Milford

@skidawg @schroed - I would recommend logging at least 80 miles to get your legs nice and warmed up for the weekend. Don't hold back on your ride...lots of verticle.

Freddie will do anything for a few extra balls. Tower 1 scores eight!

@skidawg - put me down for one of those beer spots. Milford coming in hot!

Well, I wish there was good news to share, but unfortunately, it looks like this project got pushed to the back burner and will be delayed. It seems that there are lots of moving parts and politics involved with implementing a new option like this. Testing needs to happen and then be approved, before a certain date, in order to make it into the 2018 boat line up. That date has passed and testing was not complete, so I can only assume that we will have to wait another year and hope that the ZO committee is motivated enough to push this forward. I am convinced that this is a better setting and needs to be approved for those that choose to use it. Yes, I agree that the bigger guys will feel the most benefit. I was hopeful that something would happen this year, possibly after Nationals, but all sources are pointing to it not happening this year. I hope I am wrong! I would encourage everyone to go out and try trick mode and report back on your experience. Maybe with enough feedback through this forum, the powers that be, will agree that this needs to be a priority and spend the time to test and approve.

I have been managing lower back issues for years. Tried pretty much everything from chiropractic, accupuncture, decompression, PT, surgery, supplements, cross training and a Goode powervest. It took me awhile to realize that this is something that you don't simply fix. You need to come up with a strategy to manage it the best you can. If you can successfully manage the disfunction and ski while making good decisions it should improve with time. One of the best things that I have found to help manage my lower back issues is called a Nubax Trio. You can find it on Amazon and look it up on YouTube. It allows lower spinal decompression without muscles protecting and locking up. I use it every night before I go to bed and think it keeps things functioning properly. Certainly not a fix, but as I have said earlier, it's all about management. Nubax before bed and Powervest while skiing = powerful combination.

@Than_Bogan thanks! Just trying to protect the old dudes. We are all still 18 years old in our heads, but unfortuneatly our bodies do continue to age and it gets harder and harder to stay healthy each year. @MillerTime38 - I appreciate your point of view, however, we are on opposite sides of the issue and I don't think we will agree. For the record, I think ZBS with normal speed caps is a great thing and think it needs to happen. I just don't like the thought of skiing 36 or competing against someone skiing at 36 as it opens up a whole can of worms. Sounds like the committee will be discussing next week and will make a final decision. Whatever they decide, I will except and support.

Deductive reasoning would conclude that driving a car at 80 MPH would result in death more often than driving at 60 MPH. Speed kills. Can we all agree on that? So I think it is a fair to assume that skiing at a higher speed would result in more injury. More pressure on the body, knees, back and yes in a fall, the neck. @zman it is still winter in Utah, so there is really not much skiing to be done here, yet.

There are risks to just giving this a try. What happens when a M6 skier wants to get a leg up on the competition and decides to train and ski at 36 MPH and in doing so takes a hard crash that takes him out of the sport. Or what if that same skier is going for it at Nationals and holds onto something a little to long and takes a fall that results in a broken neck? These speed caps were originally implemented for a reason. Not sure what that reason was, but I would think that safety had something to do with it. Are we just throwing the safety concern out the window, so we can test data? What are the acceptable number of injury's that are OK? How many broken necks are Ok? If we increase speed caps, these risks are real, not for just level 8 or 9 skiers, but for everyone.

@MillerTime38 - I appreciate your feedback. I don't think I said that it was not fair, I simply said that to be competitive this rule would force everyone to ski at 36 MPH. If you were going for a regional or national podium, you would be crazy to ski at 34 MPH. If I did ski at 34 MPH and posted 2.5@39 (which won M4 this year) the next guy would have to ski 2.5@38 36MPH for the tie and 3 for the win. Yes, I agree that everyone has the opportunity to ski at 36 and post a score, however, for me I know what that means on my body, which is why I would lose interest. I ski with a couple of M5 and M6 skiers who would also be forced to ski 36 to be competitive. Talking with them, they also agree they would lose interest. This is not a threat, just a reality. Of course this is all just talk on a forum. I am fairly competitive, so if the rule stands, you will probably see me skiing at 36 this year and then you probably won't see me for a few years as I will most likely be recovering from my third back surgery.

