Why don't you participate in 3-event disciplines?
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Forum Name: Ski, Ride and Foot Talk
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URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=34270
Printed Date: January-28-2025 at 2:07pm
Topic: Why don't you participate in 3-event disciplines?
Posted By: M3Fan
Subject: Why don't you participate in 3-event disciplines?
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 4:15pm
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Over the years I've noticed most people here do not participate in traditional 3-event disciplines, including the slalom course, trick skiing, and jump. I know a small handful participated in college but since then have not really been into it. General boating and casual open-water stuff is certainly fun but my addiction is the slalom course and to a lesser extent trick. Honing these skills, or lack of skills, is at the heart of boating for me. Even 1 tournament a year is all I need to have something to work for all summer. What keeps you from traditional 3-event (or 2 event in my case) addiction? ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Replies:
Posted By: Orlando76
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 4:34pm
| This guy is afraid of heights so that rules out jump skiing. Don't have the talent for trick skiing. So that leaves me with trying to improve on a slalom. |
Posted By: quinner
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 4:41pm
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Would love to work on my jumping skills, or lack thereof, no ramp on my lake or real access to one nearby is the biggest obstacle. Need to devote more time to tricks, tough finding the time. Slalom is what I do and enjoy most however no permanent courses allowed on our lake and not enough interest amongst my neighbors to commit to a portable so free skiing it is! |
Posted By: halfnelly
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 5:07pm
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I grew up doing slalom and trick, then switched to wakeboarding full-time in the late 90's when I got semi-sponsored, then back to 3-event in college. I haven't resurrected the slalom course at the bottom of our lake and my body has no desire to start jumping again, so for now it's just more relaxing to go ride the wakeboard or trick ski on the weekends. My boat also has no speed control (yet) and my wife is just learning to drive, so I probably wouldn't be able to slalom if I wanted to anyway. I'll make my slalom comeback in a couple of years when I get into mens 3 and can dial it back to 34 mph, lol. |
Posted By: Frankenotter
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 5:27pm
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No ramp or slalom course here in mke. Closest set of buoys is Green Lake. I'd like to get slalom instruction. ------------- 1999 Ski Nautique 196 |
Posted By: C-Bass
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 5:41pm
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Accessibility. I love to slalom and it's just about all I do on the water, but course skiing is just not a very accessible sport depending on where you live. I suppose I could venture into trick skiing but never have had any exposure to it. I think jumping is probably less accessible than course skiing. ------------- Craig 67 SN 73 SN http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=6103" rel="nofollow - 99 Sport 85SN |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:08pm
I'm waiting for mens 3 to officially start my career. Exposure, time and accessibility are the biggest factors for us here in Iowa. Not many know what 3-event skiing is about here in Iowa let alone the fun tournaments can be in the right setting. Last year we had access to a ZO boat, decent course and good group of skiers. I thought about entering a few tournaments, more like tagging along with my MC WTT buddy and hacking it up. I ran 36mph somewhat consistently at 15 off and 22 on a good day. For me it was more enticing to be around a bunch of skiers rather than ski boats serving as pontoons which is a common theme on our lake. Probably would have entered a few tournament this year but the ZO boat sold this spring, course got jacked up by surfers and ski buddies have all been working a ton (myself included). After too many nights of missed skiing due to lack of spotters, skilled drivers or unmolested water we're going to officially start a Ski Club on our lake. Goal is to get people involved, broaden our ski group and make skiing more accommodating on our lake. Looking into a second (more secluded) course, setting up Men's and Women's Ski Nights during the week and "learn to ski" days for anyone and everyone in the community. Then move into designated skiing times at the lake behind the club boat to ensure smooth water and possibly a non-sanctioned tournament. Not sure I'll ever be a three-event skier but this will build community, expose more people to skiing over tubes or jet skis and give my WTT buddy a better training set-up. ------------- |
halfnelly wrote:Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:09pm
