Does Pro Water Skiing need “John McEnroe” characters or not?

[Drago]

8 hours ago, jjackkrash said:

I used to love the whole Connors/McEnroe vibe in pro tennis.  And there is nothing wrong with “colorful” in any sport, IMO.  But I just don’t see a lot of crossover potential for that same Connors/McEnroe vibe in skiing.  And I don’t think tourney officials are down for the type of abuse McEnroe laid on the line judges.  It's hard enough to get people to work tourneys as is.  

I was just a kid, but even then I just wanted to watch the dang sport. If I want to watch people argue and complain I can tune into any of those ridiculous Housewives shows (I assume)...Or a soccer match or LeBron James checking for bleeding on his head when he wasn't even hit. 🤪

[Stevie Boy]

@Drago the phycology  was the interesting part not the arguing, but how Connor would push Mc Eroes buttons with witty little remarks the timing was perfect.

But I  do realise it wouldn't crossover to water skiing.

Or though in the past there were skiers that were very good at mind games with certain other skiers, ie comments about the wind, something strange going on at bouy 3 etc, I  not sure that it goes on now, but I  am pretty sure at the time, the likes of Wade Cox and  Andy Mapple, we're skiing that sort of thing was in play.

[ISP6ball]

Nautique had a perfect opportunity to shine with Jacinta's success.  They could've publicly embraced her record, and expressed disappointment it didn't happen behind one of their boats.  

Instead they looked like the kid that took his bat and ball and left the playground because he struck out.

I've been a Nautique guy for decades, but this was embarrassing.

[Freddie Winter]

Since my name has been mentioned above a couple of times let me confirm that I’ve been told clearly by MasterCraft that if I have a chance of breaking a world record behind any boat I’d better go for it. Unfortunately I’ve not been able to repay them in this area for their support so far but I’ll keep working. 

I’m grateful for this healthy attitude towards fair sport but also realise that anything else would be inconsistent with the IWWF’s Code of Ethics (attached) which echos the International Olympic Committee’s.

If any of my sponsors were to attempt to prohibit me from skiing my best in a certain tournament they would be interfering in the running of sports. 
 

(I’m not going to comment on the other thread regarding quarter buoys where my name has been mentioned 🤐😂)

 

[LeonL]

@Freddie Wintera voice of reason amidst a sea of confusion.

[Slalom.Steve]

Nautique dropping Travers is messed up. The skiers were being forced to ski in dangerous conditions and Jon was advocating for safety - that is not a "bad boy/selfish sports star" move, that's a responsible effort to benefit/protect everyone. And in terms of the alleged "gesture," it's worth remembering that Jon wears clinchers so he couldn't have raised his middle finger even if he wanted to. And the best proof he was justified in his frustration? Dane goes out after him and gets hurt 😑

It's funny, which skiers are sponsored by which boat manufacturer has almost no bearing on what boat I want. But the way Nautique has treated their skiers (Jacinta and Jon) makes me never want to buy a Nautique. Count me #TeamMasterCraft

Edited June 11 by Slalom.Steve

[dave2ball]

@Slalom.Steve you have no idea what transpired between the appointed officials and why they skied in the windy conditions.  If a person was not there to see or hear the whole story and why things happed they way they did it is best not to comment on this subject of the 1st MCQ.  Every skier involved has n the runoff did not have to ski knowing there was the LCQ the next weekend   There has to be some personal accountability for your own actions  

I love the passion JT has for the sport just a very poor outcome   

As for J. Travers and nautique  this is really nobody else’s business.  

 

[whitem71]

On 5/30/2024 at 11:30 PM, vtmecheng said:

Athletes should be allowed to argue a case and show passion, just as in most sports. Taking that away makes things much less interesting. Inappropriate gestures and language can’t be tolerated but passion or pleading a case should be allowed. Skiers should be allowed to say an opinion during an interview. We should see if two skiers don’t get along. Controversy, passion, and conflict are interesting in all sports. People love to hate other players and teams as much as they love to follow their favorites. Also, no skier should ever feel they can’t ski their best because of the boat brand at a tournament. Next a Masterline skier won’t be allowed to ski their best at an event using an SLines or HO rope.

Great point regarding athletes not feeling able to ski their best or break a record behind a rival boat. Which is why Joel said that this helped his decision to sign up with MC..

