Last week we had our first live video chat, with Marcus Brown from the Face to Face tour. This sort of thing is something that I'm pretty excited to keep rolling into something better.
Using the live ChatBox at the Pro Ski Coach Water Ski Forum, any logged on skier was able to ask Marcus questions, and get answers within just a few minutes -- via the live video stream next to the chatbox.
Last week's chat was the first of hopefully many more to come -- so we were really just testing it out to see how it went. Marcus and I decided to pull the trigger on Tuesday Night, setting a Wednesday at 1:30PM Mountain Time start time for the chat.
Update:
This week, we'll do it again. SO swing on by on Thursday at 1:30PM Mountain Time to get your chance to ask Marcus Brown anything!
Live Video Chat with Marcus Brown
Stuff I've Learned in 2009
Getting to be that time of year for holiday wishes and ugly sweater parties. So I thought I'd throw out a few things that I've picked up this year.
Being Open is Better
Honesty is always something that's always been a core attitude of mine... there's never a good reason to lie. But when it comes to business, there's a tendency to keep things under wraps. You don't want your competitors to know what you're doing -- you think you need to keep that edge by being secretive.
There's a flaw in that thinking though -- You don't know everything. I definitely don't know everything. In fact, no one knows everything.
Two heads are better than one, and if I can crowdsource something for the website then we'll probably be able to build it better than if I had just tried to do it on my own.
Why be secretive? Am I trying to hide something? Why would I? So talk about it. Whether it's a blog post or a quick note on the forum, an email or a quick phone call. Input from others can usually set you on the right course.
There's Always More Information Available
For a long time, I had my sights set on creating "the" resource for water skiing on the internet. Well that's ridiculous. I obviously can't come up with everything there is to know, on any subject. And even if I could, there'd still be at least a hundred other websites out there on the same subject. Do I know a lot about slalom waterskiing? Sure. Is there more information that someone else has that I don't? Yep. Can any one create a site that has all the information there is to know on any one subject? Probably not.
Not Having Time is Not an Excuse
I really learned this lesson from a high school history teacher when I took a week off from school to go to the US Championships. I didn't finish off my assignments by the time I got back and he said to me "You know, you're always busy... but you're never that busy". I didn't really think about that too much until this year. Is there a lot to get done? Always. Can you finish it all? Probably not -- By the time you do, there will be more things to get done. Is that ever an excuse? Definitely not. You can set your own priorities. It's almost never the case that there are so many things to do that you can't get them all done, done well, and done on time. Saying you don't have the time is a cop out, an excuse, and just isn't valid.
Answer the Phone and Every Email
Considering that not having time isn't an excuse, it's imperative to have the time to answer email and the phone. So I published my phone number all over the place... it's 781-34-69-SKI. Do I answer the phone every time? Almost. Do I get back to every person? Some still fall through the cracks -- But that's my fault. I can still do a better job of getting back in touch with people. But I've made it a priority to do as much as I can. No excuses.
I want to talk to people. I want to put my contact information out there to be helpful. Maybe it will lead me to a new opportunity. Maybe I'll learn something. It's a good policy.
Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
I found myself repeating this old axiom over and over again this year. Whether it's setting your summer schedule early on in the year, designing the next part of the website, or skiing at a tournament, it's imperative to have a plan. Without a plan, stuff just has a tendency to go to sh*t for one reason or another. Once you have a plan in place, then you can start to take the steps necessary to execute it. Without a plan, you're spelunking without lights.
Gates Are the Most Important Part of your Pass on the Water
Whether it's my own skiing or someone that I'm coaching, almost every time you can trace problems back to the gates. Being on the right rhythm with the boat and on the right line at the get go makes a night and day difference. Sure, it's not that simple, but without the right line on the gate, everything else is going to have problems.
Coaching skiers over the internet this year, I found myself reeling the video back to the gates time and time again. Getting that gate shot right just puts you on the right line to start with -- then it's a lot easier to keep it going after that.
Constantly Evolve
Nothing is ever finished. Even when it's finished, there's probably something that could be better. So there's improvements that can still be made. This is my attitude with most things in life now. Whether it's my skiing, or the latest feature on the website... there's still room for improvement. Constant dissatisfaction with the status quo is a good thing and will drive you to push it to the next level.
This is 90% of who Water Skis
This video has been circulating around Water Ski enthusiasts on the internet since it went up a few weeks ago. Sure, it's halarious... and the kid who won even picked up a hefty sum of $65 -- that would rival some of the payouts on the pro water ski tour! Priceless that they make a big deal out of it and say the winner will be along for an interview in a moment. Gotta give these guys credit for doing exactly what most of us do at pro ski events -- all while just living it up and having a great time -- something that too many of us loose sight of in our quest for the highest tournament score or best USAWS rating... lame.
Watching this video really just makes you realize how silly our sport really is. I'll be pretty surprised if we ever reach the level of professionalism that free style skydiving or street lugeing has. Sometimes it's good to just sit back and laugh at yourself.
No wonder it's so hard to make a buck being a pro skier. This is what people think of us. Why should we argue otherwise? I hear track hoe skiing will be accepted as a new sport division by USAWS & the IWWF in 2010.
Corey Humburg, Romain Chambaud, and Damien Ackerer Added as Pro Coaches
The latest addition to the Pro Ski Coach pros are Corey Humburg from Maryland, Damien Ackerer and Romain Chambaud from France. Hit up the Pro Ski Coach Virtual Water Ski Instruction page to get your own virtual lesson from these great skiers.
Dress Up Your Ski with a SkiSkin!
Ski designs now adays are looking pretty hot... graphics like the new Connelly Prophecy and Radar Strata are rocking the ski world. But what can you do with your 'old faithful' stick that you just can't get rid of?
Well you could give it a new look for 2010 with one of Terry Winter's original SkiSkinz. I had Terry put one together for an older HO ski that we gave to Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in an effort to get them to step up to sponsor the pro ski tour.
This was my own first-hand experience with the SkiSkinz, and I have to say that it came out incredible. We took a ski from 2005, and it looked brand new after a quick, 15-minute application.
The toughest part about installing the SkiSkin is cutting around the edge of the graphic to make it match your ski. The high quality vinyl stickers that Terry produces come well over sized, so you'll have plenty of excess no matter what size ski you're using. No need to worry though -- this was my first try with a SkiSkin and it came out looking great. He's even making them for jumpers!
This is a great way to make your old classic slalom look brand new again. Terry can make custom designs, or you could choose from one of the ones in his gallery.
Highly recommended. 
More Great Off Season Skiing
Luckily some of the best athletes in our sport have finally moved into a phase where they actually don't mind people watching their 41 off practice sets. This week, it's the great one himself.
Ski Log Leaderboard
Throughout 2009, we've logged over 6900 sets. During your visits to the water ski forum at ProSkiCoach.com, You may have noticed the top of the page where the Ski Log Leaderboard has made its home. Well it's gone now -- but it's been reincarnated and is moving in a new direction.
OK-- PFG has skied way more than anyone else this year. Maybe you got a late start with the ski log and never had the chance to catch up to him on the Most Logged Sets Ranking.
So we've added another layer to the leaderboard... Divisions, and rankings based on your average logged score. You need to more than 10 sets logged to make the cut for the league. At that point we'll average your scores and you'll be automatically placed in the division that you're skiing at.