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Of all the disciplines, slalom is still my one love but without access to a course and the time it takes to devote to it I'm not much more than a recreational skier anymore. I'm about 1 hr from water in any direction so before or after work just doesn't work. I actually bought a used course a few years ago but ended up selling it because I just couldn't get the time or place or people to use it. Very disappointing because I know even half way into my 50's I am still pretty confident in my slalom skiing and I would love to see where I'd end upafter a summer in the course. ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |
Posted By: 75 Tique
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:10pm
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Sounds like pretty much everyone has already said it. I'd love to be out chasing balls every saturday morning but courses are hard to come by. Houston, New York, Cape Cod and now NC, never convenient access to a course. ------------- _____________ “So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:14pm
If all the places that used to have courses and jumps still did we wouldn't even be talking about this. Skiing died and I'm not sure it'll ever come back. It's largely DIY now and full of obstacles. A private ski club is really the only way, and those aren't cheap. Waiting on skutsch to build a lake, and by then I will be skiing 34 mph also  ------------- |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:21pm
| Yep, course access is our roadblock as well. About the most fun you can have on the water, but state regulations in ct and ma require a permit for a course- even a temporary one. Tried like hell to get a permit here in the 90's but a very vocal, very small contingent of old fogies fought tooth and nail against our "race course" that was going to "ruin the lake". Ski club disbanded shortly after we got turned down and a new generation of tubers has taken its place. |
Posted By: 75 Tique
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:32pm
I find that so strange. I guess that's just because I'm old school and that's all there was back then. Up until this year, there were 3 other boats on our lake that skied (ocassionally) One guy got old and doesnt do it any more and one girl went away to college and is rarely back. There is a father and son that go out ocassionaly behind their old outboard. I pulled the dad (65) one night, he had never been behind and inboard. Recently there has been a deck boat and a family I/O pulling skiers. Just rookies, mostly two skis, one kid on 1. I am pleased to see at least a few people stick with it and I encourage it when I have an opportunity to talk to them. Other than that, rookie wake boarders and tubers by the billions. ------------- _____________ “So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:48pm
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If any of you dropped in a temporary course and skied for a few hours, then pulled it up, would anyone really care? Also what about trick skiing? Getting a real "slalom" trick ski and getting some tricks on? ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Posted By: halfnelly
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 6:57pm
That's actually all I've ever done, I skipped the two-ski thing when I was a kid. The problem I have with tricking nowadays is that I plateaued a long time ago and I can't put any time into getting better. While it's still fun, I've had the same trick run since 2003 and it gets kind of boring doing the same stuff over and over. Maybe when the kids are older and we can spend more time in the boat I'll start working on new stuff again. 
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Posted By: Hansel
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 7:12pm
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I can echo everybody else's sentiments and add one; temporal availability of smooth water. On my home lake (indeed on every lake in the county) no wake is enforced before 11 am and after 7:30 pm. This of course means that even if I did have a portable course the best water will always be given to the fishermen and the pontoon cruisers. During the week you can usually find good water, and even sometimes on the weekends depending on wind direction and how many yahoos are out there. That said, my brother and our skiing buddy have been talking about getting a portable course and trying to make it work. I don't think it is gonna happen this summer, but maybe next? I had to teach myself how to slalom because nobody in my family knows how. I'd love to teach myself trick and my brother and I have been discussing it. I heard when my parents were kids there was a jump on the lake but that it was removed (I think forcibly) shortly after construction; so I think that one is out of the question. I do not think skiing is dead though. There has been a noticable uptick in young skiers on our lake in the last five years. This is a very good thing! |
Posted By: Frankenotter
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 7:40pm
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Smooth water is definitely a growing problem these days. On the weekends, our lakes are unusable at best and dangerous at worst. I've given up trying to ski myself on weekends. Weekdays are awesome but it's very hard to find people that have "Tuesday afternoons" off. I was thinking about starting some sort of Facebook or social media page to find these types of people. You run the risk of getting someone like Quinner on your boat but at least you'd be skiing. ------------- 1999 Ski Nautique 196 |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 7:57pm
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Joel, you are one on the few here with regular access to a jump. What keeps you from jumping? ------------- |
