Methinks my student...

can qualify for Regionals this year:


Toe wake back/ toe wake front, almost...

Toe O, got it.  

Official video proof of...

me shattering my earliest-ski-set-of-the-year record*


Yeah, the camerawork is a bit, shall we say, dizzying, and the skiing is barely watchable.  But Damnit, I got on the water in Mid March!  That has to count for something.

I was not the only skier to begin his season that day.

Blink and you'll miss it, but Brian skied...

and had some fun with my camera too


*Hardly an impressive feat, given that the Leprechaun left 75 degrees and sunshine in place of a pot of gold.  I did not brave the elements (save a sunburn) to start early.  That being said, I beat by early start date by 10 days, so to quote Droopy "you know what, I'm happy."

I should petition the city..

of Coralville to put one on these contraptions in their local pool.



I don't know which would be more satisfying: Practicing tricks during the dead of winter, or spraying old ladies while they fruitlessly try to keep their hair dry during water "aerobics"

Damn, I am so ready for ski season to start.

My sources have discovered...

that the infamous Pux might not be mentally prepared to unleash hell (a.k.a. more goddamn winter).



Apparently, Pux has developed quite a fondness for pay-per-view groundhog erotica.  A last minute reorientation to the non-rodent porn world might not be enough time for Pux to climb his sorry ass out of that outdoor toilet he calls a hole.

My "sources"

Nola can do more than just steal ice chests.

While watching the winter...

X games, I could help but notice two things about single trick snowmobiling.  First, those guys are a little bit crazy to do that.  Second, they all are wearing motocross neck braces.  It got me wondering if  jumpers should be wearing them too.

  

 Potential problems I see are 

1) They are designed for impacts on solid surfaces, not water.  That could be a problem.

2) A restriction in the jumper's ability to turn his/her head    

3) Immobilization of the neck in an impact might make lower sections of the spine more vulnerable to serious injury

4) Lack of movement in the neck could mean that more force is transferred to the head, i.e., a negligible reduction in neck injuries could lead to a significant increase in concussions.  (although I would  take a concussion over a neck fracture anyday)

5) If there is a real benefit, would it be at all levels, or only for advanced jumpers?

I am no authority on this subject, so I have no answers.  I do think , however, that I have come up with some legitimate questions.  If other sports with similar impact speeds are using these neck braces, it seems to me jumpers should be, at least, looking into it. Anything short of not skiing in the first place that makes this

safer sounds like a great idea to me.  

Reasons for my recent...

online absence

Yeah, yeah, yeah, that last one is an exaggeration, but it has still been too cold to ski.

Time to start this thing again.

New toe tricks...

that  David, my tricking student, and I need to add to our runs in 2012.

for the teacher, the toe wrap in


It looks like I am starting the turn too early into the pull.  I have a lot of work to do on that one in the spring.


For the student, the toe wake back.

David needs to give his shoulders to the boat as he rotates.   He might be closer to landing this one than I am to standing up my new one.  

Looks like we both have a lot of time to ponder these.  

So last set...

triumph   gives way to an end-of-season buzzkill.




That  picture means nothing! Ski season is just peaking.



DAMN!  I AM GONNA FIND WHOMEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CHANGE OF SEASONS AND KICK THEIR ASS(ES)!  I WANT TO PUNCH SOMEONE OR SOMETHING AND MAKE THEM BLEED!


Well, maybe if I sacrifice my slalom bindings to the waterski gods I can ski until Thanksgiving.

So sad...




Ok, I understand.  I need to commit myself to a productive offseason.  I guess I have to come up with some other blog topics for a few months as well.

By the way, the Kubler-Ross model of grieving is, obviously, just a load of psychobabble.  I don't go through any of those stages.

Before packing it in...

for the season, I wanted to get two tricks on camera: A backflip reverse sequence and a toe wake O.  A month or so ago, I got the first one (or two, for all you specificityphiles out there).


It's October 25th,  one day until the boat gets winterized and stored.    Ross, David, Mitch and I have a short time window to ski, so that means I get one short trick set and my 2011 season is over.  So  here goes...

Got it.  Hopefully I can fit that trick into my toe pass in 2012.

If you do not love...

this show, then shame on you.




Not only is The League piss-your-pants funny, the crass, biting interplay between characters is quite possibly the most realistic depiction of long-term male friendships anywhere on TV.

Oh Yeah, and there's Taco,



For the last three years, this show has eased the pain of the  advance of winter and the gradual end of ski season.

HOLY....

SHIT!



I think he brought it down a little.

Props to my tricking protegee for getting this on the web.  I am not sure if he actually shot the vid or not.

And so the waterski gods...

smiled down upon the land of  maize.  And lo, they rained down upon them 80 degree temperatures while the leaves turned.  And they accepted the waterski gods' sublime gift, and they practiced for their great pilgrimage.

In the weekend before  biggest tournament ever, the Iowa Hawkeyesused a divide and conquer practice strategy.  Half of their team drove up to Minnesota (yes, the weather in Minnesota was nice enough to intentionally drive there to waterski in October) and half stuck around in Iowa to practice at eagle lake in Evansdale.  I wasn't in Minnesota, so I don't have any video.  From what I heard, they got a lot of good slalom coaching.  Being that they were skiing at the site of a bunch of slalom specialists, my young padawan was the designated trick coach.

The Evansdale group practiced a little of everything.  Some highlights:

Neilan


Rumor has it he has been neglecting his skiing for... and this is nearly unforgivable...class.  He has forgotten the Midwest collegiate skier's mantra:  Don't open your books until you see frost.

