The GOODE Virtual Water Ski Bracket Challenge is back, once again pitting many of the world’s best 34 mph water skiers against each other in head-to-head match-ups while testing fans’ skiing knowledge with a March-Madness like contest.
World champions and record holders, Senior World championships and perennial Big Dawg and National title contenders will duke it out over the four-round, four-month virtual tournament. Make your bracket pics now.
ONLINE FAN CONTEST
Like previous years, there will be some serious prizes on the line for the top finishers in the online fan contest.
The overall winner will win a free GOODE high-performance slalom ski, while the second- and third-place finishers will receive prize packages from GOODE’s online store.
But you can’t win if you don’t enter. Fill out your bracket before the June 26th deadline.
Last year Greg Badal edged Dave Miller in the finals, giving fan contest winner Kyle Kuykendall a perfect bracket and a new XTR.
MORE INFO
For morning information, including officials rules and how the Bracket Challenge works, visit goode.com/bracket.
Zero Off Announces New Software for 3 Event Water Skiing
Zero Off and the three event towboat manufacturers will release the new Revision S (Rev S) software operating system beginning with 2019 model year boats, Rev S will enhance the existing SLALOM PLUS mode for skiers who want a more responsive pull.
After 18 months of testing and validation, the new Rev S will:
• Retain the current slalom settings (A, B, C, 1, 2, 3) and features skiers have come to appreciate with Rev R; and
• Enhance the existing SLALOM PLUS setting with a firmer more responsive pull when “+” is used.
Skiers who like a bit more acceleration out of the turn will find that the Rev S SLALOM PLUS setting improves acceleration through the wakes, resulting in an earlier and freer feel into the next buoy. Skiers of all abilities and sizes will find that Revision S allows them to optimize their skiing and break new personal records.
Rev S will be available starting July 2, 2018.
The Mystic Lakes Ski Club and the American Water Ski Association are pleased to announce that the inaugural America’s Cup Invitational will be held on Friday, Aug. 10 at the Mystic Lakes Ski Club in Maize, Kan. The event, which will be held in conjunction with the 76th GOODE Water Ski National Championships, will feature U.S. athletes competing in men’s and women’s slalom, tricks and jumping with a total cash-prize purse of $40,000.
U.S. athletes ranked Level 9 and Level 10 in a respective event are invited to compete in the America's Cup Invitational. The Open division at the 76th GOODE Water Ski National Championships will be the qualification round for the America's Cup Invitational. Level 9 skiers who want to compete in their age division will not be competing in the Open division for placement, but just for score to qualify for the America's Cup Invitational.
Skiers must indicate their intent to compete in the America's Cup Invitational by Aug. 1. All skiers must enter the Nationals via online registration, but must also enter the America's Cup Invitational and pay an additional $150, which will go toward the prize money.
The tentative schedule for qualification events is that Open Men and Open Women tricks will be at the end of the day on Thursday, Aug. 9, Open Men and Open Women jumping will start around noon on Friday, Aug. 10, and will be followed by Open Men and Open Women slalom, which will be the last Nationals’ events of the day.
The America's Cup Invitational will start at 7 p.m. and include the following events: women’s tricks (boat choice), men’s tricks (boat choice), women’s slalom (pulled by Malibu), men’s slalom (pulled by Nautique), women’s jumping (pulled by Nautique) and men’s jumping (pulled by MasterCraft), which will be held under the lights.
For additional information, including sponsorship opportunities, click here (PDF).
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This past weekend at Callaway Gardens’ Robin Lake, Connelly Skis newest elite athlete Manon Costard competed for the women’s slalom title at the 59th Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard tournament. In the preliminaries, Costard put up an impressive score of 3 at 39.5 off to seize the third spot into the finals. Despite battling stiff winds and tricky rollers in the championship round, Costard showed extreme confidence, relying on the predicability and stability of her GT.
“All weekend, the ski helped me create angle and stay early in the course, which gave me some room to deal with the challenging conditions without having to panic or rush at any point,” Costard said.
Initially tying for first, Costard dueled it out for gold with world record holder Regina Jaquess and clinched the win with a score of 3 buoys at 38 feet off for her first ever Masters triumph.
“This first win at Masters, in addition to the amazing emotions it comes with, brings me even deeper certainty in my decision of skiing on the GT.”
Pine Mountain, GA (May 27, 2018) – The all-new Ski Nautique made an incredible impression this weekend at the 59th Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® presented by GM Marine Engine Technology at Callaway Gardens. During the final day of competition, new Masters champions were made at the most prestigious event in all of watersports. The all-new Ski Nautique pulled the best waterskiers in the world to victory, while the Super Air Nautique G23 was on-hand to pull the best wakeboarders and wakeskaters to Masters titles as well.