Posted By: storm34
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 8:01pm
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Remind me to never move to Kentucky. No skiing before 11 AM??? Those times are about the only parts of the day we don't ski unless it's a week day. Those types of comments are the ones that scare us into starting a ski club with the hopes of having some sort of exclusive time for skiing as a long term goal. Lofty goals, but the important thing is exposing people (kids) to the sport instead of growing another generation of tubers like Tim mentioned. I think Hollywoods comment has a lot of truth. Kids want to wakeboard, tube and jet ski because it's easy and cool. I've quit yelling at the kids wakeboarding. I'd rather ask them for a pull, weigh the boat down and air it out on combo tricks. Or ask the kids on the tube or jet-ski to spot in hopes of getting them skiing instead. IMHO, the only way to keep skiing alive is being an advocate for the sport in public spaces. Most people have no clue private 3-event sites exist and the exclusivity of the sport doesn't help the average person who wants to learn on their own. ------------- |
Posted By: GlassSeeker
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 8:26pm
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I participate in barefoot slalom and tricks. I don't jump by personal choice. I could do without knowing pretty much every competition slalom skier that I know. I think something happens to them. ------------- This is the life |
Posted By: TRBenj
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 8:31pm
Oh heck yes- tried it once and one of the grumps parked their pontoon in the course before the first skier could go through- and this was mid week. We were just happy that no one called the DEEP to report us. Mission failed. Tricking is fun and I probably do more of that than anything, but never had any ambition to take it seriously... Use it mainly as a barefoot training tool. The one-ski thing is neat but doesn't translate to anything else directly- I'm mixing it in a little more often as of late nonetheless. Never had the opportunity to jump. I'd love I build my own ski lake, public water has all but pushed us out- and we're out in the sticks! |
Posted By: TX Foilhead
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 9:22pm
| Tricking turned into wakeboarding, more air, easier to get started. I'm guessing the original idea was more surf oriented and now that has been worked out for those who are too old, scared of the air and can't find smooth water. I think things just changed to suit the participants better. There's more people getting pulled around but they don't have the time to develop the skills so they do something that doesn't require as much work to become proficient. |
Posted By: Bri892001
Date Posted: July-29-2014 at 10:46pm
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I slalom and wakeboard. I've definitely enjoyed running (trying to run) the course the several times I've had the opportunity too. A few of those times where at the Swiss Ski School in Florida and couple of those times was at the CCF Reunion at MacCullums Boat house when Rhoni Barton Bischoff was there. A Wakeboard is easier to get up, but I wouldn't say that it's "easy" by any means. There is a pretty deep well of tricks and skills that can be learned and done on it. I certainly wouldn't lump wakeboarding in with tubing. Although, it would be nice if there wasn't so much emphasis on creating ginormous wakes that the average rider can't even take advantage of. |
Posted By: TX Foilhead
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 12:00am
| I'm not saying these days things are similar, but back in say 95 a wakeboard was a big trick ski with a fin. Shapiro, Jeremy Kovak and lots of other original Pro's were 3 event skiers, even the Bonifay's even though they came along a few years later. Byerly, Gator Greg Necrasson and that crew are the ones who began to throw mobes and tricks the trick skiers hadn't even thought of on with boards that nobody else had ever seen. |
Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 12:23am
The fact that I've tried it is enough to keep me away from it forever! No thanks.  ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 12:32am
Ah but how early were you? We dropped ours in at 6AM for years back in the day. ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Posted By: skutsch
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 12:48am
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Loved skiing the course when I was a kid on the Mississippi. Now No Course, No Good Water, No ramp. As Hollywood said, My dream is to build a lake - but with three kids, maybe I'll get to it in my 70's. Any investors out there??? ------------- Our http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=4669" rel="nofollow - 98 Sport Nautique My Dad's 63 Ski N |
Posted By: Hansel
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 1:41am
