kpickett

I was spoiled for the last 10 years, being a member of a great club in NorCal - the best owners, great club members, and perfect conditions pretty much every day - and we skied three or four days per week. We skied the INT because it was hosted there. We recently moved to a part of the country where there are no private lakes. There are many public lakes, but you cannot train on a public lake. I'm lucky to have made friends with another slalom fanatic, and he got a permit and put a course on the public lake, but most of this summer, it has been out of commission because of flooding. My 9 year old wanted to ski tournaments this year, but we've had about 3 sets on the course all summer. I'm not going to put him out there with no practice and have him have a bad experience and decide he never wants to do it again, so we're out of it for another year. Access to good training conditions is the biggest barrier. I've been so frustrated that several times this year I told my wife I'm ready to sell the boat and do something else. This is a sport where you can't really compete without access to a private lake.

@6balls - Yes, it has the LT-1, no slot. It has 1050 hours. I'm not going to sell until I find a 197. I was ready to drive home with one, but it didn't work out. You can put your friend in touch with me if you want. kwpickett@gmail.com Thanks.

Thanks, @jhughes, I can't believe it, but I'm actually thinking of selling it if I find the right 197. I need a little more space for growing boys.

Always happy to put up a picture of my boat.

I have a 94 190. My buddy had a 95. My son skis the course at 21. My wife skis 15 off at 28 and 30. I ski into 35 at 34. We feel like the 94 wake is much nicer than the 95. I wouldn't turn down a ride behind a 95 at all, but it's a harder, higher curb to cross. There is some spray on the 94. It's really only a problem when there's a big headwind. I love the ergonomics of the 94. Feels like you're driving a sports car. I love all of the new boats, but I don't think their wakes are any better than the 94 190.

Bryan, Congratulations on getting into Indiana. You're going to have a great time. I'm a conductor and slalom skier. I conduct the Springfield (MO) Symphony and the Topeka (KS) symphony. Come down and be my guest at a concert some time, and we'll try to ski, too. Your post was a great summary of some of the techniques it takes to practice a skill for the thousands of hours it takes to become an expert. Slalom and classical music go well together, but 6 years of grad school can keep you off the water for a while. Good luck in school. Kyle

I've been reading all of the Stargazer and Z Box threads for years, thinking about upgrading my mechanical servo 6.5ng system to Z Box. I'm running a 94 Mastercraft ProStar with the LT1. I've been nervous about upgrading, having read a lot about problems getting the speed to settle in, plus classic has worked very well for me. We've moved to an area where we ski a course on a public lake with no magnets, and I've been getting to ski Zero Off more regularly, so I decided to pull the trigger this week. I want to report back a complete success. It took me about 20 minutes to swap out the module, run the GPS cable, and install the Z Box. I transferred my baselines in and took it out on the lake today. After mapping the course and doing a couple calibration runs, I can report it works perfectly. Perfect times, every pass - my son at 17, my wife at 28 and 30, me at 34. All buoy times are within 1 or 2 100ths, and it feels like ZO. There is no problem with the mechanical throttle or the LT1. This version is fantastic. Well worth it to me.

Rod, you going up to Villa Lagos? I'm going to have to miss this one, but it's a good group of people. I ran the slalom event the last couple years, and we did two rounds on Saturday and one on Sunday. I don't know what they have in mind this year, since I'm not involved. They will have a 200 there. If you make it up on Friday, you can take some practice. INT basically places you in your division by a "never run before" system. So, if you usually run your 28 but haven't gotten through 32, you'd be in the never made 32 division. After your first event, it automatically places you in the right division. If you know that you're likely to run 22, just tell them, so you can ski with the others who are basically your same level. When you get there, ask Eric Pettinger. He'll help you out. Sorry I'll miss you there. Kyle

Hey Grant and Jeff, Thanks for the info. Grant, thanks for the offer. I'm here just through Sunday, but if I get the job we'll come back in the summer to check things out, and maybe we could connect then. Do you know if the Shulls have memberships on their lake? I'll see if I can find a conctact email. Thanks again, Kyle

I posted in January about skiing in Topeka, and I'm still waiting for the result of that job interview. This week I'm in Springfield, MO for another interview. Are there any skiers/clubs/ski lakes in the Springfield area? Any potential move for me has to take that into consideration. Thanks in advance. Kyle Pickett

@Klundell - I'll try to take a picture of what I rigged up when I get a chance. It's pretty simple, and when you remove it, nobody will ever know it was there. I should also point out that in the pic of my son in his seat he isn't wearing his vest. He just wanted to sit in his seat at the dock. He wears the vest when we're under way. @kmenard - I understand that concern, but I don't think it's an issue on the private ski lake. I think that could be a concern on open water where a drunk boater could hit you, but not on the pond. @bmiller - I agree. We use a shock tube, and we just have a rule that you don't try to hang on and take a hit with the kids in the boat. I actually have the T-top that came with my ProStar, but it makes moving around the boat all but impossible. I did think about putting it on for when the kids are in the car seat, but so far, we've been ok with the rule and the shock tube.

