tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469108095259000692024-03-12T18:59:59.162-04:00Skier's DevelopmentAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-17420956001418321052011-06-13T14:32:00.004-04:002011-06-13T14:48:19.637-04:00YourSkiLog.com Updated & Improved<a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.proskicoach.com/assets/images/img/ysl-desktop.png" alt="Your Ski Log Desktop Application for Water Skiers" style="float:right;border:none;" /></a><a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/" target="_blank">Your Ski Log</a> is back with a vengeance. With a renewed interface, faster page loads, sleek transitions from page to page, use <a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/" target="_blank">Your Ski Log</a> to save information about every set you ski this summer.<br /><br />The majority of the work that's been done over the past few months with the ski log involved completely refactoring the old log. I'll spare you the details on the technicals, but if the old ski log was a rat's nest of wires, the new one is a switchboard.<br /><br />While the log is essentially unchanged in its function, the dramatic increase in organization opens up doors into the future. Later this summer you'll see the return of the Ski Log Rankings list, and eventually the return of an online water ski league. When the ski log was originally developed it had none of these things in mind - they evolved through suggestions from people just like you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/ap/mobile" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.proskicoach.com/assets/images/img/yourskilog-iphone.png" alt="Your Ski Log works on Mobile Phones" style="float:left;border:none" /></a> In addition to a great new desktop version of <a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/" target="_blank">Your Ski Log</a>, a new Mobile Application goes right along side. Simply hit <a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/" target="_blank">www.yourskilog.com</a> and log in from your mobile device to see the new ap. It's compatible with Apple's iPhone, all Android Devices, Blackberry 6, and Windows Phone 7. There's no sense in developing native applications for all these phones -- Your Ski Log works on all of these platforms simply by hitting the web address in your phone's browser. Save the address to your phone's home screen for easy access.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-724487612695853102011-01-15T09:36:00.008-05:002011-01-15T10:19:42.548-05:00Ski Lakes Online with Google MapsIn 2004, Google bought a company called Keyhole, which had access to a variety of satellite imagery. One thing lead to another and by 2005 there was Google Earth: a program that let you spin the virtual globe, zoom in, tilt, and even fly flight simulations over a digital earth colored with satellite imagery.<br /><br />Around the same time, Tony Lightfoot had a great idea: start tagging ski lakes in Google Earth and publish the file. And so the many incarnations of the Google Earth KMZ Ski Lakes file were born. Over the years, Tony's found something better to do with his time at waterskibroadcasting.com - and Shelby Coke has taken over the map file maintenance role. Thanks to both of you for bringing the project this far!<br /><br />Recently, the folks over at the ball of spray started asking questions about how to keep this file up to date. There are inherent challenges to updating a single static file that lives on one person's hard drive. Every time it's downloaded, you fork your own version. Save a lake to your personal version, download a new copy when it's updated, and you may have lost some lakes in the process.<br /><br /> So I started thinking: "you know, there is an easier way to do this, folks".<br /><br />And that's brought us to the <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/maps">Water Ski Lakes Map Online</a>. You'll need to use your wetJacket account to access the map - now you can save ski lakes directly through your web browser. You've got to use a log in so we don't jeopardize the integrity of the ski lakes database -- but if you don't have an account (and you're too lazy to get one) then you can just download Scoke's Google Earth file from the page.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/maps"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 392px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWclcqYucmoS_l3p7Q68ie3qojt0-WCiLyNOo_I_QWiSC3EfAthyGB3NseKJd2LUMnefAZsn2jj7GYITOi8FYzPcFvzTzx7Gif9vrrf2f86pj_HcozOfUV34qNdjHsSD6rqEbwk8XxcRis/s400/psc_maps.jpg" border="0" alt="Find water ski lakes around the world" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562426702724825138" /></a><br /><br />This feature in its basic form will remain absolutely free to use. It loads a lot faster and moves a lot smoother than the full fledged Google Earth application, too.<br /><br />Accessing the <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/maps">Online Water Ski Lakes Map</a> still has some problems if you're using Internet Exploder 8 or lower, but it's been tested successfully in Chrome, Safari and Firefox. <br /><br />I love creating tools that can help us all as skiers -- and that's what this is. I'm hoping it will help us all make new friends, and maybe get a few more ski sets in this summer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-74477835741926053102011-01-07T10:56:00.005-05:002011-01-07T11:21:14.642-05:00Change is Good. The Pro Ski Coach NetworkAfter an October where there were very few meaningful forum posts, I made a unilateral decision to migrate our community to wetJacket. It seems I may have lost some people in the process, so an explanation is in order.