He's not crazy, he's just pissed that there's still snow on the ground.
I'm gonna go batshit crazy if spring doesn't get here soon.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Happiness is...
a bead of sweat. The 40 -degree barrier has been shattered today. Maybe that groundhog isn't so damn crazy after all.
He's not crazy, he's just pissed that there's still snow on the ground.
I'm gonna go batshit crazy if spring doesn't get here soon.
He's not crazy, he's just pissed that there's still snow on the ground.
I'm gonna go batshit crazy if spring doesn't get here soon.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Several years ago...
I read one of the funniest books I had ever read in my life: Never Sniff a Gift Fish
by Partick F. McManus .
The book is collection of short stories recounting the goofy missteps that can foul up a relaxing day spent in the woods with a rod or a gun. McManus begins one of the stories with a line that made me laugh out loud. Only now, after two years of marriage, do I realize its profundity. It goes something like this: Hunting and fishing are expensive hobbies because they require furs, fancy jewelry and other high end equipment (liberal paraphrasing).
Now I know what he was talking about. Since last fall, I have been contemplating buying a new pair of jumpers, as my old ones are about 7 years old. Every time the conversation has come up, my remarks have been met with eye rolling and "suggestions" of postponement.
For the last several months, Libby has wanted to change the setting for her engagement diamond. She has talked about it for months, but never really seemed serious about it until about three weeks ago, when she closed the deal at a jewelry store in Des Moines. I think it will look something like this :
Maybe a different color, or size or something like that, I'm not all that sure.
You know what they say, one good turn deserves another. That ring is an unambiguous green light to buy a new pair of jumpers.
About a week ago, I spotted a deal on a lightly used pair of Goodman Llewellyn Pros, so I (alert the pun police) jumped at the chance.
and here they are, ready for a new home.
Has anyone seen the UPS man yet?
by Partick F. McManus .
The book is collection of short stories recounting the goofy missteps that can foul up a relaxing day spent in the woods with a rod or a gun. McManus begins one of the stories with a line that made me laugh out loud. Only now, after two years of marriage, do I realize its profundity. It goes something like this: Hunting and fishing are expensive hobbies because they require furs, fancy jewelry and other high end equipment (liberal paraphrasing).
Now I know what he was talking about. Since last fall, I have been contemplating buying a new pair of jumpers, as my old ones are about 7 years old. Every time the conversation has come up, my remarks have been met with eye rolling and "suggestions" of postponement.
For the last several months, Libby has wanted to change the setting for her engagement diamond. She has talked about it for months, but never really seemed serious about it until about three weeks ago, when she closed the deal at a jewelry store in Des Moines. I think it will look something like this :
Maybe a different color, or size or something like that, I'm not all that sure.
You know what they say, one good turn deserves another. That ring is an unambiguous green light to buy a new pair of jumpers.
About a week ago, I spotted a deal on a lightly used pair of Goodman Llewellyn Pros, so I (alert the pun police) jumped at the chance.
and here they are, ready for a new home.
Has anyone seen the UPS man yet?
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Gratuitous...
trick skiing footage. This is Nicholas Leforestier's 12,400 pt world record.
M. Leforestier, vous etes le meilleur de figures. Pardonnez, mais il est trop difficile de mettre les accents avec cet ordinateur.
(a minor in French has to be good for something)
Now, if only the elusive Kreuger 243' vid could be unearthed. It must be on a hard drive somewhere. We have this thing called video jump, for Chirst's sake. I seriously doubt someone at the site of the record, saw the jump footage and thought "Ehhhh, I'll just erase this 243-foot jump from my hard drive to free up disk space for Boys' 1 slalom." Or, worse yet, the jump was immortalized on VHS, only to be overdubbed by a dumbass for a can't-miss American Idol retrospective.
M. Leforestier, vous etes le meilleur de figures. Pardonnez, mais il est trop difficile de mettre les accents avec cet ordinateur.