Here's a pic.

Our kids have used (still use for the 3 year old) a car seat. I created a simple latch system attachment that all of today's car seats can connect to. I used some thin cable and made loops that sit at the same point of the seat that they do in the car. I then threaded them through and attached them to the floor. (It works with a Mastercraft where the seat bottom stays put and the back lifts.) With the latch system you can snap in and out the car seat in seconds. I second the comment about putting down a mat or thick towel to protect your vinyl, but on the other hand, I realized that you don't have to cinch the car seat down nearly as tightly as in a car. On a private slalom lake, you're not likely to be t-boned by another vehicle. The car seat is mainly to keep the kids from squirming and hurting themselves.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the info. I liked Topeka, now I just wait a few months until things are decided. If it comes through, I'll contact the local lakes right away. Thanks again. Kyle

Hi folks, I'm in Topeka for a job interview. I won't know for quite a while whether I'll get the job, but does anyone know if there are any ski lakes, clubs, housing developments in the Topeka area? Any BOS skiers out here? Thanks very much. Kyle Pickett

Yes, I've skied this one. It has way more than enough power. It's a great boat in great shape. It has a fantastic wake and no spray.

@skihart - No. I'm a pretty diehard Mastercraft guy. I just happen to know that particular boat, and it's been really well taken care of.

I personally know that Nautique. It's a beautiful boat in great shape, and it skis great. I would definitely buy that one.

$5/pr neoprene palm pads from Brenda. Resorting to making my own. Anyone have a good resource for sheets of neoprene (like about 1/2 to 1 yard of it) ? I've been buying neoprene lunch bags from Walmart and cutting the palm pads myself. You can get two sets of pads out of a lunch bag.

Well, of course I did what the wife said. I'm not stupid. Although, letting her prove me wrong seems to be a great motivational tool for her advancement in the course! Wonder how long I can keep that up? To add to @Wish - Happy wife, happy life. Wife who wants to go skiing - Happy husband!

So we get the family out today for the first time this season. I'm thinking about all the discussion about how to get back into ski shape/technique - run some drills, do some slow passes, etc., etc. My wife skis first. She's been skiing the course for just a couple years. Last summer she made great progress - really nailed down 26 and 28 mph, started running 30, started working on 32 mph. Since we haven't skied since last October, I set her speed at 30 to just free ski. She says, "Set it to 26." I say, "I put you at 30. We haven't skied for months. You should just free ski and forget about running buoys." She says, "If I'm supposed to ignore the buoys, what are they there for?" Then she says, "Don't tell me what to do. Set it to 26." Then she jumps in. Runs her opener, back to back. Ups to 28, runs it back to back. Ups to 30 and nearly runs it. She gets back in the boat and says, "See - don't tell me what to do." So, thanks, guys, for all the ideas of how to start your season off right. That worked out well for me.

Great looking boat! Almost as pretty as a Mastercraft. Actually, if I were in the market, this would be my first choice boat.

Rod, that Red Bluff lake has been for sale for a long time. It comes with a lot of property. My buddy looked at it, but the whole package was pretty expensive.

Thanks, those of you who gave advice on my last frustrated post. A quick update: I set the fin to the numbers Shane gave me - 2.496, 6.837, and dft of .770, with the wing around 8.5, and moved my bindings back one hole. (This is for the 65.5 - 34 mph, weigh 150.) Mostly, I've been working on keeping my hips shifted forward to center my weight on the ski. I've been working really, really hard at keeping the handle in out to the buoy line and changing edges early. The phrase "decouple the edge change from the reach" has been in my head constantly. It's definitely been helping. Today I ran the prettiest, easiest 32 I've ever skied. It felt like an easy 28. I'm still working on the gate turn-in. The ski just wants to stay up on the glide, and my partners tell me I'm still rotating the shoulders to get the ski to turn in. I'm not getting nearly as much slack at one ball, but I'm still not getting the gate/1 that I did on the Prophesy. I am much happier on the ski, though. Thanks for the help. I didn't video today, but I'll try to take some this weekend. Kyle

Matt - I weigh 150.