jrs

Good point @MS. That is a problem with all the calipers out there. Axiom has it's own "tip" that will be the same every time they make a manufacturing run.

@Waternut, addiction makes people do crazy things ;) I know a lot of addicted slalom skiers that will pay anything to get their fix (one more buoy).

@ral, I know the inventor and his cost is being driven by manufacturing cost with skiing being a small market. I remember when the slot caliper didn't sell much either, then a few Big Dawg skiers and Goode Skis started reporting their numbers with the slot calipers and everyone had to have one. The supplier couldn't keep up at one point. I see this going the same way because I know the guys that are getting the first units. @DW, The Axiom measures from the true back of the ski, not along any curve. This was a suggestion because of all the variations in calipers measuring DFT. I know the next thought is "this is way off of what we do now for DFT". Yes, that is correct it's different and it's also repeatable. This will clearly change the DFT number you are use to seeing. But, every Axiom will measure the same while every other caliper brand will measure something else. Why should we have calipers displaying 4 or 5 places behind the decimal when the head of each caliper is different and producing inconsistent numbers for DFT? Sorry, the engineer in me wants everything to be consistent. Time will tell if this product gets adopted as a standard. To me, skiing is what I do and enjoy everyday. The cost of high-end tools to gain another buoy is something myself and many others in our sport just accept.

Good idea @Waternut

I don't think the price is out of line. This product measures all 3 directions of your fin at the same time and without removing your wing. It is made with 3 calipers (1 Slot Caliper is $150). Comes with fin gauges and tools. With this device, you can see that when you change say depth, what does that do to your length and DFT. This makes it real easy to change only one direction at a time. I also like that if someone quotes their settings and I want to try that exact setting, I can set the Axiom to those numbers, lock it, and simply move the fin up against the 3 tips. It uses a micro SD memory card to store all your settings and your ski partners as well.

The texture on the water is awesome in the rain. It's like the dimples on a golf ball. I use safety glass for the skier and driver.

Our local girl at Okeeheelee, Samantha Dumala is in the Girls Under 17 lead with 1@38 (11.25M). Go Sam Go!

@MattP OK, got it now. Thanks Also, found this link for results: http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/competition.php?cc=T-12IWWF05&page=TimeTable

@MattP I'm following Ballofscores on Twitter. Will that collect anyone you have set up over there to Tweet? Thanks for the info.

@MattP Thanks Matt, I don't use an iPhone. The twitter link would work for me. I have a friend skiing in the tournament and would like to know how she does.

@MattP Who do we need to follow on Twitter to get these scores?

It's not a sport, there is no clear winner. Everything is judged by how the judge felt about it, not by anything you can measure. It's about the same as pulling a tube on big lake but with a better chance of getting hurt. Sure it can be fun to do for a summer but then it gets old. I've seen it at its peak about 5 years ago where I ski. Now I see about one wakeboarder in a week if any.

My Sportube is covered with golf company logos. When traveling, some airlines will charge for waterskis but they never charge for golf bags. This can save you $150 each way on many flights. Keep in mind if you are talking to TSA the bag contains waterski gear. If talking to the airlines it's golf equipment. The pin that comes with a Sportube is nice but the airlines will loose it. Tie the pin to the handle with a small rope or cable. For extra protection of TSA not assembling the pin correctly, add a bungee cord from the handle to any one of the empty holes on the other end of the tube. This will hold the two tubes together in an easier way than the pin. Add bright duct tape on both tubes like arrows pointing at each other to help TSA understand how to reassemble and how close the tubes should be when assembled correctly.

This event will be handicapped. It will start out with #1 against #2 in each of those divisions. Then the winners will move through the brackets. You could see a Girls 2 taking out the Open Men skier. This will not be done in 5 minutes. A sweet 16 can take 2 to 3 hours.

John Shealy, Jeff Smith, Ed Hickey, and Tim Huston. All staying for a week in a house on the lake.

Nick is not unknown at Okeeheelee. In the summer, he skis with me weekly and also in Hobe Sound. He will be added to the who ran 41 list soon.

I'm John Shealy, a member of the Ski Club of the Palm Beaches at Okeeheelee Park. I've been skiing for 30 years and still trying to figure it out. I'm also a Senior Driver and Senior Pan AM Judge. In my spare time, I'm a product development engineering.

I live across the street from Okeeheelee Park (West Palm Beach, FL). There is no off season!

Thanks Rod, the great skiing became contagious. I was just fortunate to be in the driver's seat at the right time.

http://www.pentalago.com/features.html

Kim, Let me or Roger know when you will be down. You can email me directly at jshealy@arttopart.com John S.

BTW John, do you have any more #88 or #106 fins that have the Goode shape? I would like to buy a few from you.

Not the same

Horton, I'm not sure where you will find that form on the site but I have seen one. Jdarwin, I'll see you there on Thursday. Of course, it's my home site so I'll be there everyday.

jdarwin, if you never ran the MM qualification then scoring should not have listed you as MM even in a Big Dawg. This is a known problem with scoring and the ranking list and would get caught at registration. ---------------------- MM is 1.5@39 once in an R or twice in a C. ----------------------  3.03 Open Division and Masters 55k Competition For entry into the Open or Masters 55k divisions, performance and exceptional performance standards, as listed on the Official AWSA Water Ski Athlete Performance Qualifications sheet, must have been equaled or exceeded once at any National, Regional, or Record Capability tournament . For Masters 55k, performances may occur at two Class C tournaments. The performance(s) must have taken place within the last 15 months for Open Divisions or within the last 12 months for Masters 55k Division. Entry into the Open or Masters 55k divisions is optional. A skier entering one or two events in the Open division must qualify by Open qualification performance standards in each event. A skier entering three events, for overall placement, must qualify with one Open performance (as described above) and two exceptional performances, or by having a NOPS score of 2750 and a minimum of an exceptional performance in each event. A skier skiing in one or more events in the Open division but not qualified for, or opting not to ski in, the remaining event(s) may ski in the division based on his age (Rule 3.02).