Ham_Wallace

No Ski/No Shopping!

Jeff's boat is sweet!

Too old to learn new tricks.

What time frame are you on?

Jeff Gordon

Rule #1: The wife is ALWAYS right.(kinda like Horton) Rule #2: When in doubt, see rule #1.

Pine Island Alabama?

Area 41 is one fine slalom hole.

Horton is right!

Yes, Have skied with Lucky for 40+ years and Seth grew up skiing on Beautiful Lake Guntersville in Alabama where I learned to ski, have a cabin and still make a few turns. I still ski with Lucky when I make it to Central Fla.

OB, There could have been a true challenger out there somewhere that had horrible conditions at his/her events and didn't make it to the dance. Then, there are those that live in proximity of the primo slick water sites and never get to ski the s%*t. Competition is: that day, that site, those conditions. All equal.

Damn, I'm glad I found that!

From the Old Freedom Slalom Site, Quite a while ago. Some things stay the same, WHY WE SKI People always ask us, “Where is the coolest place you’ve been?” or “What Pro Tournament is the most fun?” The truth is, our best moments are on public lakes and rivers with some of our closest friends, whether we’re cranking out turns or just chillin. That is what skiing is meant to be, and that is why we still do it. I’m not gonna lie, rippin through a slalom course at 60 mph is sick. The accelerations and crushing forces are hard to find anywhere else. But we can never escape our roots, on the open water. Just like the 7,000,000 other people worldwide who hit the water yearly…. So, with such a huge number of water rats in the world, what is wrong with competitive water skiing?? Here’s one take: Competitive water skiing relies heavily on rules and regulations. Obviously we need standards, to have records and ratings. However, I don't think fairness depends so heavily on such tight restrictions. The fact that we hold on to records and ratings so dearly in this sport IS the very reason we end up with such a thick rule book, and a large part of why the competitive side of the sport has not been growing. Competition is "the process by which one athlete interferes with or suppresses the activity of another athlete". The governing body in the United States, USA Water Ski, is not about competition. Its not about how you stack up to one another on "any given day", but rather how close you come to a number or “rating”. This means that tournaments have to be held on the best sites, with the best conditions if they expect people attend. That's not the spirit of water skiing. Water skiing needs to find its way back to its roots and back to competition. Skiers should have a reason to care about how they ski relative to those on the same starting dock. It should mean something. They should ski for placements, not ratings. And those placements should be their ticket to the next level. The current system is broken. Last August, SkiWestCoast.com hosted an Elite Pro Slalom Event in conjunction with Boardstock, a wakeboarding event. Toyota’s Last Man Standing Slalom Shootout took place on Clear Lake California, directly in front of Konocti Harbor and Resort. 20 of the top Men Slalom skiers in the world attended, and battled it out in a new format and with a new vision. In the toughest water Professional Slalom skiing has ever seen, the event was run with 2 boats, 2 drivers and 2 judges….Nothing more was needed. The skier who could survive the longest, won. Period. No ratings, no records, and no BS. It was pure slalom and true competition, just as it should be. Points were awarded for placement, and overall rankings were based off those points. The site was challenging, but it was challenging for all skiers. If we continue to stay the course and travel down the path of ratings, records and more rules, the dynamic growth of competitive water skiing may cease for good. On any given day, anything can happen…in true competition. We should harness the hope that lies in that statement, by getting back to competition based events, or we may have no chance of creating a better future for generations to follow. Either way, there will always be the open water, always one more sheet of glass to rip, somewhere in the world. If that’s good enough for you, it’ll be good enough for me. Marcus Brown MB Acapulco Sunset are lost.

Go to the rivers! There is always glass around some bend waiting to be enjoyed by a swerve Junkie. God made glass waters for this reason. Sounds good to me anyway. There is something about ripping some big turns and throwing a big spray on some obscure stretch of water with your buddies. Getting back to the "run what you brung" kind of thing ain't all so bad. May the force be with you!

After 47 years, I am still trying to figure out if I am a slalom skier that wants to be a jumper or a Jumper that wants to be a slalom skier? Any Ideas?

How bout' the ski?

