Rob

definitely agree with it possibly being a compression artifact but it may also be a result of the original video being shot interlaced and the final frame we're seeing here being "put together" to give the appearance of the buoy being on both sides of the ski. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interlaced_video

I don't think I'd change boat speed just yet - the slower you go the more 'grip' the ski has on the water and things look slippery enough for this one as it is. Sure it's harder for the skier energy wise, but until she's settled and stable I wouldn't speed up just yet. As for what to say? Suggest keeping it simple...maybe "put some weight on the ball of your front foot" - short and specific. Possibly add "more bend in front leg at knee"

I vote more weight on front foot. Lots of different things to say to get the skier to do this, but I think that's root cause. More weight on the front really should settle things down IMO.

thanks very much to everyone who replied - great to see there are so many highly recommended options. Will look at each over the next week and book shortly!

Can anyone recommend a ski site for a father and son to take a ski vacation, where the site is fully setup for teaching slalom deep water starts (ie. has a boom boat), and has "other things to do nearby", such as is close to a beach and/or waterpark and things like that. I know Orlando has dozens of sites and certainly meets the 'other stuff to do' criteria, but even a pro skier I know can't tell me any one of them that has a boom in order to teach my 9 year old a deep water start. My son is perfectly capable on 2 skis and positively loves the water. He checks all the boxes to set himself up for success provided we can find the right site to teach him. Anywhere in the US is in play - thanks for any advice!

If I mess up ball 6, I'm probably still going to score 5+ and even more likely will ski away and out the gate, messy as it may be. If I mess up my turn in, and I'm far less likely to make the pass, and as a LFF, I _do_ find my gate turn in very challenging most of the time (laugh all you want - I seriously find the gate difficult most days)

Regarding this: http://www.splasheye.com/products/slalom I was wondering if anyone has any experience with it for slalom gate and end course video? The website is a little sparse on details but does say the last 4 US Nationals used it? Anyone with experience like/dislike it? Anything to share about it good bad or ugly? Please comment!

I like this poll...I'm LFF and think RFF has a _small_ advantage. I count the gate turn in for sure - but I would add that I think it's a slightly more important turn than the others, controversial as that may be. Given that's the onside for a RFF, it's easier to make properly. A good start is crucial to a good pass....my logic anyway...

I suspect fiber would also be required to support an HD feed from each of the wired cams, which you'd definitely want. Again...if money was no concern ;) Perhaps a more budget oriented approach: https://www.switcherstudio.com/ (I just found this via google, no affiliation). Might be worth a closer look!

I think Eric makes a good point; reliability above all else. In my perfect little world where money is of no concern, I would love a setup that is completely mobile and with additional gear to feed all cameras into a van that has an operator selecting which feed to take, overlays the necessary graphics to announce current competitor, has the mics to have it properly announced and with all this mixed and recorded for posterity just like an NHL game or other live sporting event. A live stream output option would be great too.

Was at the Toronto Boat Show on Saturday. First stop was the Mastercraft booth - got some good information on the ProStar and talked to a bunch of friends. Had a great time there. Second stop was the Nautique booth. Got to finally sit in the fancy new one. While I'm still not sold on the looks, it's growing on me. Tons of cool features and great ergonomics (IMO), but I think I already knew more about the thing than the sales guy I was talking to...was still fun though. Third stop, and by far the shortest, was the Malibu booth. A group of guys who kind of looked like they might be working there saw me looking around inquisitively like I couldn't find something, because well I couldn't. One of the guys: "Hey what can we help you find?". Me: "your 3 event boat". One of the guys, now laughing: "in the catalog". Me: "see ya". Can't believe they didn't bring it...kinda sad...

Given the drone thread on here I thought I'd put in my 2 cents with some tips as these things are very challenging to operate, especially for those that have no prior RC experience (me). Oddly enough, if you played Nintendo or similar console in the past, I actually found that experience to be pretty helpful. Random tips: - use sport mode if you have it. You want to be able to reach top speed of this thing even for subjects that aren't at slalom top speed yet (kids, trickers etc) because for any number of reasons it will eventually be far away from the skier and you'll need to catch up. - fly the drone manually...follow mode is cool but the additional flexibility of manual shooting will open up a world of additional possibilities, unique angles etc. - know where the sun is, and follow best practice of having the sun behind the camera (unless you're intentionally going for that whole backlit deal which can be cool but very challenging to get right- see sample below for the problems with this (glare/overexposed, generally crappy shot etc.)) - get some ND filters for your lens - these proved invaluable and won't break the bank either... - be prepared to destroy your drone. I have had so many close calls with this thing it isn't funny. Working in 3 dimensional space, attempting to work the exposure triangle, follow rule of thirds, get horizon line correct all while making sure you don't fly into the water, the boat or heaven forbid the skier is all very overwhelming until you get the hang of it. - practice practice practice - when attempting to follow a skier, look at your screen, not your drone. This is seriously important! When you look at what the camera is shooting, then the controls will make much more sense to you. This means if you want to go left or right, the control inputs to do so will always feel natural and you'll never go right when you meant to go left or vice versa. Trying to follow something or a certain path by looking at your drone, which may be flying forward/backward/sideways all while moving up and down at the same time is exceedingly difficult if not impossible. At the same time, and this is one reason why this is so damn hard, you still have to periodically look at your drone to ensure you're not flying into anything! - don't try and fly the drone from the boat the skier is sking from if at all possible...while this is not impossible to do, it's way more challenging than if you are stationary relative to your subject Funny story about my own adventures to the last point above: My drone memorizes it's starting GPS coordinates and has a configurable limit as to how far away from those coordinates you will fly. Due to drone regulations in my area I have this set to the equivalent of about half a mile. But when I shot the video linked below I did so from the boat, and so got in a situation where I was more than the limit away from my starting location. I was actually very close to the drone, but it wouldn't come to me - it thought I was still back at it's starting (takeoff) location. I had to have the boat driver drive back toward our starting location before the drone could be flown to me to actually land it. Some sample footage can be found half way through this video: I shoot with a Mavic Pro and I love the thing.