If you're ranked on the lower end of your division -- that's great! That means you've been skiing consistently enough to step up to that faster speed or shorter line length. If you're at the top of your division -- even better! This means that you're that close to moving up onto that next level.
I think this is going to evolve into something really cool. Something that we can use to help push each other, and add another layer of fun to what already is the most addicting sport out there.
The best part of this ski league that we're conceiving is that it automatically enters and scores you simply based on your ski log. If you've kept a paper log, it might be worth your time to log in some of those old sets.
Ofcourse, there's plenty more in the works this winter... looking forward to an amazing 2010 season!
WaterSkiUnion.com
Spray Your Favorite Water Ski Links
It's a blustery day here in Florida - with most ski lakes blown out I've been hard at work pushing waterskiing in the right direction.
The latest thing that I have to share with you is something that will actually help you share with each other. It's called Spray -- where the most important links on the page get sprayed up to the top!
You can check it out here: Spray Water Ski Links
As you can see, it's still in Beta, and likely will be for a while. You'll need to create a new username and password if you'd care to sign in and Spray some links -- but this process is painless and will take you 30 seconds tops.
Once you've created an account, you can submit and spray water ski links from around the web. Find a cool new video? Spray it. Have a forum topic somewhere on the internet that you think is helpful? Spray it. By submitting and spraying links, you'll help everyone else find the coolest stuff to check out about water skiing online.
Spray Updates Live As soon as you submit a link to Spray, it will be promoted to the Upcomming Page. If it gets enough sprays and clicks, then it will be pushed up to the front page.
There's some pretty cool software running that should keep things from getting stuck on the home page -- so once we have you contributing your favorite water ski links, this should be a great place to find and spray information.
Grow the Sport!
http://spray.proskicoach.com
HO/Hyperlite Returns to OWC
After a couple seasons on hiatus, HO Sports / Hyperlite has regained their 'stomping grounds' of the Orlando Water Sports Complex.
Performance Ski and Surf features a pro shop @ OWC, as well as one of the world's most famous Cable Parks. In the past the site has been host to a variety of watersports events, such as the inaugural Wake Ski Open, the Pro Water Ski Tour, the Byerly Toe Jam as well as myriad Pro Wakeboard Contests.
HO's excited about the move, so I guess you should be too!
Water Skiing meets Juneau Park Lagoon
Wednesday, October 14, a day history was made.
For the last two years, Joe Woelfe (co-captain @ Florida Southern, '03) and I have been slowly lubing the gears of local government towards a downtown pro event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Any skier who has driven by this lagoon has wished they could ski there one day.
Up until yesterday, to anyone's knowledge there had never been a powerboat on the lake, much less water skiing. Joel Hughes from FifteenOff.com trailered his boat and slalom course in to town. We dropped the boat in without any problems, checked out the lake, installed the course, and skied it.
The only site that can come close to comparing to the exposure that Water Skiing will get in Milwaukee is at the Yarra River in downtown Melbourne, Australia. Mark your calendars now for August 6th - this will be the event in 2010 that you don't want to miss! The finals are planned for Saturday night, with qualifying on Friday.
Milwaukee is a great city with plenty to do. All the details are still in the works, but we're planning on a festival environment akin to the Worlds in Calgary, with local bands and beers available on site.
There are also paddle boats available for rental in the lagoon -- what better way could there to be to see your favorite pro skiers do what they do best?
Milwaukee Water Skiing Photo Gallery
Testing Juneau Park Pond Next Week
Taking it on the road this weekend - heading up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We've got some meetings scheduled for Tuesday morning with potential Pro Water Ski Tour sponsors -- and then on Wednesday, Joel Hughes from FifteenOff.com is heading up with his Nautique and his Portable Slalom Course for a dry run on Juneau Park Pond.
As far as anyone knows, the lake hasn't ever been skied on... which is why we need a test day before the Pro Tour heads there next summer. For all we know, there could be massive stumps underwater... but with any luck it will be a total success. If you're in the area, feel free to drop next Wednesday -- we'll test the boat ramp, the lake, and install the slalom course. If all goes smoothly, we should be all done by early afternoon.
Chris Parrish 1.5@43 Goode Video
Today's video comes from Goode Skis. A cool interview with the world record holder followed by the video of his 2nd 1.5@43 on the Goode ski. Scope it out on Pro Ski Coach!
Milwaukee Pro Event, 2010
If all goes smoothly, the event will take place during Summefest - the World's Largest Music Festival, in the most epic downtown location the sport has ever seen -- rivaled only by the Moomba Masters in Melbourne, Australia.
It gives me goosebumps to just think about!
UPDATE:
The meeting was a huge success. We'll be dropping in a slalom course and a boat to make a dry run this month. I'll have pictures and maybe some video when we do it. The shorelines are perfect - the spectator area is perfect, there's plenty of room for vendors... And it's straight up downtown.
Did I mention Summerfest?
Terry Winter Added to PSC Pros
Proud to announce that Terry Winter
is the latest additional to the Pro Skiers and Coaches you have to choose from when you get a Virtual Coaching Lesson
New Tunes for your Playlist
In the past few days, it seems like most skiers in the US and Canada have experienced the rapid onset of the fall season. I hopped on a train in Salt Lake City at about 3:30AM on Tuesday morning and rode it for 26 hours -- following the Colorado River, up and over the Continental Divide, down through Denver and into Omaha, Nebraska - the communications hub of the US. With so many fiber-optic lines running through here, the internet connection is just about as fast as you can experience.
Now that I'm more stationary and have an internet connection, I was psyched to read some stunning reviews of our virtual coaching service! I'm glad to see that people are finally talking about this out in the open.
I just spent the last few minutes linking up a number of songs on the New Music Playlist thread on our Water Ski Forum. Download some songs and upgrade that playlist!
Marcus Brown and Nick Parsons added to PSC Pros
Happy to announce that Marcus Brown and Nick Parsons are now available for virtual coaching through our site. Check them out!
Rossi, McClintock Take Slalom Titles in Vancouver
September in the North West can be hit or miss -- but the skiers at Albert Dyck Park in Abbotsford, Vancouver Canada were definitely consistent. The prelims got off to a late start Friday morning. Will Asher put up a big 3@41, and Karina Nowlan was looking better this weekend managing to take 3@39 into the head-to-head as the top seed.
With a slightly different format this weekend than last, skiers needed to get a top 4 score to advance to the finals. The top 4 skiers from the first round were not required to ski a second time, although some did on their option. In a couple different cases, we saw a tie for the 4th and final spot, which did force a run-off. The first of such cases was Whitney McClintock and Breanne Wagner. Two Canadian women, both vying for Pro Tour title in their home country. Breanne had a rocky start to her 35 and managed only a couple buoys... Whitney skied up 35 off, and stroked a 38 off pass on the way back, securing a spot in the finals and showing the crowd that she brought her A-game this weekend.
There was also a run off between Marcus Brown and Thomas Moore. After a considerably long break, they boys had to come off the dock at 39 off. T-Mo went first and only managed 2 buoys. By this time of day the water had settled down to near-glass conditions, revealing a few rollers that had been knocked down by the wind. Marcus overcompensated, and skied inside 2 -- allowing Thomas Moore to advance to advance to the head-to-head for the first time this season.
