John Brooks

I drove and skied behind an 18 recently and was very impressed. Driving it tracked great and felt good pulling short line skiers. If I rate boats for steering, I would say the Nautique has the tightest steering and best driving and my opinion the 18 TXI is a close second, thinking of the top 4. I own a 15 Centurion Carbon Pro that skies and drives great and driven and skied behind all 4 regularly. A good friend has what I think is a 2004 or so Malibu he bought new, uses the boat a lot and from a durability perspective, has been a great boat. Malibu builds a solid product IMO.

@jhughes I imagine there is a TC in your area. As @klindy mentioned, beer and food might get the job done.

I need to agree with @DefectiveDave , this is certainly not deserving of the coveted Panda but as @Bruce_Butterfield mentions, at a minimum, he deserves to lose his mancard. I think @Horton should design such a special award.

Is that the wake from the Bumble Bee? :D :D

@GaryWilkinson You may also want to place a noodle with an anchor (a brick or similar) as a zero ball which may help you pull out, stay out and turn in with sufficient angle. This is a great training tool, IMO.

I use cloth tool bags, each with about 25 lbs (easier to move around than heavier bags). For mine, I went to visit my local auto repair shop and got the used wheel weights. I place the weights in zip locks (because they're so dirty), about 4 or 5 lbs in each zip lock and then I place some foam or something soft in the tool bags along with the weight. The foam is for when I kick the bag, it doesn't hurt and my grandchildren don't learn new words and tell their grandmother about what grandpa said.

I've had too many sellers fall through and I agree with @oldjeep , if the money is in my hand, sold.

I believe it is one of, if not the best ski on the market. I took my first deep water start 14 years ago, at the age of 46. A couple years ago I got on a Mapple 6.0 and was very happy. This Spring, April 2017, I bought a T3 from KLP. He took service to a new level, in my opinion. I visit Kris, just after his leg surgery, he sets up my ski, jumps (maybe not jumps) in the boat, watches this old hack, adjusts accordingly. After a month or so, he calls, says he's going to be in the area, how about he watches and if he likes the settings. My goal this season was to qualify for Nationals in slalom and today I met that goal on a T3 in M6. In large part I thank Mapple Skis, especially Kris & Jeff Rodgers (aka a few tips from Jeff also helped a lot). I won't be scaring the guys on the podium anytime soon, but it is sure a sense of accomplishment for me. Bottom line, do yourself a favor and try this ski.

And I have to agree with @lpskier and @Nando , love that ski.

I'm thinking about some of the big name golf tournaments, where they adjust conditions to make the courses more difficult, such as the US Open. They seem to adjust the length of the grass in the rough and on the greens, add to that difficult pin placements and then of course the uncontrollable elements of wind, rain, ect.. Do any of you think there is any contrast to this and the challenges of tough conditions at a waterski tournament? I certainly enjoy skiers running short line slalom passes, but I more enjoy the unpredictable nature of tough conditions, the uncertain outcomes and looking to athletes to manage the situation. I realize they all train hard for these events, but it seems they need to also consider adjusting their training to account for a variety of conditions. I think it is good to see less than perfect water conditions and see who can adapt.

Something is up, to ski in August in NC and water temp drops to 78 degrees F is unheard of (it was 90 a week ago).

This is another improvement in our sport. I like @lpskier have never been turn down by the towboat committee for older boats, but certainly makes sense to formalize these guidelines and eliminate the need for making the request. I would be in favor of something similar for record events, but not sure if IWWF would need to weigh in on that.

I would like to see a final pairing of Halt and Rodgers.

I ski pretty much year round here in North Carolina. Normally I prefer the water temp is over 50 degrees F and wear a dry suit during that time.

@lpskier I'm a little disappointed by my comrades in the Southern Region. It feels like their are too many that only want us to stay the same as we have been for the last 30 years, no changes, but any logical person can see, the results have not been healthy. I have seen a number of changes the last couple years that I believe have been healthy steps toward the future. Are any of them perfect, no, but I believe we really need to look outside of our own personal preferences to find what is best for the sport. Although it is, for the most part, an individual sport, I believe we need more of a team or family attitude to find approaches that are best for the majority.

I hurt just looking at that amazing feet!!

I couldn't agree more with @GK , this is a great change as is the ZBS. I feel these type changes make the sport more appealing to a larger audience.

@LeonL & @MISkier the scoring system (WSTims) prompts you whether the skier would like to change the speed or rope length after a completed pass.

I like a lot of what @adamhcaldwell & @bishop8950 have to say. I would lien toward #3 on Kevin's list. I believe fewer divisions is better and that it's enjoyable for many to have the age division best at Nationals and Regionals. I believe groupings by skill should be accomplished in local events by the LOC's which adds to the fun of those events and makes them special, vs going to multiple local events that all follow the same traditional format. Events like the BallOfSpray Cash Prize, where the organizers come up with formats that appeal to many and are a little non traditional. Isn't this whole sport about fun?

I followed @oldjeep and used the Delco. Was also a great price on Amazon. Thanks.

I'm thrilled to see clubs/lakes setting up well in advance to host these events. A huge task but I feel this is a positive sign of a successful organization. Thanks to @JeffSurdej and all those involved in looking forward and helping to make AWSA stronger. I am equally excited to hear about the increased participation in Nationals this year and hope the trend continues. I hope to be able to attend next year in Kansas.

@OB1 combos?

Yes we were live streaming video only (no audio) through youtube. It was somewhat of a test to allow us to determine if it would work. We had to utilize a mobile hotspot and unsure how successful it would be. We did not stream the entire event, but attempted to have the head to head section available.

@lpskier and don't tell anyone that you're a Yankee, sneaking in through the southern border!

It was truly a fun event as a spectator. I felt it was great skiing by the entire field and was amazed at how close the scores were throughout. I felt like the potential list of winners was very long and was constantly changing. There was some fun back and forth between skiers which added to the enjoyment of the event for many folks. Thanks to all the skiers that participated.