Conference vicki::boats

    Roger,     
    
    I could be interested in taking a day off from work to
    abuse my body trying to barefoot.  Do you know how many
    people they take per boat for the day??  ie: are there
    15 people all waitng to get a pull or does the group size
    stay as small as when you guys were in FLA. ,  where you
    definitely were DONE by the end of the day.
    $85 isn't too bad if you get all you can take.  I may
    have even worked out the cobwebs from the winter by June.
    
    Two more weeks until the BAJA comes out.
    /Mike Smith
    
    
    PS.   Fort Meadow Res.  is pretty much back up to normal
    levels now, for anyone interested.  The only problem is they
    are really trying to cut down on public access,  except for
    the one public launch,  but that doesn't open until Memorial
    Day.
    

    No problem Mike.  I posted it here to stimulate as much interest as
    possible.
    
    My impression is that it will be run the same way as in Florida with
    group sizes limited to no more than 5 or 6 per boat, maybe less.  It
    won't be a "stand in line on the dock waiting for the boat to come
    around and throw a rope (or boom) at you."  If memory serves we were
    never more than 4 skiers when we were in Florida.  You'd be surprised
    how much you'll appreciate having a 3 or 4 person rest before your next
    turn on the water.  It's like playing hockey when you substitute in for
    a few minutes and skate like crazy, then sit out for a couple of line
    changes.  You need those people to ski so you can recharge the body.
    After you beat on yourself in the morning, you're almost ready to quit
    for the day, but typically you'll work on something in the morning and
    you'll want to "take care of unfinished business" during the afternoon,
    which works out well.  By the end of the day if your not "done" you
    didn't try hard enough.  It's as simple as that.  Of course, there's
    always tomorrow!  :-)
    
    I'll keep you posted.
    
    					...Roger...

    As I recall, they are towing in two boats (possibly three) and at
    4 skiers per boat... that's plenty of skiing. I agree with roger,
    maybe one of us should call Mike or Nick and try to set something
    up. As far as "plane skiing", that's Don's department, but I'm 
    sure it won't be done on any rivers. Maybe we can strike a deal,
    we'll all ptich in for Don's Avgas and Mike and Nick can give us
    free lessons for a day. ;^)  I'm gonna be in Florida for a week
    begining on April 30th, unfortunately it'll be on the other side
    of the state. (Tampa) Otherwise I'd stop in to B.I. for a visit.
    (Although ya never know...)
    Doug.

    I called Water Skis Plus in Spencer this morning to inquire about their
    sponsoring of Zenon Bilas this summer.  For those who don't know, Zenon
    is a nationally ranked barefooter with a school in Palm Springs,
    Florida.  Here's the scoop:
    
    * When : August 7-11 (one week only, Mon. - Fri.)
    * Cost : $75 per day, $50 each additional day, $25 holds a spot
    * Equipment : the lady wasn't sure about them providing equipment free
    	but said whatever is need could be obtained if necessary.
    * Booking : space is available, contact Water Skis Plus at
    	508-885-3335.
    
    					...Roger...

    I just got off the phone with Barefoot International.  Here's more
    up-to-date info on Mike Seipel's clinic here in Mass.
    
    There will be no weekend days at all, that is the clinics will be
    Monday through Friday only.  Full day bookings only, no half days.
    Rates are $85 per day, $375 for a 5-day week.  Equipment is supplied.
    They are booking a maximum of 5 people per boat.  At present they are
    trying to fill 2 boats per day but will book a 3rd boat if necessary.
    No days are "full" yet although they have at least one day with 8 slots
    already filled and several days with 5 or more booked.  If we have a
    group of 5 or less and we book soon we should be able to ski together
    on the same day.
    
    If you're interested send me (via VAX MAIL using the above address)
    your preferred day(s) within the following dates: June 5-9, 12-16, or
    19-21.  June 19th is the day that has 8 slots already booked so that's
    probably out.
    
    					...Roger...

	Mike and Nick informed me that they plan to return to Brookfield
	once again this year for BI's Eastern Region School.  Formalities
	still need to be resolved, and the time will once again be in June.
	They were very pleased with last year's school and the site.  The
	conditions on the Quabog for 'footin are some of the best they've
	ever seen for the sport (and they should know!)