<br /><br /> The software that ran proskicoach.com for the last few years was created primarily by myself. It grew out of the forum, and, as software tends to do, it became bloated.<br /><br /> The <a href="http://www.waterskileague.com">Online Water Ski League</a> was and is a great idea. But running it through the infrastructure of the Pro Ski Coach Forum proved to be an impossible feat.<br /><br /> <a href="http://new.yourskilog.com">Your Ski Log</a> has proved to be the most resilient tool I built for PSC. But when it came time to build in the ski league with the rankings board and skier profile pages, well, just think 3 dimensional spider web. It was just too hard for one programmer to do the work within the confines of the old system. It's my fault.<br /><br /> The back end at wetJacket is significantly more robust than PSC ever was. For me, it's an incredible load lifted from my shoulders. The site just works. I migrated 2800 user accounts and about 12,000 forum posts over to wetJacket and locked out the PSC forum. Moves like this are hard to pull off with success, but, it's the only way our network can grow. The user profiles, messaging system, and <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/forum">forum at wetjacket</a> is everything that I hoped PSC could be, plus it manages <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/event">Events</a>, <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/group">Groups</a>, a <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/marketplace">Marketplace</a> for gear trading, and gives every skier using the site a <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/blog">personal blog</a> to share with others.<br /><br /> With a fresh start, I'm free of working with the more tedious aspects of the old Pro Ski Coach.<br /><br /> So today, Friday January 7, I'm proud to release The new Pro Ski Coach. It will take a day or two for changes to propogate, but by next week, you'll see what I mean.<br /><br /> The new Pro Ski Coach is, for me, a joy to work with. I can develop new features so much more quickly and easily than I could before. It all comes down to execution, and now I have a lot more tools at my disposal.<br /><br /> In addition to the community that's growing at wetJacket, now I've got the time to put the work in where it is really needed. In the ski log. In the ski league. In more instructional articles, and in new features like the Ski Lakes Map. For now, you'll need to reset your password separately at <a href="http://new.yourskilog.com">http://new.yourskilog.com</a> to access yourskilog, but, by February you'll be able to use your wetJacket account to get to yourskilog.com<br /><br /> After that, it's back to <a href="http://www.waterskileague.com">waterskileague.com</a>, which, I know needs a lot of work after last year's slow, silent death. Most of the participants in the ski league stopped posting scores - which certainly didn't help my motivation level. There are a lot of improvements that need to be made. It was hard to predict what would happen in the league during its first year. Now that 2010 is behind us, I have a year's worth of ski league data that I can work with. Organizing the scoring system for last year's ski league was difficult without data to work with up front. I didn't know how it was going to pan out, and that's my fault. I released the league too soon. But now that I'm free of all the worst parts of ProSkiCoach.com, and I have a fresh start with a new system running, I know that I can deliver in 2011.<br /><br /> I need your <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/forum/support-suggestions-30/the-new-pro-ski-coach-goes-live-today/">feedback</a>. What do you want to see in 2011 that would make you more satisfied?<br /><br /> Thanks for your support. Call me at 781-346-9754, anytime.<br /><br />-Wade WilliamsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-33749635637674051362011-01-05T08:20:00.007-05:002011-01-05T09:11:47.749-05:00User Accounts on the Pro Ski Coach NetworkChange is good. If you've had trouble logging into our website, here are some ways to solve your problems:<br /><br /><ol><br /> <li>If you had a Pro Ski Coach Account prior to November 11, 2010, then use your E-Mail Address to <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/user/password/request/" rel="nofollow">Reset your Password at wetJacket</a>.</li><br /> <li>You'll get an email back from wetJacket that asks you to click on a link to confirm your password reset.</li><br /> <li>After clicking that link, you'll get <b>a second email containing your temporary password</b>.</li><br /> <li>Copy the temporary password, use your email address, and <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/user/login/">Log In at wetJacket</a></li><br /> <li>Once you're logged in at wetJacket, <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/user/setting/">Change your Password</a> at Settings -> Account Settings -> Change Password</li><br /></ol><ul><br /> <li>If you have an active wetJacket account, use your <b>Username or E-Mail Address</b> and wetJacket password to log in at Pro Ski Coach.</li><br /> <li>Your Ski Log will be re-released later this month. In the meantime, you need a <i>separate log in</i> to sign in at <a href="http://new.yourskilog.com">new.yourskilog.com</a></li><br /> <li>If you signed up at Pro Ski Coach between November 11, 2010 and January 5, 2010, you'll need to <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/user/register">Register at wetJacket</a> to use the <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com">Pro Ski Coach</a> site.