The head to head was as exciting as ever. The men's bracket and women's bracket both saw some great matchups. 
Chris Rossi skied against Chris Parrish (again!) in the semi-final round. This was the 5th time these two guys went up against each other this year... Parrish left the door open by barely skiing inside of 6@39. Rossi got around 6 and spiked the handle.
Will Asher beat out Thomas Moore by posting up a huge score of 4@41 in the tailwind... and we all thought Will would be in the final. He blew the tail at 1@39 and was done for the weekend. Thomas Degasperi had run his 39 pass, so he faced Rossi in the final.
Chris decided to send Degasperi out first. 35 and 38 were no trouble, but T-Gas got pretty deep at 3 and couldn't ski out of it. With only three turns between Rossi and a check for six thousand dollars, it was a no brainer who would win at this point.
On the women's side, an abbreviated field meant that only one woman would be cut before the head-to-head. Did you hear that girls? Getting through 35 off? You should come and ski the pro tour!! Your odds are pretty good to place in the money!
April Coble and Karen Truelove Kruger matched up head-to-head, again. This timeless battle has been going on for years between these two. April got all the way through 38 off before somehow making a submarine manuver inbetween the final turn and the exit gates. She lots the handle and left the door open for Karen to ski to the end of the lake... which she did. 6@38 for KT and she would ski against Whitney McClintock in the finals.
Whitney skied first, and left the door open a crack when she fell in between 4 and 5 at 38 off. The judges gave her 4@38, and Karen knew what she needed to run. A little bit of a slow start on her final pass was enough to hold her back - giving Whit her first Pro Tour victory to go along side her World Championship title for 2009.
We have inexclusive, high-definition video that we will make available to subscribers later this month -- we've got all the highlights from Abbotsford and from Diablo Shores. Stay tuned for more!
Diablo Shores Pro Am Champions: Parrish, Truelove, Mapple, Scott
Open Men's Slalom Head to Head Results | Open Women's Slalom Head to Head Results | Legends Slalom Head to Head Results
Part I
In an amazing show that was put together by Greg Badal and help from uncountable numbers of Water Ski Legends, the Diablo Shores Pro Am of 2009 is an event that we will remember as one of the most spectacular shows in recent Pro Skiing History.
A star studded line up featured the sport's greats -- not just of the modern era, but also of yesteryear, as Andy Mapple defeated Bob Lapoint in a final that gave you goosebumps to watch. "Any day you beat both LaPoints you have to count yourself lucky," Map-Skis said over the webcast on multiple occasions. Bob and Kris LaPoint both participated in the event, trading best scores back and forth over the four rounds that they skied. It was amazing to watch.
Not to be outdone, the Open Men and Women both had some spectacular scores. Whitney McClintock was the favorite heading into the event, after winning the World Championships in her home country of Canada last month. An early fall in the head to head against Karen Truelove put Whit out of the running for the final. The top seed, Regina Jaquess, who scored an incredible 4.5@39 in the preliminary rounds, skied first against Karen Truelove in the head to head final. After a solid 1 and a huge lean from 2-3, Regina got her ski out around 3 at 39 off, before taking a spectacular fall. With a score of 2.25 put out there for Karen Truelove to beat, those of us watching the webcast from the Pro Ski Coach Live Chat Room were all convinced that Regina was taking home yet another pro victory for herself. Karen Truelove had an amazing start at 39, and skied all the way around 3 and got back to the wakes for the full score.
On the Men's side, the competition was more fierce. Carlos Allais from Italy got through the preliminary round on Saturday, scoring a 4.5@39 and a 1@39 -- good enough to match him up against Jamie Beauchesne for the first round. Jamie let Carlos ski first, and when Carlos couldn't get to 4, Jamie skied around it and went back to the dock ready to ski again.
Chris Rossi, who had podiumed in every event he entered this season was in the toughest matchup of the preliminary round, against Thomas Degasperi. T-Gas took an early fall out of 3 at 39, and left the door open for Chris to ski around 4@39 in order to advance -- which he did.
In the Head to Head Semi-Finals, Chris Parrish was matched up against Jamie Beauchesne. This epic, timeless battle has been raging on the Pro Tour for years. After a hard weekend of skiing already, Jamie managed to make 5 full turns at 39 off -- but it wasn't enough to take out CP, fresh of a pair of world-record-tying scores last week. CP managed 5.5@39, taking out JB.
After a long weekend of Webcasting, I need to step away from the computer -- but I'll be sure to be back soon and finish the story. Thanks for reading!
Part II
So what have we now... We've got CP, beating JB, advancing to the final -- but what else could go down first? Chris Rossi, after taking out Thomas Degasperi, took a boat ride back to the dock just in time to meet up with none other than Will Asher. Will decided to ski first against Chris. At the time, the decision looked like it might have been the wrong one. Rossi was fresh off his win against Degasperi -- Chris had been in or on the water for about 7 or 8 minutes already... it was the finals, but coming back to the dock after a victory and being thrust right back into competition can be a little nerve racking. Either way, Will decided to give Rossi the extra minute off.
Will cleaned up his 35 pass, and Chris did the same. Pass for pass they went up and down the lake, up to 41 off. Here's where Will's decision looked smarter. Skiing first allowed him the chance to go put the score out there -- and he did -- scoring 3@41 off.
Chris Rossi has been extrodinarily consistent this year, scoring 3@41 at Okeeheelee Park in May, at the Masters LCQ in May, beating out Parrish in a head to head in Michigan with the same 3@41, Winning Nationals with 3@41, and winning the Prince's Pro Am with 3@41... but we haven't seen the Rossi get to 4 ball. And Will knew it. Chris skied inside 2, and that was it for him.
With all but the podium decided at this point, we got a bonus treat to see Rossi and Jamie Beauchesne square off -- both skiers got through their 39... Jamie got to 2.5, and Rossi skied inside 3, taking himself off the podium for the first time this season.
The only thing left to do on this day was decide the champion. Will wisely skied first, electing to put the pressure on Parrish to beat him. Will probably had the most consistent turn at 1@41 of any skier -- I think he turned 1@41 every round with a near tight line. It took every ounce of strength that he had to ski just inside of 4.
With a 6'5" Chris Parrish skiing the best he has in years sitting in the water ready to go, we knew that Will had left the door open by skiing inside of 4. With a quick stretch by Parrish, he was outside of 4@41 enough to score the quarter buoy that he needed. Both fists in the air, CP dropped the handle and turned towards the crowd - Diablo Shores Pro Am Winner, for 2009.
Open Men's Slalom Head to Head Results | Open Women's Slalom Head to Head Results | Legends Slalom Head to Head Results
Diablo Shores Webcast and Live Chat
After a few exciting preliminary rounds today, the pros are set to do battle in the head-to-head format this morning at Diablo Shores in Brentwood, California.
Regina Jaquess and Will Asher both earned the top seeds yesterday. The top 8 average scores were chosen from the 2 preliminary rounds. The top 8 skiers are seeded into a bracket, and will have to defeat their opponent in order to advance to the next round. After 2 rounds of skiing yesterday, this format adds an endurance dimension to today's competition -- not only do you have to ski the best, but you have to be consistent over a lot of sets in order to win today's events.
