Drago

Joe, the record setting thing in the Western Region was my personal comment prior to our running a TB format . I have copied you on everything I did to try the TB format. I thought it was so you could refine and listen to comments, but your, "They need to fix that" makes me think you just think we're a bunch of idiots. I didn't hear you tone, and hopefully I am wrong(?). I think many people throughout the West have differing opinions and reasons for their opinions. Where I ski, Colorado, we don't have E or higher tournaments.As with a runoff, I don't feel records should be set with the TB format. If the West allows regional records to be set in a C, all they have to do is state that T&B rounds will not be accepted as records. I have copied my comments after running a T&b tournament a couple of week ago.

I have copied my report to all.

1.    Skier’s perspective

a.    Skiers that liked the format

                                           i.     Missedopeners

                                            ii.     Workingon their last pass [a guy that runs 38 half the time and didn’t really careabout any other score besides running 38]

b.    Skiers that didn’t like the format

                                           i.     Thenext skier on the dock: timing, readiness, binding cramps

                                            ii.     The“true†last round was hectic with the running order/ not sure who had done theT&B

                                              iii.     Skiersthat are nervous/not really rules-aware yet anyway [too many confusingdecisions]

2.    Driver’s

a.    Need more defined protocols.

                                           i.     Stopand turn to pick up the skier or cruise all the way around the island

                                            ii.     Needa clear signal/time frame to inform the driver of T&B

b.    Becomes a very long set

c.    Messes a bit with the rhythm

d.    Starting and stopping created bow rollers that could createpotential nightmares with re-rides

3.    Judge’s

a.    Boat judge: see 2a, 2a ii

b.    Stuck in tower for a long time

c.    The potential that the last round will be left without judges

4.    Scorer’s

a.    Recording T&B round: had to write it down and record wheninto next round. Created more work when finishing the tournament.

 

Some ideas that werethrown around:

• Allow the skier to start from either end
• Didn’t save time: about the same minutes/skier
• Don’t allow skier to start at the previous round’s opening line length unless they missed their opener.
• Definitely need a signal and time limit for the T&B request.
• Should be required instead of a last minute decision [stated in the Guide, “rounds 2-3 will be T&B formatâ€

 

My personal view: I’m not really certain how it would “helpthe sportâ€. In Western Colorado, we have small, multi-round tournaments withlimited judges and, especially, drivers, and need absolutely all of the skiersto help with judging, scoring, and driving. It is an all-day group effort. Wehave to put a lot of energy into scheduling, many times having small groups inorder to provide a quality skier experience [to allow skiers adequate time toprepare for their set instead of jumping off a tower and rushing to the startdock]. Having some sort of consistent schedule is helpful for a good ski set.It seems this format puts a bigger burden on the host club to “take care ofeverythingâ€, and allow people to just show up and ski and leave, like a runningrace or similar. Waterski tournaments cannot happen without full commitmentfrom the skiers to be there all day and help with the other aspects of thetournament.

 

And....(that was the end of my report sent after the tourney)

 

After lots of talk about this, there is one thing we can't change about our sport: It's damn hard. We can't make it easier. I think the best thing for our sport, recently, is allowing two tournaments a weekend at the same site. Genius! You can do one, or stay the whole time and get two scores/chances to do whatever you set out to do. If you have to be at the lake all day, bring the bikes, kids, Frisbee, cards, football,  IPad, couch, beer, whatever. Plan on it and have some fun.You're either on the bus or off the bus. It takes a commitment. Pay it forward. 

 

Respectfully,

Leigh Sheldrake

 

Kevlar is DuPont's trade name for aramid fiber. Seems like it should expire (the trade name) at 30 years(?), I think it was way back in '71.

Ski on it or ski against it!

D3 X5

 

but...

drivers, when they used their right hand, gave a big guy more gas than a little guy. just sayin'

on side=weight on back foot

off-side=weight on front foot

one slides more than carves

I think it's science mixed with art and some voodoo. Can't write a definitive. one of the most knowledgeable told a friend of mine once, I would add a little depth...or take a little out.

My experience/theory:

1)I think most go with too much fin length. Yes, it helps you ski come around on your off side, But: it is flat with the tip down--usually the skier has to/is able to keep too much weight on his back foot. The rope gets tight too early and you have weight on your back foot= do the wiggle and you have to pull back like heck. With less fin length, you can stand up over the ski more neutral and the ski will finish with more speed and more edge angle. It's not an instant feel good move, your body and soul have to adapt. It makes more of a dif. at 38 & beyond [because of the speed thing]. Fin length also contributes a little to being more narrow in general.

