MarcusBrown

I found a video about this exact topic:

-COM -Force Vector from Boat(Rope Tension, AKA Handle Position) -Force Vectors on Ski (Lift/Drag - which pitch, yaw and roll affect greatly) -Color Coordination (degree to which your ski gear matches) If this is the kinda clear thinking and reasoning that comes with days on end of staring at an empty ski lake....I think you're on to something @Horton !

@Bruce_Butterfield I know it sounds crazy, but its true. Let me give you my own personal story, in Cliff Notes: 1. Return from 2011 World Championships in Russia....I was skiing really good at the time. 2. Drive straight to Bell Aqua from Airport 3. 1st pass: inside buoy 2 at 13m 4. 2nd pass: inside buoy 3 at 13m 5. 3rd pass: fall at 4 6. Get on swim platform and check ski, bindings, fin, head, driver, Z Off, Horoscope, etc... 7. Miss 13m 2 more times 8. Give up.

@mwetskier "Good" there is no "e" at the end. No hidden meanings. Maybe I shoulda used a different word...truth is, I'm terrible at acting. Good was the first positive term that came to mind. Think "Great" or "the best" whenever u hear me say good and maybe that will clear things up.

@ScarletArrow those words are too damn nice man! Thanks all.... Many of you know, I've stepped almost completely away from competition since the last Worlds in 2011. That's when I was given an opportunity to be a part of a design team for the company that has been a part of my lake life ever since my first ride behind our 1972 MC, 26 years ago. Learned a lot in Tennessee and made some life long friends. I also gained a new set of tools, and a new outlook.....its a very empowering feeling to be able to give back to a community that has done nothing but support you. Standing at Nationals last week, sharing our new boat and talking to the folks that support this industry, was a bitter sweet moment. My first trip to nationals was Okeeheelee Park, 1987, for the US Nationals and US Open (Article). I was a spectator, watching my big brother compete. He missed his exit gates on his opener....tough to see him train hard, fly across the country, and get crushed like that. But that didn't stop me from wanting to be a skier. Later that week I watched Bob LaPoint, Kris LaPoint, Andy Mapple, Jeff Rodgers, Carl Roberge and a bunch of the worlds best ski. There were thousands of people lining the bleachers and shore. The air was electric. That was when I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. This year, the Circus tents and vendor booths were less than half the size they were back in 87'. Some of the best skiers in the world skied, but not all of them. And instead of shores lined with thousands of eager eyes young and old, there were maybe 75 people watching as Open Women and Open Men skied. Probably less for Jump and Trick. Its a very weird thing to be committing and compromising and dedicating your life to one thing for years....while the very thing you are dedicated to and getting better at has been trending down for as many years. And just as I was standing in the MC booth, coming to the above realization....I saw a junior skier belly up to the 1968 MasterCraft....the very 1st MC every produced, looking all shiny and new out there in the sun. And then I looked at the all new 2014 ProStar as I propped myself against it....and realized that there is more to this sport than buoys. It reminded me that this new ProStar MasterCraft had just created, was going to someday be a classic like Old # 1. But between now and then, thousands of new ProStars will be the centerpiece of thousands of families on lakes around the world. Kids just like me. Families just like mine....will use this boat to do more than just perfect a craft. This boat will create friendships, and memories....and bring families together. I think that, above all else, is what continues to drive the passion. Its a very privileged and confirming feeling to be a part of a new product that is more than just fiberglass and carpet....hard to explain. Maybe competitive skiing is struggling....membership numbers are down....certain metrics we tend to use don't shed favorable light on the industry. BUT, I can say this: water sports at the recreational level are not dying. There are kids and parents and grandparents all over this country, on public lakes and rivers, coming together and shredding. Discovering wake boarding, tubing, surfing and water skiing. They may not have a USA Water Ski membership....they probably don't read Water Ski Mag....and I doubt they even know competitions exist. And dare I say they have never heard of BOS!!??? However, just because this huge disconnect exists.....doesn't mean water sports (specifically skiing) are dying. Just means we've lost our way somehow, at the competitive level. I feel like our successes as a competitive sport, depend directly on that recreational base....or if we currently don't depend on them, we could sure do a lot better if we somehow banded together....or at the very least, began to bridge the gap. The Freeride and the new ProStar are just the beginning for me.... and I feel like product development can play a huge role in helping evolve the sport....and bridging that gap. Now, if someone can teach me how to juggle, I'd like to get back to being a skier again....and develop new products in my spare time....

Rear seats pic above was R&D pic....not final version, but gives u an idea. Mostly it just gave me an excuse to attempt posting pics to BOS forum from my iPhone

MTS ballast should still be an option as in years past. And it should be in same location as in 197

Rear seats

Thanks @webbdawg99 for posting. Kinda cool to have an outside brand as big as CrossFit wanting to get involved a bit.

www.MobilityWOD.com Life changing....

haha....does that competitive fire ever stop? You're already talking records... I've been through 35 at 26 mph..... note of caution: because of the high glide factor, your timing/rythm window is narrower....you have to be pretty sharp to avoid coming inside to quickly, or over shooting the buoy too fast. Its a fun challenge...and I think a very very good training tool. Also, you may wanna try 36 mph, just for fun....been through 28 off a bunch at that speed.

not to mention the "reach" is usually always accompanied by an "edge change"....which means, that as you reduce your angular momentum (by allowing your body to travel further from the pylon), you also start edging or carving towards the buoy. AKA....you gain most of your width by staying as close to the handle as possible, for as long as possible....not by casting the ski out towards the shore. that make sense, @gator1?

