Stevie Boy

Not all water skiers are blessed, with a ever expanding bank account, yes the people who have shed loads, can afford to buy one, two, three boats and place them in different locations, I think this is where the sport has lost it's way, when you talk about making it accessible, the truth is you can't, it costs money and it is getting more expensive all the time.

Forgive me, but I have to throw this one in there, surely most abuse is likely to take place, at private or non affiliated lakes, I can understand the need for control of official water skiing coaches, but there are many people out there coaching, that are non regulated, I would have though the opportunity for grooming would start at grass roots, how would this strategy prevent this happening.

@Bruce_Butterfield , surely in the case of the Gymnastics, other people knew or had suspicions, that something was not right, but nobody was prepared to look deeper into it it. People looked the other way, for what ever reason, perhaps other Minors were targeted by other officials, but have not been called out. Generally if you have contact with somebody over time, intuition tells you they are not right, there are times when that intuition is instant.

Zero Off, Surepath, Marine Autopilot , More Gizmos on the boats and we want watersking to be more accessible , adding to the cost all the time is going to kill waterskiing fullstop. All this stuff is going to become so expensive, due to the fact that so few will buy it, this is not encouraging people to buy into waterskiing. However the Future of Cable Skiing is looking Bright ! You do not need Zero Off/Surepath/Marine Autopilot, the Tow is the same for everybody. A large Lake is not neccessary, there are systems that go from one end of the lake to the other in a straight line.

The Liability Risk is going to be Significant ! unless you program it with some sort of predictive code for wind/water conditions, in my mind it is always going to be Reactive, which means the skiers is going to get pulled all over the place. The only reason you get fairly smooth airline flights is because the radar and other parameters on aircraft predict what is going to happen and is already moving the flying control surfaces to compensate for it , before it happens, how are you going to do that on a boat.

Over the years, I have seen lake owners and various organisations organise and hold water skiing events, I have seen the enormous amount of work and expense of putting on such events, I have seen participants rip into the organizers, if something wasn,t quite right or the score wasn,t what they thought and I have often asked myself why put yourself through all that, you must be bonkers. But I do know the answer, they are passionate about the sport, after reading this thread and looking at the direction things are going in. How passionate are these extraordinary people, how far will they go before folding their hand.

Sad Day ! if we all have to walk around thinking everybody is a pervert, there are plenty of odd people out there, that are not perverts, yes protect the kids, but use your intuition and act accordingly, talk to your kids as if they were adults, you will get a whole lot more from them.

So this thread, has received just over 900 comments, various points of view have been made, some people just moaning or bringing up the battering of women or abuse of children, all valid but where are we going with this, the obvious route is, that if you suspect something is not right report it to the Police or Parents concerned, for me this thread keeps going around in circles. The Truth is that Governing Bodies are not very good at dealing with these situations, nobody wants to stick their head above the Parapet and get involved, instead they come up with other ideas to shift the responsibility else where, they are truly not that interested and in some ways, I understand it, they want to Govern the sport, not get involved with alleged allegations that might be true or false, they are not equipped to deal with it, on the other hand if somebody is prosecuted by the law, they can step in and act accordingly. It's easy to criticize, but it really is more complicated than what people imagine.

Different skis fit different styles, Freddie Winter, went through a whole lot of skis before settling with D3, he has ridden all of their range and ended up on th Ion-S. Another factor is the mental game, if you are up there competing with the best for a podium, it,s going to be hard to change your ski, if it isn,t broke, don,t fix it sort of thing. When it comes to a manufacturer developing a new ski, graphics mean nothing, they can apply any graphics to any ski. Caviat: Do not buy a ski because your favourite Pro is on one, buy a ski thats fits you and the way you ski. Thomas Degaspri is a shining example of staying with a design that fits you, one of the most consistent skiers out there.

So much more, to the story of Andy Mapple, that people will never know, in my eyes, he done so much for the sport, for me he is the G.O.A.T for so many different reasons.

Personally, I think that as a Driver you develop over time, it's more about feel, obviously there is useful information and tips that can help, even when not in the course, where you position the boat and how you approach the the course, is just as important, throttle control, feeding that throttle in, so that Zero Off engages smoothly, before you nudge the throttle forward so zero off has full control. Small things, but they make life easier for the skier, if you position the boat, so the skier is on the left before you go, this means they do not have to move across the wake to setup, a good thing if the lake is short, when they drop in, give them a little bit of slack line, so that they can relax in the water and gather their thoughts.

So here,s a idea, three bits of material the thickness of your fin, one to go either side and a piece to act as a spacer rivet the three pieces together and you have wing angle gauge that does both sides at once. Just a Idea

Watching the worlds, it was very apparent the amount of smear on the skis when approaching the Bouy, @ 36 MPH, not so much @ 34 MPH, so I am asking if you are skiing at 32 MPH, can you run your fin shallower, should you endeavour to achieve smear that you are comfortable with, by making boot and fin adjustments.

The Best Show Ever ! Amazing quality work from TWBC, as for the competitors, I watched in Awe, the standard was beyond amazing, surely the run off,s make fabulous viewing even for Joe Public.

Pigozzi Awsome Edge Change !

Travers, what a Superb site, the level of skiing is out of this world, the bar is so high, Good Luck to everybody in the Finals.

@dave2ball Thanks I will give that a go.

I haven't come across this before so I have to ask the question, when placing a binding on a ski, as long as the Plate is not buckled, should it sit dead flat on the ski, if it doesn't and you tigthen it down and effectively the base of the binding is now a different shape, I am thinking this could change your balance and affect the way you ski on that particular ski. Am I wrong ?

I suffered with really tight calf muscles, apart from stretches and a roller, I found that a vibrating sander and a lttle bit of talcum powder, help out quite a bit. caviat: use the sander with just the rubber a half size or quater size works really well, do not use with sand paper Lol ! My problem has gone away.

@Horton I,ll take the Panda,s all day long, one of my dislikes is people who do not respect their equipment, at the speed and line lengths skiers are on, it is not a good idea to start throwing your ski around, same as not checking that your bindings are secure before skiing. I am surprised at your response, Hey Ho !

NOT IMPRESSED ! With Charlie Ross, after missing the Exit Gates, he proceeded to hurl his ski up the bank, somebody should teach him to respect his equipment and show a little humility.

The Bar is so High ! anybody's, if they fall into the Groove at the right moment, I do not think it is going to come down to ability, it's going to be Mental ! in more ways than one.

When I watch the fabulous webcasts that TWBC provide, there is a group of skiers that are capable of running 39off , 41off. Whether you like Nate Smith or not, he makes those passes look smoother and easier than some of the others, That does not take anthing away from the others in that group of Pro,s they still get the job done, if Nate makes it through to a final, they all know that they have their work cut out, this must be a huge mental advantage for Nate. His consistency is second to none, he is one of the Greatest Water Skiers in our time, some may not like it but the stats tell the real story.

Was that built into the Design of the ski ?