You can check out the brackets and make your predictions here for today's winners!
Here's how it shaped up:
1. Regina Jaquess
2. Whitney McClintock
3. Karen Truelove
4. April Coble
5. Breanne Wagner
6. Jill Knutson
7. Karina Nowlan
8. Rhoni Bischoff
1. Will Asher
2. Chris Parrish
3. Jamie Beauchesne
4. Thomas Degasperi
5. Chris Rossi
6. Carlos Allais
7. Terry Winter
8. Marcus Brown
We'll be broadcasting the webcast online in our live chat room today - stop by and watch the action, chat about it with other skiers, and stay informed as the Diablo Shores Webcast heats up!
Skiers Converge at Diablo Shores
After a few months off, the MasterCraft Pro Tour stops off in Brentwood, California this weekend. We'll see the top athletes in our sport competing at one of the premier pro events of the year. Crowds of over 5,000 people have been reported at this event -- and with many more tuning into the Live Webcast and Live Chat, it should make for a great weekend.
Who will take home this year's title? Karina Nowland shocked the entire women's field last year by busting out not just one, but 2 complete 39 off (10.75m) passes. Regina Jaquess has run the pass twice this year -- so the women's division actually has the potential to see multiple skiers on the 41 (10.25) loop. Whitney McClintock is fresh off her World Championship, and has been skiing really well this year too. You could see Whitney clean 39 off for the first time in a tournament this weekend!
A stacked men's division features the best skiers in the sport -- and it seems like they are all on top of their game coming into this weekend.
Jamie Beauchesne has been training hard in secluded New Hampshire. A few minor injuries, starting with an ankle bruiser at last year's Malibu Quake on the Lake, and continuing through this summer have slowed Jamie down a little bit -- but we still expect to see him into the head to head, running multiple 39 passes.
Chris Rossi lost an entire season last year to ankle injury, but he has come back this year with a vengence -- winning both the US Nationals and then the Princes Pro Am this August. If I'm not mistaken, Rossi has podiumed at every event he has entered in this year. A couple tough battles with Chris Parrish during the North Carolina and Michigan MasterCraft tour stops set the stage for some interesting battles this weekend.
After winning the first event of the year and then suffering a few minor setbacks (like the inability to defeat Chris Rossi) -- Parrish is skiing with a vengence this fall after his switch to Goode Skis.
Thomas Degasperi is fresh off his European Championship, and is always a threat at events like Diablo Shores. Nick Parsons also took home a pro victory this summer, after switching from the 9900 Wide Ride back to the regular width Goode ski, his skiing took a definite turn for the best.
Will Asher has been skiing exceptionally well this summer as well -- taking victories at the Masters, World Championships, and at the Michigan Pro Tour stop. Will came into this season really strong, spanking the competition early in the year at the Masters. Typically it is rare to see a skier dominate the entire season, and Will has already shown some signs of fatigue, skiing rather mediocre since his World Championship run at the beginning of August. We'll see if he shows up reinvigorated and ready to rip this weekend.
With a variety of other exceptional skiers on the running order for this weekend, you might see a few shockers into the final as well.
Finally, in the Legends Division, you can party like it's 1989 with the likes of Kris Lapoint, Lucky Lowe, Bob Lapoint and Andy Mapple. Look for Andy to get way down 41 off... and if they're skiing at 34MPH, potentially destroy that 4@41 record Dave Miller set earlier this year.
We'll be broadcasting on our Water Ski Forum -- and hosting a live chat during the webcast as well. So drop by tomorrow and Sunday to see one of the most exciting tournaments of this year!
Here's Our Picks for the Podium:
Legends
Andy Mapple 2@43@34MPH
Open Women
Whitney McClintock 1 @ 41 - 10.25
Regina Jaquess 5 @ 39 - 10.75
Karen Truelove 4 @ 39 - 10.75
Open Men
Chris Parrish 2 @ 43 - 9.75
Will Asher 5@ 41 - 10.25
Chris Rossi 3@41 - 10.25
Talk about this more in the 2009 Diablo Shores Pro Am Discussion
Diablo Shores Live Webcast This Weeekend
We'll be featuring this weekend's live MasterCraft Pro Tour webcast in our Water Ski Forum. This weekend is the second-to-last MasterCraft Pro Event for 2009, the Diablo Shores Pro Am. Diablo Shores, in Brentwood CA, hosts the longest continually running MasterCraft Pro Tour stop.
Last year at this event, Karina Nowland tied the women's world slalom record at 1@41 off -- a feat that hadn't been accomplished since Kristi Overton set the mark, before speed control was a tournament standard! With Regina Jaquess tying the world record mark twice this season, it should make for an extremely exciting Open Women's event!
Chris Parrish has been skiing out of his head ever since he switched to Goode Skis, tying his world record twice this past weekend.
But there are plenty of other big guns set to do battle at Diablo Shores. Chris Rossi took home his first pro event victory from the Princess Pro Am just a few short weekends ago... and Will Asher has had a stellar year so far, winning the Masters and the Michigan MasterCraft Pro Event.
Not to be forgotten are Jamie Beauchesne and Nick Parsons... as well as European Champ Thomas Degasperi. All have the potential to get all the way through 41 off.
With so many high caliber skiers traveling to Diablo Shores this weekend, the probability of a new Mens' World Slalom Record seems imminent.
Tune into our Live Chat during the webcast this weekend. We will have Webcast-TV embeded at the top of the forum, for easy viewing from any page. Stop by and join the conversation, we may see some records fall together!
Inaugural Wake Ski Open
Press Release from HO Sports
For the first time in history a Wakeski event was held this past weekend, September 5th, 2009 and from all who participated, it was a huge success! The event covered both Wake and Cable riding and was held at the world renowned OWC in Orlando, Florida. The Inaugural Wakeski Open was held by a co-op from the event sponsors: HO Wakeskis, Stereo Wakeskis, the Orlando Watersports Complex and Performance Ski & Surf.
The international field included 11 skiers from Norway and the US, some of which had no Watersports background prior to Wakeskiing and some who have deep roots in the Show Ski world and competitive Watersports. Wakeskiers Kristian Hvaara (Nor), Bjorn Jokerud (Nor), Dave Vogt (US), Brian Robbins (US), Pete Kuhlmann (US), Chad Buechler (US), Dan Olsen (US), Garrett Pruse (US), Justin Pruse (US), Brad Satterlee (US) & Ryan Jones (US) were amped to be part of the sport’s first competition.
The event began behind the boat and the level of skiing blew the judges away. A variety of gainers, rolls, front flips, 180s and 360s were thrown down to make the final heat of 4. Ryan Jones won the best trick award for his massive Raley that he booted in the Semis. Style master Dave Vogt landed huge late 180s into the flats and a few of the skiers were close on back 5s. The final heat was comprised of Ryan Jones, Pete Kuhlmann, Brian Robbins and Chad Buechler, where Chad claimed the top spot in the first ever Wakeski competition followed by Pete Kuhlmann and Ryan Jones.