@horton, I beg to differ. I guess I need to do another quick edit....that long line stuff is super fun....but honestly I've had just as much fun at 26/28 mph at 28 off or 32 off. Its a heck of a tool at slow speeds in the slalom course....you learn stuff about your skiing that you never knew....or that otherwise happens too fast for you to recognize, when riding your real ski.

@bhs, that sounds like a heck of a start! I took noodles and plasti-dipped them years ago. Its same concept, just more redneck and less refined. p.s. - check out this buoy...dunno what year, but I'm sure they weren't worried about buoy size back then....just shows how long we humans can adapt to a less than ideal set of parameters before realizing we could improve our situation.

@OB , no, I won't take your comments personal..... In the early 2000's....I rallied skiers at the professional level (as well as amateur) with petitions and facts,....and ultimately turn buoy size was changed from 23 cm to 20 cm. I tried to propose the gate "mulligan" rule almost 10 years ago....at that time, I was the only one who saw any value in it. I have held every Athlete Rep. position available. I started out young and naive. Thought things could/would change if they made more sense than status quo. Turned out to be wrong. There are a lot of things that seem immovable.....and I guess I kinda got burned out after trying for so many years. This board has value: exchange of expertise....experience...a collective consciousness that allows skiers to come together and spitball with the hope of making each other better. And making the sport better as result. My sarcastic tone is rooted in a long history of putting up with those in power that continue to hold the sport back and resist change. My little role play was aimed at them....and was a sort of test to see how folks on here felt: "will they or won't they feel similarly....will they agree that things could be streamlined and simplified?...or is the majority ok with how complex events have become for the sake of fairness?" Agreed....someone needs to do something about it....I was just making sure somebody else out there felt the same...

I have an idea....lets continue to use little spherical shaped (and dangerous during ski contact, I might add) course markers for another 20 years....and force ourselves to have to increase technological requirements for tournaments until no one is left in the sport but die hards who will wait around for 15 min to get an instant replay ruling during the finals of the biggest event of the year. And lets continue to use them why? Oh, cuz that's how its been done for decades... Good for Goode to come up with something safer for turn markers.....but I think we are still missing the point. I agree with @schroed, bottom right boat view is the only one worth anything in this case. How sweet would it be if we could eliminate all cameras, except for the boat cam. And all requirements for extra judges, except for the one in the boat. Develop new markers that have very little mass and are taller.... more closely resembling slalom gates on snow instead of steel channel markers on public lakes. Replace Gates and turn buoys with these new markers.....if the skier is too early on a gate or too narrow at a turn, the tip catches the marker (remember, very light marker, so you don't end your career when you tag one) and the boat judge can clearly see the result, without doubt. Am I missing something??..... Oh yeah, did Nate miss that gate? Not certain one way or another. He was really close...as per the rule book, he technically could have been deemed ok. That end of Robin Lake has got me in the past....twice... Benefit of the doubt to the skier? Maybe....but again, why is there so much left to judgement. Lets change a few things, spruce up the course, and eliminate this issue from ever happening again.

@swc5150 You either have a better memory than I or I erased any memory of a published picture with me holding a beer. Can't seem to find it, but maybe I can take your word for it? As a Pro, I've tried hard to keep alcohol out of my hands, when on site, and hanging out around kids and young adults that tend to look up to us. However, I do believe "lakelife" and the lake lifestyle allows for the presence of alcohol....its summertime, its the weekend or whatever....and folks are on the lake to have a good time. It makes sense. At least, back in the 80's/90's, that was the demographic that came to watch pro events. There were tons of folks who had probably never been in a course, or had spent little time in one, that showed up to support the pro tour. They were lake people with ski boats and an old HO Mach 1 that skied at 38 mph long line and made 5 open water slack turns before calling it a day.. We've lost a great deal of that. Yeah, something could be done to improve tourney formats....length of events....presentation of the competition (line off or actual true length is one example)....etc... But I think a huge component that never gets discussed is public lake skiing. It gets mentioned once in a while, but never really attacked, like many of the threads on this board. We have seen such an exodus of skiers from public lakes in the past 20 +/- years (to private lake sites, or moving on to other sports altogether) that relatively speaking, hardly anyone is skiing on public waters anymore. And the folks that still are, seem to experience a disconnect with the private lake and competitive skiers whenever they cross paths. I don't know the answer, but I do know its not any one thing. For instance, I was more excited than I had been in years when I had the chance to collaborate with Bob LaPoint and others on a completely new ski at HO. A ski that I feel is the 1st step in a direction that maybe hasn't ever been successfully executed on before: a true public/recreational ski, that works.....one that isn't just easy to get up on, and thats the end of it. But a ski that quickly gets you on top of the water, then lets you cut with incredible ease. 24mph - 34 mph......freeriding or course skiing. A truly unique ski.... I shared a short film, telling a story (one persons perspective) of where water skiing is as a sport at this moment in time.....and where it could go in the future. The biggest response I received from that film was from everyone under the sun, except tournament skiers. Non-skiers and people outside of the water sports industry responded with things like "I don't even ski, but that video just made me wanna try!" and "I haven't skied in years but suddenly I'm thinking about strapping it on again". Those responses were an indication of the untapped potential for growth in this lifestyle and sport that we all love. Sadly, the lack of 1 single thread or mention on this forum was just another indication of where "we" as a competition based sport, are focused these days: Its still about how I can get that extra advantage to help me round 1 more buoy (or maybe its "what kinda product do I need to get my hair to look like Hortons") There is an unseen potential for growth in our sport. It doesn't start with better scores, or being lighter on the line.....or even in subtleties like how best to announce a pro event. It starts with public water. If we go back there....we can bring them here. Not overnight....but in a lasting way....for future generations to enjoy.