(a minor in French has to be good for something)
Now, if only the elusive Kreuger 243' vid could be unearthed. It must be on a hard drive somewhere. We have this thing called video jump, for Chirst's sake. I seriously doubt someone at the site of the record, saw the jump footage and thought "Ehhhh, I'll just erase this 243-foot jump from my hard drive to free up disk space for Boys' 1 slalom." Or, worse yet, the jump was immortalized on VHS, only to be overdubbed by a dumbass for a can't-miss American Idol retrospective.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
This just in...
YouTube has a waterfront lot on Lakerykert.
Right now, the rest of the world is welcoming me to 2003
Boats are for suckers
"Major equipment purchases and marital bliss"* has been postponed until next time.
*lower case except for the first word: That's APA format-- for all you eggheads out there. I guess the better part of a decade of college taught me,uh, something.
Right now, the rest of the world is welcoming me to 2003
Boats are for suckers
"Major equipment purchases and marital bliss"* has been postponed until next time.
*lower case except for the first word: That's APA format-- for all you eggheads out there. I guess the better part of a decade of college taught me,uh, something.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Screw winter, I'll do some tricking!!
The uber-angst of winter has brought forth a sliver of inspiration: Instead of longing for time on the water, I can practice tricks with out the normal hazards of floating ice and less-than-desirable core temperatures. I think I have put together a cheap, effective dryland tricks simulator.
Here are the pieces:
a rubber floormat, a standard trick handle, and a 16" wobble board . The wobble board works really well. Because it's unstable in every direction, I have to use perfect form to execute the simplest tricks. A rubber floormat allows the board to spin but keeps the board form being constantly pulled forward by the resistance tubing.
Speaking of tubing, the bungee cords were a failure. I found something better, SPRI resistance tubes . The different colors have different resistance. I use the hardest resistance(purple) for practicing basic surface turns, the next lowest (blue) for practicing the LB/LF sequence, and a low resistance (red) for practicing a RTB. My plan is to perfect my form with low resistance, and to move up to purple by the time I'm ready to trick for real.
This is my footing for practicing toe tricks and stepovers.
This is how I stand on the board for hand practice
The combination of the wobble board and the tubing gives a realistic simulation except for one problem: when slack rope is created while skiing, there is a hard jerk on the rope. This cannot happen with resistance tubing. Unfortunately, that's the best I can do. I don't have access to a rope and pulley that is set at a height similar to that of a pylon. The ideal hookup would be a cable crossover machine with height adjustment. My gym doesn't have one of those.
If anybody out there has their own dryland rig, I'd love to hear from you, to find out what works and what doesn't.
NEXT: major equipment purchases and marital bliss
Here are the pieces:
a rubber floormat, a standard trick handle, and a 16" wobble board . The wobble board works really well. Because it's unstable in every direction, I have to use perfect form to execute the simplest tricks. A rubber floormat allows the board to spin but keeps the board form being constantly pulled forward by the resistance tubing.
Speaking of tubing, the bungee cords were a failure. I found something better, SPRI resistance tubes . The different colors have different resistance. I use the hardest resistance(purple) for practicing basic surface turns, the next lowest (blue) for practicing the LB/LF sequence, and a low resistance (red) for practicing a RTB. My plan is to perfect my form with low resistance, and to move up to purple by the time I'm ready to trick for real.
This is my footing for practicing toe tricks and stepovers.
This is how I stand on the board for hand practice
The combination of the wobble board and the tubing gives a realistic simulation except for one problem: when slack rope is created while skiing, there is a hard jerk on the rope. This cannot happen with resistance tubing. Unfortunately, that's the best I can do. I don't have access to a rope and pulley that is set at a height similar to that of a pylon. The ideal hookup would be a cable crossover machine with height adjustment. My gym doesn't have one of those.
If anybody out there has their own dryland rig, I'd love to hear from you, to find out what works and what doesn't.
NEXT: major equipment purchases and marital bliss
Friday, January 05, 2007
The Lakerykert Hiatus...
is, to quote (out of context) ol' dead-eye Dick Cheney, "in its last throes."
Coming soon:
an inexpensive dry-land tricks simulator
it's still in experimental stages, but shows promise for SURFACE hands and toes.
*message to the denizens of the rowboat: it's a hiatus, I have not been lazy. Hiati (is that the plural?) are productive
Coming soon:
an inexpensive dry-land tricks simulator
it's still in experimental stages, but shows promise for SURFACE hands and toes.