I don't think a 6 buoy difference is appropriate at shorter line lengths. I am fine with ZBS for skiers who want to play with speed and line lengths up to say -32. Anything shorter than that needs a standard max speed that levels the playing field for everyone going for a title. This could get really crazy if this rule stands. Chad is correct in that everyone will be forced to ski at 36 to be competitive. I am planning on going to Regionals and Nationals this year and am planning on competing in MM, however if this rule stands I will most likely lose interest. After 2 back surgeries, lots of cross training and the reliance of every gadget ever introduce and approved for tournament use to stay on the water, I just don't think skiing at 36 is in my best interest. Why not just approve ZBS for anyone who wants to play with speed and line length up to -32 and then standardize on 34 MPH for M3, M4, M5, M6 and MM for anything shorter? This would provide some leeway for those skiers that would like to play with different options, but would not affect Regional or National titles with a guess at what the conversion should be.

@Chad_Scott - I agree with you 100%. Current speed caps need to be maintained, period. To many unintended consequences with the new rule.

Just heard that the possibility of trick mode being added to ZO, prior to Nationals, is extremely unlikely. Sounds like it will happen, just going to take longer that we were hoping…. So, in the meantime, everyone has the ability to try trick mode today, just not in a tournament. As the ice comes off the lake and everyone gets back into skiing form, would love to hear from those who who give trick mode a try.

As long as a human being is behind the wheel, these issues will exist. I believe it is the main reason waterskiing is not in the Olympics. Just as speed control has made boat times very consistent, automated steering control would provide consistency far beyond anything we have today. The technology is out there, someone just needs to invest the time and $$ to make it happen. Would love for my wife to be able to jump behind the wheel, set zero off and turn on automated steering control, throttle up, come around the island and let they system take over. That would certainly solve a lot of problems. If you could get the same pull in practice and had the confidence that you would get that exact same pull at a regional or national event, I have to think that would make our sport better. We seem to have a few smart people on this forum, so who wants to run with this and make it a reality?

I have talked to several people who know the evolution of speed control and have been involved every step of the way. @horton is right when he says that the sound of the rpm swings originally freaked people out, so they backed away and tamed it down a bit. Back in the PP days, there was a very consistent sound from the boat, with very minimal rpm swings. When ZO was released, the “surging” of the RPM swings were very noticeable and different, even in the toned down version originally released. Talking to a person on the ZO committee, the reason that original ZO version, which was similar to trick mode, was not release was simply because it freaked people out and was too different. Now that we have become sensitized to the ZO rpm swings, I think that market will be much more accepting of a new option that allows for an immediate and aggressive response from the boat, utilizing the available HP in the right space to achieve ultimate performance. From what I understand, nothing will being taken away from ZO. ABC-123 will all still be there as they are today. A new additional option will be available utilizing parameters that are similar to trick mode. This new setting will not be trick mode, but something similar (hopefully better). It is really great to see so much interest in a new option. I have heard that the new trick mode version has been programmed into a few different head units and are being tested by people that are in a position to make this a reality. My hope is that we see something in the early spring, before the tournament season gets underway. One thing is for sure, spectators watching from the dock, shoreline or boat won’t have any trouble recognizing when the new setting is being used, as it will be noticeable and different.

@ahopkinsTXi - any ZO equipped boat would be able to upload the updated software. Shouldn't matter if you are running a duel puck or single puck system. As soon as it is approved and released, it should be a very simple update. A special cable is required to connect a laptop to the ZO head unit, but any dealer should have one on hand.

Ok, 2017 just got a lot more interesting! Can't wait to have this as an option at the next tournament. Our club just ordered a new 2017 Malibu TXi, so with that and trick mode as a real option, the ice can't come off the lake fast enough. Can't wait to take that dog for a walk without the choke caller on.

