BG1

Skiing starts Wednesday. It is a single lake site.

Chuck's never made the gates because he knows no one dare judge him.

Chuck has ground game. He's just never had to use it.

MS is right. B1

That’s a protective rubber cap on the tip of the ski. Those old Maherajah's had a sharp tip! That’s actually an old photo of the first time Chuck ran -43 2 handed.

Chuck doesn’t practice, he executes.

Chuck had to lose to Bruce for the movies. He just couldn’t let that stand. What did you think happened to Bruce?

Chuck Norris can barefoot -43, on one foot, backwards, using a toe hold.

Ditto to everything @Ed_Johnson said. Great place, great people, and great boat.

What a tremendous effort. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone earn 5.25 buoys more than that! It is nothing short of a shame that his score is 0 for the pass. He missed the gates.

We ski, therefore we are.

@tbrenchley I’m ok with us agreeing to disagree.

Back in the early 80’s and hand driving I was the first one off the dock at a tournament with a driver that had never driven that boat and he did not make a test run. 36 mph 15off with a 10 mph tail wind and the time was 15.3 (about 38 mph). Back into the wind was a 16.4 so I had to run it again with a 16.2. The next pass was a tail wind and it felt like we were going fast. I only made it to 4 ball but did not get the boat time. Most tournaments were 1 round back then so my weekend was done. Cruise control is great!

@tbrenchley A major safety advantage with the gate rule change is giving the skier the same space to go out the exit gate for a full buoy at 6 ball as they get for buoys 1-5, which is 41 meters. This would reduce the skiers “do or die” attempts to get the complete 6 buoys in less space to advance to the next pass. There is no data that I know of comparing falls at 6 ball to the other 5 but I know I’ve seen more bad crashes and close calls there than at any one of the other 5 buoys. I know of one death because of 6 ball and the short exit gates. The stakes are higher at 6 ball because of the bonus of advancing to the next pass and the distance to get the full buoy is shorter. This combination leads to a more hazardous environment at 6 ball that is self-evident. Safety on the entrance gates is not the issue it was when the rules went from buoys 9”-11” diameter to the current 7.8” diameter. Those big buoys could turn your lights out if you hit one of those at full speed and load. The smaller, current size of 7.8” are a distraction when I hit them and on occasion will move my ski causing me to pause but I have yet to crash, which is an improvement in safety. I do think it is possible that the current air inflated 7.8” buoy could take someone out if their fin centered the buoy popping the tail up and digging the tip in. That is one nasty fall; probably the worse. Hitting a turn buoy is something you do at close to boat speed and you have a relatively long, unobstructed view of it. You are going much faster at around 1.6 times boat speed when you hit an entrance gate. You lose sight of the right-hand gate when the boat blocks it, when the wake and spray hides it, and because your head needs to be up and looking cross course, not down. There is little or no warning. You are in a stronger position to power over the buoy behind the boat at the gates when you hit the buoy but the stakes of a crash are still high. I think most skiers right now would want both gate buoys to stay where they are for timing although I had no problem adjusting my timing by spacing myself in front of the left-hand gate when I skied a few sets with the right-hand buoy removed. When I replaced the right-hand gate buoy and kept using the left-hand buoy as my reference point I found that I would be between 0 and 24” from the right gate every time! My timing was better because I did not lose sight of that left-hand buoy. I now get the best gates I ever have. My experience tells me no one would be yearning for that right-hand gate ball after a set or two of adjustment. Removing the right-hand gate buoy would be the safest solution because the entrance gates are very close to where most skiers are trying to go. The right-hand gate ball is nothing but an unnecessary, useless, and potentially hazardous obstacle that is impossible to judge with any fair consistency. With this new rule of not judging the gates and possibly removing the right-hand buoy I can promise you the challenge of the start (gate) will be just as demanding and gratifying as ever when you “nail” it.