*message to the denizens of the rowboat: it's a hiatus, I have not been lazy. Hiati (is that the plural?) are productive
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Whoops...
After recently announcing a third member of waterski blogland,I stonewalled him with a bad link.
Check out Water on the Brain right here
My bad
Check out Water on the Brain right here
My bad
Friday, December 01, 2006
And then there were...
three.
Look out blogosphere, there are three players in the world of waterski blogs now.
I would like to pull Ewedgie up to the roomy confines of ski blog land.
Yeah, I couldn't resist the pun. Check out the water on his brain right here
Hey Rowboat, show this man some love with a link!
Looks like those eggheads in research were asleep at the wheel.
Look out blogosphere, there are three players in the world of waterski blogs now.
I would like to pull Ewedgie up to the roomy confines of ski blog land.
Yeah, I couldn't resist the pun. Check out the water on his brain right here
Hey Rowboat, show this man some love with a link!
Looks like those eggheads in research were asleep at the wheel.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
just a thought...
According to only one (of many) blogrings ,
over 1000 active knitting blogs exist in cyberspace.
Only 2 waterski blogs fight for bandwidth.
RECAP:
That's 1000+
to 2
Kinda sad
over 1000 active knitting blogs exist in cyberspace.
Only 2 waterski blogs fight for bandwidth.
RECAP:
That's 1000+
to 2
Kinda sad
Not just for warmth...
peeing in your jumpsuit is actually good for you.
While orienting as an orthopedic nurse, I learned this tidbit form an expert on pelvic fractures. Basically, having an empty bladder, at the moment of a pelvic fracture, reduced the chance of internal injury because of the bladder's reduced size in its nondistended state. That means less bladder to hit with a chunk of misplaced pelvis. Less bladder space means less displacement of colon, and other assorted anatomical injury risks when the pelvic cavity isn't crowded by the remnants of your last 7 red bulls. Speaking of colons,the famous PJD is not a bad idea either. Don't be full of crap unless you are bragging about your best distance to the ditzy, yet busty waitress at your nearest lakeside Hooter's.
Note: I wish I had the Rowboat's research team working for me. If that were the case, I would have have pictures of someone peeing, empty red bull cans, a jumper, a hooters girl, and a bottle of milk of magnesia to go with my little announcement
So do yourself a favor and pee in your jumpsuit. Just wait until you get into the water.
While orienting as an orthopedic nurse, I learned this tidbit form an expert on pelvic fractures. Basically, having an empty bladder, at the moment of a pelvic fracture, reduced the chance of internal injury because of the bladder's reduced size in its nondistended state. That means less bladder to hit with a chunk of misplaced pelvis. Less bladder space means less displacement of colon, and other assorted anatomical injury risks when the pelvic cavity isn't crowded by the remnants of your last 7 red bulls. Speaking of colons,the famous PJD is not a bad idea either. Don't be full of crap unless you are bragging about your best distance to the ditzy, yet busty waitress at your nearest lakeside Hooter's.
Note: I wish I had the Rowboat's research team working for me. If that were the case, I would have have pictures of someone peeing, empty red bull cans, a jumper, a hooters girl, and a bottle of milk of magnesia to go with my little announcement
So do yourself a favor and pee in your jumpsuit. Just wait until you get into the water.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
What a..
buzzkiller, taking ramps out of a lake in 45 degrees and a 25 mph wind.
Well, taking a ramp out of a lake in any weather is a buzzkiller. I guess the whole ordeal wold suck worse on a 90 gegree day with no wind. At least if it's cold you won't feel like skiing, as much.
It helps to have one of these when you are pulling jump ramps out of the lake.
This is our distance ramp. It came out of the water in 15 minutes
the hitch is a much simpler, much more effective design than that of the show ski ramp. which took 2 hours to get out of the water.
Anyway, after putting the first ramp on shore, we had to unlatch the small floating docks from the large dock and stack them for the winter. This was a good forty-five minutes of sitting in the water trying to unbind cotter pins from steel latches that bind from the uneven flotation. Loads of fun. Luckily, I didn't lose a finger.
