All the great drivers I have driven with from Tommy Harrington, Dana Reed, Les Todd to Will Bush all share several common factors. They are always learning about the boats, the skiers, new techniques, etc. As soon as someone "knows how to drive" I personally get worried. All of these guys have also shown me how important consistency in and out of the course is for the skier in all three events. Nothing I learned from any of them was taught or told, I learned mostly from watching and constructive criticsm. A good driver can give you tips, but as many others before me have mentioned it boils down to a feel. The best way to develop this is pulling all levels of skiers, not just super short line. Steve Schnitz road in the boat with me driving several times at Okeeheelee and his comment to me that the boat was "quiet" is something that has always stuck with me over the years. I tell April, my wife, to let the skier drive the boat and not try to fight against them, almost let them put you in the right spot.  The other huge thing I have learned is how critical a balanced boat is for great driving. I don't care how good you are a bad boat can ruin your day in a hurry.  At tournaments here in North Carolina we work to get a boat setup that all the drivers for the weekend are happy with driving. We all work as a team to accomplish this and to help each other at every tournament. There is some friendly competition, but we all work to help each other do our best.  As with our skiing practice and passion are huge factors in how well we do and how much we accomplish in the end.  Just my two cents. Chris Eller