6balls

So I grew up free skiing with the advice of my dad who is 45 years old when I was born, my two brothers Joe and Jim.  Joe 10 years older than me and Jim nine years older than me— well Jim was kind of yelling at me but called it coaching🤪

My brothers taught me fierce competitiveness and drive.  Another lesson they drilled into my head was to lead with my rope— which basically meant lead with your handle.  We didn’t even release the handle back then, because we knew nothing about buoys.  
 

The idea was as you came off the second wake and we’re heading out bound. Your hands moved from the leverage position of your hip to more forward pointing shorebound briefly but then transitioning smoothly to forward down the boat path parallel to it, and then towards the back of the boat and then the wake.  You then pivot in at the turn and the tight rope comes to your hip as u prepare to graze the wake with your shoulder and “stop the boat”.    If you have ever wondered why we pulled so hard now you know.

We all took the boys skiing pretty quickly making our first passes at 32/15,  34/15 with two hands on the handle.

When we started releasing, we made more progress quickly—so when I was thru 28/36.  The idea was the same. Off the second wake my handle goes towards shore then down the boat path then back of the boat then wake as I pivot and the handle lands in my hip pocket.  Zoom!  The difficulty was we still had that part about trying to hit your shoulder at the wake and stopping the boat.

In some ways kinda visionary from the old man we were taught to follow the path of the handle in order to avoid slack and give it hell behind the boat.  Lots of ropes broke at the wake, we got some coaching (Parrish—I love your intensity, but you don’t have to be 90° to the boat at all times).   We subsequently did our best to pull lighter especially zero off got into play with mixed success, especially in a scramble.

Bottom line in some ways we certainly owed our course scores to the old man.  The key to coaching us was to back off. Often times I have to coach early skiers to give it hell.

@GregHind knows his outboard stuff!  I've not had an e-tec but I trust him and I remember reading great things about e-tecs.

@Zaneh2oskihow many do you need at a minimum to coach in MN?  I have a buddy from college ski team with a son just getting into buoys.  The guy that bought my last boat also lives on that lake and I coached he and a buddy free-skiing one day--he has real potential.  Not sure if they may all go in.  

32 off more swing from the boat, same placement for transitions but it will happen faster, changes your cadence.  For now master your 28 cadence, get wide, get early, get easy.  Take a shot here and there for fun but don't practice the scramblies there just to get a few extra balls 28 can become your training pass.

I would go bigger.  Our first Ski Centurion Warrior Barefoot (which has a very quick-plane hull) had a carb Yamaha 225.  That was really nice, until my Dad sold this to my brother, and had another carb 225 on the Centurion Falcon Barefoot.  

Jim put a Yamaha 3.1L EFI on the Barefoot Warrior and holy smokes.  Great motor.  Starts great, idles great, runs great, tons of torque.  So much so that my Dad put one on the Falcon and it was a game-changer. 

You can get by 175, but ideally I'd go bigger.  Prop choice will be important(pitch) on a 175.  It will be a fun boat tho.

OK no pressure but we are mid-season in the midwest.  Run the snot out of that 28 getting lots of good reps and I predict 32 drops by the end of the season.  Dude has only been skiing buoys a few seasons now.  

No need for style points--boat judge scores 6!  It's a pretty clean pass--some stuff to clean up--but revel in it---this is your make or break it pass it's probably not going to look perfect.    32 off coming soon to a theater near you.  @Zaneh2oski good work man!

Hey Steve video please!

@SlalomSteve knocked out a tourney PB(and practice PB) last weekend with 2 @28 off. 

The practice PB didn't last long as next time out he ran it for the first time ever--then ran it again the next set out and also had a 5.5 wisely not taking an out the gates hit for no reason.  Break on through to the other side!

Quit thinking about my turns, go back to leverage/lean.  Sometimes take a free ski set or two just to clear my head, take the pressure off, have some fun and hit the re-set button.  Then go back and a set of openers the next time out.  

Wow over the years I ordered a shit-ton from Bart's and Overton's.  For years the only places to look for ski stuff/recreational water stuff.

