Jump to content

Any Waterski related scandals other than Dr. Jim?


Bulldog
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • Baller
Hi everyone, with the big news coming down in another sport (Cycling) this morning, it made me think that our sport is mostly free of any scandals other than the Dr Jim movable course case. My question is: are there any other scandals that have happened? Its only October and I am very bored....

"Do Better..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

Skiers that ski on international teams. (pan-ams, worlds) are random drug tested. About a year ago, a Canadian Wakeboarded that placed in a international event had a positive test and had to surrender his medal.

 

Always rumors about handle section lengths. In our sport how would a cheater benefit? There are no $$$ gains.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller_
Never understood how he pulled that off. Was he the only human building that course and installing it??? No one saw or questioned the build or installation?? Not sure the mechanics of it but it had to look like no other.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller_

@BraceMaker What made it visible or what was visible when dropping the extra buoy in for jump and trick. I thought someone saw it move.

 

@ntx yep no money in it but look what Dr Jim did and there wasn't a dime in it for him (I think). Just the opposite. I'm sure building that course was not cheep. It was all about bragging rights. Still don't see how he made that without being questioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

Thing is it is very difficult to see distance between centerline and turn balls on open water with out a reference point. That's why when you install courses it helps to have survey equipment to spot the angles as you can always do some trig.

 

The Iconic images are still on waterskimag.com

http://waterskimag.com/features/2005/06/09/malibu-open-scandal-photographic-evidence-of-buoygate/

 

Fact is, with out the extra bouys placed for a three event tournament, it is damned difficult to reference the motion of bouys, particularly if done slowly.

 

http://waterskimag.com/files//2009/09/wpid-drj-afterbuoys-368x250.jpg

 

http://waterskimag.com/files//2009/09/wpid-drj-beforebuoys-368x250.jpg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

keep in mind as well that those buoys are moved in according to the pics at a couple of feet per side. That pass is not the same as running a rope 2 ft longer given the difference in angles that would now be necessary...it's easier yet.

I believe this would take skiers on this site who run 38 w/some regularity to running 39 w/some regularity, perhaps having a shot at running 41 on occasion if on such a course. Serious cheater.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller
On the other side of a conspiracy theory maybe he took one for the team in the interest of trying to help a little known sport get some TV/press time aka pro wrestling (bad guy) if you will. I am joe no-skier yet I got some odd phone calls the day before this all went down and then during the event from skiing persons of interest that I never would normally never hear from. Haven't heard from these persons since the scandal.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

@OB - I think he could ski pretty well, he wasn't a bad skier really, just that being able to put down 39 and something at 41 in training versus at a tournament are different. I suspect in an effort to ensure the win he competed on a rigged course, not that he needed to, but that it ensured the win.

 

Real question is, are there really any more scandals?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

Yeah, when he says you need a filling or crown, you have to wonder is he REALLY telling the truth, or paying for his elaborate course work. I have heard someone say that he would only use his rope etc. at other sites.

 

My Big Dog friend called it very early on. He said he didn't believe it until he saw it on a RC course/tournament. Guys like him, Buddy Shear, etc., were all occassionally getting though 39 and he said no way was this guy the real deal.. he was right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I havent heard if this scandal until now. Maybe the guy was a little bored and though "hey i know how to do this and that, i wonder if i could..." big deal. The guy got caught. sounds like heas been outcasted by everyone. Thats too bad. Just dont let him set up a course and check hia rope before he gets into the water. Like you said there was no real money involved.

 

Remeber that roahld dahl book Danny the champion of the world. They didnt need to poach 200 pheasants. Theres no way they could carry them. They did it just to see if they could do it. Forgive the guy and double check things.

 

You know what? i did a study in college "are people in sports more likely to follow the rules and abide by the law?" the reasoning was yes since there were participating in activities with rules all the time. My results were inconclusive but after looking at a few surveys i had a hunch that people growing up playing sports broke the laws and rules if they were sure they wouldnt get caught and knew how. (running a red light when no one was around was the prime example.)Since they were used to being in sports with rules they were more likely to see the lines and when they could be crossed.

 

Whos that guys who said slalom skiers tended to be more successful in life? i just mean to defend this doctor jim as him exercising his mechanical knowledge and exploiting a lack of regulation and his actions are on par with what everyone else has done at some point in their lives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller
Doesn't have to be money involved: many amature endurance athletes use EPO and lots of people use Hgh. Michaels was the talk of the waterski nation. HO made posters with him. Technical articles were written by him. His big mistake was calling pro skiers, Lazy rich kids. Then he b®ought the Malibu open to his lake: some pros were out to get him, and the jump course added to his lake created a reference point which made his moved course very obvious. He was maybe a 35 off skier legit.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

I can't remember where, might have been thewaterskiforum.com , but there were a couple of guys calling Dr J out for not being far enough up on the boat @39 and 41. They would call bull and a whole host of people called it sour grapes, jealousy.

I was excited to hear the results from that weekend at his place. I thought it was cool that someone, new to the sport could do so well, spark interest.after it was done we had something else to talk about. My brother, who is not into skiing read about it on the ESPN website and called me.

Crazy stuff!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller
Not trying to add to the scandal, but if I remember the Waterski mag article also mentioned there was strong evidence of him using Roids in addition to his cunning course management skills. I know, I know, what do Roids do for our sport? That's besides the point, and still adds to the scandal.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was using Stargazer with a hand timer in my previous boat and couldn't figure out why the boat seemed to be running through the course "hot". Last year I got a boat with ZO, put in the waypoints and lo and behold, discovered that the course was almost 30 feet too long!

 

I guess that explains why I was skiing so well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

@ShaneH you got it.

My understanding was that the boat was calling through ok times with dodd and asher going massive for 51k! One of the tech guys (dave clarke?) superimposed the boat going by in the jump camera footage to other jumpers in the same event. The boat was WAAAAY faster. I did have the clips of it somewhere..

I think this is one reason why PP required the second display for boat judge. Anyone remember what year that rule came in? Also contributed to the extra segment being added for jump.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller
David Beebe was a competitive skier and rated driver in the SCR area. He preferred driving for Jump at Collegiate events and tried to ensure that he was behind the wheel when the top seeds were skiing. Ultimately his driving techniques fell into question to the point of his ratings being removed and a suspension from being at sanctioned events was placed upon him. I think his technique was to exceed the speed threshold in the first segment and them abruptly slow down in the second segment resulting in a full segment time which was within tolerance. If the skiers where accustomed to this method, they tended to get a little extra speed into the jump and resulted in potentially enhanced distances. The current rules and speed controls eliminate this technique from being feasible.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Baller

Entry from Dr. Jim arrives. Wow, I just filled up. That's really too bad...

 

Btw, I think even Razor may be under-estimating how big a deal it is to move the buoys in by several feet. The reason -38 is so much harder than -35 is that you're getting into the limits of the geometry. Out at a longer length, that 75 cm change would make little difference. It's not like Dr. Jim's rope was rescaled in some way, instead he has all those short loops in a region where short changes don't change things as much.

 

Another way of thinking of it is that pulling the buoys in makes -35 somewhat easier, but makes -41 MUCH easier.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...