</li><br /></ul><br /><br /> If all else fails, <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/contact/">Contact Us</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-65866923760554355222010-11-29T09:29:00.004-05:002010-11-29T12:56:38.390-05:00wetJacket, Pro Ski Coach and Your Ski LogHere in the US, while we were all getting over our Turkey Hangovers last week, it seems some confusion has been mounting on the direction of Pro Ski Coach, and what this new thing called "wet jacket" is all about. So I'd like to dispel some confusion.<br /><br /> Pro Ski Coach was created to bridge a gap between Pro Skiers and the skiers out there who are not involved in water skiing at any significant level. For me, when I was growing up water skiing I was isolated - I was on a public lake with my family, none of which who were water skiers. This is the situation that Pro Ski Coach was really there to fill - if you didn't have a local guru to show you the path, maybe Pro Ski Coach could help.<br /><br /> As things have evolved over the years, multiple forums have cropped up all over the place. Knowledge is more and more available everywhere on the web. Although Pro Ski Coach has well over a million views just this year, I've sensed that it's time for a change. Some people are simply adverse to being coached, and in order to grow a change is needed. <br /><br /> Over the coming weeks you'll start to see some major changes here @ PSC. We'll be revamping, simplifying, and getting back to the true meaning of this site -- which is to offer professional lessons from the best skiers and coaches in the business. The <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum">Pro Ski Coach Forum</a> has a wealth of knowledge available -- and it will stay available. However, no new posts are being made on that forum and I'd suggest you move your conversations to the <a href="http://www.wetjacket.com/forum">wetJacket Forum</a>.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.yourskilog.com">Your Ski Log</a> is a great little ap that lets you log your sets and track your progress over time. We'll be continuing development on Your Ski Log this winter, along with the Summer Shootout league. <br /><br /> You don't need a wetJacket account to use Your Ski Log or to use our <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/pros">Online Coaching</a>. This may change in the future, but for now, wetJacket is available as a place for skiers to connect, share, and learn on your own terms.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-50657150090572783252010-11-08T14:19:00.008-05:002010-11-08T14:30:49.938-05:00The Centurion Carbon Pro Helps You Drive StraighterIt's nice to see a major boat company bringing real innovation to the waterski market. MasterCraft, Malibu, and Correct Craft have led the pack for years. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.centurionboats.com">Ski Centurion</a> out of California has spent the last few years dominating the Wake Surfing market. They actually hosted the first annual Wake Surf World Championships on the Mississippi river in downtown Minneapolis this past summer. <br /><br /> This fall they debuted their new Carbon Pro, and I've got to say it's one thing that has me excited about water skiing for next year. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/proskicoach/5159044596/" title="Carbon Pro by proskicoach, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1352/5159044596_8c9a5123d1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Carbon Pro" /></a><br /><br />The brand New Centurion Ski Boat brings some of the most innovative featues to a ski boat since speed control. The cockpit features an adjustable Gunsight. The driver can adjust the sight to the left or right, giving each unique driver a way to sight straight down the starboard side gate line. While the best drivers in the world can handle keeping the boat straight on their own, your ski partner may not be. The gunsight makes it easy to keep the boat lined up.<br /><br /><center><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/proskicoach/5158436895/" title="Gunsight Adjust by proskicoach, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/5158436895_ebf822090d.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Gunsight Adjust" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/proskicoach/5158436439/" title="Cockpit by proskicoach, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1143/5158436439_5b27d3da2c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Cockpit" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/proskicoach/5159045674/" title="Gunsight by proskicoach, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1186/5159045674_4b1d081044.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Gunsight" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/proskicoach/5159043354/" title="Carbon Pro by proskicoach, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/5159043354_03a50b88a5.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Carbon Pro" /></a></center><br /><br />The Centurion Carbon Pro has been approved by USA Water Ski to pull three event tournaments, and comes with the solid PCM Engine. Look forward to skiing behind this one at tournaments in 2011.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-5346161566583400562010-10-25T18:45:00.011-04:002010-10-27T13:01:33.246-04:00Most Common Water Ski Ankle InjuryIn any sport, injuries happen. In waterskiing, many of our ankle injuries directly relate to our gear choice and our skill level. If your ninja cat balance isn't with you on the water yet, it may be a little early to make a move to hardshell bindings. You can get hurt in any boot, but the added rigitiy of the high end boots on the market will tend to punish the less experienced and more unbalanced water skiers.