Than_Bogan

Thanks! Can anybody provide a link to a picture/retailer? I was surprised that search didn't turn it up -- nor could I easily find it on h2osmosis.com. Perhaps I am blind.

What's everyone's favorite competition vest (non-CGA) and where do you buy them? I've always used a CGA vest because they had more back support, but now that I've *really* messed up my back (though recovering well, knock on wood) I'm going to try a full back belt with a lighter vest.

I'm guessing watching Karina made you think of this. Her handle control is Shockingly Good. Might be better than Jamie's. Thanks for the re-post. I'm going to need to study this during the off-season and see if I can grasp all the great stuff in this thread. Maybe when my back heals up I'll be a smarter skier and ready to bust out a great 2009!

Let me be the first to say (on this forum anyhow): HOLY CRAP! That is beyond awesome. Congrats Karina!!

So let me get this straight: She's the best skier in the world, she's great looking, AND she's polite and shows rare maturity for a modern athlete? How am I supposed to feel good about myself by finding some way in which I am far superior to her??? Please tell me she's dumb as a brick or something. Help me out here!

One thing to be aware of is that sometimes older Goodes can really break down. I've heard stories of 9100's lasting a decade, but personally I only got 3 seasons out of mine before it snapped in half under normal usage. My 9600 was absolutely AWESOME out of the box, but had all sorts of quality problems (peeling from the bottom), and then really softened up over a few years. I personally would never buy a used Goode, but there are plenty of folks who have had terrific success on one. Constructionwise, I think there's no doubt Fischers are better. I've never heard of an issue with a used one. But I only skied two sets on mine before I wrecked my back (NOT the ski's fault at all), so all I can say is "initial results were very encouraging."

I can't answer this question definitively, but this is a great opportunity to spout: This attempt to "fix" this rule just emphasizes what a poor rules change it was in the first place! If you get to the center and you still have the rope, you should get the full ball! Even after this tweak, there is still plenty of incentive to take big slack hits -- you just have to make sure you take them BEFORE you get back to the line of the boat gates. Breaking your back and launching stuff at the boat crew is still HIGHLY encouraged... Personally, I think they went in completely the wrong direction in addressing this. I believe the notion of the "full" buoy is complete nonsense. How many times have we all seen somebody stop skiing and drift back to the wakes to get a full buoy and beat whoever is sitting in second place who ended by trying to ski further and thus falling and getting a 1/2 ball. Moreover, I'd say 90% of the time a score of 5 represents a worse round than a score of 4.5. The 5 means you had no chance for 6. The 4.5 means you did -- or at least you thought you did. Then throw in the fact that you can injure yourself trying to get full balls AT A POINT WHEN ALL THE SKIING IS REALLY DONE, and I think the benefit of the "full ball" rule is extremely dubious. So I say, if you round the ball, you get the point. That's it. (Well, OK, 1/4 balls could remain in my scheme -- those represent a fundamentally different situation where you were a mile late.) I know at first blush what I'm saying sounds incredibly radicial, but take some time to think about it. I'm a game theory and strategy geek by background, so I don't throw around rules proposals without thinking through what they *really* mean. For example, it seems like this would result in more ties. I believe it wouldn't, because once you get rid of full balls, then there is NEVER an incentive to stop skiing. Under current rules, if I'm in a runoff and the guy before me gets 2 @ -38, then if I get to 2 in anything but perfect shape, then I'm going to stop skiing, take the tie, and try again. But if there's no such thing as full balls, then I always try to get to 3. This totally prevents "tie targetting" and just lets everybody get as many buoys as they can. Sure, there will still be ties. But I doubt significantly more -- and possibly fewer. I've been talking about this with skeptical skiers for a couple of years now, and nobody has convinced me I'm wrong. In fact, I've convinced quite a few people who have thought about it for long enough. Perhaps one of you will be the first to convince to me I am full of crap! Go!

Wow, that's a lotta crickets. Guess I'm the only one who found this relevant to us wanna-be pro athletes.

thanks!

Marco - If we're trying to get as close to constant speed as we can, does it follow that the BOAT maintaining constant speed is also helpful? I'm not certain it does, but it sounds logical... In that case, the fact that PP actually decelerates after the gate would be considered disadvantageous (again, after you get used to ZO).

Can you post a video? In the abstract, one thing I can say from my own experience is that usually when I have bad body position on off-side pull, the actual mistake happened either at the apex of the turn or all the way back in the preturn. If you are properly counter-rotated with your hips neutral (i.e. NOT sitting back) and your knees bent, and then you ski all the way back to the rope like this, then your body position is all set. If not, it's too late to do anything about it. At least, if you're a weakling like me it is! This is really something to practice on open water, but I'll admit I never do that either...

