h2odawg79

I like Radars new Website. I absolutely appreciated seeing The Young Lion King Herb, on the Hm. page hand crafting one of his Baby's back in the day. +1

@9400, Excellent advice. Ice will help keep the initial inflammation down and increase Blood circulation. Much healthier and more effective the NSAIDs. I often take my Blue Ice and place it on my mid Back after my last set while driving for my partner and in my truck on the Drive home. @WBLskier, One of the biggest problems with Gym type w/o's for "Conditioning" purposes on the Water, is that Gym Routines and movements are very controlled and on a repetitive path and ROM. (Conditioning the Body for Gym w/o's Not skiing!) Skiing generally, involves quick adjustments, Rapid firing the Fast twitch muscle fibers and in a relatively uncontrolled atmosphere & ROM. (i.e. you do not Ski or Fall like you w/o in the Gym...) The best advice I can offer is to, drastically change up and vary your Lifting and Resistance movements. Even go very Hard at times and even a bit herky/jerky (by Gym standards) Don't waste a lot of time doing mindless 12-15 rep ranges. (12-15 is o.k. but I'd be failing at 12-15reps, not just counting repititions...) Do Hvy. Low rep ranges at times as well. Do a lot of EXPLOSIVE type reps. FIRE those muscles hard and also deplete them. But, always keep your Mind and Body guessing a little. The Body will go to sleep on any "routine" after about 3-4 wks... Fire those Traps, (Upper, Mid and Lower) Fire the Lats and the rear delts HARD!

@LeSkiAvantTout, Agreed, Carbon is awesome. But, the answer is partially "Bang for the Buck" and partially the Skiers "ability level". IMHO, the best Bang for the Buck starts with matching the Skier to a Ski that will best match his/her current ability level AND that will also allow them to progress as efficiently as possible to the next level. If this Ski is a Carbon Ski, then so be it. Slower tow speeds indicate the need for a Ski designed with more Stability and forgiveness. This will normally be a Wider Ski, (w/more surface area) a softer flex with very user friendly side cuts and bevels. This will more often be found in a lower budget Ski designed to optimize/enhance this level of Skier. Many of the lower level Skis have "some" Carbon these days. I think Progression is key. But, no need to get the Buggy ahead of the Horse....

In short, fitness is a Journey and not a destination. WTS, I would ease into something that interests you and EASE into it! If you let yourself jump into it as if there is no tomorrow, you will be crazy sore for 2-3 wks. (inflammation) and crazy stiff ( creating greatly reduced flexibility) for many more weeks after. -Great Recipe for injury... All the Big Muscle stuff is NOT necessary, (just look at the Women Skiers) but Conditioning is. Flexibility and Agility is Paramount. In fact, much of the general soreness that everyone experiences when they resume Skiing is not simply a lack of Muscle, it is more often caused by Tension from being out of practice and tensing up while exerting extensively. This will happen to some degree regardless. But, hitting the water w/o a sound Off-Season training and conditioning program is going to tax your muscles, tendons and joints excessively. So, I'd work deligently on Flexibilty and Agility and secondarily on Strength for the next 5wks. Then on your trip, RELAX while you Ski as much as Humanly possible! Take time to continue your stretching, get a good Massage or two and find the jacuzzi! Stay the heck away from Caffeinated drinks and other Highly inflammatory foods and drinks. (well, if you want to reduce the pain AND STIFFNESS...) Whatever you do, take off from ALL resistance exercises a full 4 days before your trip and only stretch lightly and do some light Core/Stabilization work. Good Luck!