<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/skiers/MyPH" style="color: blue; ">MyPH</a> posted a photo in the <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1925#10827" style="color: blue; ">October Skiing Thread</a> that is helpful (Sweet turn!):<br /><img class="postimg" src="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/uploads/2_myph_ankles.jpeg" alt="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/uploads/2_myph_ankles.jpeg" /></center><br /><br /><span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">RED:</span> MyPH's line around the turn. Arrows indicate direction of ski travel (over head view)<br /><span style="color:blue;font-weight:bold;">BLUE:</span> A faster, more efficient line.<br /><br />That red line that MyPH is skiing, is how a solid 50% or more of waterski ankle injuries occur. It's hard to work through this strategic error in technique, because the line that MyPH is skiing is a natural line for skiers to ride when they get into the slalom course. Some pros can even make that line work.<br /><br />The downside is, as you may imagine from the red line, you're trying to turn your ski much, much more than what is obtainable. You can't hold the angle out of the turn like that... you'll edge change before the second wake and go straight at the next buoy, and repeat.<br /><br />Completing an extremely sharp turn after the buoy in hardshells is easy, and dangerous. In rubber boots, it's harder to whip your ski around like this at the finish, but if you did, rubber boots have more forgiving stiffness and releasability.<br /><br />Let's just imagine that a skier who was on the red line crashed right at the end of the arrow. The tip got too deep, the ski went underwater and being a bada$$ skier, you're going to hold on. You keep your feet in the water and hands on the handle, the ski litterally will skip up and back into the water OR you will just get pulled over the side of your ski. You have a pretty decent shot of coming out of rubber boots in this crash (but not with ho approaches or connelly enzos.) In hardshells, if you're running a front reflex and a rear toe loop, you'll probably release in this crash. In any other hardshell system, it is virtually impossible for the release mechanism to decipher between a radical 120 degree turn over a distance of 10 feet, versus cutting behind the boat. Once your ski is between you and the boat, you're not going to release. The forces are simply directed down your legs and directly into the top of the ski -- if the forces are pointed down into the top of your ski, your chances for release are slim. This is where the majority of your achilies injuries occur.<br /><br />The vast majority of waterskiers (75-85%) out there ski on the red line. Anything short of a great gate will automatically put you on this line... and cranking harder and harder turns through the finish seems like the only answer. When I made the switch to hardshell bindings, I remember taking plenty of crashes, trying to hold on to more than what's possible, right through the finish of the turn. (i didn't wear a neck brace, clinchers, and body armor). These turns feel cool, but are unsustainable from a physical durability standpoint.<br /><br /><center><img class="postimg" src="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/uploads/2_mario_fall_m.jpeg" alt="water ski crash over the front at the finish of the turn" " /></center><br /><br />If you do find yourself about to take this sort of fall, the best thing to do is roll onto your back. <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/skiers/mario">Mario</a> is doing a great job in the fall above. He could have stayed on the red line, taken an unobtainable turn, and potentially take an ankle injury. Mario has decades of waterski experience and he's learned to complete this tuck-and-roll manuver to save his body. Sure, the crash looks extreme, but you're landing in water, and if you can do so on your back, the likelyhood of injury is dramatically reduced.<br /><br /> As we move into 2011, you'll see some new boot/binding systems become available. At this time, however, the Reflex front / rear toe plate back is the "safest" or most consistent release in this type of fall... but don't let that influence your purchasing decisions 100%. Remember, you can get hurt in anything, and it's your responsibility as the skier to protect yourself in the event of a fall. The best advice is to ski in control and in balance, no matter where those orange buoys are.<br /><br /><b>Update: </b>MyPH sent me a message after I originally posted his picture in the forums under <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1933#10865">Moved to Hardshells</a>. Unfortunately my warning about the red line came a little bit too late: two passes after that picture was taken, MyPH experienced the same fall and ankle injury that I'm talking about here.<br /><br /><i> Ski Safe!</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-19271489153604768232010-10-14T18:36:00.003-04:002010-10-14T18:46:55.909-04:00Still On the GrindWell, it's October. The leaves are turning and I'm excited to feel the cool air this Fall. <div><br /></div><div> I've been hard at work laying the ground work for the future... and it won't be here at Pro Ski Coach dot com. Since PSC went live in 2008 we've experienced so much growth that it's hard to keep up with. The groundwork of the site was built around the forum, and while that was all fine and dandy for a while, I've been <a href="http://www.yourskilog.com/">adding</a> <a href="http://new.yourskilog.com/">new</a> <a href="http://www.waterskileague.com/">things</a> <a href="http://www.waterskiunion.com/">so</a> <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/video">quickly</a> for so long that it has become somewhat unmaintainable.