	I also noticed in WaterSki's 1990 Boat Buyer's Guide that the
	school is already advertised in the Ski School Directory, so let's
	make plans now to get a group together and go!  I'm up for 3 days--
	MAX!

	-ric.

	The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived--BI called
	this morning!  They will be returning to the area in June!
	Here are the detail:

	Location: Quabog in Brookfield (same as last year)
	Dates:    June 4 - June 20 (no weekends)
	Cost:     $100.00 per day, or $450.00 for a week (this is
                  a substantial increase from $85.00 per day, but...
		  if ya wanna play, ya pay!)

	Let me know who's interested as quickly as possible, and I'll
	call BI back and see if we can get a group rate!

	-ric.

	BTW, include the dates that are best for you...The first week,
	June 4, is actually not good for me, and I'd like to go for
	three days...maybe two days in a row and then rest a day...
	or three days in a row would be fine...let me know!

	-ric.

    Roger, Ric, Mike, and Jeanne;
     
    Well?   HOW WAS IT??
    
    I want Details...
    
    Doug 

BI was an experience!  We missed you Doug!  We all piled
into the boat at 7:45 a.m. Friday morning, Rodger was the
first one in (he's not shy) he started with one foots and
one-foot toe-holds off the 5-foot leader.  Ric M., jumped
in next and did some back deeps and then went onto the
long line and practiced some *fast* wake crossings.

Rick S. was tumbling all over the place off the 5 ft.,
I think he even did two 360's, or was that Mike?  Mike
S's big accomplishment was a back deep off the rope...
looked just like Mike Siepel to me!  Then it was my
turn and I informed Nik (the teacher) that I don't
like to "go fast, get wet, or fall"!  Anyways, Nik had
me successfully step off a ski on the 5ft line and
that was exactly what I wanted to accomplish....

The group did tons more than I have time to write
about, but all in all, it was a great day and a
fun experience!

Jeanne   

It was great fun!  As Jeanne said, we got out onto the water right away (7:45)
and everyone did excellent.

I was first, and win the "When are you gonna learn to keep your arms straight?"
award.  Had I kept that in mind my day wouldn't have ended after the first run
of the afternoon.  But I did get in a full morning of abuse, which was
excellent!  I started with some one-foot exercises ('foot on one foot while
doing a deep knee bend and waving the "up" leg side to side...this apparently
builds strength and stability).  I was able to get myself stable enough by the
third set and did a picture-perfect one-foot toehold!  I was psyched!  Now when
we go to Florida I can get a picture doing double one-foot toeholds with Mike
Seipel!  :-)  After lunch I did another nice toehold, then got ambitious and
tried it on the other foot, at which time I took a nice digger and elbowed
myself in the ribs.  It wouldn't have happened if my arms were straight!  That
took me out for the rest of the day.  It only hurt when I would breathe (yeah,
I know, so why didn't I just stop breathing!  arr arr!).

Ric gets the "Let me show you how it's done" award as he showed us that being
there the day before was worth it, nailing 5 or 6 back deepwater starts off the
5' section.  He then went on to work on his wakes on the longline for a couple
of sets.  The afternoon saw Ric doing more wakes and trying the back deeps
again.  No luck in the afternoon on the back deeps, but they'll come back.

Mike receives the "I milked the instructor's for all they're worth" award,
having tried the most variety of things during the day.  Mike figured out that
handle position is the key to all this stuff, and showed us that keeping that in
mind lets you do nice 180 and 360 tumbleturns. He did some fine deepwater starts
both off the 5' section and longline (if he doesn't slam his feet in the
water!). :-)  Mike also did some nice one-foot, showing excellent position on
both feet.  Later on, Mike tried some back deeps and was definitely standing up
before getting cocky and digging his heels.  He'll be back-footin' by the end of
this season!

Rick is given the "How come my body parts get caught on the water?" award for
catching his butt on deepwater starts and his elbow on tumbleturns.  But Rick
finally learned the laws of handle position and was doing deepwater and
tumble-up starts as well as some fine tumbleturns in no time.  Remember Rick,
when doing tumbleturns, look/lean away from the turn and don't dig that elbow!
A couple of excellent faceplants also provided some entertainment for the boat
crew!  :-)  We'll have Rick out on the longline in a very short time.  And all
without TENNIES!!!!!