I am Rt. Hand/Foot dominant. I Throw Rt. handed. Kick Rt. footed. Board RFF. But, I Ski LFF, Bat LFF, Golf LFF, most convincingly I Bowl (Slide foot) LFF. The significance of the Sub-dominant leg in many other Sports is where it is used as the Pivot or Plant foot. It then is the Primary stabilizer. (Batting, Pitching, Golf, Bowling, Tennis serve,etc...) Most of us grew up doing, practicing and ingraining these very movements in Sports, then someone comes along and arbitrarily tells us to put the Dom. leg up front when learning to Ski. (thankfully it can be done either way) Skiing with the Sub-dom. foot fwd. creates the benefit for the A-typical Skier to turn his On-side (Strong side) with his sub-dom. arm extended in the turn and he also extends his dom. arm on his Off-side (weak side) turn. Which for some will help to balance out the strengths vs. weaknesses between sides. (Criss/Cross) It can be done either way. But, a LFF skier that has his dom. leg in the rear has the most symetrical physical advantages and in the Course, also gets the advantage of not wasting an On-side turn on the "Turn in" (partial turn) and finishing 6 ball (partial Turn) on the Off-side, there again not giving up their "better" On-side turn to a 1/2 turn Ball... But again, it can be done either way and done well...

@aswinter05, Here is an old link http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=672 to all you will ever want or need to know about which foot goes fwd... I just read back through it for the fun of it. -Quite interesting to say the least. Warning:; do not start reading unless you intend to finish or it will leave you hangin' and possibly in worse shape then you started... ;-] http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=672

"I think most skiers get ahead of themselves beofre completing the turn and are trying to get too early instead of taking a more realistic/optimal path." Thx for not mentioning my name there Chris! =-D Great to see you gettin' R Done and hearing your advice again. Best of Luck to you in 2013! -Enjoy the Ride!

@richarddoane, Man, you ain't kiddin! There is some Big $$$ on that lake. MILLIONS! One guy I know lands his Helicopter on his massive rig and then has a tow boat or 2 and several Sea Doo's sitting there ready to go... Many of the People w/DEEP pockets actually fly in from out of State and play on the weekends. -Must be Nice!

@Bill22, IMHO when used for long line and slower speed, most of the time a non Carbon ski will perform optimally. (Especially when factoring Bang for the Buck...) A non Carbon Ski will usually be More foregiving, predictable and stable in open water or marginal water conditions. Having more of a dampening effect. WTS, a carbon Ski will usually be a quicker reacting Ski. Which can produce a faster ski. But, this will come to some degree at the expense of forgivness and stability. If given the choice, I would 1st consider Budget, experience and personal objective. i.e saved $$$ may be better spent on Fuel and Coaching. Ones experience and present ability can have a huge impact on progression and the need to (or not to) buy another ski sooner then later. One may have goals of primarily skiing 34mph in the Course on shortline and another may have the objective of primarily ripping the Open water... The Senate "C" would be an awesome Ski to get, if Skiing the Course Primarily and the reg. Senate would be a better all around Ski. However, @ 30 mph the Radar Theory would be optimum. (it has Carbon and is a bargain for slower speeds...) Good Luck!

Heart of a Champion! +1

I am waiting for mine to be delivered. I am looking fwd to the easier set up & change out from Boat to Boat. As, we switch Boats back and forth and my Trakker is just too difficult to switch in a timely manner... OB is in a Great location to distribute within the U.S. Not, to mention his constant contacts within the Sport...

O.K. the mere fact that one "Can" look edgy and still be Cool and respected pretty much underscores why another should not be So quick to Judge! If the Core of Slalom is limited to 35-55 yr. old Professional Men, and that is "The" audience for this Sport, then we've got a bigger problem then the Wake Board crowd. I would fit right in with Eagles, Foreigner, Tom Petty and Mellencamp crowd. (I Love it!) But, I'd also like to have the chance to Hang with the younger crowd and their zeal for Life, kinda Livin' in the moment and not yet so overwhelmed or burdened by the Mid-Life LIFE! Setting up absolute Divisions and "Us or Them" propositions will only further DIVIDE and fuel the Rebellious Human Spirit. Which will naturally push the younger crowd even further away. There are MANY people who can relate to this philosphy within the Church. One Example: Too often, some of the very same Uptight Judgemental and condeming folks who wish their Church would grow are the very same Uptight Judgemental and condeming folks that are pushing people away... something to consider....