In the Women's Trick division, Neilly Ross took home the win beating the rest of the stacked final of all Nautique athletes. Neilly scored 9,550 points to earn the victory. "It's been a whirlwind of a weekend," said Neilly "Competing in Junior Slalom and then Pro Trick, I had a tough winter with an injury but have worked extremely hard and couldn't be more grateful to be back on the water at the Nautique Masters. There's no other event like it and I'm so honored to be here and take home my second pro Masters title." After Neilly, team Nautique athletes Erika Lang (USA), Natallia Berdnikava (BLR), and Anna Gay (USA) rounded out the Final round respectively.
In the Pro Men Trick discipline another Nautique athlete, Aliaksei Zharnasek (BLR), posted an incredible score of 11,870 to notch yet another win under his belt. Danylo Filchenko (UKR) came in second place with a score of 10,900 while Franck Desboyaux (USA) came in third place with 9,280 points.
During the Final round of the Masters Big Dawg competition, Jeff Rodgers (USA) claimed victory against Greg Badal (USA). We'd like to congratulate Federico Jaramillo (COL) on winning the O'Brien Watersports scholarship during the Junior Men Slalom exhibition.
Manon Costard (FRA) won the Pro Women's Slalom division after defeating Regina Jaquess (USA) in a run-off after they both ran an exceptional 2 @ 39.5-off. Pulled by the all-new Ski Nautique, Whitney McClintock grabbed third place after running 1 @ 19.5 off.
In the Pro Men Slalom Finals, the crowd watched intently as Team Nautique athlete Nate Smith found himself on top of the podium for the 5th time at the 59th Masters. Nate skied incredible behind the all-new Ski Nautique grabbing 3 @ 41-off to take home another Masters title. “I’m extremely excited to come away this weekend with my 5th Masters title," said Nautique team athlete Nate Smith. "Robin Lake is a place where I love to ski, and I felt great this year behind the all-new Ski Nautique. That was my 4th Masters win in a row, and next year I’ll be looking for 5!”
In the Wakeskate division, The Super Air Nautique G23 set up perfect wakes for Reed Hansen (USA) to earn himself a Masters title with a score of 85, followed by Coco Mendez (USA) with an 80 and Brian Grubb (USA) with a 75.67.
The PCM, GM Marine powered Super Air Nautique G23 wake was on point During the Women’s Wakeboard Finals, where the many on hand witnessed Meagan Ethell (USA) grab another Masters title. After Meagan it was Nicola Butler (USA) coming in second after she put together 2 clean passes and scored an 89.33 and Nautique athlete Erika Lang (USA) in third with an 80.67.
Robin Lake laid down flat during the Men’s Wakeboard event. This year, Harley Clifford (AUS) took the win landing multiple double flips and a heelside 900 off the double-up behind the award-winning G23 earning himself a 97.67. Nic Rapa (AUS) took second followed by Nautique Athletes Tony Iacconi (AUS) and Mike Dowdy (USA).
Nautique athlete Jacinta Carroll continued her reign with another win in the Pro Women's Jump division. Jacinta blasted a 176 foot (53.8m) jump in the final to beat fellow Nautique team athlete Natallia Berdnikava (BLR) who posted a 159 foot (48.3m) jump. They were followed by Hanna Straltsova (BLR) and Lauren Morgan (USA) respectively.
During the Pro Men Jump division it was Freddy Krueger (USA) taking home the victory after jumping an incredible 231 feet in the final round. He was followed by Nautique team athlete Ryan Dodd (CAN) with a 223 foot jump 228 feet, Jack Critchley (GBR) with a 211 foot jump.
Read more: NATE SMITH AND THE ALL-NEW SKI NAUTIQUE DELIVER AT THE 59TH NAUTIQUE MASTERS!
Pine Mountain, GA (May 25, 2018) – Today marked the start of the 59th Nautique Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament® presented by GM Marine Engine Technology. The story of the first day of the event were the titles claimed during the 26th Junior Masters behind the all-new Ski Nautique and award winning Super Air Nautique G23 at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. The best junior waterski and wakeboard athletes took to beautiful Robin Lake to make their mark in history and take home the most coveted Junior titles in all of watersports.
As the first official day of the Masters, the GM Marine Engine Technology powered Ski Nautique pulled Nautique team athlete Paige Rini (CAN) to a Junior Masters championships in both the Junior Women's Trick and Slalom disciplines. Paige scored a 8,020 behind the all-new Ski Nautique to win the Trick portion of the event, then turned around and got 2 @ 38-off to take the Slalom win.
