Conference vicki::boats

    The biggest contributor to slack is coming into the turn too fast.
    Things to do to decelerate are: 1) get off the cutting edge quickly
    after coming trough the second wake and switch onto the opposite
    edge. 2) Put more weight on the front of the ski by pushing your
    hips forward and bending your knees a little more. Do not lean
    forward, though, keep your shoulders up.
    
    From this point, be patient. Let the turn begin with this motion,
    don't force it. The motion should be smooth and continuous.
    It first it seems like slow motion, but once you
    get the feel, you can get more aggressive. A concept that helps
    me is to think of the turn as the only phase of skiing, the turn
    ends when you've come through the second wake and then you start
    the next one. This means that the pull is strongest when you're
    coming through the wake, not when you starting the cut.
    
    Taking off a loop helps bcause there is less rope, but it only
    masks the real problem.

    Jeanne...I will reiterate two things from .1 that are most important:
    1) SMOOTH but quick transitions from outside to inside edge, and
    2) DO NOT bend at the waist...EVER!.  You must maintain your pull
    against the boat by leaning away through the wakes and turn using
    the edge transition, not "bending" into the turn.  Also, gloves
    will help your grip, but it sounds like your problem is technique
    and you'll find that once you get the "rhythm" the gloves will help
    your endurance through the course.  Good luck!
    
    					...Roger...

    
    Thanks Roger and Dave....I'll print this out and imbed it into
    my brain.  I understand about keeping the body aligned, but this
    is easier done going thru the wake than it is making the turn.
    
    I think my problem was going from an edge to a flat ski and then
    to an inside edge, instead of the smooth transition you've been
    talking about.  I'll work on it this weekend (provided it gets 
    into at least the 70's)
    
    Jeanne
    

        As .1 pointed out, you need to decelerate before going into
        your turn.  If you don't already have one, an adjustable 
        stabilizer foil (a.k.a. 'cheater', ski-break, etc.) really
        helps.  It made a world of difference for me, especially on
        my weak side turns.  It wears you out a lot faster because
        of the drag, but you can adjust the pitch.
        
        Another thing that I've noticed that causes slack, especially
        on the weak side, is coming out of your turn too soon and 
        poping up on the flat part of the ski.  It gives a sling shot
        effect, and results in slack in the rope since you are no
        longer pulling against the boat.

        /wayne

    
    I think I need a longer fin (or something)....every once in a
    while the ski starts to slide out from under me as I'm skiing
    across the wake.  Its' like I'm angling the ski too much, 
    the fin comes out of the water and the ski skips into a slide.
                                                              
    Well, I need an excuse to order a new ski from Overton's anyhow
    :).....
    
    Jeanne
    
    
    

        Jeanne,
        	That is where a cheater will help.  It helps hold
        the tail of the ski in the water (as well has helping in
        deceleration).  When I first started using one there were
        a couple of instances crossing the wake where the tail came
        out of the water and I thought "Oh boy, here we go!  Get
        ready for a crash."  But then the cheater grabed hold and
        sucked the ski back down into the water.  You can buy
        cheaters from Overtons for most skis.  Most tournament
        fins already have the holes drilled for the cheater.
        I just put one and my friend's Jobe and I could see the 
        improvement in his skiing immediately.  The only drawback is 
        the you get tired a lot quicker because of the drag from 
        the braking effect.
        
        /wayne

    
    Wayne,
    
    Thanks!  Thats what I need then.....yes, its not a cozy feeling
    when you feel the ski start to slide out from under you....feels
    like your on ice.
    
    But this cheater thing gives you more of a workout!!  Uh oh, I
    had a hard time shifting gears this morning!! :)
    
    Jeanne
    

    Jeanne...
    
    The cheater is a good idea, I have one on my KGX (it came with one)
    but you shouldn't really need it unless you're at the point where
    your shoulders touch the water around the bouys!  :-)  The "wing"
    helps in all phases of a slalom run, but it's body position and
    technique that ultimately dictate how (and if) the ski stays in
    the water, espcially at long line lengths.  You may actually be
    over-exaggerating your lean away from the boat if the ski pops out
    crossing the wakes.  Or, you're not "slicing" the wake (keeping
    on the outside edge) but actually catching some air as you hit the
    first wake...this combined with the lean away from the boat can
    cause the ski to kick out.
    
    I've found that I usually loose the tail (even with the cheater)
    going around the bouys.  I'd love to think it's because I'm leaning
    so hard and making a perfect turn (ha ha) but it's usually because
    I've missed the pre-turn and I'm trying to recover for lost time,
    which typically results in my face having a close encounter of the
    aquatic kind!  And my ribs don't appreciate it either!  :-)
    
    FYI, Overton's has the cheaters (using such names as "Stabilizer
    Foil" [Connelly], "Spoiler" [Kidder], "Wings" [EP], "Cheater Wing"
    [Jobe], "Hydra-Wing" [O'Brien]) for $5.95 to $11.95, depending on
    which ski manufacturer you want to buy from.  Much cheaper than
    a new ski!  Good luck...
    
    					...Roger...

    Try bending your knees more as you cross the wakes. My skiing buddy
    suggested this to me last weekend, and it seems that my ski is riding
    deeper in the water, I'm decelerating better in the preturn and
    the ski is kicking out less. The natural tendancy for you while
    you're crossing the wake and "resisting" the boat, (nobody uses
    the term "pull" anymore) is to straiten your legs to give more
    leverage. But this only causes you to accelerate, which causes
    slackline at the turn as you change edges. The key is to "slow down",
    Just watch the pros, it looks like their in slo-motion around the
    bouys.
    Good luck,
    Doug.