GaryWilkinson

Did you do that video Scott?

PB was 1.83m or just over 6'. Loved the sport. Heroes were Bruce Jenner Greg joy who won silver at Montreal Olympics. I had a pretty good leap and played basketball volleyball rugby football as tight end and badminton. Only started competing when I was 15 so I was relatively late to our sport. Flopping was just coming in when I started and none of my high school coaches knew how it worked!

Wow they are that cheap now? Yikes. Tell me about what are the biggest reasons to avoid and go to 2002? Not challenging you just ask for info as maybe an upgrade is in my future. (Just say it quietly as not to let my 95 hear you) 14k, that's what I paid for my pristine 95 8 yrs ago.

SM took the words right outta my mouth, and site with Andy in the boat. Second would not be skiing but any site where Nate is skiing and I am in the boat!

I have an immaculate 95 with SG and the small engine and have a tremendous time with it. I believe the hull is slightly wider on the 97+ models and that's a big plus moving around the boat with 3 skiers and all their stuff out at the course. Mine also doesn't have the rear storage with the hinged seat covers, another big plus. I will say though I love my boat! Got her in pristine condition, drove 13 hours to Ohio to pick her up. I ski on many models of Nautique at our lake including a 98, 2004, and a 2011 200, and next to the 200, I like my boat best! Small, soft wake, great tracking and not that hard to install pp SG. The model i hav has a carb engine with 260 hp. If I had my choice on this same hull I would have gone for the larger engine with fuel injection. Last thought is one you're already on is that you can't go wrong with a Nautique! Best of luck in your search.

Not at home right now but Deb took the handle I got signed by Andy Mapple and his "leave nothing on the dock" autograph framed. Awesome! And a total surprise. Inspiring.

I believe slalom is the most popular since it is the easiest and cheapest to progress to. (My English teacher is rolling in her grave on that phrase). Most that have tried their combo on and have mastered the wake crossing get their uncle to teach them next to drop a ski and swerve. Jumping and tricks require much more dedication AND access to a boat. You can progress reasonably far with only occasional access to a boat with a cable-pulley rope attachment then i think you're somewhat hooked and can relate to what will Nate and Andy do. If you've never tried a toe 360 you can't relate to how magical it is when the guys and gals do a toe 720 and do 7 flips in 10 seconds. I wish more people had tried all 3!! (Plus I'm tired of people telling me how great their buddy is because he can barefoot!) sheesh!

I used to sub to Spray and world waterskiing back before the Sammy duval days more like the bob lapoint era. Always looked forward to but agree it has declined to the point of near extinction now and that makes me sad. Todd R. Has done a decent job in the past few years but still too light. We have so much more content in here on BOS that is current and relevant. I will say the boat buyers guide is very much a joke. Tell it like it is boys! Love the photography and the athlete profiles, they could put in many more articles on technique and athlete profiles, talking about their learned technique and regiment. Problem is in Montreal, home of hockey, Stanley Cups and poutine, it's hard to find on news stands. So if you don't subscribe, tough nogies.

As a proud Canadian I think it would be a shame to see 3 event skiing go away, we have a proud heritage of 3 event champions especially in the mcClintock family. 3 event was where its at when I was young. There were very few specialists, everyone skied all three. I believe there is no other sport with the possible exception of decathlon or pentathlon where the champion has to be skilled in a variety of sports. Look how we'll Wayne Grimditch, Greg Athans and others have done on the world stage. If you've ever tried trick and jump even 1 time, they are thrilling to watch. But for the general public, unfortunately they are less than riveting to watch. I believe the winning combination is slalom, jump and wake boarding for the Mountain Dew audience.

It's a small thing but made a big difference, was to get a bent handle, the more bend the better. Also to have a thicker diameter, also the thicker the better. Made a huge difference. Oh and also,.... A change in my technique that reduced slack in the rope made a BIG difference by not pulling into my core or chest then taking the proverbial hit! Those along with a cortisone shot for epicondylitis made my last 2 seasons much better.

One of the fellas that coach us up here in the great white north, (Benoit Allard) uses slowing the boat to learn a new line length. Ben said he's currently coach a young server learning to -38 and he slows the boat to 30 mph. (The kid skis at 36! I hate him already!). So I tried it this year just at the end of the season and it worked pretty well. The theory is to give you way more time to execute proper body position at the right place in the course. It all happens so fast real time that getting it right at the right moment aids training and getting more passes (experience, time on water) in learning the new length. I find a huge difference in going from -32 to -35 and slowing down the boat really helps get more upright passes at this pass. Go get'em boys!