</div><div><br /></div><div> But it's good to grow out of situations and apply all those lessons learned. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-88244805240619765322010-09-01T23:51:00.005-04:002010-09-03T17:08:28.160-04:00Logging Your Sets Is The DifferenceI just finished up logging my sets from the Malibu Open in Milwaukee. I didn't do a good job of ski logging leading up to the event, and although I have skied and logged sets since the debacle, I waited until now to enter my sets from the Malibu Open at Juneau Park Pond.<br /><br /> Now's a good time for some re-encouragement to continue logging your sets at this time of year. It's easy to get distracted with the events of a summer, and even easier to get off track. The simple act of recording your thoughts -- via <a href="http://yourskilog.com">YourSkiLog</a> or on paper, allows you to briefly re-live your set. It takes just moments to recall each of the passes you skied. By taking those simple moments to keep a true record of your skiing, all aspects of your sport will benefit. Your technique, your training habits, your internal motivation must all improve, and to maintain that sort of comitment, if you are not keeping a record you are cheating yourself. <br /><br /> You can use paper, but it's disposable, flamable, can get lost or stolen... Or you can trust YourSkiLog.com - worst case scenario you may loose a week's worth of sets. But certainly no more, and much more likely, we will maintain our trackrecord of securely hosting each Ski Log.<br /><br /> By writing thoughts down about your passes you'll give your brain a chance to catch up with what you may have learned during your sets. Do it. <br /><br /> <h2><a href="http://yourskilog.com">Your Ski Log</a></h2>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-21393215883812035032010-08-24T14:34:00.001-04:002010-08-24T14:34:45.117-04:00Letter To the Pro Ski TourThe Athletes and a Little Girl who couldn’t stand in line!<br /><br />To The Pro Water Ski Tour,<br /><br />My name is Kris Vanden Boom and am an avid water-skier, Husband to my wife Donna, and Father of four beautiful girls. I am writing this first and foremost as a thank you to all those at the Malibu Open that made this a very special event for my family and me. We arrived on Friday afternoon and saw the end of the qualifying round of Slalom and Jump. The kids had a blast and wanted to come back for Saturday’s finals. What was normal was the access we had to the pros that were there. This was completely expected but nonetheless, it was exciting to be so close. What was unexpected was the amazing attention we received as a result of the physical limitations of my daughter McKenzie!<br /><br />On Saturday, we arrived early to get good seats. We were surrounded by chairs behind and on the sides making it difficult for us to come and go. After the semifinals were done and autograph signing was set up and two of my girls were in line. McKenzie, my other daughter was not able to get in line. You see, she was in her wheel chair and it was tough to get the chair through all the people and even more challenging for her to stand in long lines. That is when I walked up to Debbie Reed (one of the staff members for the pro ski tour) and asked if it would be possible to get a few athletes to come over to where we were sitting and sign McKenzie’s chair.<br /><br />First, a few skiers that were close by came and signed Kenzie’s chair and spent some time talking to her about adaptive skiing. Among them were Terry Winter, Seth Stisher, Thomas Moore, Billy Susi, Cale Burdick, Jill Knutson (who offers Adaptive Waterskiing back at her school in Lake Stevens, Washington), and others. My mother in law was with us and she was even teary-eyed watching the whole thing. The level of engagement between these athletes and a little girl who couldn’t stand in line was wonderful and had Kenzie grinning from ear to ear. At this time Finals were also getting underway so people flocked to there seats and we were once again surrounded. I was extremely grateful to Debbie and thought that would be it. I had no idea that Debbie was diligently working to get more athletes over to us. One by one they weaved through the people to reach my daughter and give her and us some quality attention. Those around us were somewhat in awe and wonderment as to what was going on. Imagine the looks in there eyes when Marcus Brown made his way to Kenzie, got down, signed the chair, and began talking to us. Grandma had a few more tears. Later it was Chris Rossi signing our Nintendo DS and still later Brooks Wilson tracked us down at the bathrooms (are you kidding me). Seth Stisher set the kids up with H20 Shirts and Jodi Fisher provided Kenzie with a shirt that she has worn 7 out of the last 10 days. These athletes are far more than just accessible at these events. To say that is a complete understatement. Yes they want to promote the sport, product lines, boats, etc… In the end they are far more giving than any other group of athletes I can think of. Try getting this kind of response in the middle of a pro football game or baseball game. I was genuinely impressed by the interest that all of the coaches had around adaptive waterskiing. Seth Stisher, April Coble-Eller, and obviously Jill Knutson were just a few who really seemed interested. I would like to encourage all of the schools in the country to consider offering programs and providing equipment with the support of local therapeutic suppliers.