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She has flown pretty far during Super G ski races, but never really got over her fear there either. It's up to her, I will buy all the gear. But, to Horton's point, unless she can learn from Terry Winter, her primary coach, or one of the really well know jump coaches, it's not happening.

Yep. If she is going to do it, I want her to learn now with Terry, and not from some college kid when she gets there.

My Junior in high school is in her last year of Junior skiing. She's hoping to place in Regionals, and ski the Nationals since they are close. Looking forward to College, she is hoping to develop a half way respectable trick pass. She's been talking about overcoming her fears of the jump, and at least learning to plop over-we shall see.

I just use metal shelving brackets that you buy down at the hardware store. Easy to install and there is a lot of gear hanging on that wall.

@kmenardShe's a junior, so still all over the map. Has eyes on a couple of Ivy League Schools. Wants to be a Veterinarian, so looking at all 30 schools that have Vet programs. She is an all State Swimmer, so has not ruled out swimming in College. Other schools she is looking at with a Water Ski Team include UC Davis, Notre Dame, Purdue, Wisconsin.

@kmenard. Our kids went out to the "ski lake" at UT. It is currently a mud puddle. Apparently drained for some kind of repairs. Not sure when it is expected to be operational.

People say they want a bare bones, low cost boat. The actual sales don't support it. The budget minded would rather buy a used boat with all the bells and whistles, than a new, stripped down model. Not an exact comparison, but, the SV211 was far and away the best seller for Correct Craft (Nautique). They stripped it down and presented as a price point boat, and the sales went to nearly nothing.

So, my daughter was invited to tag along with two friends to recruiting weekend for the Water Ski Team at Texas A&M. I have no idea if she will ski at A&M or any other college. But, it was a really unique way to visit potential college. Other schools might not offer such an extensive effort, but I would think most teams would offer some type of meetup to your potential skier. Definitely adds a personal touch to the college visit. In this case, in addition to skiing a few sets with the team, the kids spent a couple of nights on campus with a designated team member; toured the campus with real students (not trained tour guides saying all the right things); attended the midnight rally; attended the football game; and generally got a better feel for the college experience at A&M. Not your typical college tour. And really valuable for our daughter.

Criminal Court conviction rate in Canada is 62%. Felony criminal conviction rate in the U.S. 68%. Whether for or against SS, the 38% number is not surprising.

@Horton. If I recall, Buford’s “chop” ski was a 59” sent from the factory that way, right? You were not out there with a skill saw, cutting off the tail, Patching the cut, slotting the fin, etc. ?

@JimP. Fair enough. If you have the time, money, and skill, and believe that is best solution for your child, then that’s the perfect solution. Hope she kills it.

@JimP. I'm sure someone will respond that this works great and tell you exactly how to do it. If it works, it works. But, I'm just not sure why you would do it when it is really cheap to buy a ski. You can currently buy a Radar TRA in 63 or 65 on wakehouse.com for $199. Williams Ski and Sport has them for $219. Even if your child used the ski for two or three years (mine used her TRA three if I recall), and even if she beats up the aki (girls don't typically beat up their gear), you will still be able to sell the TRA for over $100. While I have no idea what is your financial status. However, I'm guessing that if you are riding Goode skis, and participating in this sport, you are probably doing ok. Given that, I would not think it is worth your time to cut the ski, buy the materials to patch the carbon fiber on the tail, your time to repari the the tail, your time to properly place the bindings, tail, etc. I would think your time and materials are worth WAY more than the $100 or so you might lose if you just buy a TRA. My $.02. Maybe I am wrong.

Weather delays suck. Hope the skiers had an extra night to rest and collect their thoughts, and kill it today.

@SCoke. Just know what I saw. I was texting with one of the B5 parents and she was seeing the same thing as I was seeing. She actually sent me of photo of results from the facilty well before the live scoring was updated. B5 is now complete on live scoring.

Live scoring has been off all day. I was following B5 and it has shown the same score for hours. Missing several skiers.

Cheapest - Camp in a tent. Make some friends. Give them gas money and clean their boat.

FWIW, my kid was always on the taller side (finally quit growing at 5'11"), but she had no problem with a TRA at speeds down to 17 and 19 mph. Maybe she was just strong. I don't know. I feel like the lighter ropes were helpful.

One of the old BOS threads

Prior Generation of 210 Super Air, flattened out for rec skiing if you were willing to go 36 mph. But by 2012, not so much.

Would be great if order were mixed up randomly. Not right that the kids always go first. But also would not be right if M4 or W7 were first every time. The summer that got my daughter hooked she was 8 or 9. Once a week, I think it was Wed, there was an unofficial kids only tournament Starting about 4 in the afternoon. Scored on a handicap system. One young girl was skiing doubles. A couple of teen gentlemen were into 38 and 39 off. Averaged about 20 kids each week. There were prizes each week and every kid had a chance to win. If I recall, 9 lakes donated an afternoon for the kids. One week Rhoni Barton was in Town and jumped in the boat to do a bunch of the Driving. I think Terry Winter watched every kid, regardless of ability. There was a bbq, and maybe a beer or two for adults who were not officiating. These were fun, and even adults with no kids were showing up to officiate, drive, enjoy the bbq, and encourage the kids. To me, these unofficial events were the water skiing community at its best. It was great for the kids.

I 've never owned a tournament boat other than a Correct Craft (Ski Nautique). But, I saw Horton's boat live today. Nice looking boat, and the color is unique. Depending upon the Sun angle, looks black, dark cherry, maroon/wine. It's not resale red, or basic blue, but I think it is really cool. I like it. If I had few extra bucks in my pocket, I would be looking to buy it. BKH

Did not want to make you look bad in front of your daughter.

The walkaround guys like to ski those - no bindings.

I did. Thank you!

Surprised I did not recieve this in emails as my daughter has skied in west, and skied in development clinics for several years. Oh well.