The Unknown Sport of Waterskiing

[CaptainMorgan]

found this on youtube - documentary about waterskiing that just came out.  i found it entertaining even though i've only slalom'd casually a few dozen times and never trick'd or jumped. But i assume others on here may enjoy it.

 

[MalibuNation]

Love your title.

[electricjohn]

Didn't water skiing get replaced by tubing? And when you outgrow the tube you surf? I surf, but only in the ocean surf, hence, the name.

[ahopkins22LSV]

29 minutes ago, electricjohn said:

Didn't water skiing get replaced by tubing? And when you outgrow the tube you surf? I surf, but only in the ocean surf, hence, the name.

Water skiing is arguably bigger than wakeboarding right now, and probably for the past 2-3 years. The tournaments are getting much more attention and press largely due to The Waterski Broadcasting Company who made this. Their webcasts are a work of art. There is a huge tour in Europe now, and picking up good steam in America too. I would also say the tournaments are bigger than even the surf competitions. Plus the collegiate scene for skiing is huge. Regionals and Nationals are a huge event now. There is much more of a foundation for pro waterskiing than wakeboarding for sure and probably even surfing because of the collegiate scene.

 

Sure surfing is king for the primary sport of families, but every morning on our lake there are still 2-3 boats skiing before 8am.

[UWSkier]

This was a great doco and a great introduction to 3-event for anyone who's never experienced it.

Best years of my life were 3 event skiing in college.

[electricjohn]

I did 3 event in the 60's, 70's and 80's, originally on wooden flatbottom ski's. Show skiing 60's through the 90's. Hopefully my grandkids will be 4th generation show skiers. First competition slalom ski; Cypress Gardens, Alfredo Mendosa with the tail end narrowed and the edges rounded. State of the art in the 60's. Talk about "the wall of water".

Edited July 4, 2023 by electricjohn

[electricjohn]

On 7/2/2023 at 10:12 AM, ahopkins22LSV said:

Sure surfing is king for the primary sport of families, but every morning on our lake there are still 2-3 boats skiing before 8am.

My 7am sunrise slalom group fell apart a few years ago. Think it was age related, since I was the youngest. I still know where the buoy blocks we layed for our slalom course in the mid 60's are if we ever need a course again.

Edited July 4, 2023 by electricjohn

[williemon]

I still love skiing. I haven’t free slalom skied for about 6 years but still love skiing . 

[Skithemidwest]

Controversial but compared to wakeboarding I feel that slaloming will prove to be a sport that can be continued at a fairly high level much later in life. I know multiple people over 70 that still slalom very well, I don't think there will be many people still doing back rolls on a wakeboard over the age of 70. I have a few wakeboard friends (mid 30's) that have started consistently skiing with me and we have talked about how it will be hard for them to learn a new wakeboarding trick at this point without taking numerous slams and the potential for injury and missed work just isn't worth it.   Added bonus that it can be done with a boat that isn't a large barge. 

[Woodski]

I also enjoyed the documentary, TWBC is doing a stellar job with their broadcasts.  The 3 event crowd should be very thankful that gang puts in so much time and effort to provide the broadcasts.  Sure beats a lot of the c**p ESPN now shows.  Fortunately, AWSA & IWWF are strong organizations that focus on 3 event skiing so that keeps life in the sport, the collegiate level can keep a stream of young participants coming.  What could be a better way of spending time as a collegiate, participating in 3 event skiing against a host of other colleges.

Not sure on the current product mix, it doesn't appear that the ski tug sales are putting a dent in the big barge market, those seem to be still the ones people are after.  This site has clearly steered towards the big boat segment, specifically reading the 'what's new' threads.

[UWSkier]

3 hours ago, Woodski said:

I also enjoyed the documentary, TWBC is doing a stellar job with their broadcasts.  The 3 event crowd should be very thankful that gang puts in so much time and effort to provide the broadcasts.  Sure beats a lot of the c**p ESPN now shows.  Fortunately, AWSA & IWWF are strong organizations that focus on 3 event skiing so that keeps life in the sport, the collegiate level can keep a stream of young participants coming.  What could be a better way of spending time as a collegiate, participating in 3 event skiing against a host of other colleges.

Not sure on the current product mix, it doesn't appear that the ski tug sales are putting a dent in the big barge market, those seem to be still the ones people are after.  This site has clearly steered towards the big boat segment, specifically reading the 'what's new' threads.

Truth on the last bit.  It's crazy to think I've been on this site for 18 years!  We used to have a cohort of direct drive owners on here that was every bit as big as the V-drive crowd, and those V-drives were things like 3500 lb 21 LSVs.  Now when someone shows up on here with a new TXi and asks a question, it's like they're speaking Martian.

[kstateskier1]

On 7/2/2023 at 7:35 PM, UWSkier said:

This was a great doco and a great introduction to 3-event for anyone who's never experienced it.

Best years of my life were 3 event skiing in college.

What he said!

[electricjohn]

4 hours ago, Woodski said:

.

Not sure on the current product mix, it doesn't appear that the ski tug sales are putting a dent in the big barge market, those seem to be still the ones people are after.  This site has clearly steered towards the big boat segment, specifically reading the 'what's new' threads.

I think my '03 Rlxi was the last small wake boat purchased on my lake (in '03!). Now it's $200K+ V-drive wake enhancement and 28 ft. pontoon tubing boats.

Edited July 18, 2023 by electricjohn
can't spell Rlxi.

[CaptainMorgan]

5 hours ago, Woodski said:

This site has clearly steered towards the big boat segment, specifically reading the 'what's new' threads.

Im not a skier but have there been any significant ski boat changes in past decade or two or just keep boats light and flat? 

I'm waiting for someone to make a ski boat that goes up on a hydrofoil and leaves the water virtually untouched for the skier behind. Seen some video of boats like that on YouTube but not skiing yet

[Woodski]

@CaptainMorgan - Flat yes, light absolutely not (just like the human progression:-).  Ski tugs have gotten significantly wider, updated the hulls to flatten the wakes particularly targeted at slower speeds and longer line lengths.   The time frame of the design bump was circa 2014 with the CC200, Prostar and the Ski Nautique (that is the model designation) is more recent.  TXI 'evolved' popped in '17 (a big top deck interior change to rival the CC & MC) although in reality the SV23 hull is still the basic design with several updates over the years.  All of these boats are excellent ski machines.  Unfortunately, the biggest change may simply be the price tag, ~ $100k.  Ok for you surfers, skiers don't need a violin session, ski boats barely pop over the $100k mark so they are cheap by your standards 

The biggest hurdle for a hydrofoil ski boat may not be the boat itself, but getting sanctioning body (AWSA, IWWF) approval for use in tournaments.  The challenge won't be the wake, the tracking will be the issue.  A system called Sure Path is now in use that tracks the pylon path and the tolerance is pretty tight.

[braindamage]

We’ve been on our lake for 10ish years. There were only 3 boats that I remember consistently skiing when we first arrived. One was @UWSkierand our ski buddy. Now there are 7 ski boats vying for water and our ski crew alone has 10 possible skiers on any day.

Skiing can be lifelong, just don’t stop. I plan to ski until I can’t. 
 

There are two types of wakeboarders, those that are injured, and those that are going to be injured.