Jeanne earned our "most improved footer" award, starting with some excellent
footin' on the boom.  Then she did a slalom step-off on the boom.  She then
advanced right to the 5' section, doing some fine slalom step-offs (they were
soooooo smooth!).  Finally the moment she feared the most arrived when Nick
said, "OK Jeanne, now we're going to learn how to fall!"  The look on Jeanne's
face was priceless.  But she found out that's it's not that bad.

I would like to officially welcome to Rick and Jeanne to the "BBC" (although we
may have to rename it to the "BPC" for Bad *Person* Club)!

...Roger...

    
    Well I can not add much to what Jeanne and Roger have already said
    except that I had a great time out at BI Friday.  The weather was
    perfect,  sunny and basically glass water all day.  I think that 
    all five of us came way learning something new and basically happy
    with out progress.  I know I had not anticipated being able to do
    a backwards deepwater start.  In fact I practiced it last weekend
    and just about have it down.  I can get up and standing, but the back
    of my head keeps SLAMMING into the water shortly after I get up.
    Gotta work on that.
    Jeanne did great,  I have never seen someone go from the boom to
    the five foot leader so quickly.   Now she will be able to see
    what it is like longline when she steps out behind her new boat.
    
    Hope we can get together for somemore foot'n this summer.
    Mike S.
    
    
    

	I heard some disurbing news over the weekend about an accident
	at one of BI's summer sights.  Mike had a group of students in
	a boat and the skier fell.  While he was swinging the boat around
	quickly, one of the students sitting on the gunnel was thrown
	from the boat, run over and killed.

	I got this news from someone who talked to Mike at a recent
	boat show.  Does anyone know of this incident, and if Mike is
	having any charges filed against him, whether criminal or
	civil?

	-ric.

    Most Disturbing.
    Depending on where the accident happened, the possibilities of the
    lawyers having a field day with this one are pretty strong.
    
    For example, in N.H. gunnel riding is strictly prohibited (against the
    law) and it's the owner/operators responsibility to make sure everyone
    in the boat is in compliance.
    
    According to the BI summer schedule, August they were in San Francisco
    and in September, Mike was to be in Europe.
    
    Scary to think that it could have been anyone of us, at anytime.  :^(
    
    I feel real bad for Mike because he really is safety concious.
    (not to mention the family of the victim)
    
    This will probably be another blow "Barefooting is an unsafe activity"
    syndrome.
    
    Doug_the disturbed

    
    I heard about this accident 3 weeks ago from the folks
    over at Water-Ski Plus.  The accident happened in late
    July, early August, I'm not sure where though.  Can't
    believe something like this happened, especially with
    Mike, I've heard he's the cautious type.
    
    Yeah Doug, it could have been one of us.  When we
    went to BI this June, I was sitting on the gunnel when
    we left the slip to go out and get started with barefootin'.
    In fact, a couple of us were sitting that way, but we
    weren't in the process of skiing yet.  
    
    I told a friend of mine about the accident and he couldn't
    understand how falling off the side of the boat would result
    in death with a tournament boat, but then I remembered Mike
    uses the 200 Yamaha O.B.'s.   Must have been pretty gruesome.
    
    Jeanne
    

re .13   (...well, almost)

	I heard an n'th hand story this week-end about a guy who was 
barefooting in Ashburnham Mass about 10 days ago.  Apparently the boat 
occupants didn't realize he wasn't there for  "quite a while", they 
were all facing forward and enjoying the ride, no-one spotting as 
such.  By the time they went back for him it was a LONGGGGggg way back 
and they found him splatted on a floating dock (may have been a raft, 
this is n'th hand info).  The driver claimed that he went to one side 
of that and thought the footer was on the same side, concluded that he 
must have crossed the wake at just the wrong time and WHACK !   
They're still waiting for the pressure in his head to go down before 
attempting any surgery, chances are believed to be slim...