I'll come up to mint! Miss that place.....

@richarddoane wondering if you've sampled a Freeride yet...you sound fairly confident. FYI, Regarding spray, the Freeride will spray (not like Kris LaPoint used to on the Pulse, but it'll spray)....So far, performance limits for me at 180 lbs are 32 off at 36 mph....as well as easily running 15 off at 25 mph....all on a 67" Freeride.

Dryland drills are most effective when you have a superfriend. A super friend is someone who supports you where you need it.....No, not what you're thinking....more along the lines of "Without a superfriend there to lean against or prop you up a bit, you would fall on your face if properly positioned" From the moment you turn in for the gates, slalom is dynamic. Too much static dryland drilling will teach you just that: to be static. To lock and load. To not shift your center of mass. All of those things are bad. Find a superfriend you can trust and move your mass in the direction you want to go. Thats a better way to dryland

I've been skiing pro events since 1996. While I whole heartedly appreciate the enthusiasm and gesture of this thread....I can't help but speak up. I may only be speaking for myself (although I'd like to think many of the skiers would be behind me on this) but I would rather see money raised put towards marketing, promoting, and event coverage....rather than back in our pockets. @OB, you said it yourself....the ROI for potential sponsors just isn't there....and so they just can't step up to the plate. That has been the theme for years....and That won't change, ever, if the paradigm of event production and management doesn't change: more resources to event marketing/promotion/coverage (GOOD coverage, edited, well-done piece) and less initial concern with the rest of it. If skiing was one day featured on network TV....that is potentially more valuable to us as athletes than a few extra thousand $'s at any one event. Is our prize money great? No. But I guess what I'm saying is prize $$ shouldn't be the only focus.....skiers might be able to hold out a bit longer..., if the future begins to look like something we can believe in.

I see it like this: In General Terms Everybody is unique. With their own idiosyncrasies, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, every skier is in a slightly different body position than everyone else in the world.....at any given point in the course. Does that change what physics??....or the rules of an efficient stance/position? Does it mean 1 person can get away with having their CG in the wrong spot, while another can't? I'd say no. But what it does mean, is every single skier is going to be approaching perfection on the water from a slightly different angle. Therefore the things "they" have to do, focus on, visualize, etc.... are likely going to be different. That is why I feel like each skier needs to develop a cognitive understanding of what an "efficient transition" looks like. The better the skiers understanding, along with a good inventory of what they currently do.....will often allow them to be their own best coach: and pin point the move(s) they need to make to maximize efficiency, and performance. Personally, @Horton, I think you have just scratched the surface with that hair.... a few more years = a few more lbs of wetted mass upstairs = slower transitions naturally...

I see it like this: In General Terms Everybody is unique. With their own idiosyncrasies, characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, every skier is in a slightly different body position than everyone else in the world.....at any given point in the course. Does that change what physics??....or the rules of an efficient stance/position? Does it mean 1 person can get away with having their CG in the wrong spot, while another can't? I'd say no. But what it does mean, is every single skier is going to be approaching perfection on the water from a slightly different angle. Therefore the things "they" have to do, focus on, visualize, etc.... are likely going to be different. That is why I feel like each skier needs to develop a cognitive understanding of what an "efficient transition" looks like. The better the skiers understanding, along with a good inventory of what they currently do.....will often allow them to be their own best coach: and pin point the move(s) they need to make to maximize efficiency, and performance. Personally, @Horton, I think you have just scratched the surface with that hair.... a few more years = a few more lbs of wetted mass upstairs = slower transitions naturally...

I am offering distance coaching and have multiple platforms to chose from, depending on ease of use for the student. Feel free to email me for more info...

Thanks Kevin for taking the time to put this together! I think what you're doing is great! However, if I understand you correctly....and Water Ski Tech was your inspiration...that credit goes to my very good friend and great skier @Drago (Leigh Sheldrake). He was the original podcaster in the industry. I did do a live webshow....once upon a time...but I don't think that's what you were referencing. Again, well done...great to meet you in Utah. Hope to make a trip back out when the water thaws and make some turns with you desert rats!! MB