Now, back to the show jump. It was at the far end of the lake. We had to push it 2000 feet to the dock into the wind, with a 25-horse jonboat. That accounts for part of the two hours
By the way, I was the designated swimmer for the afternoon. That was made tolerable by the drysuit and neoprene booties. It took me about two hours to lose feeling in my feet. It would have taken about two seconds with bare feet, even with a drysuit.
Solid as though it may look, the hitch in the show ski ramp is angled poorly to set onto a trailer hitch. We were forced to improvise, putting the front of the tractor down the boat ramp, and bolting the hitch through a hole in the loader. This created a precarious situation. On several attempts, as Disco tried to back the ramp out of the water, the tractor's rear wheels came off the ground.
Two hours later, we are left with a sight that brings a jumper to tears.
Sniff, sniff, even the slalom course is out too.
How many days until spring 07?
Well, taking a ramp out of a lake in any weather is a buzzkiller. I guess the whole ordeal wold suck worse on a 90 gegree day with no wind. At least if it's cold you won't feel like skiing, as much.
It helps to have one of these when you are pulling jump ramps out of the lake.
This is our distance ramp. It came out of the water in 15 minutes
the hitch is a much simpler, much more effective design than that of the show ski ramp. which took 2 hours to get out of the water.
Anyway, after putting the first ramp on shore, we had to unlatch the small floating docks from the large dock and stack them for the winter. This was a good forty-five minutes of sitting in the water trying to unbind cotter pins from steel latches that bind from the uneven flotation. Loads of fun. Luckily, I didn't lose a finger.
Now, back to the show jump. It was at the far end of the lake. We had to push it 2000 feet to the dock into the wind, with a 25-horse jonboat. That accounts for part of the two hours
By the way, I was the designated swimmer for the afternoon. That was made tolerable by the drysuit and neoprene booties. It took me about two hours to lose feeling in my feet. It would have taken about two seconds with bare feet, even with a drysuit.
Solid as though it may look, the hitch in the show ski ramp is angled poorly to set onto a trailer hitch. We were forced to improvise, putting the front of the tractor down the boat ramp, and bolting the hitch through a hole in the loader. This created a precarious situation. On several attempts, as Disco tried to back the ramp out of the water, the tractor's rear wheels came off the ground.
Two hours later, we are left with a sight that brings a jumper to tears.
Sniff, sniff, even the slalom course is out too.
How many days until spring 07?
Friday, October 13, 2006
I am my own worst critic...
part 4 of 4.
Here, I conclude with another substandard attempt at what is an inconsistent trick for me, the W5B.
Take a looky-see.
Apparently, I start all my tricks in the right position
Good, compressing with the legs while keeping the back straight.
This series should be titled "the perils of preturning." I am ready to explode off the, uh, middle, of the wake. Once again, I've been impatient in my edge to the wake.
I have a nice spin going here, but look at where I am in relation to the wake. I am only a few inches away, laterally, from where I was preparing for takeoff in picture three. This is an example of solid technique in the wrong spot.
The preturn has caused me to spin into excessive slack rope. Because I did not use maximum wake height and rope load, I've pulled my hips inward with the handle pass, but I lacked the up and out direction that comes with using all of the wake. As a result, I don't get all the way around in the air. Even though I know I am sliding the trick, I try to spin the last 180 degrees anyway. Thanks to landing in slack, my ski is sinking as I spin. So it acts like a big scoop in the...
That fall stung.
Here, I conclude with another substandard attempt at what is an inconsistent trick for me, the W5B.
Take a looky-see.
Apparently, I start all my tricks in the right position
Good, compressing with the legs while keeping the back straight.
This series should be titled "the perils of preturning." I am ready to explode off the, uh, middle, of the wake. Once again, I've been impatient in my edge to the wake.
I have a nice spin going here, but look at where I am in relation to the wake. I am only a few inches away, laterally, from where I was preparing for takeoff in picture three. This is an example of solid technique in the wrong spot.
