JoelHowley

hey Matt... I finally got myself a US lap top. Thought I would post the message I sent you for all to see just in case someone is interested... Edge change looks great, your exits out of 135 are sic and its nice to see that you can pull it back when things go bad. I would say that into 246 you have plenty of speed and you seem very capable of using it to get the width you need however when it's time to exit the turn and start accelerating your are having to add more body lean in order get to your cutting position (which looks strong). It's almost like the timing of when your outside hand gets back to the handle determines the amount lean you have away from the boat. You actually seem to have this timing pretty good but I would like to see you carry much more body lean into 246. I Don't want you to lean away from the boat any less at the exit of the turn but I would like to see you try and carry the same lean into the turn as you wish to take out of the turn. With your edge change you won't loose outbound trajectory, and try not to be afraid of turning before the buoy or skipping the ski out. The ski has insane amounts of grip so it won't slide out and although it moves back under the line super fast it actually take a slightly larger movement to initiate the turn than most other sticks so it shouldn't ever turn in before you tell it to. If you can manage to carry some more lean into 246... the ski will break a little harder (which should help at 35) You will be artificially giving yourself a longer rope (may not need as much arm extension as you normally do) - until your at 35. Exiting the turn you will have nothing to do but collect the handle as you ski back to it. Go hard, have fun, let me know if this helps you through 35. I would suggest working on this lean stuff really hard until you get to 35. At 35 just trust that what you were practicing on 32 will say with you a bit and try to run the pass at all costs.

Yes, I have. However the one I rode wasn't the final product. The surface finish on the base of the ski was still being played with. I ran a 39 off the doc first set. I was stoked with it. The ski felt like it was on rails, just as the 2012 does however off the second wake as the load is released there seemed to be even less rebound to deal with (which is something I thought the 2012 already did really well). Also exiting the turn as the load came on I found the ski simply would not stall. I ran some 38's trying to bog/stall the ski at the exit of the turn just to see if I could and I never came unstuck. It want's to move the moment you apply any load at all, even before my hand was back on the handle I felt the ski was moving well. Obviously if you try hard enough it is still possible overturn the ski, however whether I had tailturned or jumped on the nose the ski just always seemed to have more momentum than the 2012 and I found it easy to reset the ski at a manageable angle and continue. It felt just like the 2012 on the approach to the ball and initiating the turn seemed to require no more or less movement than the 2012. Which is great because the 2012 is awesome! I rode a 67 with... Depth = 2.529 Length = 6.823 DFT = .750 Wing = 9

Not sure where I will be, I am attempting to base myself in Orlando but so far I have had no luck.

Interesting observation, When I first started running 38 I spent lots of time working on my knees as I had a tendency to extend my legs and push the ski through the finish of the turn (especially in tournaments where I was very eager to feel some load and start accelerating). Being 'patient' at the end of the turn was never really my thing. Approaching the buoy I allow my legs to extend as much as they want however when it is time to turn I engage the front of my ski by dropping my knees down toward the water. After the ski 'bites' and the turn is initiated I try to point my knees in the direction I want to go. I want it to feel like my knees have flicked the ski into position so fast that my ankles have dragged the ski into place, (however that is clearly not actually happening). Focusing on my knees in this way helps keep my ankles supple as the load begins to come on, supple ankles allows the ski to pretty much choose how much angle is necessary for the situation at hand. As I collect the handle and the load comes on I no longer care about what my knees are doing. I try to allow my body to naturally fall into whatever position I feel will allow me to begin levering the handle away from the boat. The only other time I think about my knees would be just before I take my hand off the handle. If I feel that I need some extra width I will slightly point my knees toward the bank. This can sometimes cause me apex too early but if I'm already late it's worth a shot. Hope that gave u some insight and was somewhere near the type of answer you were looking for. I haven't actually worked on my knees for a long time now. Back when I was working on this stuff I sometimes found that it was difficult for me to 'disconnect' from my ski through the turn. Ideally I am trying to get this stuff with my knees to happen around the outside of my upper torso. I feel that when I am stretched out for the ball with only my ankles making it around the buoy I have to be careful not to unnecessarily load the ski before it is back under the line.

Thanks... We are currently working on a new clip that should be pretty good. Will be sure to use some super slow motion.

Thanks Brady... Yeah, Nick Adam's held the Aussie record with 2@41, I ran 2.5@41 however a few weeks later he got it back with 4@41. This link takes you to my YouTube channel... there is some nice footage from the boat under 'training' if you want to have a good look at how I ski. youtube.com/user/shortlineslalom I still have lots to learn but thank you and yeah, BallOfSpray is awesome.

I have been asking myself the same question... Back in the day I rode an old F1 and I was on that ski until I started running 35off. I then tried every ski I could get my hands on from my local dealers including the first few versions of the Prophecy. After months of testing it came down to either the D3 X7 or an Obrien Elite. I chose the Elite however for the first time in my career I began to 'choke' in tournaments. Despite having received the Elite from a sponsor (www.waterskiersworld.com) I was back trying new skis and was actually ready to buy a Radar Strada when I heard Connelly had put a V stepped hull in their 2012 Prophecy. When I rode the 2012 Prophecy I didn't instantly think it was anything too special like I had done with the Elite/X7/Strada however after a few sets I was absolutely hooked. I took my 2012 Prophecy to the states last year. I ran 39off 9 times in record events and got to 2.5@41 however I was still not signed with any ski companies so the last month and a bit of my trip was spent travelling around Florida skiing on as many different skis as I could. I even took an MC and a D3 home to Australia with me because I felt I had not given them a decent go in Florida. Nothing compared... I think Connelly could have even changed the name of the Prophecy when they started using the V stepped hull because to me if feels nothing like the early model Prophecy's. If you have any questions about the ski (or any ski) let me know. Joel.

Thanks for the support... My 2.5@41 was officially approved and so was Nick's 4@41 so I held the record for about 3 weeks. I'm planning to head back to the states in a few months and my body is feeling better than ever so let's hope I can have another good season.