A_B

It’s just “flatten the curve” or just an hour of your time…. It’s all for a good cause. Aren’t you for a good cause??? Merry Christmas!

When corporations want to strengthen, they focus on their core buisnesses. They need a clear vision that is communicated to the lowest level employee. "We want to grow" is not specific enough. People need to understand why "we can't stay here and need to go there", but "there" needs to be clearly defined with a path that is gerenally developed by a team, and not one person. What is USAWSA's core business? What are distractions to the core business? What demographic do we want to grow? How do we reach that demographic? A successful corporation does not get distracted by flashy stuff. What is flashy stuff? IMO chasing the Olympics and wakeboarding are flashy stuff. I bet 90% of waterskiers have no idea what most of the wakeboard manuevers were called nor do they care. Wakeboarders and surfers are viewed as a nuisance, like kneeboarders were back in the day on rivers. So let's put oil and water together in an organization... What benefits do non-tournament skiers from being a member? There are more of them than tournament skiers. What benefits do tournament skiers get from membership, aside from being allowed to ski in tournaments? I assume private lakes will remain a core resource needed. Should there be a lake owner membership package including benefits that clearly address one of the concerns they have? Liability is likely at the top of the list. I am not talking about logging every pass in a book kind of stuff, that I refuse to do, but what can be provided on a pool basis to help open their lakes for skiing on a day to day basis? The Safe Sport stuff has been thrashed enough elsewhere.

@Horton can you provide a link to where the USAWSA financials are published? I have looked around and have never been able to find. A Statement of Financial Activities would be good for all to see. Until I can review them I guess I will just continue to be profoundly naïve.

The COO was named to a post in Hollywood: The Hollywood Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality, announced on Tuesday that the commission has appointed Malia Arrington as its executive director. Arrington, who currently serves as the chief operating officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, is succeeding the Hollywood commission’s interim director, Trista Schroeder, and will take over Dec. 1. “Malia Arrington brings to the Commission a wealth of legal and operational experience that will be invaluable as we work with our members — which include the industry’s leading studios, television networks, streaming services, music companies, talent agencies, trade associations, and unions — to set best policies and practices aimed at eliminating sexual harassment and bias in Hollywood,” The problem that I see in today's politics and policies is that there is no dialouge across the aisle and no compromise. The Safesport Commision's top 2 Execs were like-minded and like-driven so you end up with a ridiculous mandate being distributed that stinks like a cow fart. When the leaders are so driven that they discard any common sense concerns about implementation, then the Leadership must be replaced.

I guess if some people have the pipe dream of an Olympic event, they need to play the game and make the rest of the non-dreamers pay the price. Again, other sports where parents drop their next gold medal prodigy off and let others raise their kids. Interesting note about the CEO above, she was an Obama appointee. That is all I need to know.... that is as close to politics as I will go, my Midwestern values showing up...

The popularity of the Big Dawg series showed that there is an underlying interest in an event that had basically bragging rights. I always skied against myself and friends when I hit tournaments. When we held tournaments at our lake it was just 12-15 skiers, 3 rounds, done by lunch, and had a BBQ and beer afterwards. The AWSA Rules and Regs just got in the way more than anything.

Somewhere sometime somebody with money and influence must have had a bad experience and now the majority pay the price for the minorities actions.. This sounds like most "feel good" or "good cause" laws that negatively impact the moral majority and likely will have no impact on future events other than the thinning out the moral majority that are not passionately committed to tournament water skiing. Does the management of the USAWSA understand the legal ramifications if any of the information found in background searches is somehow leaked? I know a few guys who made bad choices while growing up who paid the price for it and are now living a completley different life with families. If this information is not kept confidential by the mandaters they should pay a huge price to those betrayed by them. Where will they draw the red lines and will they be consistent? I had a friend that went through a nasty divorce where the wife went to the local Abuse Shelter making claims that could not be substantiated and later proved to be total bs. Is that guy now out? What about other misdemeanor crimes, driving while impaired, etc.... If the governing body sets this in motion and it doesn't stop the next case of abuse, then aren't they liable if this sweeping requirement doesn't snag the next abuser? Some parents will be relying on them to protect their child and will look to place blame elsewhere, rather than really doing their homework in assessing where they leave their prodigy for tutilege. You know, the whole responsibility thing...

Crystal lakes still out there?

I wondered about RJ crash. Throwing the ski out there could have been a disaster for her front knee if that plate didn’t let go fast enough. She appeared to be ok though. Those competitive juices trump judgement at times.

Gotcha. We don’t have any LPG boats around these parts! They design underground propane tanks to last for 30 years or more.

Plastic gas tank? Hoses and fittings not exposed to sunlight should not be a worry. Drivetrain and hull integrity would be my only other concerns. We have an 07 SN with 1200 hours and it still runs plenty strong. The wakes and tracking are all anyone would want for the price. No fancy dashboard but I have one of those in my Escalade.