Getting stacked or in a proper leverage position changed my skiing life last year ans I gotta lot'o years under me. I went out after I read Than's article 10 times and really started to get aligned body wise during the cut and crossing the wake phase.. Huge difference! The thing that made the most difference in convincing me to reexamine my position was in 1 thread, someone (might have been you Than) said that you can have a not-so-great turn and with a good position in the white water make it fine to the next buoy, but the opposite is not true, crappy position with great turn means you're in trouble and falling behind in the course. So tremendous advice, get stacked. Made my 28's and -32's much better!

If you are into extreme surfing or just great footage about it you'll love a movie I first saw on PBS then actually bought the DVD called "condition Black". Tremendous movie about a group of surfers that brave some of the biggest waves in Hawaii with IMAX cameras rolling. I must say though, I've done many extreme sports, ski racing, parasailing, parachuting, open wheel racing and if I compare the rush and tremendous feeling of doing well in a great sport, I believe slalom is the most challenging and most satisfying when done well. I get such a rush from a good pass, you know the one, when it all comes together and feels easy, that I tell everyone that slalom is one of the toughest sports to do well at. So my brothers and sisters we have nothing to apologize for and everything to be proud of because slalom is incredible and let's continue to tell everyone how great it really is!

While I'm not a fan of the sport, specifically because if the lack of attention some of their boat drivers have for their path and wakes, it is wake boarders and surfers that have funded most of the boat development in the past 10 years. If we had to rely of the slalom boat revenue to fund our sport we'd be in much worse shape. Wake boarding is a tremendous sport for young men and women getting out on the water in a sport and very social setting. 8 sometimes 10 in a boat taking turns on the water instead of in front of a screen of some sort is a great alternative. So, at our lake, we give them a wide berth, talk to them politely when they cut across the slalom course and yes, invite them to try our terrific sport some time so they can relate to how their wakes rolling in from half a mile away can be frustrating.

Just my own observations, but I'd caution you to be careful my friend. 36 has, IMHO a lot more risk of injury. Especially if you don't have a history of coming from that speed at a younger age. If you want to continue to have challenges in this tremendous sport, ski at 34, continue to challenge shorter line lengths, and then go compete! There's no greater thrill than taking your great performances and lining them up against other Ballers and friends. You will meet a tremendous amount of great people that I'm sure will become good friends while encouraging each other to do better and better! Especially great fun from behind the boat and not from the beach while in a cast. Go get'em!

I remember an Andy Mapple coaching clinic a few years ago when he told me that you want to be as perfectly ready to resist the boat and cross the course as wide as possible in the course "because that is where the boats' pull is weakest on the skier". Makes sense, think of the geometry. I think Nate is the best at finishing his turn in the perfect, most efficient and effective position at each turn and each line length. No wasted energy over turning, no loss down course under turning, no slam from the boat while out off position. He times his line up with the line and handle so perfectly, that, in combination with the perfect ski angle on edge and track x-course make it look SOOO easy. It's like a golfer with a perfect swing to emulate, this is the person to visualize in our sport.

Than! How cool is that video, Great skiing and well said. Great idea by Goode as viewers will obviously see you as honest and credible. Congrats again! Gw

Not to name drop, but here goes.... While working as a stuntman on a few movies that included waterskiing, Meatballs III, I took Shannon Tweed for a ride under our parasail and took Patrick Dempsey for a ski behind my '76 Nautique! I also can confirm that mike Babcock is a pretty good slalom skier hitting -15, and -22 off.

Nice! You'll love having that full extra stop. Thanks

Hey John whats your setup? Canon 1d? 70 - 2000 F 2.8 ? Nikon.

Any video Kim?

Than before you close this thread out, any changes to your technique? Anything you had to do before that you don't have to as much with the new stick? Specifically, trailing arm pressure? Still doing it? I had some great sets this week knocking down -32 many times but my tries at -35 were less than good. So any changes with the N1?

Horton for President!!! (we've seen his cabinet)

They look pretty good! But I can see the day when there will be a fully automatic boat guiding system that makes the small steering adjustments from just outside the pre-gates, through the course, and the exit with the same kind of easy override that the current speed controls have. I'm confident someone is already working on this. But in the meantime, I think these guides would be helpful to most drivers and skiers.

@skihart yes Ben has a new site in st-agate close to st-Donat. Great site, zero backwash in a natural tree lined lake. Skied there last week and the water was already cold but no dry-suit yet required. In contrast, I skied at a friends place in south western Quebec today and barely needed a short sleeve top. @brent, haven't you ever scraped the windshield on your boat for an early set? My cottage faces north and at our lake, if the temp dipped below freezing during a clear night, the windshield was thick with frost and ice. When I was competing, late September, early October were the best times to train. Calm clear days, in tournament physical shape and the best part? No other nuts on the lake 'cept us slalomers.