EVENTUALLY, after we get used to it, should it make it easier to come in 1/2 mph slower? My first thought is yes, because having the boat decelerate as I'm approaching the 1-ball seems like it makes it relatively harder for me to slow down. Also, more speed at the gate means carrying more speed into the ball. Although you do need to bring some speed into the ball, let's not forget that 34 is a LOT easier than 36, so speed itself is not inherently advantageous.

alex, why did you choose not to use it this year? I'm thinking of it as a supplement to everything else. My spine is genetically "interesting," so my heavy core workout is what enables me to ski AT ALL. But I could always use more support.

That's the same glove by appearance, but it no longer uses that system that pulls the palm down. That was the part I liked!

Has anyone found a water-proof back-support belt you like for slalom skiing? In the past I've worn a generic back belt under my drysuit, and then in warmer weather a full CGA life vest with low straps. The drysuit get-up actually provides better support, and now that I've messed up my back nicely, I'm thinking about how to get that during the few warm months we get in Massachusetts. Perhaps I'd get both better support and better freedom of movement if I combined a thin competition vest with a water-proof back support belt? Suggestions?

I've been using HO Talons for several years, and I used some other brands before that that all had an upside-down metal triangle and straps going through it. Thomas Wayne is actually wearing a set in the ARM-GUARD picture.  I can't seem to find gloves like this any more. Anyone know where to get them!?

How insensitive!  The preferred phrase is Socially Challenged... /vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-wink.gif And by the way Mr. Villain from a Children's Movie, I'm thinking of a phrase involving black pots and kettles. Seriously though, being a dork ROCKS. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'll be buying one (or more) shortly. Opinion question: Should AWSA consider mandating such a "device" in competition? I think if they did so, then basically everyone skiing the slalom course would end up using one. Even those just doing it for fun would want to LOOK like the competition skiers.

Wow, you ski a LOT like me -- right down to the slight bowleggedness. Almost thought I was watching a video of myself. And since I know lots of stuff I do wrong, I can tell you to try to fix all the things that I can't seem to! Starting from the preturn, keep your momentum going outward. Others may have better thoughts on how to do this, but keeping your shoulders and hips facing outward even as you begin to turn should help. A trick Mike Robinson taught me is to "rise up" into the preturn. I'm not actually sure why this works, but making a point to stand up a little taller as I edge change seems to help maintain outbound momentum even while initiating a turn. This should lead into increasing your counter-rotation at the apex of the turn. I practice this on shore all the time, although I'm still pretty lame at it. Some folks have a lot of success by pushing the handle forward when releasing it, but I seem to be destabilized if I focus on that. One thing that helps me personally is to keep my visual focus straight ahead all the way until I reconnect with the rope. But anyhow, you want your outside shoulder behind your inside shoulder and your hips facing [just barely] outward, and then carry this position all the way around back to the rope. At this point you'll hook up earlier, with better ski position, and no stall. I think your body position as you go across is already adequate to run both -35 and -38, but you're losing a lot of time in the turns. Perhaps some of the above will help you. Good luck!!

In case anybody hasn't been watching Olympic coverage, here's a story about Becky Hammon, an American playing for the Russian basketball team that just won Bronze. http://www.boston.com/sports/articles/2008/08/04/crossing_a_border/ Personally, I'm a little confused about the contraversy, and it's because of my own status as a competitive athlete. If waterskiing had made the Olympics as planned in Athens, and some random country had offered to let me represent them in the Olympics, I would have said "yes" as fast as I could. What an opportunity! In the U.S., I'm probably barely top 200 out of everyone, but there are plenty of countries in the world where I'd be their best guy. And I'd jump at the chance. Am I an unpatriotic traitor or is this a "contraversy" simply because most people don't relate to her situation at all? I figure most folks on this forum CAN relate, so I'm really curious about people's reactions.

Wow, great idea. On a quick scan of the other thread I don't see where to order one. Could you paste a link or something?

Thanks.  I picked up the Overton's Gladiator for $30 and it seems to suit. A little odd shape (wide in front), but maybe someday I'll be glad I have that when every ski looks like the 9900SL WIDE RIDE...

I'll bite: What's an ARM-GUARD? Quick google search came up empty.

Ok, NOW what is it? Oh wait, it's still a Warforged...  I'll stop this way-off-topic nonsense now, I promise.

Oh, didn't realize everyone could see the URL... Oh well, good use of google anyhow.