LOL my ski friend emailed me yesterday asking if I started this. I declare this thread to be awesome :)

@Horton yes I agree @andjules yes that's the article - haven't seen that in forever. @BraceMaker that might have been it I can't remember...

@Horton, I ski into 35 on a good day. What's listed below seemed to work to help me get there. Others may disagree with it, and I admit what I write may in fact be outright wrong. In no order: 1. Separate the edge change from releasing the handle. Put another way, just stay on the handle a tiny bit longer. Failing to do this led to a path straight to the buoy (for me) 2. Accept that you will be carrying more speed as you progress from 22 to 28. I think skiers moving between these lines get the speed they're used to from 22 and start their release, but at 28 that's usually too early. This is more a mental thing... 3. Actively think about keeping your outside shoulder square to the boat. That means not letting it get pulled to face the inside the course. This helps with #1 a bit too. This may be controversial, but it worked for me. 4. Let the line out as slowly as you can - let the boat take it from you. It's not always possible (you're scrambling), but when you can do it, it helps to keep the line tight - even to the point where you can pull yourself around the turn a little and immediately get underway to the next buoy. 5. Do not attempt to ski the impossible line. I think Schnitz or Rossi noted this ages ago -it was a good article wherever it was from. It has to do more with what you do from buoy to centerline but has a direct effect on centerline to next buoy. Simplified, don't bite off more than you can chew. If you load too much too early, you'll be pulled inside from centerline to buoy every time. There is a limit to how much you can hold - accept that you are not running on a 90 degree angle from buoy to buoy no matter how it feels... All of this is far too much to think about all the time. It took years for me to piece this together, concentrating on one point at a time, and most of it still doesn't happen all the time. When I get 2 or 3 of them right, the buoys seem to fall into place, for me anyway.

Some people have touched on this a little but I think it's pretty important - what goes on leading into the buoy is just as important aswhat you doing coming out of it. If I'm not mistaken, I think Andy Mapple indicated in his slalom video of ages ago (2003?) that he thought the space from centerline to the buoy was actually the most important part of the course.

Really appreciate all the help guys, especially the article from Bruce - great stuff in there. I recently had a photo taken of my kid skiing on two skis and me beside him on a trick ski - our smiles (especially mine) are a mile wide. Can't wait to see him progress and it's great to see how much he enjoys it.

congratulations that is awesome!

I'm wondering what beginner slalom ski and boots you fine folks would recommend for an 8 year old, 60 pound boy. I actually can't believe I'm asking the question as I thought his junior combos would last through the entire summer, but yesterday he showed me that he can hold up one ski without much of an issue so....holy crap I think he's ready! He has access to slalom courses and it's almost a certainly at this point that he will want to try them. My personal focus is on him enjoying his time on the water, more than something that will allow him 'one more buoy'. If he starts aggressively skiing the course and I have to buy him yet another ski to help with that, that's a problem I'm fine with. I'd be perfectly fine with a new or used stick, so all options are on the table as far as I'm concerned. Reply here or PM me, and thanks for any assistance.

yes absolutely...

I'm not sure who at Radar thought up the idea of selling a kids combo pair that you can colour, but that was a great idea and my hat is off to that person! The markers work great and it's kept the kids busy for a half hour each of the last 4 evenings straight!

As @jimski said - you get wet. This whole thread reminds me of a funny story about ten years ago when I was instructing some young kid on the boom for a two ski lesson. His mom was in the boat and he was doing fine, so onto the short rope off the boom and then behind the boat for long line. I was doing my thing and everything was going great - another success story...then he fell and I circled to pick him up. I had a moment's in attention to what was going on in front of me as I made sure I got the rope back to the kid properly and I turned forward again just in time to see the nose of the boat head into a very large roller from a wakeboard boat which was in the vicinity. I was in a closed bow 196 and totally buried the bow...the mom who was in the passenger seat, wearing clothes and sitting facing backwards of course, didn't know what was happening until she got drenched. I was mortified and apologized profusely..not one of my finer moments...

I had these boots for a while and liked them, but I agree with the other comments. Most notably that they negatively affected the flex of the two skis I used them on. I didn't even think about that until I read about it in Fin Whispering. While that book doesn't address those boots by name, it makes note about that style of boot and ski flex. Sure enough when I transferred to the Edge and a half boot rear I thought my ski turned a little better. I only released out of them once, which happened to be in tournament. Everything worked as advertised and I was happy with them. I can't think of an easy way to remove the cuff without breaking it off. For $180 I think you did pretty well - enjoy!

yes I've seen some mechanical weed harvesters. I saw one which was basically a chain link fence on some kind of conveyor belt / pulley system where the weeds would be picked up with the end in the water and dumped into the boat. It looked like it worked, however milfoil is a horrible weed - if small pieces of it float away they can replant themselves elsewhere and start growing again, and this weed harvester looked like it was doing a great job at cutting everything up but not so great a job of capturing all of the weed pieces. So this may work short term but can ultimately help to spread the crap around, unfortunately.

oh and one more thing...a quick reminder that you should always empty your engine's water filter basket when moving your boat from lake to lake. Failing to do this helps to spread these types of nasty plants and other wildlife around...