how to grow the sport - Horton's example

[greghayes]

Actions speak louder than words... Horton sat in a boat all day today (obviously taking time off of work and from filming unboxing videos of high-end skis) driving and teaching the beginner class at a regional AWSA Junior development event.

 

Get the kids excited - this will create the next group of fans and evangelists for the sport.

 

Well done Ball of Hair!

[Horton]

@greghayes

Thanks but I was not the only on out there today. A lot of folks deserve credit

[Dirt]

I want to commend Horton for getting involved but I also wonder how many skiers he ruined. Untold hours of therapy will be needed. Many will never recover.

J/K

[Ham_Wallace]

Wanna play? Gotta Pay!

[skihart]

Nice work Horton.

I agree, you have to get the kids interested and excitied about the sport if it's going to grow. You can change formats and rules and divisions until you are blue in the face, but it comes back to getting the young skiers out and most importantly HAVING FUN.

On my lake there are way more kids into skiing than wakeboarding or surfing. Seems to be a skiing renaissance going on. Now this may have something to do beacuse I am kinda pushing them in that direction and introducing things like trick skis and red buoys and things. Kids like a challenge and they like progression but first and foremost like like to have fun.

Sometimes I think that I forget to have fun when I am beating my head against buoys all day. Had a frustrating few sets last weekend and I decided to break out the old trick ski.....you know what, it was a hoot! I pretty much could still do my old runs from 20 years ago! Fell a few times and laughed like crazy. The best part was that my kids loved seeing me do it.

[swc5150]

Growing our sport has been an unintended consequence of us putting our EZ Ed course out on our lake. To keep the neighbors from complaining about it, we drove up to their docks and invited them to watch us ski, and encouraged them to try skiing it. I gave a couple of pointers, but nothing major. We have the novice section for my bride, so that helps the newbies a lot too. Quite a few are now hooked on chasing balls. Granted, there's a lot of long-line chasing going on, and I don't find myself overly qualified to coach anyone other than my family members. I've encouraged these guys to subscribe to WS mag, and lurk sites such as this for pointers and insight. There's also been a sudden abandonment of wakeboarding from most on the lake, to chase balls and practice open water slalom. Gotta love that!!

[The_MS]

That is all we need. A bunch of long haired JR skiers skiing like Horton. The sport is done.

[skidawg]

Aren't there laws against Horton being around kids???

[Bill Gladding]

A good friend once quipped that: "Slalom skiers are Germans and wakeboarders are Jamaicans" I bet we can all get along though;) Not to get too carried with this whole ethnic thing but I had lunch at a Chinese/German fusion restaraunt. Two hours later I was hungry for power... Flag me if this is in poor taste!

[9400]

Bill, My half Chinese wife and my German neighbor were offended, but I was amused.

[MattP]

I just finished up driving an INT tournament Saturday, Skied/Worked tourney Sunday, drove and helped with a disabled waterski Clinic on Monday and drove the Georgia Jr. Dev. Monday and today with Brenda Baldwin coaching. Also converted an INT family to do USAWS events and possibly join out club. At least I know when I leave these events that there will be no therapy needed.

[Wish]

@skidawg Current laws...no But restraining orders pending.