Oh, he's crazy...but maybe just crazy enough!

@jcamp - that would certainly help move the sport in the right direction! Cost of entry has been one of the biggest complaints, outside of the ZO quality of ride for larger guys. What if a guy with a 15 year old boat could train on a public lake and come to nationals and crush it, because he is in familiar territory? It really sucks that we have to spend so much $$ to stay current and that older boats that are not equipped with ZO offer such a different experience. On another note, finally received some times from one of the pros testing with the modified head unit. These are the times that were gathered in Trick mode @36mph at -38: 70 one ball (perfect is 68) 78 mid course (perfect is 77) 08 end (perfect is 08) For reference, this skier typically will get a 70 one ball time in regular slalom mode. Comment was that the boat felt slow...

Sounds like there is a reprogrammed ZO head unit being tested in Florida this week, where trick mode has all buoy timing enabled. All data is being captured via a laptop for further analysis. Initial reports are that times are good. More to come...

My info came from a very reliable source with a vested interest in the event. San Marcos River Ranch. Looking forward to a great event!

San Marcos, TX

@GregHind - Would love to try to accommodate your request, but this is what we are dealling with for the next 3 months... But seriously - there are people working on this and doing exactly what you are asking, only using a reprogrammed version of ZO to achieve the times. I am anxious to hear the results. The bottom line is that the right people need to be working on this, or we are all just wasting our time, keeping busy, until the lake thaws. I am hopeful...

@Ralph Lee - our group has played with it enough to be convinced that we need to explore further. I ski with Nick and was the peson running the camera when he skied in the earlier videos. We probably have 25 sets between 3 of us in trick mode. Not saying that trick mode is the ultimate answer, but good conversation to motivate the powers that be to keep exploring a better option then what is available today.

In my opinion, it is not about how much throttle is applied, it is about how long the throttle has to stay down passed centerline. ZO seems to only care about getting good times and doesn't care about how it gets those times. My understanding is that ZO is programmed to only accelerate a certain limited amount, once the skier engages it, but has no limitation on how long it can stay on the throttle to achieve good times. Lighter skiers benefit from not getting gassed by the boat once they have changed edges into the buoy because it doesn't require as much response to get back to good times. Heavier skiers take more from the boat, so the boat has to apply that limited power longer to get back to ideal times, resulting in the boat running on a heavier skier, after edge change. Trick mode does not seem to have any of these throttle limitations and will apply as much throttle as needed to get back to speed as quickly as possible. The result is that the boat is not continuing to accelerate once the skier has changed edges into the buoy. You can really hear this in the comparison videos earlier in this thread. Notice how much more the rpm's swing in trick mode?

Back in the old days before speed control, a good driver would apply throttle to compensate for a skiers pull and as soon as the skier released, the driver would back off the throttle, as to not let the boat run on the skier who was approaching the buoy. When speed control came along, perfect pass did a nice job but if the driver was not adjusting for wind speed, skier weight or skiers pull, you could get out of tolerance times. Zero off took all of that out of the equation, but left the bigger, more aggressive skiers shaking their head, wondering what just happened to the quality of their ride. If a steering control system came along and was a reality, would you want a system that was so focused on holding center line that it would correct as the skier is approaching the buoy or would you want one that was programmed to react immediately and correct as the skier is in their pull and then hold whatever line was achieved during that pull? There are many ways to achieve good times and a straight boat path, but the way in which you handle the boat has huge effect on the skier. A driver using ZO speed control can give or take 6 buoys from a skier, just by the way they handle the boat. Speed control can do the same thing, especially if you are a 200 lb. short line skier who used to use a Perfect Pass R factor of 90. So what wrong with exploring other options to improve the ride for those who would like it. I don't think anyone is talking about taking any of the current settings away, just adding another for those that wish to have a different experience. @Horton - I agree, I don't think ZO needs to do anything to make this happen as it is a simple change in software that could be uploaded to any current ZO boat. Heck, just add the ability to do all buoy timing to trick mode and approve it for tournament use and I would be very excited. Call it the "D" setting.