Hard Core Slalom Boats

[Scot]

What GT said Amen.

[edwin]

I know that I'm part of a sport that is practiced by many irresponsible young adults. But I ride with a set of guys that understand courtesy, boat paths, wake dissapation, and respect for other boaters. I enjoy riding on glass and usually end up in remote areas where I don't see a lot of the wallies. (anymore - but I could tell you stories about years gone by)

I'll give credit where credit is due...you are wayyy more courteous than most of the long haired, pants around the butt wake boarders.

BTW - any interest in that HO Phantom of mine? You know, the one you were thinking about buying last season?

[aneal000]

I know that I'm part of a sport that is practiced by many irresponsible young adults. But I ride with a set of guys that understand courtesy, boat paths, wake dissapation, and respect for other boaters. I enjoy riding on glass and usually end up in remote areas where I don't see a lot of the wallies. (anymore - but I could tell you stories about years gone by)

I'll give credit where credit is due...you are wayyy more courteous than most of the long haired, pants around the butt wake boarders.

BTW - any interest in that HO Phantom of mine? You know, the one you were thinking about buying last season?

I don't think the sliverton would fit through the course. Besides I'd really p!$$ some people off then! I'll take in off your hands as soon as I get a good lead on another sportster for lsl.

When we going mtb riding again?

[edwin]

When we going mtb riding again?

Gonna be a bit...had a shoulder mishap, need to get it back in shape. Probably 4-6 weeks before it's normal again. Will ping ya...

[skisix@38]

Please don't classify my feelings toward the irresponsible people I meet as 'hatred', that would be the wrong word. It's disappointment. I'm fundamentally disappointed every time I run across someone with no sense of themselves as part of a greater whole. On the job, around town, on the water, on the highway...The people who take no responsibility for the effect that their actions have on others. I fight hard, and have done so for many years, to preserve the place that those people thrive. I would just rather see them elect to behave responsibly instead of exploiting it in the name of entertainment.

Nice and concisely put for a knuckle dragging pilot ! I agree whole heartedly too by the way.

Way to go!

[Scot]

Hidden Valley not private enough? How about during the week or early in the AM? Sometimes some loud classical music will drive the fisher people away, worth a shot. My neighbor has drug out the stereo speakers and always has a guitar amp if it turns into a one up deal.

Although there are some days on the dock in the AM when I can see the rollers comming and I know exactly who's boat it is.

Edited January 24, 2006 by Scot

[MoonDawg]

Hidden Valley not private enough? How about during the week or early in the AM? Sometimes some loud classical music will drive the fisher people away, worth a shot. My neighbor has drug out the stereo speakers and always has a guitar amp if it turns into a one up deal.

Although there are some days on the dock in the AM when I can see the rollers comming and I know exactly who's boat it is.

The cold weather and football season has pretty much brought an end to all nighter fishing sessions for the short term. It is normally a weekend problem in the late spring and summer. By fall I am sure the same bunch are out duck hunting. You know the total outdoorsman type.

This is not a problem about stereo volume. It is just a bunch of drunken fishermen being loud and obnoxious all night. You know how sound carries on the water. This is just a case of people having total disregard for others that are around them and is carried over into their boating etiquette (or lack of etiquette in this case).

[Toby]

i havnt been around here for nearly two weeks, wish i had been..

i need to get a few things off my chest after reading some of those posts

where can i start???

Becoming a good skier is harder than becoming a good wakeboarder, period!

heres some evidence...

Look at Froggy Soven, 17 years old and in october last year won 100k in prizemoney in three weeks and is pretty much dominating the world at the moment and good on him. But, find me a 17 year old MALE skier who is dominating to an equelivent level as froggy is. You wont!

Look at chris parrish. he started running 41off when he was 17 and didnt run it in a torunament until he was 26! You find me a wakeboarder who it takes 9 years to pull off a move in a tournament they first learnt that many years earlier??? I bet you wont!

Also you need to look at the facilities you need. Wake boarders need a good wake and regular water time, in ok to good conditions. Skiers need a course, PP, good driver, coach, skis and equipment, better conditions than wakeboarders when learning new passes.. it goes on. this is partially why people get bored of skiing and get more rewards out of riding sideways.

Injuries are worse too. the common injuries in wboarding are knees, everyone knows that. I would like to know if any elite wakeboarders have had worse injuries than the following:

Scot Ellis, now has perminant foot drop and nerve damage due to crash

Michael McCormick has dislocated his hip, twice i believe.

Kyle Eade, the handle nearly ripped his face off and broke his jaw

Marcus Brown, handle pretty much ripped two fingers off and mashed his hand up real bad

Can provide more if wanted

you can buy a shirt (off skifly.com i believe) that says "if it's easy we call it wakeboarding"

and none of you can come out and say i know or have respect for wakeboarding. My brother rides and i enjoy driving for him and telling him what hes doing wrong for each and every one of his 1/2 hour or longer sets! (not 16.08 seconds X 6 passes) and i love it when he pulls of a new move! thats his cup of tea, but not mine!

thats the facts, if you dont agree ask me for some more, id be happy to prove the point further

[Texasguy]

Since I do or have done just about every water sport behind a boat you can do, I can tell you that I have enjoyed them all(except for tubing, I've been hurt the worst on the tube) and it is not suprising that people enjoy some things better than others, have their favorites and feel passionately about them.

The Only Suprising thing to me in this whole thread is that there are some people who actually think that wakeboarding is More Difficult than the slalom course!