Jordan

He just recently learned how to make a single wake cut.  Hopefully he will not learn (the hard way) that he needs to upgrade from that piece-of-shit he strapped on to his cranium to a full face helmet.  Still, nice jumping for a show skier.  Oh yeah, and  for God's sake, get some damn gloves. 

Sterling

On her first day out, Sterling went from "Who are you?" to one of the top Hawkeye women skiers.  That being said, KEEP YOUR ARMS STRAIGHT!.  

I heard that there was some tricking there too, but I head to leave for my pre-overnight-shift nap.  So readers, yeah both of you, just imagine some video clips.    

A headwind (much more so than a mind) being "a terrible thing to waste,"  your fearless blogger could not help but lube up and strap on the long ones,

and strattle the fulcrum between "nice jump" and OH SHIIIIIII......... where am I?

My split loyalties a moot point this year, I hope the Hawkeyes ski their asses off down in my homeland.   

Because the majority of...

rock bands from this past decade aren't fit to be roadies for the Seattle's best grunge bands, I will go off topic and celebrate the 20 year anniversary of one kick-ass album. That album being Badmotorfinger from Soundgarden.

Rusty Cage.

  


Outshined

  
 If you listen to this album in the car and can hear (1) yourself think and (2) the engine, the volume is waaaaaaaay too low.

I commend my student...

for two things:

1.  Developing a stable reverse backwrap position.   Though his shoulders are low, and his left hand is high, he can  execute scorable surface back to backs.

2.  Purchasing/finding his own trick rope and rash guard.  Though the rope is old, and the rash guard has a smattering of peculiar stains on the chest, he can trick without borrowing any of my shit.

I present evidence of both

After a year of jumping...

 at 33.6 mph, I feel like I am just starting to get my timing back at 35.4 mph again.    I feel dialed in to the jump course  at 35.4 again  and can, confidently, do a  35.4 mph double wake cut..  Unfortuately, I can't ski in any more tournaments this year.

A solid jump, despite losing about 10 feet because I released my left hand before the apex.

More Hawkeye love...

with some mixed emotions thrown in.

     I have a degree form Auburn University AND the University of Iowa.  More importantly, I skied for Auburn ('94-'98, War Damn wet eagle!).  I currently ski with the University of  Iowa waterski team, as I live in the Iowa City area.  Over the last few years, I have become somewhat of an unofficial coach for the Iowa ski team.   As is the case with any college ski team, there are members with all levels of passion and dedication to the sport.  
    
      Well, with a combination of some talented newbies, and a core of passionate skiers already in place, the Iowa Waterski team  earned the wildcard, grabbing the final division 2 spot in the 2011 NCWSA Nationals.  It was "only" division 2, and the very last spot, but nonetheless, the wildcard was an achievement to be celebrated.  So they celebrated:    



Credit to Brian  for the foresight to record this emotional explosion 


    Given the circumstances, one could make an agrument that the Iowa team reacted with a modicum of restraint.  To put the wildcard selection  in perspective, Iowa had not even qualified for Midwest Collegiate Regionals since 2003, and has NEVER received an invite to NCWSA Nationals, division 1 or 2*.  Whatever their placement may turn out to be, they can be proud of what they have accomplished.  It is not easy to get to Nationals.   Skiing primarily on a practice site  currently without a slalom course, much less a ramp, ups the difficulty immensely.  


    That brings me to the mixed emotions part:  As excited and proud as I was of Iowa 's wildcard Nationals invite, I was disappointed that Auburn, my undergraduate and ski team alma mater, placed 5th in the wildcard standings.  Since either 2002 (or 2003, I am not exactly sure), Auburn has practiced at Faith Lake in Shorter, AL, a private 3-event tournament site only 30 minutes from campus.  In water skiing, quality of practice site has a huge impact on a  team's ability to develop and recruit skiers.**   That being the case, Iowa, without any buoys or ramps to call their own, took the last Nationals spot.  


     The guys and girls who lube 'em up and strap 'em on for Auburn right now should learn from this.  Auburn has the resources to get to Nationals.  I am confident that I speak for every Auburn Waterski Team Alum when I say that I want to see them get back to Nationals.  WAR EAGLE and, next week especially, GO HAWKS!






*Unless you count Purdue or Iowa State offering some Iowa skiers a chance to tag along on a Nationals road trip to defray the twin burdens of gas and beer expenses.


**length of the ski season notwithstanding

In honor of their...

first trip to Midwest Collegiate Regionals in a looong time,  I will show a little Hawkeye love

In your head, substitute "tournament" for "game"



here are a couple of the top Hawkeyes in action

Maddy: UI team president and  matriarch.  She also happens to be the baddest chick in the Great Plains conference.

David: Dedicated protegee of yours truly.  He Starts as soon as the ice melts, and skis until it comes back.  He has had top 5 finishes in tricks this season (I attribute this to coaching) 

Mitch:
(no video available)
His slalom scores (and boat towing)  make up for  his clumsiness on a pair of tricks (he's getting better).  Each week, he leads Iowa's men's slalom team, and hopes that he does not have to jump.


Stephanie:  "Who is the new girl that just came out?"  "I don't know."  "Damn, she can really ski.  Usually when we get newbies we're lucky if they can do a deep water start... on jumpers."

  

GO HAWKS!

I swing both...

ways.  I have proof, finally.

Waiting slightly longer through the top of the wake = ride the damn reverse out.

Still preturning...

that toeside flip.  Otherwise, this was a decent sequence.

Despite the preturn, I could have ridden that one out had I let go of the outside hand on the landing.

First, I bring her to the lake.  The next step is to get her to ride in the boat while skiers are being pulled.




Done.

 Despite the squniting, and a life Jacket that will fit much better next summer, she was all smiles.   Ok, maybe that was not exactly a smile.  but I am going to claim victory because there was no crying involved.