During the Junior Men's Trick division, it was Louis Duplan-Fribourg (FRA) taking the victory with 10,500 points, while Felipe Franco Belmont (PER) came in second place in 9,260. The Junior Men’s Slalom final saw Federico Jaramillo (COL) showcasing his talents and receiving a Junior Masters title after he ran 2 @ 39.5-off behind the completely redesigned Ski Nautique.
In Junior Women’s Jump, the pull from the 2019 Ski Nautique saw Brooke Baldwin (USA) jump an incredible distance of 137 feet (41.7m) to win the 26th Junior Masters title. During the Junior Men’s Jump, it was Louis Duplan-Fribourg with a distance of 177 feet (53.8m) to win the Junior Men's Jump portion of the event.
When it was all said and done, it was Paige Rini taking the overall Junior Women Masters title after feeling extremely comfortable behind the all-new Ski Nautique. With a couple first place finishes, Paige had an incredible day of skiing to earn the victory. “I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl and I love the Masters. Winning Slalom, Trick and Overall on Robin lake is the most incredible finish to my Junior ski career.”
On the Junior Men front, Louis Duplan-Fribourg took the overall win after getting on the podium in 2 disciplines. His first-place in the Jump and Trick was enough to stake his claim as the 26th overall Junior Masters champion.
The 5-time Wakeboard Boat of the Year in the Super Air Nautique G23 set up perfect wakes for the Junior Men’s Wakeboard riders, and after the smoke cleared it was Sam Brown (AUS) taking the Junior Masters victory. After laying down two insane passes, Sam found himself on top of the podium for the first time in history and stoked to stamp his name in history.
For complete up-to-date scores of the 26th Junior Masters, please visit masterswaterski.com/standings/
An invitation to compete in the Masters is universally considered an acknowledgement of achievement for reaching the pinnacle in a given watersports discipline - only the world's most elite athletes compete at the Masters. To view the 2018 criteria please visit the Masters website. This tournament is sanctioned by IWWF/USA Water Ski and WWA. Watch all of 59th Masters action live on Saturday May 26th starting at 8:00AM EDT, please visit masterswaterski.com.
Read more: THE 59TH NAUTIQUE MASTERS WEEKEND KICKS OFF WITH JUNIOR TITLES!
We saw the merit for wider skis. It provided better performance and heightened improvement in the wider population of course goers. Doug Cannon has engineered Connelly products for 25 years, and along with a team of Connelly masterminds, he helped create the most efficient, effortless and predictable 34 mph ski on the market. Say hello to the Connelly Carbon V.
Forgiving, light and snappy, easily maneuverable, responsive. These are just a few of the qualities that set this buoy slayer apart from the pack.
Doug and the Connelly team originally bred the Carbon V from the Prophecy, the precursor to the GT. Unlike many other ski companies, Connelly created a ride that added more than just uniform width. They fashioned the Carbon V with a wider fore body to generate stabilization and speed as well as a slimmer tail for quicker edge changes. As a result, the Carbon V boasts aggressive turns without blowing out the tail and stays solid through the wakes.
According to Connelly elite slalomer Seth Stisher, the Carbon V is prime for people who are working their way to their max speed and need support at longer line lengths and slower speeds. It’s a great stepping stone for learning the course for the first time and honing clean, basic, efficient moves, he says.
Because the Carbon V was constructed with the same geometry (bevels, sidewall, tunnel) as the GT, skiers are able to work on the same principles as someone who is focusing on short line slaloming.
“Our top end skis were always designed to perform their best at a top level,” Doug says. “Skiing on them at slower speeds leaves some performance on the table. We wanted to make an extremely high performing ski that worked to its full potential at slower speeds (32-34 mph).”
Thus, the Carbon V was fabricated with efficiency in mind, so skiers could accomplish big goals with less effort.
If you are dreaming of 38 off but are still working on the yellow loop, we think the Carbon V is your answer to prayer.
The Syndicate Hilltop Pro-Am, a 2-day 4-round record slalom tournament capped off with a Head-to-Head Pro final will celebrate it’s 3rd year on August 4th and 5th, 2018. Held at the immaculate Hilltop Lake in Arlington, Washington, the event offers pro skiers a shot at a $10,000 prize purse at a venue capable of producing world record scores. In the record rounds, amateurs share the dock with pros, skiing for personal bests and HO gear at the heavily tree protected blue waters of Hilltop.
