning, very forgiving ski that I can ride at slower speeds. Nothing beats proper technique with repetitive perfect practice. Struggling with a ski beyond my ability level was counterproductive. When I get the muscle memory from many hours and my technique is perfect (or not the issue), I will go back to the Senate.