jimbrake

JohnJohn

Hmmm. What is that beneath "Mom and Dad"?

Buck Mtn Minnesota? Really? At least you get a lot of laps in. She went to Vail. Vail is in the Rockies. I'm positive.

This doesn't have to do with tournament attendance or the question of "is the sport dying", but it's related to the evolution of the sport and where the good skiers are coming from. My question is how many of you, and especially families, are able to seriously pursue skiing without living on a tournament lake? Used to be in the West that no one (except the Hortons) lived on a lake, but there were a lot of good skiers regardless. Now, lots of families live on tournament lakes and the kids especially have great access. My family doesn't live on a lake. We belong to a club and ski two nights per week (one set each for me and my two boys) and both weekend days unless we are at a tournament. We are having a blast, the boys are improving, but skiing everyday is not possible, skiing multiple sets is usually not possible, and skiing 3 or even 2 events is not likely even though we'd like to do that. I was 3 eventer a long time ago. I know there are lots of others in similar or probably even more restrictive situations, but it seems like there is a shift occurring in the sport where the best competitors, especially the kids, live at their training sites. I'm not calling foul at all, just seeing this and wondering how I'm going to get my kids to the level they want to be at - strong National-level competitors with a shot at skiing for a good college team. That's not my goal, it's theirs. Anyone else seeing similar trends in their regions? If we are evolving to a point where most or all of the serious competitors and best skiers are coming from a live/train setting, then that will become even more daunting for new people to come into the sport. Seems to me we are becoming more and more hidden and exclusive (that is not intended to be read as "country clubish or snobbish". I would love to live on a lake. As a matter of fact, I'd like to belong to my local Country Club as well. Ain't likely to happen.).

Damn you, Scot Chipman! I stand corrected (including by the Utah Geological Society). Â

Wasatch - I've read it both ways. Wasatch part of Rockies. Wasatch part of the intermountain system. The latter seems correct as they are on the east side of the Basin and Range which underwent a different mountain building mechanism than the Rockies. Is this the first geologic derail of a waterski-related thread?

Mark - please email me a brake at geoconinc dot com. thanks, Jim

I moved to Sacramento in '87 specifically because of waterskiing and snow skiing. I grew up in the Bay Area and had a 4+ hr drive to snow skiing and water skiing options were available, but much more limited compared to Sac. As TomD stated, there are a lot of private lake options around Sac. 1 hr 35 minutes to Squaw Valley from my home is not bad. Snow skiing on the weekends isn't that crowded at Squaw because it's a huge mtn with lots of options. Our snow quality is not as consistently good as UT or CO, but it can be great and our mountains rival the best. Snow quantity is usually not an issue. Long snow ski season and a long water ski season. They overlap in the Spring, which is fun.

People try to take pictures of me, but they never come out. Nah, actually, I spaced on the whole zippy/BOS thing there. When you're with your kids trying to get practice rides, tournament rides, getting them pics and other vendor stuff you forget some of the details. Wish I would've remembered to stop by though. See you all in Sac next year, I hope. Here's a pic of my boys up in the Sawtooth's after the tournament. http://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/

Except Utah isn't in the Rockies.

"Closed" has a negative conotation for me. I don't like to think of my offside as being closed. Closed sounds like rotation. Closed sounds like finishing a turn with too much load, which I won't be able to hang on to or I'll get pulled into a lousy inside, fast line into the next bouy. I'm going with "open side" and "openest side".

Horton - executive at O'neill? Are you calling BM an executive? Just kidding - dude is very cool and a great skier. PS - saw the ghost skier and his hot girl friend at regionals. I had to confirm that he was in fact "the ghost skier". She had to confirm to me that she was the "hot girl friend".

yeah. I better go practice.

I don't know about AB and Horton, but I have toes on both sides of my feet and my heels are on both sides, too. WTheck do your feet look like? Please attach photos. We could kill the leftys, but that would suck 'cause me, one of my sons, and Chris Parrish are leftys.

While we are getting away from terms, can we please get the f away from "toe side" and "heel side"? What, do we need to try to fit in with wakeboarding to be cool or something? Is that how we got started on that? JHC - our feet point forward. I get the concept of toeside/heelside, but we have a unique stance for a "board riding sport". We are more akin to snow skiing than wakeboarding, surfing, or skateboarding. Can we not stay with "onside" and "offside"? Are we afraid to say "offside" because it may be too negative a term for our sensitive ski psyches? My offside is my best turn (by far), but I don't know what else to call it other than my offside. I think I'm going to go with "big toe side" and "little toe side". I like turning on my big toe side and not my little toe side. Rant over.

Isn't there a "formula" for if you move bindings back or forward that you should move your fin in the same direction some percentage? I've been trying an A1 after being on a D3 Nomad for 3 seasons. The A1 with stock binding position just had too much ski edge in the water. Nice angle, but just tons of load on the body. Moved bindings back a hole and it really freed up the ski. Still generated good angle with a lot less load, but...it made the onside turn a little more unpredictable. Too quick of a finish. Fin back seems like the logical move. Was just wondering if there is a recommended amount.

I and my two B2 sons will be there. Marco - sorry to hear you won't be able to make it. Come to Sac next year!

Ski lake - check world class snow skiing - check wilderness - check fly fishing - check mountain biking - check job potential - check Something must suck there.

Marco, That...is...awesome! And how far away is Telluride? Realistically, how long is your water ski season? Any jobs in that area for geologists? Jim

In addition to John, I see Fritz Harsch and JD Wiswall, too, but don't recognize any of the others. Is the girl in with the long dark hair Michele Paredes?

Teamalibu - you should check out the goose tape. It's bigger and stronger than the duck tape. MS - if you want ear and cold water protection, have you considered an O'neill surf cap? Good protection and warm for the early season, then switch to plugs or headband for the warm weather.

Thomas, Where did you go and who did you ski with? Jim

2 @43? Are you kidding me? Chuck runs 45 off whenever he damn well pleases.  Chuck Norris has counted to infinity - twice.  If by some strange space-time continuum, Chuck Norris was able to fight himself, he'd win. Period.  Most ninjas grow up wanting to be just like Chuck Norris. Instead they mostly grow up to be killed by Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris can do it.

JH, That bench press is crooked. You're right - scoke is so stupid. Jim