There must have been...

an updraft.



Two things catch my attention from this clip:

1. That recovery would send Sir Isaac Newton back to the drawing board.
2. Ski tournament announcing gigs are neither the time nor the place for porn voice-over work.

Official video evidence of...

David becoming a bona fide tricker,



Yours truly coming tantalizingly close to the Toe Wake O,




And Maddy schooling the both of us in the ways of the toe strap.

I would have built some...

side curtains too.




Ahhhhhhh, remember the good old days when it was almost practical put a ramp on a public lake? Maybe there was another commercial in which the group of skiers used their Stanley tools to repair the frame after it was damaged from jet skis trying to jump the ramp.

Eddie Pola, George Wyle, ...

and Andy Williams are, in the immortal werds of Lloyd Christmas, "full of shit." Tournament season is the most wonderful time of the year.

Although, sometimes, it can be less wonderful than it should be


Despite the hand pass debacle, Maddy placed a solid 5th Overall in her division.

One of the best parts about going to a tournament is the ability to pack lightly.

We had no need to bring portable buildings, large appliances, or any similarly sized items that might add unnecessary bulk to the drive up.
So roomy...


We had arrived.

10 days and a....

full course of Keflex later, Nola is on the mend




It's time for that dog to start doing what she does best,

harassing skiers.

Signs you least expect to see...

at a ski lake:
#1

No peeing in the lake? Huh?

Apparently, the folks at Trophy Lakes in Minnesota are quite particular about the chemical composition of their lake water.



Stay tuned, Vids from 2011 Midwest Regionals are soon to come.

This past weekend was not all...

Veterinary emergencies.. Between rain showers, there was Iowa State Championship Tournament.

My performance was, well, I'll let Randy Jackson describe it:


After a pass on the third jump, I took a jumper's walk of Shame.

Had I taken the jump, there would have been no walk, only shame.



Taking that last jump might have looked like this:

thankfully, Brian walked away from that one

I had planned to take a bunch of pics and video, honestly.

(Both) readers, blame the dearth of video on this:

Lakerykert team member injured...

this past weekend.

When not concocting elabotate schemes to foil the CRB's
drinking plans, Nola is my tournament sidekick.


Her normal tournament duties include swimming, shaking off on other skiers and/or spectators, soliciting anyone for free petting, and giving me a pre-ski pep talk.* While performing said duties, Nola makes a few assumptions:
1. All humans in attendance are her newest best friends
2. All other dogs in attendance will be her new best friends.
3. All humans in attendance want to throw the racquetball into the water
4. All food, if it's on the ground, goes to the hound.


This time, Nola was wrong about #2.



She was very wrong.
In exchange for an inquisitive sniff, a 40 lb. pipsqueak of a Labradoodle bit off a chunk of Nola's right ear. As always, she showed her true fighting spirit while cowering onto the ground. It's not too serious of an injury, but the vet will have to sedate her tomorrow to shave the ear and give it a good cleaning. She also got a course of antibiotics. Interesting sidenote: The standard large breed dose of Keflex is the same as the standard adult dose.

In about a week or so, she should be back to doing this:


In the meantime, enjoy the drugs Nola.

*Nola's pep talks entail loud barking in my ear while I slip my my feet into soapy bindings. If she deems I am not sufficiently "jacked," she jumps in after me.

I need a jumpsuit...

for flips

Much have you learned...

young Padawan.



David decided to strap on a trick ski (two, actually) about a year ago. after a set or two, he could do a full complement of surface tricks. So I decided to let him try one ski. The clip above is 1) evidence of his progression, and 2) validation of my coaching ability.

Not bad for one year's work. He almost has the toe back/toe front as well. Footage in a couple more sets.

Approved or not....

this is pretty bad-ass stuff.

I bid you...

welcome to the waterski blogosphere, Matt. (Both my readers) give it up for knoffed-it.
Matt's stated mission is "to utterly and completely eff things up to the point of non-recognition." Few pursuits have been nobler.




This is the signature Pic on Matt's blog. Readers (again, both of you), don't let the rough jumping fool you. "Knoff" is a very solid tricker and slalomer (is slalomer a word?).

Make room in the boat...

for Scout Frances...





I will say she arrived in dramatic fashion, and leave it at that.

First things first....