The Cable portion of the Wakeski Open started after lunch and began with 4 heats of 3 skiers where the top 2 advanced. Each skier got 3 laps around the park and two pick ups, giving them ample time to showcase their barrage of tricks over all of the obstacles and kickers. The park was graced with the presence of some of the biggest names in Wakeboarding who were there to take in the action, including Parks Bonifay, Erik Ruck, Chris O’Shea & Keith Lyman, while other wakeboarders took time to watch in between their own cable sets.
The action was intense, including a close Double Front Flip from Garret Pruse, huge back off axis 360s from Ryan Jones and Pete Kuhlmann, multiple natural and counter slides from the field and even a huge back 540 from Dave Vogt off the Stereo Kicker. The judges were so impressed they took the liberty of advancing 9 skiers to the semi final heats.
The competition heated up in the Semis as only 4 spots were up for grabs. Highlights included a huge roll to blind from Buechler, gnarly late 180s from Dave Vogt, what we called an under whirly from Brian Robbins and a huge whirly from Dan Olsen. Dan was taken down on the whirly 5 which he rarely falls on and Pete and Ryan continued their barrage of off axis back 3s off “Big White”. Bjorn Jokerud styled out all of the sliders and destroyed OWC’s “Nessie” by transferring from the side incline up to a counter slide 450 out, landing him in the final four.
The finals were comprised of Chad Buechler, Pete Kuhlmann, Bjorn Jokerud and Brian Robbins who all threw down their hammers after a long day of competition. Pete found himself in fourth place after a couple of uncharacteristic falls, and the podium (ice chest) was topped by Chad Buechler, followed by Bjorn Jokerud and Brian Robbins. Chad brought his A-Game for sure, styled out every rail with natural and counter slides, regular and switch approaches, switch counter 3s off the incline, huge glides and another roll to blind off the Big White kicker.
Official Results
Wake Division
1st Place: Chad Buechler
2nd Place: Pete Kuhlmann
3rd Place: Ryan Jones
Cable Division
1st Place: Chad Buechler
2nd Place: Bjorn Jokerud
3rd Place: Brian Robbins
Best Trick
Ryan Jones Raley off the Wake $100
I Ski Because it is Fun
Waterskiing is one of the most challenging sports out there, that's for sure. Regardless of this BS ranking by ESPN, the sport that we crave is extremely challenging. Yea, ESPN is probably talking about riding 2 waterskis straight behind the boat. Ofcourse, that's an image problem, and also a different discussion.
Sure, riding around on 2 skis isn't that challenging, and it's sort of fun. But riding around on 1 ski, slashing turns left and right, going wicked fast and making spray? That's tons of fun. And yea, it's a bit harder.
But why do we ski? We ski because it's fun! Too often that fun is lost in the competition, the training, and the frustration that comes from not being able to run 41 off. The fact of the matter is, only 6 guys in the world have done it (Rodgers, Mapple, Beauchesne, Parrish, Degasperi, and Will Asher). So be realistic with yourself. You can bring your skiing to the next level, but it's going to take commitment to perfect practice.
You'll take some pretty big wrecks learning to run a lot of buoys. When you have enough sets under your belt, you won't fall that much. You'll ski better. And you'll have more fun.
So the path to more fun, is to ski more. Skiing is fun, so skiing more = more fun = skiing better.
But what if you just went out and skied the same turns every day, over and over again? You probably won't get that much better. Like Vince Lombardi said, "Practice doesn't make perfect - only Perfect Practice makes Perfect".
Help make your practice perfect by getting personalized, professional coaching from the best skiers in the world. The pros won't be here for ever and neither will the warm weather. Get your lesson today!
Chris Parrish Rides for Goode Skis
Latest news on the table this weekend is Chris Parrish's move to Dave Goode's camp. He's riding the 9900SL.... and logging his sets at www.myskilog.com
Hopefully he doesn't break the world record this weekend... it would make the ski look wayyyy better than it really is.
Update, 3PM Central: He ran 1.5@43 today. A few more rounds left for tomorrow.
It seems as though we failed to mention this earlier this week when we added Chris Parrish as a Virtual Slalom WaterSki Coach... but he's there on the pros page, available to review your video and give you a personalized instructional session.
Here's the ridiculous video.
The Mental Edge of Ski Logging
When we put together MySkiLog.com, we weren't just trying to create something that you'd have to waste your time with every time after you skied. The mental exercise of remembering and recording your progress after every set gives you a chance to reflect on your skiing in a way that you would never do if you didn't have to record what happened.
Similarly, I talk to a lot of people who simply "don't have enough time" or "can't get to a computer" or "don't get home from the lake until 10PM". Well, quit your whining! It takes 5 minutes to write down your progress. In those 5 minutes, you'll learn enough about what you accomplished on the water that day to make real improvement over time. Without analyzing your skiing, you are going to go out and commit the same errors over and over again.
MySkiLog also requires you to save your ski settings. "Wow, I'm not that good a skier, I don't need to record my settings". Wrong. That's like saying "I'm not a good enough driver so I don't need to get an oil change". Chances are without that oil change you won't be driving far.
Remaining Unbiased
With the growth that our site has experienced over the past year, I have a feeling that some of our new visitors are wondering about why we spend so much time working so hard on this site. What are our motives? Are we trying to sell you something?
Well, yes, to some degree. We're trying to get you hooked on using our Virtual Coaching service. But that's another story.
MySkiLog has been very successful so far this summer -- recording over 5,000 sets and that number is increasing daily. This is a Free Service, and it will remain to be Free for the foreseeable future. We may impose a service fee after your ski log has a certain number of logged sets... just to cover the database space :-)
The only other thing we're trying to sell you is knowledge. From time to time, we'll feature products on the site. Our promise to you is that we'll only feature products that we truly believe in.
With sponsorships being a major concern in the industry, we want you to realize that although our contributors are sponsored by a variety of companies from within the industry, we will never let this dictate our comments. We genuinely want to see the general population get better at skiing. if you read something about Radar, Connelly, HO, D3, Goode, or any other company, you're reading the honest opinion of the skier who's writing it.
Personally, I don't have any contractual agreements with any industry companies, with the exception of Costa Del Mar Sunglasses. They've been good to me, and they make a great product.
The advice you'll read on the forum is the genuine opinion of any pro skier who's commenting on it. There isn't enough money in the industry for us to promote something that we can't ski well on.
Rossi Wins Princes Pro Am!
Continuing a streak of great skiing this month, Chris Rossi took home his first bona fide pro event victory this weekend at the Ski Full Stretch Princes Pro Am. Chris ran 39 in an earlier set, but rounded 2 at 39 off for the victory.
Congrats, Chris!
Virtual Clinics Now Include Up To 4 Videos
Due to popular demand, we've added another video space for the Clinic Level Lesson. Now you can link up to 4 videos for your coach to watch.
Pro Ski Coach Virtual Coaching
Malibu Boats Resigns with INT League!
Malibu Boats Partners with INT in 2010!
Seattle, WA (August 25, 2009) The INT League and Malibu Boats are excited to announce that we are partnering for the next three seasons to host amateur and pro wakeboard, wakeskate, waterski and kneedboard events. Malibu has partnered with INT as an official tow boat sponsor for several years now and was the first boat manufacturer to re-sign their 2010 agreement at Surf Expo last week.