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm, If I'm not mistaken I think there are a fair share of long hair, Pierced & Tatted up Skiers out there. (Pro Skiers even) Not taking aim at anyone in particular, but to Judge and Sterio Type and further compartmentalize people and their Sport (Regardless of Hair, Tatoos, Smokin Pot, Drinkin Beer or freaking Rum...) Just further DIVIDES and creates unjustified divisions that in NO WAY will ever help the Sport of Slalom. (or anything...) These attitudes are NOT Cool, They are NOT Hip, They're not even American... Unless you count the childish way that many Parents acted waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the 50's when, with the same kind of shallow ignorance, they Judged poor ol Elvis... -not sure but, I think Elvis went on to International fame and Success, partially fueled by the Great publicity and judgement of his haters and strengthened by the Alliance of his supporters. I would be freaking embarrassed to think and act as uncool and unhip as those stick in the Mud, uptight parents did... If Slalom ever wants to grow, WE (all of us) will need to figure out how to Reach out and be in the MAJORITY, not the Minority. The interviews, the Commercials and the Cameras are focused on the MAJORITY, that is where the $$$ is...

I was Born (in the 60's) and Raised on the Colorado River (Havasu, Needles, Parker, Blythe) The water was ALWAYS Busy after late morn. it was Bad for Skiing and Bad for the 500+hp Flats that ruled the smooth water. We always got up early, picked our moments in the afternoon and then waited til about 6pm for the Glass. Wake Boats are just a different Hull doing the same 'ol thing people have been doing for 40+yrs; Screwing up the smooth water! Anyone wanna buy a 500+ hp Flat? (may not be IOC approved) :D

Ha! Now if we can just find Bill a 196 for 12k with an open Bow!!! Hey @Bill22, I'm sure you have already seen this one; http://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?topic=Search&category=Comp_Boat&postid=21823 But, if not this Boat could fit your Needs and description (as listed at the beginning of the post...) Unfortunately, there are no pix. Not sure if it has an open or closed Bow... I actually looked into them a few yrs. back before I found the LXI @ a price that I could work with.... Ya know, if the sportster seems a bit small for Utility use, loaded down on the open water of a Public lake, a Malibu SunSetter LX might fill the Bill nicely. They are a bit harder to find though and I doubt there will be one in the price range... The wakes are tad bigger then some. But, it's a fairly tame wake for Slalom and can be a fairly great wake for the Boarders using a Wedge. In fact, the Malibu "Wedge" is a super Cool feature for the All Purpose Boat. No farting around wasting time filling and draining Ballasts. -And your Boat is not cruising around with 1000+ lbs of water! Just unpin it, drop it down and then flip it back up when your done. P.S. I Love my Open Bow. BUT, fyi on Public water, loaded down (especially when people are up front) if your not Really on your toes, you can get swamped fairly easily on busy week ends when @ idle speeds or circling around to p/u the fallen skier, etc... The Response Bow rides very Low when wgt'd down. :-[

I know not "Training" or otherwise "Conditioning" the Body for the rigors of Slalom would not work for me. But, I also know that you cannot Believe everything you "hear" either! (and only 1/2 of what you see!) Nate is Young, Talented and dedicated. (generally skiing every day regardless of temps or conditions...) But, he is also Very low key and not wearing all of his trade secrets on his sleeve. So, just sayin'......

IMHO, @ 30mph I would get on a Radar Senate and never look back. It will take you from 30 to 34 better then most any ski of 2-3 times the price... With a slightly wider platform, it will be a more stable ski well capable of slower 30-32mph. Yet, still a Great 34 mph Ski. I would not get a higher end narrower ski and try to "Ski" at slower speeds. The "Skiing" becomes more like "Plowing" and your progress will suffer. Optimally, a P6 or a Theory would be your best choice for 28-32mph. (but, not 34mph) A Triumph would be an awesome Ski as well. I bought my last Theory (almost new) for $100 and take it to 35off w/o issue.