The preturn has caused me to spin into excessive slack rope. Because I did not use maximum wake height and rope load, I've pulled my hips inward with the handle pass, but I lacked the up and out direction that comes with using all of the wake. As a result, I don't get all the way around in the air. Even though I know I am sliding the trick, I try to spin the last 180 degrees anyway. Thanks to landing in slack, my ski is sinking as I spin. So it acts like a big scoop in the...
That fall stung.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
I am my own worst critic...
part 3 of 4.
W5F
Many of the same flaws in my wrapped WO technique show up in this trick. Observe.
As usual, I am in good position at the start.
Here's where the problems begin. I have reduced, not increased my edge and I am beginning to bend over slightly at the waist. This is the opposite of what I should be doing. I should be increasing my edge as I come into the top of the wake, and keeping an upright upper body.
As was the case with the WO, my axis is good, but I am in the wrong spot. Once again, I am mistaking the feeling of reduced rope tension from the flat ski for the feeling of the edged ski releasing off the top of the wake.
I do not finish the rotation in the air, I simply slide down the wake. The lack of direction at the beginning of the spin causes the slack rope, which in turn cause me to finish the (no credit) trick with poor body position.
I get back into tricking position only after a second or two of repositioning myself, and waiting for the rope to come tight. I'm still wasting time between tricks with poor execution.
The series concludes tomorrow with a W5B.
W5F
Many of the same flaws in my wrapped WO technique show up in this trick. Observe.
As usual, I am in good position at the start.
Here's where the problems begin. I have reduced, not increased my edge and I am beginning to bend over slightly at the waist. This is the opposite of what I should be doing. I should be increasing my edge as I come into the top of the wake, and keeping an upright upper body.
As was the case with the WO, my axis is good, but I am in the wrong spot. Once again, I am mistaking the feeling of reduced rope tension from the flat ski for the feeling of the edged ski releasing off the top of the wake.
I do not finish the rotation in the air, I simply slide down the wake. The lack of direction at the beginning of the spin causes the slack rope, which in turn cause me to finish the (no credit) trick with poor body position.
I get back into tricking position only after a second or two of repositioning myself, and waiting for the rope to come tight. I'm still wasting time between tricks with poor execution.
The series concludes tomorrow with a W5B.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Lakerykert news flash!!!!!!!!
I am no longer an unemployed ski bum. I am now an employed ski bum.
Here's an action (figure) shot.
Here's an action (figure) shot.
I am my own worst critic...
part 2 of 4.
This time it's my flip. I have my good and bad days with this trick, some days I stick the landing, some days I butt-check the landing, and sometimes put it in the water every time. This was a particularly bad day for flips.
I'm ok right here.
I'm still right where I need to be, stacked over the ski, setting a progressive edge.
This is where it goes bad. I've loaded the rope as hard as I can, and I'm not even in the spray yet. Notice my left shoulder. It's beginning to get pulled into the boat. I've already peaked the load on the rope, and at the moment of the picture, the rope load is beginning to decrease. I should be STARTING to edge more aggressively here, not peaking out.
The sensation of reduced rope load somewhat mimics the reduced rope tension that occurs when leaving the wake. This causes me to begin my flip rotation too early. I am just before the top of the wake, and I have already initiated the flip. At this point on the wake, I still need to be edging away.
Although my position in the air is good, I have not achieved much height because I have not used the full height of the wake, or the maximum load on the rope.
The result of all this is an incomplete rotation. My ski does not rotate under my hips, and I fall, damnit.
Tomorrow, wake 540 back-to-front!
This time it's my flip. I have my good and bad days with this trick, some days I stick the landing, some days I butt-check the landing, and sometimes put it in the water every time. This was a particularly bad day for flips.
I'm ok right here.
I'm still right where I need to be, stacked over the ski, setting a progressive edge.
This is where it goes bad. I've loaded the rope as hard as I can, and I'm not even in the spray yet. Notice my left shoulder. It's beginning to get pulled into the boat. I've already peaked the load on the rope, and at the moment of the picture, the rope load is beginning to decrease. I should be STARTING to edge more aggressively here, not peaking out.
The sensation of reduced rope load somewhat mimics the reduced rope tension that occurs when leaving the wake. This causes me to begin my flip rotation too early. I am just before the top of the wake, and I have already initiated the flip. At this point on the wake, I still need to be edging away.
