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Just outside Seattle, WA lies the most hallowed grounds in waterskiing. Herb O'Brien dug Radar Lake in 1972 and since then it has become the most iconic lake in the sport. In August of 2017 we hosted a skiing extravaganza in a fashion that would make Herb proud. The Pros were given 6.5 minutes to post the highest score possible, they could skip passes, miss and try again, the bottom line was they had 6.5 minutes to post as high of a score as possible. Once the skiing was done, the fire was stoekd and campfire shenanigans ensued. Check out what unraveled to be a once, maybe twice in a lifetime opportunity.
I get to hang with Dave Wingerter, HO Skis Vice President, as he works through the questions brought to him by you guys, via BallOfSpray.
Just a sample of the questions covered in this podcast from BallOfSpray Forum:
- There seems to be a lot of back and forth with the Ballers about binding design. People have discussed toe height, release mechanism design, cuff height, buckle tension…etc. What are your thoughts on these things and the future of binding design at HO?
- Are modern skis better better specifically because they weigh less or do they weigh less as a result of better materials?
- Bob LaPoint is a 5 time world champion from another era and you are an engineer with an aerospace background. When started to work together were there any unexpected revolutions. Can you share some the ideas that he brought that you did not expect or vice versa?
- Been told by many, that ski companies will design the mid weight ski such as 66” and 67” skis and the 65” and 68” don’t have the design time, instead just scale the ski to size. And due to that its better to go with one of the mid weight ski. Any truth to that?
- How do release dates play into the design process? Do you feel pressure to get something new out “in time”? What if the design is not ready? Would you consider skipping a model year to prefect a design you’re confident in?
- I have the Syndicate Hardshell front and the HO choptop on the rear which I really like. But apparently HO has done away with the choptop (its not on your website any longer). So what good options does HO provide for the rear foot if somebody has the hardshell in the front? I am not a toe-loop guy.
- What happened to the step bottom used on S2, seems like you guys spent a bunch of time working on that innovation. P.S. I really like that ski.
- When was the A1 first released and could HO produce an anniversary production run?
Determination, strength, perseverance and focus, topped with an occasional smile...that's what girls are made of.
We caught Stokesperson and Connelly skier, Ellie Horton training with fellow athletes, Natascha Roettcher, Manon Costard and Siani Oliver.
Hide yo buoys - These girls slay.
Dave Miller outlasted runner-up Greg Badal to win the first stop of the 2018 Big Dawg World Tour and Greg Sund finished fourth as GOODE XTRs occupied three of the top four positions. Jeff Rodgers finished 3rd.
Dave beat Jodi Fisher, top-seed Harald Hintringer and Greg Sund to advance to the finals, while Greg Badal had to get past Jason Seels, Fred Halt and Jeff to reach the final pairing.
After waiting out a rain storm, Dave edged Greg by one buoy with a score of 3 buoys at 39-1/2 feet off to earn the victory.
The weekend was a successful one for GOODE skiers, as they made up nine of the Sweet 16, 5 of the Elite 8 and three of the Final Four. Additional GOODE skiers advancing to the Sweet 16 were Bruce Dodd, Mark Menasci, Chet Raley, Tim Huston, and Chad Scott.
For full results, click here.
Stop No. 2 of the tour will take place June 16-17, at Cedar Ridge Ski Club in Canton, Miss. More information at nautiquebigdawg.com.
This Bob Marley is not who you think he is. He’s not Jamaican, he doesn’t have dreads, and he’s an avid water skier. He and his boys wake up at 6:30 am, cut glass all morning, and then talk about it the rest of the day….only to fall asleep and dream about doing it all over again.
Yeah sure, he still does comedy….and he’s shared the stage with all the big names: Dane Cook, Louis CK, Chapelle, etc… But on this particular afternoon, on the shores of The Ridge outside Chico CA, Bob took a second to share his perspective on the water ski world.