<br /><br />Finally, there were others signing the DS player and the chair but the final highlight came in the dark with a packed crowd when April Coble-Eller made her way over. She apologized for taking so long. The Malibu Open Women’s Champ, winning her first Major Pro Tournament, celebrating and enjoying the moment, apologized for taking so long!!! She gave almost all of her bracelets to my kids, spent time with McKenzie, shared pictures of her family, and just relaxed with us for a little while!<br /><br />So, all in all, I would say we are ready for the Malibu Open to come back to Milwaukee next year. Until then, a heart felt thank you to all the athletes, to those who ran the event, Tinus Marine, and especially to Debbie Reed.<br /><br /><br />The Vanden Boom Family!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-1050915924326704512010-08-13T16:21:00.001-04:002010-08-13T16:24:37.826-04:00Watch the Malibu Open on WebCast-TVLast Week's Malibu Open from Downtown Milwaukee was on tape delay. So, in case you haven't seen it yet, here it is in all its glory:<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" width="555" height="312"><param name="movie" value="http://www.webcast-tv.com/_player/WebCastTVShell.swf?videoId=1233&videoType=OnDemand&channelId=251&autoPlay=false&menuEnabled=true&aspect=FIT"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /></param><embed src="http://www.webcast-tv.com/_player/WebCastTVShell.swf?videoId=1233&videoType=OnDemand&channelId=251&autoPlay=false&menuEnabled=true&aspect=FIT" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="555" height="312"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-9952412422388110872010-07-30T19:08:00.001-04:002010-07-30T19:10:52.478-04:00Skier's Development Wins 2010 Top Blog Award<center><img src="http://www.onlineschools.org/top_extreme_water/images/Badges/circlebadge2.png"></center><br /><br /> Happy to report that a phone call came in today to inform me that our site has won an award for 2010 Top Extreme Sports Blog. Awards are cool!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-41229995694100741982010-07-21T13:12:00.002-04:002010-07-21T13:17:35.585-04:00Jeff Gilbert Shares His Driving Tips<a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/slalom_boat_driving/boat_driving_tips/">Pro Tour Driver and Official Jeff Gilbert shares his Slalom Boat Driving Tips</a> in our latest article. Jeff's article is a great drill down for high end slalom boat driving. If you haven't taken the time to read through the <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/slalom_boat_driving/">Slalom Boat Driving</a> section, you're missing out.<br /><br /> It's excellent to work as hard on your boat driving as you do on your skiing. Without the skills necessary to keep the boat straight down the middle and in a good rhythm with the skier, you're going to have a hard time finding ski partners. The shorter that you go, the more of a difference the boat driving makes. <br /><br /> Your understanding of how to drive the boat well can help you better to comprehend what you need to do when you're on the other end of the rope, as well. Constantly striving for more knowledge and understanding of every facet of our sport is what will give you the most opportunity to learn more and ultimately apply those lessons to your own skiing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-29071075566278259932010-07-19T13:48:00.002-04:002010-07-19T13:55:05.481-04:00New Hampshire Takes Week 7The Summer Shootout League got a face lift last week as we brought you more comprehensive information of your team and each individual skier's performance during each week. <br /><br /> I'm excited to keep evolving our league into something that will have an even higher level of participation, causing more excitement on urban and public water ways. <br /><br /> You guys -- you can compete from home!<br /><br />Week 7 Top Three:<br />7.25 New Hampshire Long Pondering<br />6.96 Midwest Rippers<br />5.69 Slalom Snipers <br /><br /> This means that on average the skiers from NH skied about 7 buoys better than their average last week. That's skiing anyone would be happy with!<br /><br /><br /> New for week 8 is a recalculated average. For the remainder of the year we're going off your 4 best scores from skiing in the Summer Shootout. This should level out the playing field even more.<br /><br /> After 7 weeks, here are the season leaders:<br /><br />New Hampshire 40.66<br />Slalom Snipers 38.09 <br />Trophy Clam Jammers 35.94<br />Team GB 32.49<br />Canadian Buoy Killers 27.22<br />Utah Slalom Slashers 27.09<br />Berkely Wed. Night Ski League 19.31<br />Gotham City Slalom 18.77<br />South Carolina H2Oz Skiers 17.36<br />Midwest Rippers 17.35Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-25893195708635183302010-07-14T18:17:00.005-04:002010-08-16T22:44:09.902-04:002010 Malibu Open VideoUploading a few videos each day from last week's Malibu Open. Powerusers have unlimited access. Thanks for your support!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-12996882480240346912010-06-02T10:00:00.004-04:002010-06-02T10:06:37.493-04:00Slow Motion Video Available for Power UsersIt's June, and that means it's On!<br /><br /> I just drove up to Boston after attending the 51st Masters this past weekend. I was able to secure a great shooting location and managed to get some great pictures and video from the event. But that's not the real point I'm trying to make in this post.