Dope

It’s all good I’m not traditionally that “one guy”as anyone who has been on this site knows. Just called this one like I saw it.  It’s not a bad production and has tons of cool shots/interviews with the best skiers.  
If it was to show the unknown sport to others who don’t know about it and jazz them based on its title..maybe cud do better or have a different title if that’s not the goal. 
View count is clicks—the title draws in viewers.  Not sure how many non-skiers will stick with it for the distance or click off. 
Hope it does well—those are just my concerns.  Shows we have a competitive sport with serious competitors.  If another sport that wasn’t mine showed me that kind of thing it may not do much for me—I found it hard to stick with this one.  These may generate more interest/views from their own community.   Personally edged in water 1 had me jazzed I watched it a bunch of times.  
I know some fresh tourney skiers who are really excited about skiing, ski vacations, pro lessons who watched and were like yeah ok, it’s alright.    
If you love the vid that’s cool too.  We just agree to disagree—but I’m not that “one guy who always….”  

Talk it thru with @Thomasasher he will get you set up.

Stokes will be perfect

So you post it and either a) expect all to take it in an no one to respond, or b) expect all will love it and post adoration, or c) expect all respondents to post that it's great if for no other reason than b/c of the effort involved and the high production quality--which is obviously there, and then c) get upset that some less than positive reactions are posted--which is easily predicted having run a forum for years. 

Not my work , not my project.  I have at times in my life poured a lot of me into a project that I thought was well done yet wasn't universally well-received(that may be putting it lightly...and yes critique is harder to hear than praise).  There were bound to be opinions both positive and negative with this, as there always are--ya gotta live with that stuff--it's ok.          

@horton I've seen this kind of thing regarding sports I have nothing to do with and it made me excited about those sports.  If this didn't fire me up given my skiing background?  It isn't just me.  But if others found it great or think it would get traction if shown more broadly I respect those opinions as well--let's put it out there and see.  I try to be fair and balanced, and would have no problem being wrong.        

I may take hell for this--but if you were looking to make a non-skier interested on this basis I don't believe it works.  Athletes saying how bad they want it, how much time they devote--that differentiates our sport from no other at a the highest levels of competition.  Pick any other sport obscure or otherwise and the athletes at the top are giving their being to it and to winning.  What about this video makes our sport interesting and attracts more to our sport--for those who don't understand it well at the onset?  For those who don't participate in our sport, my guess is it is "clicked off" early on rather than watched in it's entirety--will it hold a non-skier or rec skiers attention?  

If it's a vid for skiers who are already totally into skiing and idolize their pro's--sure. 

Fire away--I can take it.  

@Stevie Boyfor me it was lifting my heel slightly on approach to buoy, though judging by the shape my foot has created in by RTP my rear foot is angled just a little as well.

Dock with shade structure but no boat lift/slip?  @The_MS I will just need the keys to yours, then.  I'll buy the IPA.

Is there a realty link or just a word of mouth sale right now?

Lotsa hours for $17.5K when there's a SN bubble butt with 380 hours for $18K out there.  

The front with a rear binding can screw you on injury too--hence the rod in my leg.  I did find it easier out of the hole on my back and I lift my heel in pre-turn into all balls and can't do that in doubles---the doubles had be too far rearward in stance.  Pluses and minuses--I think if only the threat of injury is of concern I'd sit tight, Ron.  

@horton so how to market that to an intermediate skier.  Hey this will not be as fast, won't get you as wide and won't turn as tight, but it's the right ski for you at this time in your progression?

I've got a few nephews that only began course skiing recently and are running 32/15, 34/15, some 34/22.  Are these guys better off on a ride like the Krypton Fusion?  I sold 'em both Vapor Lithiums when I was done with them.  Price was right.  

@horton thanks sounds like a cool ski.  Would it be better for the 15-32 off crowd than a high-end tourney ski in terms of their progress and ability to handle certain ski characteristics (until they progress beyond and need that high end ski?).