Again, just my experience.

True, that is what I was implying. When I drive kids and they run mega passes I have to remind myself that, A] I must be giving them a good pull, B] Isn't it cool they can ski for so long--I wish I  had that energy,  C] kids can literally improve by 2 passes a set, but they don't change easily in their tactics, and D]I've skied a lot in my life and I'm a "serious skier", but I'll get my turn. We should help and encourage them and if a couple kids ski 6 passes, so be it. If you are a respected coaching-type, encourage them to start at a higher speed so they have more energy to work past their current PB.

I am not implying you are an arse or anything, I don't even know you. It's always difficult to hear someone's tone through a computer. 

Is the rope tight when the wiggle happens?

Scary, "it really slows the tournament down"....

bullsey, you might be letting go of the handle too early.Try to get into a slalom course rhythm. Start out left, Edge through the wakes , change edges somewhere around the second wake, keep the handle with both hands as the ski travels "away" from the boat gradually [on left edge], slowly release the handle out to turn, then back in as you start to travel to the left again. Feel the rhythm, maybe even count.Keep it going, think smooth, mellow. 1,, 2,, 3, 4, 1,, 2,, 3, 4 . The Goode is probably a better ski at this point. When you can, try to get some good coaching if near a ski school or a visiting coach comes to your town. Or do a ski vacation.Living on a lake! Nice.

Goode uses jaws, which IS NOT MEASURING the length of the fin. it is just a number. If they have a "tips" number, that's the length of the fin. You could set the length, then use your caliper to get the difference, then do the complicated math problem while you're shivering on the dock, or you could just measure the length with any caliper in the whole wide world.

My experience with cars: you need a new one. Boat shafts are pretty skinny, relatively, I would think you need to replace it.

They need to be stronger and deeper, a 3/4" pvc pipe keeping it at 1-1.5 feet below the water should do the trick.

That guy is  frikkin goofy. Just sayin

It's Soft, yet stiff. And precise, yet flexible. It's mainly for new school technique, uh, ...unless you're old school. It's a razor, it's a Stiletto. It's wide, mid wide, and narrow.Yay!!

This reminds me of why I just say Grip it and Rip it

try pulling the loop of the handle or the rope [whichever is bigger] open sideways, or put one loop over the pylon and pull straight back. If u use a hammer or rock, you should re-string your handle anyway because your going to trash the rope and it won't break until you put lots of load on it [= ribs into wake].

Man, I'd give my left leg to be ambidextrous...;)

 I would say JH is correct. In snow skiing, in a turn to the left, the left ski leads because your left hip is leading. Their is very little weight on your left ski, because physics won't allow it.A car has nearly all it's weight on the right tires [front going into the turn and rear coming out of the turn, generally], because of physics. I would do yourself a favor and think of waterskiing as waterskiing, and skiing as skiing. Their are simalarities, but it takes a lifetime to truly understand them, so it would take two lifetimes to understand the differences/similarities. Look at Brent's article in WaterSki. It makes no sense. It didn't twenty years ago, either.

The only true similarity is that your hips TRY to be perpendicular to the force. This is the "strongest" position skeletally [is that a word?]. The forces are extremely different, and the goals are extremely different. Ski racers try to use gravity to get them down the hill [going with the force as much as possible], waterskiers resist the forces only as much as needed. The off-side is different because your hip can't lead.

Absolutely the Prophecy> Retro, simple, sense of history...

If my girlfriend said that, I would have her move on and look for some one that fits her needs more. My last girlfriend never said anything like that... she became my wife.If my wife said that, I would take a good look to see if she were correct. Part of who I am is waterskiing, but I self-limit my tournaments and practice so it never becomes an issue. Balance....

Have you tried the wax earplugs that form to your ear, or the semi-custom earplugs?

I'm psyched it's somewhere new. Many Nats have had their problems, but I hope to go and have some fun competing. Usually, when you get in the water, it's fair. Let the Perfect Conditions gang try to adapt! That's part of what it's all about.

I think it just trashes the body. I would imagine a couple guys might "practice" 43. CP, JB. Just think of how much [further] the boat would have to swerve, too!