<br /><br /> If you've subscribed as a Power User, first off, Thank You for Your Support. I definitely would not be able to keep the site running without you folks. Over the past few weeks, I've been tinkering with a new Video Section here on the site. I'm excited to release it today for Power Users. It's still in the early developmental stages, so never mind the appearances of the new section. Like everything else we do here, it's a work in progress.<br /><br /> You can <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/video">check out the new video section at http://www.proskicoach.com/video</a>. I've uploaded Will, Nick, Jamie and Thomas Degasperi's 32,35 and 39 runs from Sunday at the Masters, as well as some older video and as I type I'm working through the Vancouver 2009 Pro Tour stop.<br /><br /> As time goes on we'll keep adding and adding to this video section. You're welcome to help out by uploading video of yourself or of anyone else waterskiing. <br /><br /> Some of you might be wondering why this is even important. "We have YouTube!" Yes.. there's YouTube, but you can't put YouTube into slow motion to analyze skiers, now can you? <br /><br /> Let me know what you think.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-72490280075394191622010-05-29T20:49:00.002-04:002010-05-29T20:52:23.414-04:00Mens Slalom Pictures: 51st Masters Tournament<center><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fproskicoach%2Fsets%2F72157624038344437%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fproskicoach%2Fsets%2F72157624038344437%2F&set_id=72157624038344437&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fproskicoach%2Fsets%2F72157624038344437%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fproskicoach%2Fsets%2F72157624038344437%2F&set_id=72157624038344437&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></center><br /><br />Making the Cut for Men's Slalom:<br />Jamie Beauchesne 4.5@39<br />Nick Parsons 3@39<br />Thomas Degasperi 3@39<br />Will Asher 2@39 (Beat Parrish in Run Off)<br /><br />Women's Slalom:<br />Whitney McClintock 4@38<br />Karina Nowlan 4@38<br />Regina Jaquess 3@38<br />Karen Truelove 3@38<br /><br /> Check back later for more pictures and updates from the Masters.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-71920012159297989962010-05-26T10:05:00.003-04:002010-05-26T10:08:38.073-04:00Blast from the Past: Jamie B Wins Indy 2001Over the past few weeks I've been tinkering away at a new videos section that will launch here on ProSkiCoach.com in the near future. During this process I've had the pleasure of sifting through years of video files on my computer and I came across this little jem... Jamie B winning his first Pro Event, circa 2001 at Indianapolis. Enjoy!
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<br />35 off from the regular tournament round:
<br /><embed src='http://www.proskicoach.com/video/classes/mediaplayer-viral/player-viral.swf' height='320' width='426' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' flashvars='&file=http%3A%2F%2Fproskicoach.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3b3ea461f4df22119f5e402923cdf6f8.mp4&plugins=viral-2d'/>
<br />Cold 39 in the Run Off with Andy Mapple
<br /><embed src='http://www.proskicoach.com/video/classes/mediaplayer-viral/player-viral.swf' height='320' width='426' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' flashvars='&file=http%3A%2F%2Fproskicoach.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe5ebd912f16c042bb8bf0ce3f5969a94.mp4&plugins=viral-2d'/>
<br />2@41 Wins it
<br /><embed src='http://www.proskicoach.com/video/classes/mediaplayer-viral/player-viral.swf' height='320' width='426' allowscriptaccess='always' allowfullscreen='true' flashvars='&file=http%3A%2F%2Fproskicoach.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2cc97a8d530edfc28feb3e04fc6ae1be.mp4&plugins=viral-2d'/>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-24878617205285984802010-05-16T14:04:00.005-04:002010-05-16T14:22:55.458-04:00Supercross World Champ Heath Voss on MBTV!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbSRwY8gvnCyr87c9Ox-bCqsKn9KtIo2H6FeqshXmlWkG1W-NRgTzacby8fMBxiIMIt18VCcAVXfGBh-4VGXxIVjED0M1ouKQc1rWUcEQpblKtcK7I9ZbB8mNgFetpx3jcUJMKkuzS_I/s1600/Heath+F15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="457" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbSRwY8gvnCyr87c9Ox-bCqsKn9KtIo2H6FeqshXmlWkG1W-NRgTzacby8fMBxiIMIt18VCcAVXfGBh-4VGXxIVjED0M1ouKQc1rWUcEQpblKtcK7I9ZbB8mNgFetpx3jcUJMKkuzS_I/s640/Heath+F15.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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2004 Supercross World Champion, Team SYNDICATE Rider and Medina County goat roping runner-up, Heath Voss will be joining Marcus this Monday Night, May 17th at the usual time (6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern). <br />
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Earlier in 2010 he bagged a couple big Supercross wins overseas, in Liverpool and again in London. Now he'll join us Live from "The Compound" in Mico Texas, just a few short steps from the crystal clear waters of Medina Lake,....and fill us in, once and for all, on Who he is, Why we should care, and What the HELL riding a dirt bike has to do with laying down turns on a shred stick!<br />
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Don't miss this one!<br />