[Scot]

Once and awhile when water is to rough and my body is worn out... I will drag out a wake board or maybe a kneeboard. Take a 15 min. sight seeing ride around, cut the wake hop a little. Then throw the damn thing back in the bushes by the dock where it will lay most of the summer. And I am still able to wear normal swim trunks.

[aneal000]

i havnt been around here for nearly two weeks, wish i had been..

i need to get a few things off my chest after reading some of those posts

where can i start???

blah blah blah...

yada yada yada...

thats the facts, if you dont agree ask me for some more, id be happy to prove the point further

I'm glad you got that off your chest. While everyone is intitled to their opinion, your above statements were just that - your opinion NOT facts as you call them.

When I get some free time I'll respond in lenght to explain. Until then fell free to keep if flowing, since you were far from proving anything to me except your obvious bias.

On a side note, we were done here - we already had a group hug and everything!

[SunriseH2OSkier]

On a side note, we were done here - we already had a group hug and everything!

Word.

(Is that a hip response? I'm just trying to break free from that yuppie persona! )

[djustice]

Once again, the skiers are getting defensive and on the attack. I think its funny how upset some people get over a post on the internet. Toby, There is a reason the best gymnists in the world are 13 year old girls, its because the sport requires excellent cordination, flexibility and a lack of fear, all of which are lost as you get older. Same applies to wakeboarding, thats why you see younger riders excell at the sport. I have never seen anyone not try to run a slalom course because they were scared they were going to get hurt, same doesnt apply with trying an inverted trick for the first time in wakeboarding. Have you ever seen someone hit a slider on a wakeboard, If you have, I would doubt that you would still be arguing over which one has the potential to cause the greatest injuries. Yes, I will agree that to become good at skiing it takes years of practice, but so does bowling. And we all know how dangerous bowling is.

[BillFooter]

There is a reason the best gymnists in the world are 13 year old girls, its because the sport requires excellent cordination, flexibility and a lack of fear, all of which are lost as you get older.

The above only applies to females in gymnastics, and not all sports that female participate in. If this is true for male & female sports, why aren't 13 year old boys the best in the world?

[88Skier]

This is like one of those religious threads from the past. Kind of funny how people get upset about this stuff.

[Malibudude]

Toby,

Take a deep breath, this argument is a wot. If both sports were easy we all would be pros. You're entitled to your opinion but as a slalom skier myself I can't say more injuries come from the skiing the course than boards get.

[WakeGirl]

This is like one of those religious threads from the past. Kind of funny how people get upset about this stuff.

Well said.

[surf71]

I do believe a top wakeboarder by the name of Kenny( don't know last name) died a year or so ago on a slider wipeout. I think that makes Toby's list of slalom injuries look pretty petty in comparison. But I'm not tyring to say one is harder or even more dangerous than the other, only that much or all of what has been written on this post is just opinion. Djustice said it well, it has alot to do with age and whether or not you have hung up your Superman cape yet. But if you slolom guys feel like your sport is not getting the respect it deserves I suggest getting some pictures of one of you hitting a slider maybe with a big gap and post them here for all those naysayers. Hehehe Oh yeah and the bowling analogy was a thing of beauty.

[onamission]

What happened to the talk about boats?

[Jesse]

I have to admit that I feel like what djustice stated applies to me.

I gravitated back to slalom after my visits to the chiropractor increased from attempting wakeboarding tricks.

[Chef23]

That's hysterical. All the liberal yuppies think I'm an unsophisticated war-mongering knuckle dragger.

That is probably because you are

[Chef23]

I have a slalom boat (2002 Response LX) and when I am behind it my time is split about 70% slalom in the course, 15% wakeboard and 15% trick ski. I like the challenge of the course and trying to improve on personal bests. The challenge of learning new tricks is cool also but it is different to me than the the sense of accomplishment I get by a new PB in the slalom course.

I have two kids age 6&7. They ski, tube, kneeboard and will learn to wakeboard this year. I don't care that much what they do behind the boat as long as they have fun. We do have a rule that they have to ski before they can tube though.

I ski (and live) on a public lake with two slalom courses on it. Generally we ski the course before 9:00 AM. During the week we might find calm water later in the day but after 10:00 on weekends you are unlikely to find water calm enough for the course.

I don't feel any entitlement to the slalom course. I do get annoyed when a bass fisherman plows accross the course at 10mph when we are in the middle of a set or when somebody skiing recreationally messes up our water when the rest of the lake is empty. Generally I have found these people don't know any better. If I take the time to talk to them politely I may make a new friend and ensure calmer water in the future. My experience has been that if someone is messing up the whole lake pulling a water skier or wakeboarder they probably don't understand a skiing pattern that results in calmer water for everybody. Tubing is a different story.

At 2:00 on Saturday afternoon it is wally world out there and time to pull my kids on the tube. If you can't fight the crowd you might as well join them.

[djustice]

Billfooter, I dont recall saying that it applied to every female sport, just those requiring coordination, flexibility and lack of fear. This kind of reminds me of when I argue with my wife and she realizes she is losing, she starts nitpicking and throwing out things not necessarily relevant to the discussion to try and discredit my argument. Which is, younger people tend be better at those types of sports, I was only using gymnastics as an example. Maybe I should have used the term young women instead of 13 year olds, I just felt like everyone on here had enough sense to realize that I didnt mean you had to be literally be 13 to dominate sports.

[Scot]

Serious injury or death can result from this activity. Says that on every ski/board/tube/anything I buy or use. Certain amount of risk every time you have a 300 HP boat and a handle in you hand. Hell I think it may say that on my trailer too.

[jetskipro550]

Wheres the emotion that says, "die thread die!" ?????