Our country has changed due to social media and the pressure to have the coolest stuff even if it is beyond your economic reach. Kids don't want junky boats that are falling apart. Social media and advertising don't show anything other than $100k wakeboats. My first boat was a tri hull Orlando Clipper with a 135 hp Johnson. We drilled a hole in the transom and mounted a 1" piece of galvanized rigid for a pylon. We watched ESPN Hot Summer Nights every week. We made a homemade slalom course with 2 liter coke bottles (painted orange) and concrete blocks. We had NO money but we improvised. This would never be allowed today on a public lake nor would anyone attempt it for fear of embarrassment from their peers. Also, we knew that it was going to be a long road to shortline in those days but we had the time, the focus and the drive. We all watched as wakeboarding took over because it was EASY. Now we have wakesurfers with 12 people in the boat, we can have you up and going in 5 minutes and even if you can't let go of the rope, you still get your trophy and post it on social media ( I am at 56 still an avid East Coast surfer and the line up out there is getting older because like 3 event, surfing is HARD and takes a long time to master). Maybe the lack of attention span and the fear of sucking at something for a long time has pushed our sport into the shadows. Add in the public lake problem, the cost of a decent used boat ($20k), a partner who is willing to put in long hours between driving and skiing and you have a very limited amount of young people to recruit. Look around at the young people on the starting dock. They are all your kids and grandkids and our skiing population is pretty minor. We had trouble getting people to watch in the 80s and there was a whole lot less to compete with then. Someone wrote that it's a country club sport and they hit it right on the head. A basketball, a pair of sneakers and a hoop if you're on the lower end of the spectrum. Fellas, don't look for a big resurgence, just be happy and go ski.