(Excerpt from the INT newsletter)
Should USAWS become USAWSWB?
Apparently the International Water Ski Delegation Congress Bureaucracy met recently to appoint a subcomitte to investigate changing their name from the IWSF to the IWSWBF. Nothing like changing your name to change your image. "The decision was a no-brainer," a delegate was overheard at a press conference immediately following the session.
Clearly the thing to do at this point if you are an organization that considers itself a subset of the international waterski community, is to become filled with self doubt and loathing, and then consider the exact same solution.
From the AWSA South Website:
The issue is now being discussed again by many of our leaders as the wave of the future and have suggested that we should rename USA Water Ski to USA Water Ski & Wakeboard. The thought is that this would be more representative of our organization and present better marketing opportunities for our organization to the general public.
The wave of the Future? I'm sorry, is my watch broken? It's 1995, right?
Let me get this straight. We ignore wakeboarding at first, pretend it doesn't exist, alienate the wakeboarders (granted they are a different breed), and then change the name of AWSA to USAWS (big improvement). Then, we strategically wait for the growth of wakeboarding to die down, and water skiing to begin to go on an upswing. At this point, hit the abort switch and change the name to USAWSWB, in an effort for better marketing opportunites.
If better marketing opportunites are the motives, then why don't we change the name to USA Wakeboard and Water Ski? Heck, why not just eliminate the waterskiing altogether and just call it USA Wake Board. Better yet, we could call it the World Wakeboard Association -- that's much more all inclusive. Plus you could get huge time energy drink sponsors.
Wait... there is a World Wakeboard Assocation? And there membership is only $40 per month? Wow, sounds like a good deal.
Here's the polling results from USAWS's website:
Get Your Video to a Pro Coach Today!
It's hard to be positive about your skiing when you think it sucks. I know what it feels like to look at video and think that you were skiing better than you really were. If you do a lesson with one video and then go ski a set before you upload the second, you'll be able to apply the techniques you learn with immediate review.
The truth is, you're never going to be satisfied with the video... even if you ran 2@43... because you'll be ticked you didn't get to 3. It's in the nature of the sport to never be satisfied. Don't wait until the last second this season to jump on the Virtual Coaching while it is still available.
The basic premise of virtual coaching is we know your video is not going to look like a pro skier. We're here to help. Starting your lesson sooner will give you more time to incorporate what you need to do into your skiing. People spend how many thousands of dollars on skis to get a few more buoys... when really all they need is some consistent advice from a pro coach.
Page Load Times Cut in Half Today
Happy to announce that through a couple hours of CSS optimization we brought our load time down by about 50%! Still loading in about 45 seconds on a 33.6 connection, 56k @ about 20 seconds!
MySkiLog.com Goes Mobile
MySkiLog.com is a free service that lets you record your slalom sets quickly and easily in digital format. Logging your sets online prevents your skiing history from being lost, stolen or sunk -- accessible from anywhere with an internet connection.
Starting this month, we've branched out with a Mobile Version. It works great with the latest blackberry and with the iPhone. We're constantly adding new mobile profiles to accommodate more devices. Now you can keep track of your skiing from anywhere!
The biggest advantage to using MySkiLog.com -- starting today -- is that every set you log records your ski settings right along side. This way, every time you adjust your fin you record the move in your ski log before you ski a set on the new settings. If you're testing different skis or trying to dial in your new stick, this is the easiest and most efficient way to keep track of your progress. And it's free!
Over the winter we'll be adding some new features, including Ski Log Analytics which will let you track your progress over time and a variety of different metrics. The more sets you can save in MySkiLog.com this year, the more information you'll be able to learn over the off-season, when new features become available.
New Layout at MySkiLog.com
After making my absence at Nationals this year, last night turned into an intense upload session that resulted in a brand new layout over MySkiLog.
We've simplified the interface to be slightly less attention-deficit forming. Hopefully you'll be able to focus more energy on logging and learning from your sets with this setup.
The latest update rolls in with a slue of bug fixes in the background. Some of you may immediately notice that your settings history is more accurate, or you might have had a pesky ski in your rack that you couldn't delete. These little fixes and more are already up and running.
USAWS Nationals Full Scorebook
We've made a copy of the 2009 Nationals Scorebook available directly from our homepage:
Dave Wingerter Wins Mens 2
Congrats Dave Wingerter, head of R&D @ HO Sports won Nationals in Men's 2 this year in West Palm Beach
09S999A 2009 GOODE AWSA NATIONALS MEN 2 SLALOM BACK TO INDEX DETAILS OF RESULTS AND PLACEMENTS AS OF 15:15 08-14-2009 PLC COMPETITOR NAME DV/TM AGE HOMETOWN LST SPLINE TOTAL R OA/TM 1 WINGERTER, DAVE W 28 REDMOND, WA 4.50 581125 106.50 894.4 2 SPARKS, BRIAN S 30 HIXSON, TN 4.50 581125 106.50 894.4 3 REINKE, BRYAN W 26 LAKEWOOD, CO 4.00 581125 106.00 878.1 4 KUSIAK, MICHAEL W 30 RIO LINDA, CA 2.00 581125 104.00 815.5 5 SURDEJ, JEFF M 32 WILMINGTON, IL 1.00 581125 103.00 785.6
Big Dog Finale, Webcast TV Stlye
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'
Query-based delete failed because the row to delete could not be found.
/_site/watch/update_viewing_now.asp, line 24
Was what I got the first time I went to www.webcast-tv.com
After that, it was a painfully slow experience to try to make any progress in catching the Big Dog this evening. Did anyone manage to view it OK? I watched the Nautique add enough times that I am convinced I absolutely have to buy one.
New HO Bindings at Nationals
Ski Log Analytics
Eight months into the launch of MySkiLog.com, we've logged over 4,500 sets. The number keeps on getting bigger every day!
Despite how many people are getting into the necessary habbit of logging their ski sets, there are still an unreasonable number of Pro Ski Coach members out there who still don't log their sets -- Or even worse, folks who haven't even set up their Free Ski Log!
Sure, you're busy -- but with an entire season's worth of sets logged in our database, next year we will be debuting Ski Log Analytics, which will let you search and assess your sets from 2009. If you're not logging your sets already, start today for free!
By 2010, you'll be able to check what your average fin settings were, your fin settings in differnent water temps, air temps, and conditions, what your average score was in those conditions, and much, much more.
You have to start now. Delay no longer, and become a part of this great habit to help your skiing!
Virtual Coaching is for All Levels
Now that Virtual Coaching has been available since the beginning of the summer, I'm fielding a lot of questions from people who are wondering when is the best time to use the service. There's also some question as to what level you should be on before you try waterski coaching.
Whether you're a free skier in Canada, a Big Dog Contender, or just running buoys in the course, getting assistance from a professional coach can be instrumental in your success. Learning the best techniques early in your development as a skier will pay dividends in the long run.
You'll be amazed what these coaches can pick up on just by watching a little bit of video. You really just need one set, a few passes -- to make a big impact in your own skiing.
Mike Kusiak Added to PSC Pros
Sending a shout out to Mike Kusiak--the newest addition to our growing arsenal of Pro Ski Coaches that are available to you.