Although my position in the air is good, I have not achieved much height because I have not used the full height of the wake, or the maximum load on the rope.
The result of all this is an incomplete rotation. My ski does not rotate under my hips, and I fall, damnit.
Tomorrow, wake 540 back-to-front!
Monday, October 09, 2006
I am my own worst critic...
part 1 of 4.
Thanks to a friend with a much better camera than I have, I had the opportunity to get some good sequence shots of some of my hand tricks (Thanks, Jeff!!). This gave me a great opportunity to critique myself, so here goes.
Wrapped wake O
As I am about to start the trick, I have an excellent stance over the ski, but very little edge into the wake. I will not be able to turn this trick into a reverse W5B unless I get a stronger edge into the wake.
Once again, a solid position with a good axis of rotation. The problem here is my location relative to the wake. Although I have released from the wake, I am directly over the top of the wake. This means that I must have begun to turn BEFORE the top of the wake
By turning early, I have advanced on the boat, with minimal outward direction. This is, more than likely, what caused the slack in the rope.
Although I have reset to a balanced skiing position, I have wasted a second or two waiting for the rope to come tight again. This is probably why My flip was out of time at dream lake three weeks ago. There is no time to waste in a 20-second pass.
Speaking of flips, that's the trick for part 2. Log in tomorrow for more in-depth analysis.
Thanks to a friend with a much better camera than I have, I had the opportunity to get some good sequence shots of some of my hand tricks (Thanks, Jeff!!). This gave me a great opportunity to critique myself, so here goes.
Wrapped wake O
As I am about to start the trick, I have an excellent stance over the ski, but very little edge into the wake. I will not be able to turn this trick into a reverse W5B unless I get a stronger edge into the wake.
Once again, a solid position with a good axis of rotation. The problem here is my location relative to the wake. Although I have released from the wake, I am directly over the top of the wake. This means that I must have begun to turn BEFORE the top of the wake
By turning early, I have advanced on the boat, with minimal outward direction. This is, more than likely, what caused the slack in the rope.
Although I have reset to a balanced skiing position, I have wasted a second or two waiting for the rope to come tight again. This is probably why My flip was out of time at dream lake three weeks ago. There is no time to waste in a 20-second pass.
Speaking of flips, that's the trick for part 2. Log in tomorrow for more in-depth analysis.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Lakerykert PSA
My amigos at The Green Boathouse have decided to paddle on. They have piled into a floating chick magnet, and now call themselves The Creaky Rowboat . Same wacky banter, new name. Enjoy the new locale.
I want to see them paddle @ 35.4 mph, letter P
I want to see them paddle @ 35.4 mph, letter P
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Yeah, Yeah,Yeah...
I hear it all the time: The crisp, clean, air,
Nature's color palette
The bountiful harvest.
Reaping the fruits of toil in the summer heat.
Need I go on?
The reality for skiers is that fall sucks.
Fall just means that this
.
looms near.
Being a transplant to the Midwest, my belief is that over generations, Midwesterners have deluded themselves into these myths about the change of seasons being so wonderful. It's the only thing that keeps you from offing yourself while scraping ice off of a windshield.
Next: gratuitous tricking photos
Nature's color palette
The bountiful harvest.
Reaping the fruits of toil in the summer heat.
Need I go on?
The reality for skiers is that fall sucks.
Fall just means that this
. looms near.
Being a transplant to the Midwest, my belief is that over generations, Midwesterners have deluded themselves into these myths about the change of seasons being so wonderful. It's the only thing that keeps you from offing yourself while scraping ice off of a windshield.
Next: gratuitous tricking photos
Monday, September 11, 2006
Big plans soaked...
by rain. Easily, the wettest damn tournament I've ever skied in was this past weekend. I (and everyone else at the lake) Shivered as the incessant rain gradually soaked through their rain covers.
The weather was gorgeous on Friday afternoon when I left my apartment
It was still nice on Friday night. What a great weekend to camp out at a tournament!
I had plans to sit out on the ramp to get both jump and slalom pictures, but it rained too damn much the rest of the weekend.
