Edbrazil

About the foot heaters, I have put them over my socks, above the toes. Not maybe as warm as under, but no worries about being uncomfortable. They stick to the top of your socks. Just need to be careful slipping the boots on, so they don't bunch up. Of course, start with dry socks and warm/dry boots.

Had a friend, now deceased via Viet Nam, who was quite an all-around high school athlete and a BMOC. Participated in several sports, including football, as a JV quarterback. Mediocre student, but got by. His coach suggested that he get used to heights, because of pole vaulting. So, he climbed up a 100+ foot tower near the athletic field, and yelled down something like: "Coach, is that enough?" Yes, he was a joker, too. Went on post-school to get somewhat involved in politics, working as an aide for a state sentor. Until Vietnam got him, as it did other friends of that era.

In the early 1970s, we had a slalom course on Lake Sunapee, in the arm that extends to Georges Mills. And, to the side and inside a layer of rocks. That was before we first moved to Lake Coniston, and later to Palazzi Pond. Where we hosted maybe 20+ sanctioned tournaments from 1973 to 1979. Before I first moved to Florida. The anchors for that course are probably still there, and subbuoyed. Course was put in through the ice during Winter. As an aside, well before Aerosmith became famous, I think they played at a barn/club in Georges Mills. Back when I was a college student in the mid-1960s.

I believe that Jenner got his start as a pole vaulter before expanding into the Decathlon.

There are those little heat packs that come with grains of ? packed in bags. Apparently, they react with air. Use the larger ones for inside gloves and the smaller ones in your boots. For those, stick them on TOP of your socks, not underneath, or they are uncomfortable. They work for a few hours.

I remember when the ABC rules were being set up. One of the AWSA directors put up a big stink about handle in teeth and around the neck. I wonder if those tricks are in their Rules today?

Anyone out there have some information to contribute, about how much towline tension a SL skier generates? Some years back, Dave Benzel had a computer-interfaced system, that measured tension and other factors. I did some work at times with a Dillon Force Gage. Eay back, Jim Sylvester (AWSA President, Technical Committee) did some measurements in the 1960s. I have heard a figure in the range of 900 lbs. max. Don't know if this is accurate; sounds like a lot.

Age 75. Too many years of jumping, mostly at 6 ft. 2 fake hips and a bad back. Just doing well to get around. BUT: I may get something called a "spinal stimulator", so I haven't given up permanently, even though last time on the water was about 3 years ago.

Horton: #38 in Men 45+.

Back in school, I was doing swimming for a Winter sport. Indoor pool with lots of chlorine in it. By the end of the Winter Term, I had green dandruff.

Back a few years, there was a contest to see who could run 38 the most times in a row. I think that Jamie Beauchesne won with something like 7. Anyone have better details?

Yes, but how about Fangio?

I went there, and estimate the crowd was 10x what I expected. Free admission, so hope they at least broke even via sponsors. Was like the early days of the Tour that was started by Rob Shirley in 1984.

The "Jump The Shark" double was John Steinbush, a good mens jumper at the time. Now, back to BLP: I believe that he set the jump record at the Old Marine World in Redwood City, CA. With whip-style jumping at 5 1/2 feet. Was a milestone event at its time in the 70s and 80s. Wicked short venue for jumping; only about 1050 feet long.

Some history: Back in the 1950s when I started skiing, many of us kids were running slalom on jumpers in tournaments. Maybe running 28mph longline. Back in the days of long endgates. At the 1957 Nationals (San Diego) in Boys Slalom, Glenn Sperry won the event on 2 skis. A feat that will never be duplicated. The number of skiers who have completed the course at 34 mph on 2 skis is fewer than the number of today's skiers who have run 41 off. (34 mph was the max. speed back then, even for men, and at least through the1960 Rules.) Warren Witherell probably settled the 2 vs. 1 ski argument when he ran into way deep shortline at the 1960 Bay State Open. A few years ago, I saw Jamie Beauchesne run 32mph and a few at 34 on jumpers.

I have done a good bit of work with 8-buoy courses. Most recently at Kris LaPoint's in Florida, and before that at Dave Goode's place near Salt Lake City. Best if you can extend the course in just one direction, and retain all the original 6-buoy

Go to: http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/offdirectory.asp And select AWS and Technical Controller for Midwest. There are 10 in the Midwest. Most/all of them have the needed skills and instruments, and may be reasonable cost compared with a survey company.

At 11am, and now into Men Slalom, the webcast is just fine. Interesting: the webcast lags about 20 seconds behind the IWWF scoring link.

Back in the Back When, we had 2 ski companies in my home town of Laconia, NH. Northland and Cove Craft. Northland made both snow and water skis. Cove Craft made Aqua Sport skis. Both companies made wooden skis. In that era, Aqua Sport jumpers were top o the line.

Agree that the webcast is spotty. Better to "watch" at: http://www.iwwfed-ea.org/competition.php?cc=T-18USA021&page=live

Dealt with a Wallycourse a good bit. In the Spring, the sandbags can get stuck into a muddy bottom, and need some help, such as by a SCUBA diver. Buoys also get nasty grungy.

Bruce actually foreran the Men Slalom at the 1978 Nationals. And didn't screw up.

Well, with the Men Slalom Finals over, my friend from Series 3 didn't quite get it right when he predicted no man would run 39, as Freddy Winter did on the way to a win. Still he had the only 39 of the Men. But, even stranger is that Nate Smith did NOT run 35 off in the Finals, and finished 12th. The last time he even missed 38 was in one round of one tournament back in 2014. (In another round, he ran 2 @ 41).

Women Slalom just settled. Regina and Whitney had a runoff for 1st place, and yet one more runoff, after tying again at 39 off. This may be a record, of sorts, for a Worlds. Not a "record" for most tie runoffs, though. Men Slalom at an Orlando Tour stop at OWC had to go to something like 4 or 5 runoffs into 41 off. Wade vs. Andy.

News just posted: Today's Men Series 2 & 1 postponed for safety reasons. Wonder if it is wind or some other reason.