Congrats to Chris Rossi, Open Men's National Champion
DETAILS OF RESULTS AND PLACEMENTS AS OF 19:44 08-11-2009
PLC COMPETITOR NAME DV/TM AGE HOMETOWN LST SPLINE TOTAL R OA/TM
1 ROSSI, CHRISTOPHE 32 OVIEDO, FL 3.00 581025 117.00 O 1303.8
2 PARRISH, CHRIS 29 LAKE ALFRED, FL 2.00 581025 116.00 O 1263.0
3 BROWN, MARCUS 29 OROVILLE, CA 5.00 581075 113.00 O 1146.2
4 TRAVERS, JONATHAN 20 GROVELAND, FL 3.50 581075 111.50 O 1091.0
5 HUMBURG, COREY E 23 BETHESDA, MD 2.50 581075 110.50 O 1055.4
Rossi Takes Bronze, 2009 World Championships
Congratulations are in order for Chris Rossi, as he placed a consistent 3rd at the World Championships over the weekend. 2011 it is.
Photo by Murray Mortson
FifteenOff.com Nails It
Last weekend I took the time to give Joel Hughes a virtual slalom lesson. Hopefully with this sort of press out in the open, more and more folks out there will start to try out virtual coaching.
After a year's worth of experience with conducting virtual slalom lessons over the internet, we've brought an organized structure in place for pro skiers to tutor amateurs.
If you're using My Ski Log, then you're half way there. Logging your sets is a huge advantage. Showing your logged sets to a top pro for their advice? Archiving this information all for instant access from anywhere over the internet? An even larger advantage?
Thanks to Joel from FifteenOff.com for a great review.
Trent Finlayson Added to PSC Pros
Happy to announce today that Trent Finlayson has signed up as one of our PSC-Pros. This means that you can log on to Trent's Pro Ski Coach Page and get personalized coaching straight from this horse's mouth.
Lesson includes 2 videos, 4 dialog comments, and 3 lesson keys.
Now, Find us on Facebook and Twitter
In the forthcoming update that you can test for yourself at pskic.com, we've made some minor changes to the footer... but we've also created a new Facebook Page. So when you get bored checking out our website and you just have to log into Facebook, and then you get bored with Facebook, you can check out our page on Facebook. It's kinda like a reach around, but different. Be sure to tell all your little webby friends to become a fan!
Reflex Skis Added, Updates Forthcoming
Colin spent all afternoon yesterday picking and prodding at the new Reflex Skis that had to be added to the skis database. After all his hard work, we now officially support 360 different slalom skis! Exciting stuff, for sure.
After a short Wednesday night clinic in Ohio, I'm back to Boston. With the tropical wave that has recently blown onto shore, it doesn't look like much sunshine is in store for the northeast at this point.
Summer is always a delicate balance of getting it done both on and off the water. Balance is the challenge, of course, and the goal. Typically what happens is I spend too much time in the boat and at the lake, and not enough time at the computer fighting the uphill battle that is ProSkiCoach.com.
I was lucky enough to convince my girlfriend Alicia to drive all the way across Pennsylvania today, which gave me ample time on the computer to catch up with work that should have been done some time ago.
So, as much of a cliché it is, I'll say it once more: Stay tuned for updates, forthcoming!
"Ace" Lands his Plane on Canadian Highways... for Fun.
Some of you who visited SkiTek in spring of 2009 may have met Jarad Panarello -- he was the guy staying in the tent down the side of Lake 1. You may have also learned that he is a pilot, mostly snapping photos of trees for Google in Canada.
Well yesterday was just another day at the office, oil pressure went to zero during mid flight. I suppose the oil pressure being low wasn't as concerning as the fact that most of the oil was on the windshield at the time.
So Jarad went ahead and put the plane down in the middle of a highway. Alongside cars traveling at 60mph. Sounds like fun!
Of course the kicker is the $3,000 bill for the tow truck.
Regina Jaquess Ties World Slalom Record; Breaks Overall
Regina had some great skiing this past weekend at Cory Picos' site - running 1@41 off, tricking and jumping her way to an overall record as well!
Here's the video courtesy Adam Sedlmajer
Rossi Qualifies for Masters with 3@41
Yesterday at the Masters Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) Event, some of the best skiers in the world came together at Jack Travers' Sunset Lakes. Jennifier Leachman posted a huge score of 2@39 early in the morning, narrowly missing the qualifying score of 3@39 for the women.
Rossi showed up ready to go for the first round, skiing around all 3 at 41 off.
The New Water Ski Math
Schnitz made a great post on his Site talking about how everyone thinks that 3+3=7.
I have experienced this with all sorts of skiers who are convinced that a part of what they are doing already is the 'right' way to ski.
So we're discussing it on the forum: The New Water Ski Math
Ofcourse, the reason that we're putting so much effort into this site in the first place is to help people realize that 3+3 actually, in fact, = 6.
Swiss Ski School First Round Results 5/3/09
Swiss Ski School Round 1
Karina Nowlan 3@38
Kurt Hinz 1.5@39
Thomas Degasperi 4@39
Ty Oppenlander 4@39
Will Asher .5@41
Scores from West Palm, Saturday May 2nd 2009
The Open Men's field at Okeeheelee Park this weekend consisted of Jason McClintock and Chris Rossi.
First Round
Jason McClintock 1.5@41
Chris Rossi 4.5@39
Second Round
Jason McClintock 1.5@41
Chris Rossi 3@41
Evolve 2 (or Momentum 3) Growing Weapons
"How did these fish grow weapons?" was the question posed by the
Discovery Channel when their computer generated history of the earth
special showed fish evolving.
Next up for Edge Productions is a new style of video that will pair
skier's segments with some sort of instructional voice over.
PJ MacMillan director / filmer extraordinaire said "We're going to
take each segment and talk to the skier about whatever they want to
talk about. Jason Hutchins is going to be talking about the
misconception of direction. Jamie is going to talk about some
stuff... Marcus and Terry are planning their own thing but we'll see
where it goes".
My Ski Log at 1.0
A quick color swap and some improved functionality and we're finally at version 1.0!
Thanks to everyone who has helped along the way. As of right now:
89 ColinBuchanan
41 WadeWilliams
35 PFG
33 randai
22 MattP
21 miski
20 aussiemc
15 frank
15 scamp
PFG
Buckeye1nc
PFG
PFG
marla
frank
mkcfl09
philcutting
marla
Logged 668 Sets
Registered 214 Skis
Saved 301 Ski Settings
We Support:
317 Slalom Skis
229 Recommended Settings
Trakker Pylon Mount for WaterSkiing and Wakeboarding
Buy It Now
The newest model from Trakker Mounts is the P4. This is a simple, effective tool for making it easy to film all your passes.
The P4 comes with a variety of different plastic cuffs that are placed in between the pylon and the mount in order to achieve the proper size and angle for your shots. Setting up the P4 is easy -- it took all of about 5 minutes.
With only one vertical arm to hold the camera, this is by far the easiest Trakker to use yet. Older models were cumbersome to work with when it was time to shorten the line. The latest P4 is a great improvement on the old design.
The video below is shot using the P4 and a camera without any image stabilization technology. As you can see, the camera does shake for a split second in the event of a slack hit, but if you have a camera with image stabilization you'll probably have even more success.