“One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” ― Plato My take on the New Green Deal is that it could very well extend into our little niche of the world with lake restrictions, taxes and restrictions on gas, etc.. (cow farts people) There already is a category designated politics, but also includes rules and other issues. Maybe this could be a politics/regulations category where skiers and lake owners can post problems encountered that could resrict or negatively impact our sport? People could share experiences and talk about what they tried to do to prevent or modify proposed restritctions and successes or failures. I am no Plato, but I never paid much attention to politics, but as I have gotten older, I am growing concerned about the direction this country is headed and the limitations it may have on my kids and their kids, to enjoy the freedoms and experiences I have had.

We rarely passed up skiing in light rain or bumpy water back in the day. You only need to watch a replay of Nationals this year, as the wind and waves mowed down many that could run way down the rope. They don't put the tournament on hold unless there is lightning our a real downpour. Might as well practice what you might get. Goggles help in rain and slowing the boat down helps in rough water.

The 2021 was the nicest driving and skiing MC I have ever been in or behind. This one might be for sale mid season if my skiing partner can snag a 2022.

The best thing you can do to help your course skiing is make sure you have a a progressive load into the second wake with straight arms and handle on your hip or very close to it. Free skiers tend to make a big turn and let off the lean into the wakes and have bent arms. Once you have this down then worry about tape on the gunwales for width.

Got back on the water after my 4th left wrist/hand surgery in November. Gradually lost about 25 pounds, although, still way too heavy to be a serious skier, but at 62 it is really tough to lose weight. Nagging tennis elbow developed on left arm (will my down arm on offside lean ever catch a break?). Made most of my deepwater starts, and got up to running 2 sets of 4-5 passes by end of season. Just skied at 28 off 32 mph and almost ran a full pass several times. Sort of a downer when I think back many years when I started at 32 off @ 34mph for my second round quite often. But I am back on the water and seemed to be stronger at the end of the season and actually felt like a skier some times. Enjoyed skiing with the Wroblewski's this year as they lost their lake lease at the end of last season. Ann Marie won Nationals and podiumed at World U17 and finished just outside of podium in U21. Big changes for the year: A MasterCraft was primary tow boat and a Jump Ramp found its way into the lake. This is actually the same (refurbished heavily) jump ramp I bought when President for the old FN's Navy Ski Club on the Ottawa River around 1979/80. I guess we come full circle eventually.... Cheers to all of us who keep slugging away and doing it while we can. Many have gone before us that would gladly trade places with this broken down 62 year old body and not give buoy count a second thought...

Some people like a wedge under their rear heels, makes them feel more athletic and on toes. Rotating is done by rotating the rear or front binding toward the little toes. Canting is a wedge on one side of the biding that raises a side of the plate, so best to raise both plates, the theory is that as your feet seek level you are pushing the raised edge of the ski deeper in the water, so typically done to help the offside lean. I have tried pretty much all of the above, and like my bindings dead straight, as close together as possible. I always cut the front of my rear Animal binding off and ground the raised logo stuff off the back of the front boot so my toes could ride up on the back of the front boot. I felt better centered on the ski, I also have size 12 feet so didn't like the weight spread out that far if toes were not jammed into the back of the front boot. I have been enjoying the Radar Hybrid Toe Plate as it allows my back heel to move up and down but doesn't allow my heel to move side to side.

My guess is that you move your heel around more than you realize and the boot didn’t allow that to happen and you were putting torque on your knee. A loose boot should allow the heel to go up and down so wouldn’t think that would be a problem.

I don’t know if it is a recent change but I use to be able to see who disliked or disagreed or thought a comment was off topic. I can only see who liked or thought comment was awesome. Is this a policy now or is my ID missing something?

Maybe there should be an asterisk in the rule book that states: *when starting at 10.75 meters in runoff and first pass is completed, any score thereafter COUNTS because it is freaking awesome skiing! No, I agree, consecutive score off dock is the best way to go. :smiley:

It sure looks like Dane Mechlar is under 6’. He ran it today in the runoff.

@jpattigr I got a template package for my 2007 SN and now Nautique Parts offers the result on their website. I had them add the logo in middle so assume it can still be done.

I start with both feet in and while I might miss a start once in a while due to a slow pullout, on a normal pullout I get up fairly quick. I wouldn’t say my hair doesn’t get wet but no way pulling for 100’. Even at 285 when I got back in the water after wrist and hand surgery it wasn’t that bad. 260 seems like a breeze this summer. I can only imagine if I made it back down to 185/190. I found the 71” Lithium Senate provided plenty of lift for 285 and easily pops me out at 260. Not sure I missed a start on it this year that was my fault. I botched a few starts on my 69” Senate Pro though!

@ColeGiacopuzzi hopefully our season isn't done so I can try it out this year. Was going great until yesterday. Rain all day today and tomorrow with 50-60 temps, so a lot of cold rain being dumped into the lake. May just have to wait until I head down south in a month or two... Thanks for the advice. I tend to run the deeper shorter setups, so will give that a try.