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<a href="http://www.pskic.com/chat">http://www.pskic.com/chat</a> or <a href="http://www.MarcusBrown.tv/">http://www.MarcusBrown.tv</a>MarcusBrownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03641759072291258284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-73974177307180650632010-05-12T10:35:00.003-04:002010-05-12T10:38:27.750-04:00Summer Shootout League Starts May 31Just a few short weeks remain until the start of our first annual online water ski tournament. Teams will go head to head on a weekly basis and compete for the top spot. The highest ranked teams at the end of the regular season will be invited to H2Osmosis in Charleston, SC to compete for the league Championship!<br /><br /> To get started, log your sets using <a href="http://www.yourskilog.com">YourSkiLog</a>. You'll get a <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/skiers">Ski Log Ranking</a> that includes a personal profile page where you can leave comments and check out what other skiers are riding. <br /><br /> You don't have to be a shortline skier to compete in the Summer Shootout. We'll use a handicap system to level the playing field for everyone involved. So get together with your ski partners and get organized! The shootout starts May 31.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-36066519072542333692010-05-06T19:31:00.006-04:002010-05-06T19:46:29.211-04:00Obama Administration Receives Invitation to Water SkiI always have a mineature panic attack any time I get a phone call from a "UNKNOWN" phone number. Caller ID these days usually gives you a good heads up of who's on the other line before you answer... but these Unknown and Restricted numbers always make you do a double take. Have I payed my Credit Card bill? Is my bank account overdrawn? <br /><br /> This was my train of thought when I recevied one such call from, UNKNOWN. Turns out that the call came from the White House. They were looking for one <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/pros/corey_humburg">Corey Humburg</a>. I was instructed that the Obama Administration has received his invitation for the President to come rip a set at Corey's new Ski School in Virginia, Peace Love and Water Skiing. Should any time become available during the duration of the President's term, he'll be psyched to come hit the waterAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-79476801559633567312010-05-03T17:37:00.003-04:002010-05-03T17:41:55.412-04:00Cris Kodiak on MarcusBrown.TV Monday May 3<img src="http://www.proskicoach.com/pics/kodiak.jpg" style="float:right;">Tonight for this week's installment of MarcusBrown.Tv, Collegiate Water Ski Guru Cris Kodiak shares his insights on our sport, our industry, the success of College Skiing in the Midwest, and just about anything else we can throw at him. Check it out tonight at 9PM Eastern, 6 Pacific.<br /><br />Tell your friends about this event! I know that the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers are on at about that same time, but priorities, people. Get the word out about our web show and look forward to improvements we'll be making in the coming episodes.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-72208958483910909892010-04-26T15:34:00.014-04:002010-05-03T17:44:15.581-04:00Snow and Water Shredder Taylor Garcia Apr 26Mini shredder Taylor Garcia joins me tonight on MarcusBrown.tv! He's fresh off a J4 North Series Overall Championship here in California, and already logging trips to Florida to clean up his water skills for the upcoming season.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2CgLUnfCcbLm8kQ4lUmVWU9Dr6fsxhKpIyVuYlq4FzOen7CoyaxljpThIJRckXEIwPBo2MsO38gM-C2tm3kSoVE01tpmWilU6rD4pzFkGhEvDXpxlS7QuRE_sBEJ1597j3zCZQX_kvY/s1600/2.14.08.Taylor+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="float: left; margin-right:5px;margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2CgLUnfCcbLm8kQ4lUmVWU9Dr6fsxhKpIyVuYlq4FzOen7CoyaxljpThIJRckXEIwPBo2MsO38gM-C2tm3kSoVE01tpmWilU6rD4pzFkGhEvDXpxlS7QuRE_sBEJ1597j3zCZQX_kvY/s200/2.14.08.Taylor+(8).jpg" width="200" /></a>If you haven't heard of this guy yet....you probably want to log on tonight at 6pm, here at <a href="http://www.pskic.com/chat">ProSkiCoach.com</a> or at <a href="http://www.marcusbrown.tv/">MarcusBrown.tv </a><br /><br />I can't promise anything, but I do know he's as much a Character, as he is a skier! We should be in for a treat tonight!<br /><br />Don't Miss It!<br /><br />MBMarcusBrownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03641759072291258284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-40490665777478283942010-04-26T12:09:00.003-04:002010-04-26T12:12:05.453-04:00Power User Content: Early Season Free SkiingI've just posted the first article in our exclusive subscriber content section. If you've signed up to be a Power User, Thank you very much! We'll be debuting more articles for subscribers as the summer goes on. <br /><br /> For the first installment, check out <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/subscriber_content/early_season_free_skiing">Early Season Free Skiing</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-346910809525900069.post-75603738551424031332010-04-19T20:45:00.003-04:002010-04-19T20:48:02.364-04:00Chris Parrish on MarcusBrown.Tv<img src="http://waterski.about.com/library/graphics/Chris_Parrish_Record.jpg" style="float:right;" alt="Chris Parrish"> Tonight Chris Parrish will field your questions and chat with Marcus Brown, Live, in the <a href="http://www.proskicoach.com/forum/chatbox.php">PSC ChatBox</a> or at <a href="http://www.marcusbrown.tv">MarcusBrown.Tv</a>! Check it out at 9PM Eastern, 6 Pacific.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12145992617990514303noreply@blogger.com0