Check out our recap of the Syndicate Hilltop 2017 Action:
Last year, Nick Adams took home the crown after hard fought head-to-head matchups, defeating the likes of both Jon Travers and Will Asher, while Jaimee Bull took home the pro womens victory.
Amateurs can find more information and enter HERE and HERE
Pros can enter by contacting Shannon Strickland at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All Pros welcome to compete. Bring your A game.
TEAM D3 World Record Holder Nate Smith continues his total dominance of every slalom event he enters. Since switching to his new D3 EVO Nate has been almost perfect at the 10.25 (41off) rope length.
Nate’s first pro event on the EVO was the TRAVERS GRAND PRIX last Friday the 11th. Nate won both rounds and the championship with scores into 9.75 (43off) No other skier ran 10.25.
Nate’s next event was the SWISS PRO SLALOM last Sunday the 13th. In the first round Nate again completed the 10.25 pass to lead all skiers. In the second round again Nate completed the 10.25 and scored This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. In the final Nate did what he needed to do, he scored 4 @ 10.25 for the victory.
FUN FACT- Nate Smith has run the 10.25 pass in competition more times than any other skier in the history of our sport. Unfortunately for the competition he isn’t showing signs of slowing down any time soon.
At D3 we are honored to have Nate as an ambassador for our brand and our sport. He is always willing to give back and drive the boat, judge an event, coach skiers, whatever he can do to help the sport we all love. Next up for Nate and TEAM D3 is the US Masters at Callaway Gardens, GA presented by Nautique Boats. The excitement starts on Friday the 25th and ends with finals on Sunday the 27th.
Be sure to catch the web cast for all the action or join us at our booth on site. https://www.nautique.com/events/masters
Connelly Skis is proud to announce, Manon Costard of France, European record holder and one of the handful of women to round buoys at 41’ off has joined Connelly Skis. Her prowess on the water combined with her warmth on shore makes her a perfect partner for the #connellycollective. Manon’s skiing is a direct reflection of her personality — tenacious, determined and quietly badass. Connelly couldn’t be happier to welcome her to our family. Our Connelly Spokesperson, Ellie Horton caught up with her this morning to give you a little taste of what is to come. 
Wade Cox has announced his 2018 Ski with Wade Tour, kicking off May 14th. This is your chance to ski with one of the winningest waterski pros of all-time with 47 pro victories. Sign up for a spot in his traveling coaching tour and get one-on-one instruction from the three time US Masters Champion turned well respected coach. Wade brings his decades of skiing and coaching experience with a unique perspective to a lake near you. A long time HO Skis posterboy, Wade will help you get your gear dialed, provide tips to get you to the next level and tell stories from his tour years that you’ll never forget. Space is limited, sign up now. (instructions after tour dates list below).
2018 SKI WITH WADE TOUR DATES:
May 14. Memphis, TN
May 15. Tyler, TX
May 16. Dallas, TX
May 17-18 San Marcos, TX
May 19. Austin, TX
May 25-27. US Masters
May 28. Divorce Lake, AL(Jr Dev)
May 29. Divorce Lake, AL
May 30. Lake Martin, AL
June 5-6. Cincinnati, OH
June 7. The Liquid Edge IL
June 9-10. Wade Cox Open At The Liquid Edge, IL
June 11-14. Kids Camp at The Liquid Edge, IL
June 18-19. Spencers Pond, NY
June 20. Potsdam, NY
June 21. Rochester, NY
June 25. Cleveland, OH
June 26-27. Cincinnati, OH
June 28. Charlotte, NC
July & August dates/locations announced soon, stay tuned!!!
EMAIL: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. TO SIGN UP
Check out http://www.hosports.com/blog/?p=1482 for video parts covering wade’s illustrious career as a skier and coach.
Lake 38
Cash Prize for Professional
Trophies for Amateurs
Men’s – Top four advance from Rounds 1 & 2 to Elite 8 on Sunday
Men’s Payout – 1st $2,500, 2nd $1,500, 3rd $1,000, 4th $750, 5th $500
Women’s – Top two advance from Rounds 1 & 2 to Elite 4 on Sunday
Women’s Payout – 1st $2,500, 2nd $1,500, 3rd $1,000
Swiss Pro Slalom - $10,000 Cash Prize
Sunday, May 13th, 2018
Swiss Waterski Resort is proud to announce the 4th edition of the Swiss Pro Slalom featuring the best slalom skiers from around the World battling out a $10,000 Cash Prize in a 2-round & Finals competition. The Swiss Pro Slalom has become a classic event offering world record conditions pushing the skiers to the limit of their art of slalom skiing.