I think what @Mickey Thompson is saying is that some people are opposed to change just because that’s the way it has always been even though the change will improve things. There may be others who oppose it because; “If I had to deal with the gates all these years everyone does”. Some are opposed to changing the gate rule because they like the challenge and have invested an enormous of amount of time and effort into becoming proficient with the gates. I can understand and respect this third reason completely. I like the challenge of the gates and have invested an enormous amount of time and effort into the gates and have finally become proficient just in time for all of this “not judge the gate talk;” yet after a lot of thought I think it needs to happen for the reasons stated on this forum and other places. I know of no one in support of changing the gate rule that is a “cry baby” or looking for a short cut. It was said on this forum that Chet is in favor of a gate rule change and he is killing it right now while, to my knowledge, has never missed the gates. Chet may be the most mentally tough human I have ever met. He’s not looking for an easy out. He’s looking to improve the sport.

Gordon’s proposal is the best one I’ve seen. Add only 1 gate buoy on each end of the course, to the right side of the boat, 41 meters from the 1 ball gates (same as from 1-2 ball). Enter the course from left to right any time after the skier passes this new buoy and you’ve made the gates. Get back to the wakes before the new buoy, after 6 ball, and you’ve run the pass. If Nate makes a 1 foot mistake in timing on the gates, then all of his efforts for the pass are canceled and the set is over yet I’ve seen him make a 5 foot mistake inside the course at 9.75 meters and still run the pass. We have all done the same at our on level. The penalty for a mistake on the gates is grossly out of proportion. You can cross the wakes anywhere you want going from one ball to the next. Why not going to 1 ball? I spent a few sets going early on the gates. I also removing the right hand gate buoy and went whenever I wanted while watching the remaining left hand gate buoy. I found there to be very little advantage because it still comes down to your timing, technique, and speed. My initial opinion is national rated skiers would see anywhere from no increase to less than a 1.5 buoy increase in their average and the list of names would stay in the same order they are now. The best skier on tournament day would still be the winner, with much less possibility of controversy. Our sport is melting away. I think this gate change would increase participation in tournaments by making it a lot easier to judge, a lot easier to conduct a tournament, a lot less punitive to the skier, a lot less intimidating to the beginner, and a lot safer because of the additional time to get back to the wakes after 6 ball.

The record in 1997 was 1@43 off. 16 years later the record is 2@43 off. At this rate it will take 64 more years for 43 off to go down. 43 off is almost impossible and the few that have tried it are literally throwing caution to the wind at every turn. Right now it does look like Nate has a shot at a piece of 3 ball though. Incredible!

@skidawg, How much air did you have in the Wallyskier buoy?

I have one beach/pavilion pass to this weekend’s Masters Waterski Tournament. Price is $35 per day which was my cost in January. Price at the gate was $25 for the beach and another $45 for the pavilion 2 years ago when I bought them on site so $35 is half price. Wife’s not going so I have the extra pass. Send me a personal message if you’re interested.

I have a question for anyone that might know. Do they recommend these for one side only? I made one for the left side of my ski (right foot forward), played around a couple passes, and then took a stab at the gates/one ball with about 60% effort/lean. At edge change the ski went out and away so quick I almost did a left side body slam 40 feet from the ball. I’m sure I would have gone down hard at full speed. Does putting them on both sides stop this action?

Asher has the best 2 ball of them all so he may have the best shot at a piece of 3. MS and Matt may be right though. It’s hard to conceive just how hard 9.75M is.

I skied with Kris and Jen a week or so ago at their new site. That place is awesome. The water skied great. I kick in after the start and still had setup time from both ends. The lake has great wind protection from all directions plus being a smaller lake keeps the chop from building even when some wind does manage to get to the water. The wind was a full 25MPH from the SW (pretty much a cross wind) when I skied and there was no wind or chop to contend with! No back wash either. That video of Taylor that Ed just posted shows some beautiful technique. Looks like that green A3 is working well for her.

The boat is not towing Andy, it's RUNNING from him!

I agree on the ties.

I tried it for 2 passes about 30 years ago. I switched from right to LFF in rubber boot with RTP. The first pass I started going left very aggressively as soon as I got up until I plowed my shoulder and face into the water out beside the boat. I was totally out of control. Second start was going back to the drop point and I got dragged about 50 feet on the drop because I could not go right. I was now mad. Second try back into the course and my goal now was only to cross the wake to the right. It took me all the way to the other end just to do it once. Unfortunately this was before the first steam powered video was invented.