This is a great way to film you and your ski partners, even if there are only two of you in the boat at a time! With a little bit of technology, you can upload your video to the computer and then deliver it straight to us for virtual coaching.
The Trakker Pylon Mount
Blue Sky Sports Warp Skis Added
We have atleast one member who has one of the new Warp 9 skis on order, so we've added to the database this week. Later today we'll put up the recommended (factory) settings.
The Balanced Approach by Chris Rossi
Studying this week's article by Chris Rossi will help your slalom. For Sure.
The Balanced Approach
Free for members to view!
Temporary Outages Seem Like No Big Deal
Turns out that the gridserver was working perfectly all morning. On my internet connection here in Orlando I couldn't access the site all morning. Sorry if anyone else had a bad experience with this. It seems like it was a local ISP that was unable to connect to our server for some reason.
Anyways, just made some updates to the meta information on the site, which should help our Google search ranking.
Thanks for reading!
Server Down
For reasons beyond our control, our gridserver has crashed temporarily. Engineers are working as we speak to bring the site back up. Sorry for this inconvenience.
Evolving with Demand: MySQL Container Added
You probably wouldn't have noticed, but we upgraded our server earlier today!
Some folks may have been experiencing intermittent errors on some pages due to the fact we used a Shared Sever infastructure, which shares resources among a number of users.
Our site has grown, both in the size of the Forum database, and with the recent addition of MySkiLog and the new Slalom Ski Guide, this new container should give us the resources we need to serve you up exactly what you're looking for!
Rossi's New Article: Achieve your Fitness Goals
Just posted in the Slalom Articles section at ProSkiCoach.com:
http://www.proskicoach.com/slalom_articles/achieve_your_fitness_goals
Save your Settings first!
With the new update, we're tracking your boots as well.
For folks who had their ski log set up before this update, you need to
do one thing before you log a set. To keep you log accurate, you need
to save your curtent ski settings. This will log your new boots with
your set.
If you started your log after this update, this won't effect you.
New Mobile Browser Support
Just updated over night, in addition to all the other new things going on at Pro Ski Coach, we've added some better support for older browsers and newer mobile browsers. Clients who are running low desktop resolution will see that the site now accurately fits inside their browser, rather than blowing out over to the right hand side. Conversely, if you browse on an iPhone or other mobile device you'll be able to see a light-weight, better formated page for your convenience.
My Ski Log works great over the cell phone -- even on less advanced text-only browsers. Try it out today! This way you can keep your log up-to-date, up-to-the-minute.
New Update Testing
Please, if you do come across anything that seems astray with the latest updates, let me know through the Support Forum or the Contact Link. I'm committed to seeing this thing through, and I need your help to do it.
Ski Log Updates, Boots, Ski Settings IDs and Normalization
The Ski Log has a hefty update served with the latest round of uploads.
The first time you log into your ski log after these updates you'll be asked to enter you boots. You will have "boot combos" available for you to put on your skis. You'll need to take the time to do this first before you can move on to logging a set, or any other function in the log.
The more exciting new feature is that from now on, when you log your sets, My Ski Log will automatically record your ski settings in your ski log for easy reference. You'll be able to track what settings you skied each set with, and read the comments on your settings right next to your training log archive.
There are still some other small tweaks that need to be done, but for the most part the ski log is looking good!
If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, please don't hesitate to post in the Support Forum
Introducing the new Skis Section
Newly uploaded (and available now!) is the new Skis Section. This is the final product of the Skis Database that we started last year. So far we have nearly every late model ski available in the database.
In this new section, we are offering a Comprehensive Slalom Ski Guide that includes our recommended settings for each ski, plus Pro Ski Coach user-generated Slalom Ski Reviews and Ratings.
You can rate each ski from 1 to 6 buoys. This is just a rating system, this has nothing to do with how many buoys you might ski on the ski :-).
If you're logged in with your account, you can write your own review of your ski. In the future this will be come a great resource for prospective ski buyers.
The recommended settings that you can find in the skis section are, for the most part, manufacturer's recommended settings. In a few distinct cases, for example the 2008 F1, we're recommending our own settings. In the future we will be offering highest user-ranked settings and also average settings for the folks out there who are using My Ski Log to record their settings.
So, you see, we've been pretty busy this winter!
If you haven't started a ski log yet, go ahead and get on that! Adding your settings to your log will help us give better recommended settings in the future!
The New PSC
It's about time!
I'm starting updates now at about 12:30 eastern. Hopefully this will go smoothly and I can go to bed soon. In the meantime I'm redirecting the homepage here to the blog.
Stay tuned for a bunch of new stuff!
A few weeks later...
There's always something new online. With billions of pages and millions more added every day, there's certainly no shortage of information out there.
Personally I have a bunch of sites that I reguarly check for updates. Hopefully our site is on your bookmark list, too.
Its easy to get distracted and find myself unable to commit time to all the Projects I have going at once. It's not really any different from a challenging courseload in college. There are so many things that you need to accomplish, and only so much time to complete those tasks.
So for the past two weeks I found myself with a few projects that absolutely had to be completed (taxes, coaching waterskiing) and that took prescrdence over the forthcoming site updates that I keep mentioning.
So, no excuses. This is the week for updates!
That Growling in your Stomach... Updates Forthcoming
With a cold front blowing through Florida this weekend, the wind has been whipped up and the temperatures plummeted. The water temp at SKitEk is hovering around 65 degrees, ready to shift in any direction that the whether tells it to.
IN the meantime, ski log updates are coming one after another at PSKIC.com if you look hard enough. Looking to upgrade the main site later on this week.
The Skis Database has taken off to a level I never really intended it to. We've got folks adding skis daily, which is a great problem to have. Last week we added our 200th Ski to the DB. This has driven us to excel into new territory. Stay tuned to Pro Ski Coach when we release the new Skis Section later this week. You'll be able to find recommended settings for over 125 of the most popular slalom skis... and you'll even be able to write your very own review on your ski. Sick!!
FifteenOff.com Nails It
Hmm.... weird! Maybe we've stumbled upon something of some importance here.
The bottom line is the gate sets up everything that is to follow in the slalom course. Bad gates = bad 1 = super bad 2, and if you're a really, really good skier, 3 will be a re-set buoy and you'll get out of the pass OK. Ofcourse, if you're not a total rockstar on the water you've probably been getting slack at 1 and two the whole time trying to figure out how you can charge your gate harder to make up for your shortcomings.
Newsflash: Waterskiing is not Easy. Furthermore, what's really not easy is that what's hard is in fact easy. Keep blasting into the gate with all your might like it's the most important thing in the world and see what happens. If find with a lot of skiers, the harder they try to nail the gate perfectly, the less perfect they come into one.
People make way too much of a deal of the flappers at the beginning of the course. Why do you feel late or early when you ski? Is it because the buoys are drifting earlier or later during the course of the pass? No! It's always due to the placement of the boat.
Where is the boat where you're skiing? Do you know? If you don't know, and you're just shooting that gate like there's no tomorrow, stop, pull your head out of the pondweed, and Read Up.
Learn more on gates by Visiting SkiTek This Spring! I know the economy sucks. All the better reason to ignore work and hit the water. What you'll learn at sKITEk this Spring will push you to the next level.