Hey Chris! This is back at my parent's place in Michigan actually. It isn't everywhere but I've been on other lakes in West MI that have similar rules. Actually haven't been skiing in KY yet, though a friend from HS lives about an hour away and has a 97 SN (haven't heard from her yet since I moved here a couple months ago). Part of me is kinda OK with the no wake rules because it means that there is compromise for everybody that uses the lake (which also has public access). The folks I hate are the fisherman/tooners that sit right in the middle of the best water all day long. Somehow even worse than the tubers(!). I've thought about trying at least attempt to get it changed so that we could ski until an hour before sunset. It is so close to the edge of the Eastern time zone that it is light until almost 10 pm in midsummer. Of course in the fall I can ski until long after sunset! I am lucky that when I visit the lake my brother comes over from Michigan State and we have a friend who uses his lunch hour to come ski with us. I've been able to get a fair amount of good water time the last couple summers this way. After this thread and some other recent ones I think it is high time to get some trick hardware. |
Posted By: JoeinNY
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 2:10am
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Why would you participate in 3 Event disciplines? What makes them more worthwhile than any other watersport? Jumping is obsolete imho, trick isn't far ftom it. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1477 - 1983 Ski Nautique 2001 1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5MkcBXBBs - Holeshot Video |
Posted By: Hollywood
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 3:09am
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Jump is scary Trick takes too long Slalom is hard Boats are bigger and there are more of them. The window of decent water is so small there isn't much time to really devote to traditional 3-event. Tubing is stupid I fully appreciate wakeboard and surfing but the wakes they create are typically inconsiderately enormous. Bigger isn't better. Maybe level the playing field a little and ditch the ballast and all that. We are not narrowing the turn buoys and skifly truly is too dangerous. Wakeboarders are now doing ramp to ramp cable/boat pulls and a very popular rider just broke his neck. I'm all for a personal challenge, so as Joe I think hinted at, find that wherever you see fit [but keep in mind those around you]. ------------- |
Posted By: 81nautique
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 10:55am
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It's also hard to progress without having good ski partners with you. On our boat I am the only slalom and trick skier, no one else does either which is ok but I've always found my best progress in any discipline was when I skied with people better than me. This a one of the reasons why I don't foot anymore, no partners=no motivation. Once or twice a year we hook up with a group of people on Lake Clinton and we were able to do that last Saturday. I am the youngest at 54 and every one else in the boats is over 60. They are true slalom diehards and we skied our hearts out all morning. We had flat water at 7am and didn't make it back to the camper to start breakfast until 1 in the afternoon. 3 boats sharing a line along a sheltered tree lined bank for hours. Most fun I've had on a ski in a long time trying different line lengths, speeds, skis and boats. ------------- You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails |
Posted By: JoeinNY
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 11:30am
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On my lake waterskiing became a victim of its own success. In the 70’s there was an active ski club, bunch of mastercrafts, regulation jump, and two courses typically in the water. As a very young kid I would stop and stare and want to learn to ski. By the time I finally got up on them skis in 83 the guy who owned one of the mastercrafts, the jump, and the course was building a private pond. 7 ponds were built within an hour of me in the early 80s, they had tournaments got more serious and I am sure had a great time. But out of sight, out of mind, the lake ski club was abandoned, the next generation wasn’t out in fields that those ponds were built in so now there aint a whole lot of nothing going on in most of them… used 2-3 times per week by aging owners or maybe their kids. I have been lucky enough to teach hundreds of kids to ski (although I probably took thousands tubing so I am a big net negative). The truth is that serious 3 event skiing is not something financially available to most of the population, and therefore isn’t easy to share, as Alan points out anything that you can do with a regular crew of like minded folks to push each other, encourage each other, teach each other, that is what you are going to get the most out of.. ------------- http://www.correctcraftfan.com/diaries/details.asp?ID=1477 - 1983 Ski Nautique 2001 1967 Mustang 302 "Decoy" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO5MkcBXBBs - Holeshot Video |
Posted By: phatsat67
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 11:30am
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We lost our lake this year. (not that I still visited much). Skiing on my lake is free ski only and needs to take place before 8 am. It's hard to talk people into getting up to ski that early especially if they A) aren't into it that much and B) can't do it. The easy sports are what people like. I had my buddy out on the boom learning to foot this last weekend and he was fairly unsuccessful but I kept telling him that if it were easy you would see more people doing it. If we had a course nearby that wasn't a ton of money you would see me skiing it most mornings. I have been more into footing lately because it requires an OK driver and nothing besides some smooth water, a boat, and a suit. I can't ride a trick ski anything but straight and I was never that fond of jump (Although I can land if need be). The wakeboard and wakesurf lifestyle these days with the boats and skill required to actually get up allows more people to have a good time on the water all day VS just in the morning and trying for hours and only failing. Alan talked about fun on the water with skis, I still think it would be cool to revive me idea of a fun tournament with old skis and old boats. ------------- |