Now that she has some ski equipment, maybe Libby and I can come up with a name. If anyone (or a corporation) comes asking for naming rights, I'll at least listen. Exploitation fades in a sea of zeros.

Huh?

In April, this is not cool.

The Short answer is...

Hell Yes!

"FROM: Richelle Matli, AWSA Rules Committee Chair

SUBJECT: AWSA Rules Committee Survey Regarding Proposed Increase in Jump Speeds


In the past several weeks, you were e-mailed a survey regarding proposed changes to jump speeds for the divisions listed below. The AWSA Rules Committee would like to give as many affected jumpers as possible, the opportunity to respond to the survey so that the committee has adequate data on which to base its recommendations.

If you have already submitted your survey, thank you! If not, please take a moment to complete the survey using the appropriate link below. Even if you think the proposed changes do not affect you, we want your feedback. We have extended the survey deadline to April 15, 2011.

If you know of any jump skiers that would be affected by this proposal who do not check e-mail on a regular basis, please ask them to do so or inform USA Water Ski or myself of their choices."


I say raise the speeds (and while you're at it, the ramp too, but that is another debate). Any M3 skier that wants to jump @ 33.6 is welcome to continue doing so.


Raise the speeds USAWS!

Holy Shit!!!!

In nearly 10 days, this




will no longer be riding in this


Instead, it will be riding in this

0402111151 - Copy, a photo by no_hypothermia on Flickr.

Is this picture real or hopefully imagined??

Happily, time is running out...

for off topic posts, as ski season (and other major developments soon to be announced) draws near.
Anyway, while Steve Jobs slowly destroys my ears during my off-season workouts, I have come to a frightening couple of frightening realizations:
1. A hug chunk of the music on my iPod is pushing, or has passed, the 20-year-old barrier.
2. The early 90s FUCKING ROCKED!
2a. I'm getting old?
I submit as evidence:


Of course, with every yin, there is a yang, and there was a sizable amount of music in the early 90s that, despite attempts, did not fucking rock.
I submit as evidence:


No way in hell can I end on a Spin Doctors video. So here is more support for realization #2

Clever, but not...

clever enough CRB. Even with Muary Levy on retainer, Nola has been playing the game about 10 moves ahead. Remember Back When you hired Jack Bauer to take Nola out? That, coincidentally, was the same time Nola was using Jack Bauer as a double agent to swindle the CRB out of their cooler and their paddle once and for all.

Here's how it happened: You see, Nola literally sniffed out the plan the CRB plan to hire Jack Bauer. Sniffed out as in Jack smelled like Cheez-its. Next time CRB, shower before your clandestine meetings. So, Nola sold a few Milkbones on Ebay and ponied up enough cash to to Make Jack Listen.

Don't think it's possible? Here's the evidence.


Remember this scene, the crux (so you thought)of CRB retribution?


All a ruse. The plan was for Jack to paddle out into international waters, have Jack "shoot and miss," sinking the rowboat, leaving the paddle and the (puke-tinged) CRB cooler floating aimlessly, just waiting to be claimed.

All Nola had to do was lay low for a while, hop in the boat, and scoop up the goods.


Even Muary Levy is helpless,as Nola operated in international waters.


Jack McCoy's(as Nola's Duly appointed fiduciary) role in this chapter? to remind Muary, (and his CRB clients) just how screwed he is.

CRB, again, you messed with...

the wrong dog.

Recently, you accused a certain Golden Retriever

of plagiarism. A week or two has passed since that masochistic accusation. In that week or two, rage incubated. Nola read your 1000th post. Now the dog is out for blood. And she has some help

Jack Bauer is a pansy compared to the napalm steamroller now in Nola's employ: Nola hired a Jack more terrifying (to those he opposes)than even Jack the Ripper. That Jack is none other than Jack McCoy.






Jack (as Nola's duly appointed fiduciary) is coming for you, CRB. He's suing you for libel. Get ready for a mountain of paperwork

Here is a glimpse of your future

CRB, Jack (as Nola's duly appointed fiduciary) has a question for you:


CRBers
in case you might be wondering just how Nola has the means to retain Jack McCoy's services, she put up two trophies up as collateral.


When will you learn, CRB, to let, as the proverb cautions, sleeping dogs lie?