tbrenchley

Has the rule changed on exit gates or am I not the only one scratching my head that Winter got scored 5.5 after trying to take that hit out the gates?

The only thing that I would really like to see changed is the ridiculous rule that makes me determine if the middle of the ski is directly over the middle of the gate buoy. Why do we have to draw the line in the most difficult place possible? We can't just run over a turn ball in the course but for some reason we can clobber the right gate ball and hope the judge can see the centerline of my ski is not off an inch? That's just my two cents as a judge and skier. I used to push it until my gates were pulled on a pass that I couldn't have been more than an inch early but now I leave no doubt and never flirt with that gate ball anymore. Maybe it's just me?

Sorry @brettmainer I was not given the M3 briefing before hand but in my defense if you wouldn't have put up the monster score to begin with I wouldn't need a chiropractic adjustment today. Great skiing and for future reference is that just a regionals rule or do I need to keep that in mind for nationals next month as well?

I ride an XT but I drive a Q5...Maybe I can talk Dave into naming his next ski a Q5 because I really don't want to be driving this car anytime soon.

@Horton‌ I assume the handle's speed is reduced because you are reducing the width you created on the boat at the ball and allowing the handle to get back to the center of the wakes where the most force and speed would be applied.

To get the full 6 buoy score there are only two things required: 1) Is the skier in "skiing position" and 2) did he/she cross the gate line before the gate ball passes. If a skier fell through the gates from the slack hit there would be very little doubt that the score should have been 6 no continuation, but it's impossible to know for certain without seeing it. It's just important to remember that a tight line and under the power of the boat is not necessary for calling a full buoy at the 6 ball only, you can ski back to the wake and toss the handle without even trying to take the hit and get the full buoy.

@Horton‌ might have to have some more baller coins made ;)

I have to say we're all after the same results but our words are getting in the way. Width, Space, Narrow, blah blah blah. The simple fact is that people often times use these words to describe the wrong thing I think. As far as the original post goes I can't agree with the way that it is worded. You can't start a sentence with "Less intensity through the gate" and then follow it with "generate as much space in front of the ball as possible" Those things are not mutually inclusive. More space before the ball is merely a byproduct of an intense angle through the gates period! This idea will not transfer to any line length as you get shorter, sure you can ski narrow at 32 off but you do yourself no favors. The problem I have had in the past and most skiers have is the idea of getting wide early, that is not what you want to do at all. Like many have said it is about space before the ball. Many of us create that space with an intense pull through the gates and then release our trailing arm pressure and reach too early to maintain the idea in our head of what "wide" looks like. That does get you wider earlier but also gets you going down course when you run out of line before you are at the buoy. You merely want space to edge change smoothly and get tall and balanced on your ski into the buoy. Extra width early only hurts you and the angle you take out of the next buoy. Extra space helps but hang onto that handle!

First I'd like to say this was by far the best webcast I've seen to date and everyone that was involved did an amazing job. The announcers were great, the replays were informative and the skiing was just amazing...the top 8 skiers had to pretty much average a score into 41 off just to get in! I'd like to see a good use of drones in the future to get some more camera angles but I know that technology has a little ways to go to make it worth it but it's close. I really would like to see an informative video about skiing that can teach the masses about the sport and just how amazing these athletes are. I really like the ESPN Sports Science videos like these: http://search.espn.go.com/sports-science/videos/6 and would love to see one about slalom skiing or even jump and trick for that matter. Just wanted to say well done for the California Proam webcast!

I beat @Horton‌ in the Goode Bracket Challenge to get a baller coin that I can use somewhere...I hope. Other than that I pay for all my turns :( So who takes baller coins around here? haha

I don't use the inserts at all...I just took them out and only use the liner but that's just me.

Why don't you go do that @theinvisiblesoul‌ and we'll keep hanging out here on the forum discussing how we can make the athletes involved and this sport better for all those that choose to participate at every level that is offered. Thank you for your input.

Just out of curiosity what is your ZO setting that you use? @Stevie Boy‌

This is a picture we had done right after we got engaged and it hangs in our front room. I love this sport and I love that I can share it with my family. Time at the lake is just better! Photo credit given to Julie Parker -- julieparkerphotography.com

I am getting ready to take the test for my senior judge and there are a few things that I want to clear up not only for me but for anyone that reads this thread. First, @Bruce_Butterfield‌ "Once you do your first deep water start, that rule no longer applies." The rule states: If a skier notices that his equipment is damaged AFTER a handle throw, a run that leads to a reride, or a completed pass, BUT PRIOR to the boat starting for the NEXT PASS, the event judges may grant him, upon immediate request, three minutes to repair or change the damaged equipment. (Emphasis added by me) So if I'm reading this right the first deep water start is not the end of this rule's application. It can be used after a handle throw (that is acceptable to the majority of judges) a granted reride or a completed pass. The confusion I have is that the rule 10.11 handle throws says: He shall not be penalized for so doing, provided the refusal was for a reason acceptable to a majority of the event judges and nowhere in the rules is there any list or definition as to what constitutes an "acceptable reason" so I can only assume this is one of those unwritten rules again that we've been talking about all weekend. I don't know if broken equipment would be considered "reasonable" and I would highly doubt I would give @Milford‌ a reride because he couldn't get his boot to snap into place but if his boot connection was broken and it wasn't just operator error I would be more than willing to allow him his 3 minutes to attempt to fix it. I would love to hear from some seasoned judges about any unwritten rules regarding this scenario or something similar.