And I also remember pro skiers of the 70’s and 80’s having some pretty strong personalities and charisma. Plus they occasionally did not to see eye to eye with each other! Financial gain tends to do that, which is why we have become used to seeing today’s skiers get along so well and appear much more easy going. When you ski more for the love of the sport and the glory of winning vs the 💰 

[UCFskier]

IDK... was this a better time in waterskiing?? Records aside

 

please watch before you respond.....   give an honest answer

[RAWSki]

I do miss the overall titles.  
I believe that it created a lot of drama on the water and usually came down to the last few jumps to decide the best complete skier of the day. 
 

Drama on the water is much better than drama in the judge’s perch.  

[OldboyII]

Despite the fact that he was very gifted tennis player, John McEnroe demonstrated the behavior of an ill-mannered person. IMO.

[Dano]

So boat manufacturers who sponsor a skier capable of breaking records will fire that skier for breaking a record behind a competitors brand.  They would then rather fire and lose that talent than congratulate them and encourage them to continue training behind the boat that got them to that record breaking moment, and hope they will break their record behind their boat the next time.  Instead lets say goodbye the skill and talent and find somebody else who may or may not be record capable.  I'd bet the brand that wins is the brand that employs the talent.

[Cooper_Trelawney]

That video is from my era and I may have rose-colored glasses but those sure seem like the days.  Pro skiers then were like Gods on the water and we all wanted to emulate them so badly.  Skiing seemed a little more exciting then and even a little more dangerous.  Jump skis were 72" and OTFs were common.  Tricks wasn't a bunch of flips and skiers had to learn a lot of ski lines, 540s and 720s to be competitive and somehow it seemed just as hard then as it is now.  Even slalom seemed to have greater spills and thrills.  New technology and evolution in general has made skiing safer and in a way, more predictable.  The scores today in all 3 events are fantastic but the energy then seemed more exciting.  @RAWSki I agree with you about the excitement of Overall at the Masters.  It should be brought back!

[Horton]

@UCFskier

I don't know if it was better then. I mean jump was better then because men were men, skis were short and you had to make your own speed without a 6.2 l boat 😁

seriously, I don't think you can look at that video and critique the culture of the sport. what I do see is that an overall tournament was successfully boiled down into a 1-hour video. it's a thousand times better than what the Masters broadcast.

[UWSkier]

20 minutes ago, Horton said:

@UCFskier

I don't know if it was better then. I mean jump was better then because men were men, skis were short and you had to make your own speed without a 6.2 l boat 😁

seriously, I don't think you can look at that video and critique the culture of the sport. what I do see is that an overall tournament was successfully boiled down into a 1-hour video. it's a thousand times better than what the Masters broadcast.

I can say for certain that I'd consume far more waterski video media if the tourneys were cut down to videos like that.  I'd like the last completed pass for each skier before their final pass, just because those are often heroic scrambles.  The TWBC crew does a fantastic job filling the dead time during the live broadcasts, but as someone who usually watches after the tourney is over, the ESPN format is killer.

[UCFskier]

8 hours ago, UWSkier said:

I can say for certain that I'd consume far more waterski video media if the tourneys were cut down to videos like that.  I'd like the last completed pass for each skier before their final pass, just because those are often heroic scrambles.  The TWBC crew does a fantastic job filling the dead time during the live broadcasts, but as someone who usually watches after the tourney is over, the ESPN format is killer.

I agree   Big TWBC supporter here....   

[Jody_Seal]

The Sport needs More Rodney!

[Horton]

TWBC is the best thing since sliced bread but I would love to see events boiled down to an hour or less. 

[DW]

Watching the highlights clip, and as noted previously, the final pass only doesn’t work for me, pullout and a couple of buoys then next skier offers no flow of the event.  TWBC does a great job so not a complaint, simply a suggestion on my part that would peak my interest.  I am sure they are messing with formats & ideas to provide us another great product to watch.

[Horton]

@DW

there is no easy answer.

On one hand, I miss a lot of the events because they happen at the same time I am skiing or driving the boat or driving to and from that lake. Watching 2 or 8 hours of replay is a commitment.   

On the other hand I agree with you that I want to see more of the passes. 

Just saying that ESPN show was pretty good. Maybe too compressed but in 1 hr I saw a whole masters 

[UWSkier]

Won't be long before AI makes this easier.  Feed AI a youtube link, tell it to find the highlights and re-cut it.

[Cnewbert]

I personally watch water skiing broadcasts to see actual water skiing and to learn from the expert analysis offered by TWBC announcers. The ESPN video devoted more air time to interviews and commentary than skiing itself, and by a wide margin. Skiing should be the main focus in my view.