Slalom Course

[VinRLX]

We have a lake association meeting on Saturday and I'm anticipating there will be opposition to the newly installed slalom course. I would really appreciate hearing others' accounts of objections and ways to diffuse them. Interested in any/all info and particularly anything fish or environment related.

TIA

Jack

[edwin]

for those opposed to it, challenge them to a ski off. if they can beat you, then you'll listen to their case

[Baddog]

Tell it's exactly like a man-made reef and will vastly improve the fishing in the entire lake because of it's prescence.

[Sunapee]

The most frequent objections are environmental (all the loons will go away because of you), noise (you will ski at all hours and keep me awake)(we have a nice peaceful, serene lake and you will change all that), and traffic (just wait, you'll see thousands of boats come over here not that that thing is there).

Environmental is a tough battle to win. Those who seem to be barking that mantra usually think they are absolutely right and will not be swayed by rational arguments. Several times a summer we come up to the surface after a fall and be starring at a loon within a few feet of us. Not folklore, truth. I can probably drudge up a pic or two of us co-existing with the water foul.

Noise is an easy one. Our boats are some of the quietest on the lake. We spend extra $$ on sound suppression specifically for those on the shore who have to listen to the boats. There is usually someone in the audience that will support you on that. It is very obvious to anyone who pays attention to it. You can also get decibel numbers to support it. Ski courses are also used in the morning and in the evening only. Most offer time restrictions in a show of good faith. We initially offered to ski only between 7 and 9 in the morning and again between 6 and 8 in the evening. That was long enough ago that we pretty much ignore it as a written role, but the reality is that it really is the hours we use it most.

The traffic argument is probably the easiest. Only one boat is in motion at once. The net result is that fewer boats are in motion at any given point in time. They are sitting quietly (making no wakes) while someone else skis.

The biggest concession we made is a temporary course that is only present when we are using it (AccuSink).

AWSA is a good source of information for these meetings.

Good luck! Remember, be nice, patient, and show no anger....

[LS-One]

We have a lake association meeting on Saturday and I'm anticipating there will be opposition to the newly installed slalom course. I would really appreciate hearing others' accounts of objections and ways to diffuse them. Interested in any/all info and particularly anything fish or environment related.

TIA

Jack

If I'm reading correctly its already installed. Why not take the approcach of, lets give it a month and then we'll talk about any issues or concerns that arise.

[Slalom Frog]

I've heard all of the reasons mentioned above and you will hear all of them and maybe even some that you have never heard. A couple of things that I have encountered.

• People complaining because I was ruining the "natural" beauty of the lake with "these ugly buoys".
  
• I was monopolizing the entire cove for my self-centered interests.
  
• I should put it on a larger lake even though ours is over 1200 acres.
  
• It was a race course that would encourage boats to speed around.
  

I have always remained patient and polite with people. Education is really the key, though it is a slow process. One point that I normally try to make is that due to weather/wind conditions and other boats on the lake, the course will get used a lot less than people assume that it will. During the course of a week, my course might see 4 hours of actually time, that is not a lot of time in a 168 hour week. I always invite people to teach them how to ski and drive the course, sometimes just watching someone skiing the course can be quite interesting.

The wildlife/loon argument always comes up. It really does not matter if you make boat waves 2000' from the loon's nest or 800', the roller eventually gets there and it really does not change much. Fluctuating water levels and fishing have much more chance of affecting loons than ski boats.

Always try to remain respectful, as difficult as it may be in many cases. You may even have to be prepared for vandalism to the course. Mine was cut down during the first summer. We had it back up in one day just to prove that we would not give up easily.

Good luck!

[Jimmy Buffett]

Would it help if the course was submersible?

It might also help to take a diagram to show how the course is constructed and that it doesn't disturb anything in the lake.

Edited June 6, 2007 by Jimmy Buffett

[skislut]

We just had to deal with the sheriff -- he was the one that signed the permit and his view was that we had 3 months of it in and then he'd review if there were any complaints and decide if he'd renew the permit. First year 3 complaints (and he didn't say if they were separate individuals or the same guy complaining 3 times) -- he allowed us to renew. Second year there was 1 complaint, third and fourth years zero complaints.

We don't ski until 7 a.m. and haven't heard any of the neighbors say anything about the noise -- plus there are a slew of bass fisherman that start up at 5 a.m. so the noise argument is a non-issue. The few bass fisherman that have been sitting in the middle of the course when we are ready to use it we just go over and say hello -- explain what we are doing and tell them that if they sit about 100' to the side of the course our ski boats kind of herd the fish to the outskirts of the course and they'll catch them. We figured it was just a good BS story but one guy shows up every morning and does just that and he seems to catch fish and is always waving -- so I dunno.

The neighbors -and our cove consists of about 80 cottages -- actually are positive about the course -- they come out on the front porches with their coffee and watch from the shore (I think they are like NASCAR fans, waiting for a good crash). More than a few have told us that they know it's time to get out of bed on the weekends and get moving when they first hear us gun the engine for the first skier.

The only thing that makes us cringe is that the course attracts jet-skiers like bugs to a light, in the middle of a quiet day they all come over and slalom thru it or race around it. We haven't had anybody say anything about that but I'd say it's a concern for us.

[CLOUT1]

We have a lake association meeting on Saturday and I'm anticipating there will be opposition to the newly installed slalom course. I would really appreciate hearing others' accounts of objections and ways to diffuse them. Interested in any/all info and particularly anything fish or environment related.

TIA

Jack

I have mentioned on this site before that my brother has a course on his lake right out front of his place. He used some of the AWSA info like someone else on this thread had mentioned and he send a diagram and information about the course and that it is for everyone else use to all the camp owners on the lake...about 350 I believe. I suppose it helped that he and his course co-owner are on the lake association committee!!!!!!!!! Good Luck!!!

[SunriseH2OSkier]

These are all pretty good suggestions, Jack. Though I must say, I figured you'd be all set with your sandwich board and a picket sign for all their weak-a$$ arguments.

Best of luck to you. I think the cool head approach is your best bet. Don't get your undies in a wad even before you walk in there. You never know - you might find that nobody is all that opposed. And even if you do, you know you have supporters on your side. Keep emotion out of your side of it, and you'll be better off. Those that don't care one way or the other are most likely to be swayed to the side of the one who's not being an a-hole.

[Toby]

We don't ski until 7 a.m. and haven't heard any of the neighbors say anything about the noise -- plus there are a slew of bass fisherman that start up at 5 a.m. so the noise argument is a non-issue. The few bass fisherman that have been sitting in the middle of the course when we are ready to use it we just go over and say hello -- explain what we are doing and tell them that if they sit about 100' to the side of the course our ski boats kind of herd the fish to the outskirts of the course and they'll catch them. We figured it was just a good BS story but one guy shows up every morning and does just that and he seems to catch fish and is always waving -- so I dunno.

boats and skiers have next to no affect on fish. one time we were at the river when the level was very low and you had to use a natural chanel to get in to the beach from the main arm of the river. there was a young girl sitting there with a rod in the water. you would have thought that shed be lucky to catch a stick. there were boats coming in and out and it was fairly busy. sure enough she pulls out a legal sized murray cod, the most prized fresh water fish in the country, after about 10 minutes.