Aidin, Whether you read this or not; God Bless you and your efforts to overcome and achieve.

@Brady, Quote: "As far as wakeboarding. It's wet, there is a ski, and it could only help our sport. Wakeboarders are good dudes, they just haven't had the exposure to skiing the balls like we have. I know I am on a mission to convert as many as I can....but until that happens, I will support them to further the cause". That's Solid... I Do Not Board personally, but the "All or Nothing", "Us or Them" mentality has got to be the most foolish and un-becoming attitude that either side could offer. I have personally met as (Brady pointed out) some very Good Dudes Boarding. Some of the friendliest, most outgoing and least Uptight people on the water are often the Boarders. (Not always!) Some have been so rather crapped on by the "Us or them" Ski Community, that they almost don't know how to act when they find a "Skier" reach out and give them the time of day. I Ski on Public Water and Really cuss the Rollers sometimes! (o.k. A LOT!) BUT, I Cuss the "Rollers" Not the Guy/Gal on the back who is only trying to do the same thing that I am doing: ENJOYING my time on the Water! P.S. They do make AWESOME converts! There are some flat out Ballzy Boarders out there and when bit by the Slalom Bug, they can lay it down in a hurry...

@Bill22, My thought is; There are so many variables on Boats i.e. Cond, Hrs, (real Hrs!) Standard features, upgrades, used in Salt Water or Fresh Water, location, etc... Then theres the Personal preferances; I own an "All Purpose" Boat for a reason: We need to cover all the Bases. We Ski, Wake Board, -kinda! Tube and simply just hang out. An Open Bow may be "Over Rated" (as posted above) But, cramming everybody and everything around the engine in the back Totally Sucks! (Hmmm, Nope, it's worse then that!) My Wife has a Med. Cond and can NOT step over the "step over" Bow on the LX. In fact, when we do go to one of the Lakes, we have a Sand Beach and my Wife or the In-Laws and others with limited mobility would Not be able to even get in or out of our Boat if it were not for the "over rated" Open Bow. WE have the Response LXI and LOVE it. But, you'll also find some who will whine about it's wake or traking as well... -whatever, I didn't buy MY Boat to Please them! ;-] There are several Members on here who have and enjoy their Moombas. Thx @skihard for speaking up. Quote: "Advantage is also the amount of boat you're going to get for your money vs the MC & SN". Whatever the price, whatever the Manufacturer, do your due diligence and get the Best Boat for YOUR purposes that your Hard earned $$$ can buy!

Ha! You win @Wish; "One 3 doors down" Trumps anything I got. -I don't think there's even one in my neighborhood...

@Wish, Agreed on the wakes not being the best. But, we're talking about a Low budget, LONG LINE, All Purpose Boat here. The OutBack would more then serve his purposes. Sorry but, something has to give here: Low Budget, open Bow, all purpose, Long line, limited market availabilty, etc. etc.... Sometimes, Ya just can't have everything and other times maybe ya can

Human error would be the 1st ostacle to a Boat (Motor) driven event. An error that was not on the part of the Athlete... So, who would drive? Your driver? -that would probably make it a Team event at best. A neutral Driver? -can't see that working out real well. Between $$$ (wink, wink) and again Human error, (cough, cough.) Even a Cable (elec. Motor) event could (would) catch a lot of heck and scrutiny from the Athletes. I'd Love to see it happen regardless of how it gets there or how it is judged or run...

Why not? It is it's own Sport and it draws a ton of interest. (and that means $$$) Especially in the Cable market. WTS, if WakeBoarding could somehow get into the Olympics while still using Motorized (Boat) propulsion, then that would get Slalom light years closer to being accepted as well! So, it could Win/Win... I sure can't see a down side to it.

A Moomba might be a good all purpose option for the $$$. Not sure which has EFI. But, for the $$ saved... This one is $3000 http://boats.oodle.com/detail/1998-moomba-outback-sk-21-21-wake-board/3307297364-altamont-il/?cm_mmc=OODLE_PREVIEW-_-www-_-NA-_-NA