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.