sunperch

We have 2 kids that have been at the lake with us since they were born (1st kid in the boat at 5 days old). I agree with @fu_man, the kids have to have fun, which will make life easier on you and hopefully promote them participating once they are old enough. We started with a thin, comfortable life jacket (non coast guard approved speedo swim vest) that went on when we got to the lake and did not come off until we left (food stains and all, did not let them take it off because they did not want to put it back on). The goal of the vest was simply to keep them above water if they were to fall in and we could grab them out. My husband has done a great job of playing with the kids inbetween sets to keep them happy. Now that they are older (8 and 10), we can all ski a set, then have play time. When we had friends who could drive at the lake, we would take advantage of that , one of us skiing while the other played with the kids to limit the time they had sitting in the boat. Now we have to fight with them to get our ski time, as they are ski hogs =)). We have the greatest memories already of family time at the lake.

Thanks @MS, @Walleye, now that I know what kind of driving you prefer, I will exagerate the swerving. I can live up to your driving expectations, remember you get what you ask for =)).

Proud mama moments - both kids on the podium for Regionals and my daughter placed 2nd at Nationals for Girls 1 (son had an opportunity for a lesson in life =)).

We have to be USAWS members as a requirement for our club. We ski tournaments as a family for fun and motivation/justification for the time and money we spend at the lake. The kids skied regionals and nationals last year. Plan to continue to ski tournaments, as is great family time and fun for the whole family. I view the insurance as worthless as we have only one rated driver in our club and the new trained driver requirement for sanctioned practices will null and void the insurance, unless that one person happens to be driving. Not enough regular or senior drivers around to help all of the rest of us become trained drivers. Becoming a regular judge was a difficult enough process for one person, can't imagine coordinating driving tests as required by the trained driver program for all 15-20 people who drive in our club. Not enough safety clinics around here to fulfill that requirement either. If we didn't ski tournaments, probably would not join USAWS.

I thought you meant a women's ski competition...........

I don't care about the politics, but the F-bomb being dropped was inappropriate.

Retractible slalom courses make me think of Dr. Jim.....

I think the VTR would be a good choice for your 6 y.o. We have 2 younger kids and started them both on one of my retired water skis (67") as they were learning to ski the course (at ages 5-6 y.o.). The longer ski allows the kids to get up easier and provides a more stable ski to learn proper skier position behind the boat. It also helps with not dipping the tip of the ski. They did not seem to have any problems turning the ski until they got into higher speeds (26mph). When my daugher started shortening the rope, we then got her a slightly smaller ski. Wiley's bindings are a economical choice.

I don't want a poor driver for the kids either. Driving with 75 ft of rope behind you at the ends of the lake and around turn islands is not as easy as driving with 40 of rope. Not to mention the impulsivity and forgetfulness of 5-6 y.o. can create a real safety concern. I have seen one of my kids being pulled into the rocks (she was the first kid being pulled following the driver pulling M4)and the other plant a fin in the mud and sommersault OTF when the driver sat him down too close to shore. The driver really has to pay attention to the kids as they are at times not as reliable as their parents wish they would be.

My favorite quote: "I recall very clearly when I was with US Figure Skating when we changed the rule...."

I just read the email posted above from Brandon Wolf. I must be reading it wrong. In one sentence, it states that sanctioned practices requirement of a Trained Driver goes into effect in Jan. 2013, however the in the next paragraph it states that the policy is effective immediately for "sanctioned practices/exhibitions". What is the difference between sanctioned practices and "sanctioned practices/exhibitions"? Is the latter practice at a tournament site, and the former regular skiing at the lake that has been sanctioned from sunrise to sunset, Jan through Dec? I concur the AWSA should secede from USAWS.

Is that an online course? If not, who would I need to contact to find such a course? Does anyone know who is authorized to offer that course? Only one member of our club is a rated driver, looks like he is going to be popular and busy as none of the rest of us have any formalized training other that hundreds of hours in the driver's seat.

Just to clarify, in order for my family and I to spend a day skiing at our club's lake, both my husband and I would need to become rated drivers according to USA waterski in order for us (and the lake owner and the club) to be covered by the USAWS insurance??? We are all AWSA (USAWS) members practicing on a lake that has sanctioned practices from sun up to sun down from Jan 1 to Dec 31 skiing behind our own boat (which is registered and USCG compliant).

I cannot think of any benefits, would not want to rely on their insurance if I were to get injured.

Yes.

Does it seem weird to anyone else that such drastic measures are being taken to improve the wake of a brand new boat? For that kind of $$$ I would expect a boat that skiied great at all speeds/line lengths.

The ones I really feel sorry for are the juniors. Watching B1 and G1 climb the mountain to get to the next bouy is painful. The wake behind the Mastercraft is HUGE at the slower speeds. I think that a wake that big is dangerous, someone's kid is going to get hurt going OTF. I try to tell my kids that if they stay on edge and make sure they pull through both wakes they will be fine, but not sure if they can tell that I am lying.

Eric, I still own that beautiful pink and don't really want to change the graphics. At least for now, I still have a higher bouy count than him so if he wants to use my ski he will have to live with the pink. http://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-kiss.gif

6balls - I wonder if USA waterski could put the course online and then we could fax (or email) the answer sheet to USA waterski to be graded there. I know that is how I have done CEU's in the past. The use of the online course would simply be a way to disseminate information. If the test was multiple choice, then the manual grading should be pretty easy!

Thanks, Kelvin, but as a mom of 2 small kids, traveling that far is not possible for me. 6balls, I would like to hear of any results from your communication with USA waterski. Thanks !http://www.ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/js/tinymce/jscripts/tiny_mce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif

Has there been any discussion on the possibility of an online judging clinic? I have contacted senior judges in at least 3 states to try to attend a clinic, but there is not one available. I have everything else that I need to become a regular and would hate to loose those credits before I can find one. Does anyone have any ideas? I am in the Midwest region. Thanks!