OK: For example. 150 M5 slalom skiers enter. 1 or 2 lakes, 2 boats in each lake. Each skier draws to see his rd. 1 competitor. Now, this is a 2 pass elimination round. Example: skier 1 starts at -28 and runs both passes scoring 6 @32, then skier #2 would have to start at -32, run it and get something at -35. The loser then goes into a losers bracket. (all skiers ski a minimum of 2 times) When a skier loses twice, he's out. Running 2 passes and 2 boats, the time per skier/per round would be sub 2 minutes. Thus the first round of M5 slalom could be run in 5 hrs on a single lake, 2 1/2 hrs on 2 lakes. Round 2 could be 2 days later. after rd. 2, 25% of the skiers would be eliminated. Anyway, there would be a big ol' mental game involved too. After Rd.#3, 50% are out. Now we are smokin'. Skiers will be going out cold at 32, 35 and 38. Cool viewing and a speedy event happening. 75% will be gone after RD#4. Getting closer to a finals, huh. Not yet! Round 1 & 2 took 2 1/2 hrs each on 2 lakes. Rd.# 3 took about 1 3/4 hrs. Rd.#4 1 hr and 15 minutes. (now we are boogying) Now we are running a round in 1 hr, 16 minutes on 1 lake and the tension is heating up........by rd 6, it is down to 15-16 skiers, 32 minutes, rd 7 8 skiers, 16 minutes, You guessed it! 4 skiers and 2 finally run it off! Spread it over 9 days ( 2 weekends and a week and woohoo! BTW, 2 boats for tricks, starting docks on each end, 20 second passes. Boats running each direction with skiers. 1 minute per skier. Jumping, 2 jumps! (we did it in M4 jump in Houston after a rain delay from the previous day. NOW that changes the mindset! That event ran FAST! Make it fun, git er done! Sorry Eric, I know you could handle 20 seconds of tricks!

I think that the Nationals should be available to any skier competent enough to run some minimum speeds/rope lengths. Make it HUGE. Elimination rounds. head-to-heads and a finals. Don't use Sr. Officials until the finals and make the entire thing a viewable, enjoyable festival! AWSA could use the money and so could sponsoring clubs and Chambers of Commerce. Make it so families stay the week. U.S Open in the midst of it, Open/Elite events in the mix, Big Dog Finals etc. hell, even have ski racing, hydro-foil, knee board, wake board and barefoot all close by at the same times. Think Big! Imagine thousands of "Lake People" in one place for 9 days!

I prefer public lakes with bass boats, jet skis and other wallys. BUT, if I have to select a private ski site, here goes: Lake Pryor, McDonald, Tennessee, (home of the world famous "Barkin' Dawg Saloon"), No Wake Lake, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Lake Grace, Manchester Tennessee, Area 41, Athens, Alabama, Lymanland U.S.A, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Ski Ranch, Covington, Louisiana, Ski Bennetts, Zachary, Louisiana, Whitestone Estates,Georgia, Twin Oaks Lake, Paducah, Ky., Lake Erectus, Sweetwater, Tennessee,Crews Lake and Collierville Ski Club, Collierville, Tennessee. Water's Edge, Wilmington, Ill., Okeeheelee, West Palm Beach, Fla., Lake Ida, Lake Osborne,Lake David,Lake Grew, McCormicks, Ski Paradise, Jack's, Swiss, Lake Tennessee, Auburndale, Fl. Lake Lucky Lowe, Robin Lake, Ski Watch, Shortline Lake, Destin, Fl., Hoover Lake, Duck Hill, Plum Nelly, Butterfly Lake, Doc's Ditch, Lake Christopher,(Miami), Chet's, Lake Paul, Medalist Lake, Madison, Ga., Walmeade, Rambo's Pond, Clearwater, Alabama, Bachman Lake, KYD Lake, Garden Valley, Green Lake, Seattle, Berkley Aquatic Park, Ski West, Ski Paradise, Precision Lake, Belle Aqua, San Juaquin Delta, Mission Bay, Whitey's Lake, Bynum, Tx.,Lake Hollingsworth, Lake Bonny, Lake Sumit, lake Wauburg, Lake Virginia, Lake Roy, Lake Lulu, Lake Marsha, Lake Hancock, Lake Dexter, And on and on..........I never met a lake that I didn't like.

Lesson #1: Get a new battery at the start of each season. Lesson #2: Change impeller at start of each season. Lesson #3: Put old impeller in glove box to save some poor guy that didn't know lesson 2 and save a wasted afternoon towing him in.(it will save his afternoon also). Lesson #4: Zip tie a V-Belt on the lower water pump support in good position to install without tools. It will save an afternoon several seasons down the road.

Mike is a great guy and a great competitor. he was like a human cannonball on the ramp. I have missed him at the starting docks for the past years. He was always in a jovial, good mood. I wish him a full and speedy recovery and prayers are with him.

With the site in such swing, I think that all anyone needs to do is to "ask a question" and the galactic warriors will respond in such length and detail that it would take the person looking for those answers a week to read the responses. Horton has done an amazing job.

MS is wrong, Horton is right! Welcome newbies!

I'm with Horton. The COX is an amazing ski. Big "schoolbus" turns at 28, starts coming around nicely at 32, hooks up great at 35 and hold on at 38. The A-2 is a smoother through all rope lengths alternative. BUT, In my mind, the COX is the most fun. I am all about fun. I love the lake!

I wonder if ropes have a "Born on Date" like beers.