Reigning Champions Nate Smith and Regina Jaquess both from the USA will face fierce competition showcasing the best slalom skiing and drama to crown the next Swiss Pro Slalom Champions in Open Men & Women.
Tournament schedule
First round 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
Second round 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Finals 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Prize Ceremony 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm
live webcast on www.swissproslalom.com
Hey Ballers! My name is Adelaide and I’m new here on the site, (though I have low-key stalked my dad Mr. Jones while using this site for some time.) My dad and Mr. Horton have been friends for years. In fact, my most distinct memory of him was when I was little and visiting Skidawgs house for a tournament. He had just awakened and his hair was like a giant poof… (description of poof: picture cartoon characters hair when dynamite blows up nearby, and you’ll be getting close to his hair…) Anyway, thats a little background on how I know Mr. Horton and who my dad is.
I recently decided to post on BOS for something really important to me, my family, and so many others… cancer. Most of y’all know my dad is a very private man, so he kept the fact that he had Non-Hodgkins lymphoma really quiet. He was diagnosed a couple weeks after the 2016 nationals. He has since gone through chemo and is currently in remission! He’s noticeably feeling and looking better, which is a huge relief to me and my family.
Because of dad’s cancer, I was nominated to do the Student of the Year fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS has a ten week campaign called Man/Woman of the Year, and this is the first year they initiated Student of the Year in our neck of the woods… or should I say bayou. This great organization researches blood cancers and helps patients while they undergo treatment. Mr. Horton was on our list of people who we mailed letters to asking for support. He suggested that I post on BOS to give y’all a chance to donate who we might not have been able to contact otherwise.
Dad told me that a number of you guys have been or are currently battling cancer. Please know my prayers are with you. One thing that I’ve learned about LLS is that often times cures or treatments found in blood cancers can be used for other cancers. Hopefully, the money I earn through this campaign not only helps lymphoma like my dads, but others as well.
I just want to thank all of you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for your contributions. If you would like to donate, you can do so at the link below.
http://pages.mwoy.org/msla/laf18/ajones
Thank you,
Addieski
The Radar Nation Tour is back with six stops across North America! We’ll kick things off in Texas with Trent Finlayson at Zorn, then head over to Virginia and have a ripping weekend with Corey Vaughn at the Peace, Love and Waterskiing camp! From there we’ll head to Grand Rapids, Michigan where we’ll have a day with the team at Action Water Sports, next stop, Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri where we’ll spend the day shredding buoys with Wake Effects. Back to the home turf for a shred at Radar Lake and then cap things off with jMac at McClintock’s Ski School in Ontario! The Radar Nation Tour is a time to try out the latest and greatest skis in the Radar line or just come rip your Radar with the team! We look forward to skiing with you soon, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to get signed up.
Attention Ballers:
Write in your questions for VP of HO Skis/Syndicate Dave Wingerter to have them answered in an upcoming podcast posted directly to BallOfSpray.
Don’t miss your opportunity to pick the brain of one of the leading minds in our sport. Ask him questions about ski design, slalom tech theory, production and more! Enter your question in the BallOfSpray Forum. We will select a number of great questions to be answered and posted to the BallOfSpray newsfeed.
Background on Dave Wingerter:
Wingerter is the Mastermind behind HO Skis and the Syndicate Program. A life-long competitive skier, Dave worked formerly as an aerospace design engineer in the defense industry, contributing to projects like the Atlas III and V rockets. In 2006, after years of combining aerospace technology with waterski theory in his free time, Dave decided to give waterski development a try. His first passion project, the Syndicate A1, burst onto the scene and changed waterskiing design forever. Over a decade later, Dave continues to pioneer the cutting edge of watersport innovation. You can find him skiing tournaments on the professional and national waterski scene where he theorizes, prototypes, designs, builds and rides his creations.
Subcategories
Breaking News by Ellie Rae Horton
Ellie Horton is three event and third generation competitive water skier. She grew up skiing at Horton Lakes, which was built by her grandfather Dr Jack Horton, and began competing when she was ten years old.
Currently, Ellie is a second year student at Florida Southern College. She is studying journalism and skis on scholarship for the FSC water ski team. is ranked 3rd overall in the nation, 9th in the U21 overall world standings, and has her open women’s rating in overall.
She is a member of the D3 water skis Factory Team and is sponsored by CAMARO wetsuits and NewCity Clothing.
Her recent successes have included winning Division I women’s tricks at the 2013 collegiate nationals as well as taking the tricks and overall title at the U21 2014 Pan Am Championships.