The Waterhawk Fall tournament reminded me of a collegiate tournament, from lots of "Triple Splat" plop-overs (to borrow a phrase from Clint), to overhearing a couple in "passionate embrace" (to borrow a cheesy synonym)in the tent across from mine. By the way, the girl(I don't know who) did not sound like she enjoyed the experience. Think whiny 6 year-old with a high fever, and that's about what she sounded like.
But enough about unfortunate hookups. A large contingent from the Iowa, Iowa State, And Wisconsinwater ski teams made the trip. While Iowa State sorely lacks the numbers for a competitive women's team, Both Iowa (Although I can't vouch for Wisconsin, the vast majority of males in the Iowa ski club are strictly wakeboarders, or 30 year old eligibility-long-gone-from-undergraduate-days three-eventers)and Wisconsin seem to lack the numbers to field a competitive men's team.
Speaking of the Iowa women's team, a girl took her first ride on a pair of trick skis at the tournament (I think Heidi was her name) and could not get her feet out of the bindings. Flailing helplessly, she could not swim to shore. The chaos that followed lowered the bar for open-water rescue.
Sorry about the picture orientation. I can't get Flickr to rotate it.
Libby managed to shoot a few jump pics before it rained.
I can't tell who that is, but it was a nice jump
Me, I think. None of my performances were worth the bandwith to mention them.
Clint, probably
Speaking of Libby, I've tried to talk her into camping out with me at a tournament all summer. She finally agreed to camp out on Saturday night. Libby was treated to a night of good fireworks with bad music (I swear I heard Toby Keith), cold temperatures, a rain-soaked blanket, a wet tent floor, a perculating drip on her head from the tent roof, and continued heavy rain the next morning. I don't understand why she left to go home at 8 am on Sunday morning.
Libby's ski tournament chair, it sat empty all day Sunday, except for the gallon of rainwater that collected inside it.
that's all I have for now. I need a camera with more zoom and more water-resistance.
The weather was gorgeous on Friday afternoon when I left my apartment
It was still nice on Friday night. What a great weekend to camp out at a tournament!
I had plans to sit out on the ramp to get both jump and slalom pictures, but it rained too damn much the rest of the weekend.
The Waterhawk Fall tournament reminded me of a collegiate tournament, from lots of "Triple Splat" plop-overs (to borrow a phrase from Clint), to overhearing a couple in "passionate embrace" (to borrow a cheesy synonym)in the tent across from mine. By the way, the girl(I don't know who) did not sound like she enjoyed the experience. Think whiny 6 year-old with a high fever, and that's about what she sounded like.
But enough about unfortunate hookups. A large contingent from the Iowa, Iowa State, And Wisconsinwater ski teams made the trip. While Iowa State sorely lacks the numbers for a competitive women's team, Both Iowa (Although I can't vouch for Wisconsin, the vast majority of males in the Iowa ski club are strictly wakeboarders, or 30 year old eligibility-long-gone-from-undergraduate-days three-eventers)and Wisconsin seem to lack the numbers to field a competitive men's team.
Speaking of the Iowa women's team, a girl took her first ride on a pair of trick skis at the tournament (I think Heidi was her name) and could not get her feet out of the bindings. Flailing helplessly, she could not swim to shore. The chaos that followed lowered the bar for open-water rescue.
Sorry about the picture orientation. I can't get Flickr to rotate it.
Libby managed to shoot a few jump pics before it rained.
I can't tell who that is, but it was a nice jump
Me, I think. None of my performances were worth the bandwith to mention them.
Clint, probably
Speaking of Libby, I've tried to talk her into camping out with me at a tournament all summer. She finally agreed to camp out on Saturday night. Libby was treated to a night of good fireworks with bad music (I swear I heard Toby Keith), cold temperatures, a rain-soaked blanket, a wet tent floor, a perculating drip on her head from the tent roof, and continued heavy rain the next morning. I don't understand why she left to go home at 8 am on Sunday morning.
Libby's ski tournament chair, it sat empty all day Sunday, except for the gallon of rainwater that collected inside it.
that's all I have for now. I need a camera with more zoom and more water-resistance.
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