Spencer_Shultz7

@ToddL Yes, that is the one! That commercial gives me goosebumps every time!

@ToddL Correct me if i'm wrong, but the bridge in the background of your photo looks very familar to the bridge in the 2013 HO Freeride commercial. Anyway, very interesting thread. One thing we might be forgetting about it the number of private skiing specific lakes that are being built in the United States (I would compare to the global scale, but i'm trying to keep things simple for now). With that being said, lakes don't typically just go away overnight. They last and produce more and more skiers. Some of those skiers go on to build lakes, start clubs, or invite a few buddies out and teach them at the site that they use. What I am getting at here is that as more private lakes are built, the number of skiers is going to grow, as the number of skiers grow, more skis, gloves, handles, boats, etc. are going to be bought. It's the same concept as the Plasma TV. Only super wealthy people could afford the televisions. Now, college students like me and @MattP have them sitting in our living spaces. Now, certainly comparing plasma tv's to 2,000 foot long private ski lakes is like comparing apples to oranges, but my point is that achieving the number of skiers that we want at a certainlevel is going to take time. Imagine if every city in America had a "Waterski Atlanta" or "Okeheelee Park" within distance of the biggest metropolitan area in the state. Some of you might say, "Waterski Atlanta and Okeheelee are special cases", and you might be right. But from the way that I see it, places like Okeheelee and Atlanta are the future of what is to come. As far as collegiate skiers go, they are growing and will continue to grow. Look at the number of teams popping up all over the midwest and look at the growth that these teams are experiencing. It's AWESOME! It's already been mentioned above that the number of skiers attenting tournaments in the summer isn't huge. Well, try to lend some of the collegiate skiers in your area a helping hand. Invite them out to ski a few times, give them encouragement, motivate them to work hard and succeed. I know here in Missouri, collegiate teams are able to come to tournaments and sell food as fundraisers for their teams. What better way to get collegiate skiers involved in the summer months and help them grow at their school. I stuck around an extra day at a tournament that I skied in and helped give a team of collegiate skiers a few pointers and tried to help them out in the best way that I could. After that day, I was given the title of honorary coach. I know many of you have a vast amount of knowledge on the sport and could help get these younger skiers hooked! I know I covered a lot in my post and some of you might disagree with the points that i made. I would dive into the ZO vs. PP debate, but I'm not about to open that topic. All I can say at this point is that I love to waterski. I love hearing my ski rip through glass water, I love seeing the look on someones face after they run their first pass through the course, I love seeing someone get up on a slalom ski for the first time, and I love driving past a body of water and thinking, "I wonder if that lake is long enough to ski?"

Snapped this photo of Aaron Larkin up at the malibu open. Makes me want to go rip!

Snapped this photo of Aaron Larkin up at the malibu open. Makes me want to go rip!

@Kcswerver @ToddL hit the nail on the head. Along with keeping your head and shoulders up coming into the buoy, try reaching up and away from your body with the handle when you release. This will make you put more weight on your front foot and should allow for the ski to decelerate properly, make a tight turn, establish your angle and have a tight line.

The INT tournaments that I skied in last year usually just did one round of slalom and if time allowed they would ski a second round. As for the INT as a whole, it's pretty easy going. Enjoy it!

@skihart @inland I couldn't agree with you guys more. I took a trip to Table Rock Lake a few weeks ago and we saw maybe a handful of riders. Everyone where we were on the lake seemed to be either wake surfing or skiing.

@stacy Sounds fantastic! I think I've heard about your son through a buddy of mine, Jacob Hinck. Love to come get a set in with you guys!

@KcSwerver Represent! Gonna have to shred together this Summer.

@Than_Bogan I'm figuring that out!

Just figured it was time to introduce myself! I'm Spencer Shultz from Kansas City, MO. Big fan of everything watersports related, but mainly slalom. And yep, that's basically it! Swerve on!

Nice shots!

Yes! I have them on my new A3 and they are great! They give you a ton of mobility with the ankle of the boot not coming up as high on your leg. But at the same time, you get great support.

Congrats!

I don't know if anyone caught the new web video of Brooks Wilson doing a winch gap on one of the Radar free skis, but it was cool seeing someone do something different on a ski!