MISkier

I heard it was the best Goode ever.

@Horton and @RAWSki From the Towboat Policy Manual: Record Capability (Class E, L, R) tournaments and Class C tournaments may use any prior year USA Water Ski Approved Tournament boat equipped with Zero Off (rev R or rev S). The LOC and Chief Driver are responsible to ensure the boat is in good operating condition, including required insurance. For Regionals and Nationals: AWSA US Nationals and AWSA Regionals may use a 2024 USA Water Ski Approved Tournament Towboat or a prior year 2023, or 2022 USA Water Ski Approved Tournament Towboat. (Current year plus 2 additional years).

Where is says "Slalom Change Event" in the lower left corner of your first picture, press that to reveal a menu of choices. One of those will be Recreational or Training Slalom. One of the things that worries me is no ZO serial number or ZO software version displaying in the third picture. I think it reads those from the ECM on the engine. Maybe there is a lost connection of the head unit to the ECM, which would be the CANBUS connection Jody mentions.

@UWSkier, jumping the shark would actually be more related to water skiing and the original thread. If only the Happy Days boat had been a Malibu, it would be totally relevant.

@Horton, has anyone previously received a panda (or triple panda) for their first post? There must be some sort of special designation for that - like a "Panda Prime" recipient.

@MI_Skier, I appreciate that. I’m sure @Horton can help, if there an issue.

@aupatking, check the id of the original poster. It’s new and not me. He’s got an underscore in his id. When I saw it, I figured the confusion would ensue.

That has @Horton's name written all over it.

@Sedge, are you restringing handles?

@RAWSki, all I know is that the tournaments in the late 80s and early 90s would get thousands of spectators on shore, including podunk stops outside of Lansing, MI. And, those stops would be broadcast on ESPN. I don't know why everybody lost interest.

He seems to be trying to ski that pass like he is seated in a chair. His upper body is upright and, as such, he is skiing on a flat ski. It might help if he thought about leaning away from the boat more. On a shorter line pass, I was once told to hide my shoulder from the boat and need to lean away against the line to do so. I think he should also avoid "arm skiing" No pulling in on the rope. Straight arms as you lean away. Pulling in on the handle also pulls you upright and flat on the ski. The handle is currently high and away from his body, which adds to the imbalance as he hits the wake. Instead, pin those upper arms and elbows to the front of the vest, keep them straight, and lean away. He should slice through the wake rather than bounce through it. The best part of his skiing seems to be the pull out just before the glide and the turn in. Incorporate more of that throughout the pass. Many others here will have better tips, but that is where I would start.

Another thing I noticed was how long he delayed after the turn before loading the rope. It’s semi-related to the resetting of the direction of the ski, but is also a noticeably later start to the work zone than mere mortals.

One-handed gate.

Free skiing until the water temperature exceeds 50 degrees and we get frequent days in the 60s (usually somewhere in April). Then, we run buoys - openers for a while and then start regular training and working on tips from late in the previous season.

@jjackkrash, Side note: On that infamous day, I was one month post-surgery for a gum tissue graft over an existing dental implant (unrelated to skiing). As I took inventory of the various impact points on my face, I wondered if I had undone any of that work or created new, expensive issues. Furthermore, the cost of this sport is occasionally discussed at home and any additional skiing-related monetary outflow might have been frowned upon. All was well, except for my swollen nose and a few abrasions. I called my wife on the way home just to prepare her for my new just-been-in-a-bar-fight appearance and assured her everything was minor and that I did not think I had a concussion. When I got home, she perused my face with an eye-rolling look of exasperation, shook her head slowly, and with disdain simply said, "Dumbass". We both laughed quite hard.