Controlling Speed

[PeterLasco]

Hey guys,

 

Everytime I get a lot of speed on the wakes, like in the gates, somehow I get into slack at 1 ball. Yesterday I tried cutting less aggressive and focusing on carrying less speed to 1 ball, and turns out I was earlier and without slack, than cutting really aggressive. Is this right? Is this the right way or was I just lucky?

[jayski]

Keep your speed high, edge change beggining at first wake, slack at the buoy is a failure to carry direction outward and a resulting hook turn instead of carrying that speed you have created outward and through the turn..

 

[Than_Bogan]

Go read Brooks Wilson's article in the recent Waterskier. It explains in shockingly simple terms how to keep your speed right. It's the rare article that is useful both to a 30/-15 guy and a 36/-38 guy.

[Razorskier1]

I have to read that Brooks article -- haven't gotten through the mag yet. Agree with @jayski -- all about carrying out instead of rolling toward the boat. Every year I play with a lot of different ways to start into the course and I find that regardless of turn-in point, load or angle that if I "stay at the end of the rope", which to me means keeping the handle and staying outbound to maintain line tension, that the line stays tight.

 

As for controlling speed or angle, I think more in terms of controlling load. Speed and angle are good, load is not. Excessive load will result in a quick roll of your edge with the rope literally throwing you toward the ball. This will definitely create slack!

[SkiJay]

+1 @JaySki

Along the same line, while speed is good, too much load on the rope too early is not so good. If you overload the rope right out ot the ball, you will end up with overwhelming load at the wake and the boat is going to pull you narrow at the edge change ... especially if your edge change is late. Narrow feels fast and is the leading cause of slack.