Posted By: Bri892001
Date Posted: July-30-2014 at 12:13pm
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I think it's great when you can get together with some like minded folks. Which reminds me to add my name to the roster for the CT Mini Reunion. Some of my enthusiastic ski buddies are my two older cousins who are only up a couple weekends a summer. My cousin Kevin, who's probably the best, is only really up 4th of July weekend and maybe Labor Day Weekend, which is of course the very worst water. He'll always just see how long he can ride the ski, no matter how bad the water is. Which is kind of funny, through rollers and everything, not necessarily taking a lot of cuts but just going for distance. It's kind of a fun idea, "Endurance Freeride Roller Slalom." I've lately taken to that too, it seems to be good for general ski conditioning if nothing else and is kind of fun if you have 2 or 3 skiers that want to "compete." |
Posted By: watrski
Date Posted: July-31-2014 at 3:58pm
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This is a really interesting discussion. I grew up skiing on a course on weekend mornings that we would put in and out. Eventually some of the guys I skied with started a show team. There was a point where I was skiing the course and show skiing at the same time. Learning the course really helped my show skiing. Anybody can drag like a brick behind the boat. Eventually I got tired of show skiing so I put a plan together to put the course in with our show team again. They wouldn't have anything to do with slalom skiing because they were "competition show skiers"....blaahh. Of course nobody understood how learning how to slalom ski (in a course with a goal) makes you a great show skier. So a few of us started another club and went through the hurdles to get a course on our public lake. It wasn't too hard to do, just took some time for research and a well written document. Our course is probably one of the nicest ones in the state that is public. At this point I have access to private water. 50/50 private/public split skiing. To be honest I don't think our public course will be there much longer. Its not because other boats ruin the course, its not because the course cannot be maintained...but more because I can't keep the club solvent with the high insurance costs. Food for thought. Tim Cochrane Chippewa Lake Ohio ------------- Tubing Sucks. |
Posted By: 75 Tique
Date Posted: July-31-2014 at 5:13pm
That's exactly what a college buddy of mine did. But he didnt build it, he bought it, an old sand pit about an hour north of Chicago. I mentioned this in a thread here way back in 2007 and some of the Chicago boys had heard of it....Clear Lake Ski Club in Volo/McHenry. My friend went through all the frustrations of trying to set a course on public lakes and gave up. He pulled together some investors and did the ski community thing, 10 or 12 home lots and the lake. Guess its a pretty nice set up.  ------------- _____________ “So, how was your weekend?” “Well, let me see…sun burn, stiff neck, screwed up back, assorted aches and pains….yup, my weekend was great, thanks for asking.” |
Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: July-31-2014 at 5:23pm
Just skied there yesterday with Brooks and KC Wilson. It is an amazing site to ski. Perfect setups both ways in a beautiful high-end subdivision. ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |
Posted By: davidg
Date Posted: August-01-2014 at 1:30am
The lake just to the south of the lake circled in red is leased by a lady that runs a ski club. Short of owning a private lake, belonging to a ski club is the next best thing. Drive to lake, change into ski gear, ski, change, drive home. You have a driver, Ski Nautique, course, and private lake. I belonged to that club for a number of years. Not cheap. By the time you paid the annual club dues, and the individual set costs, it could get a bit pricey. But, for all the things you get if you are a die hard slalom course skier, probably fairly cheap. I have been getting my skiing thrills behind the old Southwind the past couple of years just being happy getting out on the combos. It ain't hard core slalom, but, it's all I have right now. I have gotten really good skiing through 3' swells on very busy public lakes on Saturdays and Sundays with the wind howling at 40 mph. Next week, my son and I are going to stay in the Delavan and Lake Geneva areas to try to get some good week day glass. If anybody wants a tug, or to grab a beer apres ski, let me know. Would be glad to have you out. You have not experienced slalom ecstasy until you have skiied behind a Southwind. 
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Posted By: M3Fan
Date Posted: August-01-2014 at 4:22pm
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David- Laurie's Quarry. We have lots of water and lots of buoys in this area, public and private. ------------- 2000 SN GT40 w/99 Graphics/Gel 2016 SN 200 OB 5.3L DI https://forum.fifteenoff.com |