	This is pure speculation, but I'd guess that

a)	the driver went too close to the dock/raft thing, though I 
	don't know if it was a drifting AND floating section of dock.

b)	nobody was looking out for debris, rollers, etc

c)	they didn't troll down the planned course and check for  
	"stuff",  like the 8ft section of dock that Rick and I found
	adrift in the Merrimac one time. 

	The name is Dave Debreault (my guess at the spelling)  
	supposedly a competitive footer.  He has some relationship 
	with/too a member of my son's girlfriend's family, so I'll
	probably hear more about it from time to time  {in addition to
	"don't try that dad"}. 


	Reg

    
    
    FYI =  Just thought I'd make mention of Mike Seipel's coming to
           Brookfield, I believe the dates are in August.  I read it
           in my daughter's waterski mag, one of the last two issues
           not sure which one.  He will be on the Quabog again.
          
          
          

Mike is usually in Mass. in June.  I (along with a few other noters) went last
year on June 8th.  The schedule varies...I haven't called for this year's
schedule yet.  but between myself and others, it should get posted in the near
future.

...Roger...

	Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this.  I was gonna do it
	sooner or later, and now seems to be a good time.    After reading
	in the WaterSki Equipment Buyer's Guide that Mr. Seipel would be
	at the Quabog again, with the new Barefoot 200's etc., I called
	BI to get the exact dates.  Mary didn't have good news for me.
	Mike won't be doing the traveling school anymore.  I questioned
	the entry that was in the School Directory and she said that
	they may have pulled it over from last year's issue, "they do
	that sometimes."  Going through my head was, "there wasn't
	a WaterSki Equipment Buyer's Guide last year, and the entry in
	the School Directory explicitely says something about the new
	MasterCraft Barefoot 200, which didn't exist a year ago."  I
	wasn't about to argue with her.

	Maybe one of you other FootHeads could call BI, and see if
	there's any update.  I don't understand why he'd put an
	entry in the School Directory, but on the other hand, his
	latest advertisements in WaterSki have mentioned nothing about
	his world tour.  In previous years, his advertisements did.
	I'm not encouraged...

	I'll surely miss Mr. Seipel this year if this is the case.

	Regards,

	-ric.

Ric...I'm not entirely clear on what you're saying here.  Does that mean Mike
himself won't be coming, but the clinics will still be held (by Nick and co.)?
Did you get the impression that B.I. is no longer doing the "Bring Mike to your
site" clinics as well?  Or does this all mean he just wants to work out of the
Florida school?  Maybe I'll just call and ask...

...Roger...

	Rog,

	Mary told me that he won't be doing the travelling school
	anymore...meaning that BI won't be coming to Quabog, no
	Mike, no Nick, no Jomamamamamama.  However, Mike will
	continue to do the "bring Mike to your site" clinics.

	Bad news, eh?

	-ric.

Ric,

  Yeah, that's a bummer.  I guess that means he'll just do the Florida school
  and travel "by appointment" only.  Maybe he'll do the Wisconsin school also,
  since that's "home" for him.  Either way, given a choice to go to Wisconsin
  or Florida, I wonder which one I'd choose?  :-)

  Maybe we can start a New England barefoot school of our own?  Naaaahh!  :-)

...Roger...

	Rog,

	So you called BI?

	-ric.

Well, it's 2 weeks later and yes, I did call B.I.  The folks at the 800 number
don' know didley.  The guy I talked to said, "Well, the schedule is changing,
so the clinic in Mass. may not be at the same time as last year, but he's gonna
be there sometime."  So I called the Florida school and spoke with Dave Harrell
(one of the boys from "Hot Rock'n Feet").  The official scoop from Dave is that
Mike is *not* doing the travelling clinics anymore.  Period.  He'll be teaching
and training at the Florida school year-round.  He will, however, do the "bring
Mike to your site" clinics on a per-request basis.  Dave took my name and number
and put down "in the book" which he said will put me in touch with groups in
this area that are trying to get enough people together to afford to "bring Mike
to their site."  Fair enough, I guess.  I told Dave I could probably round up
3-5 people, and anytime between May and September would be considered.

In other news, the guy at the 800 number says that they're in the process of
getting new catalogs printed, and one should be on its way to me in a couple of
weeks.

That's the latest.

...Roger...

I got a call from Dave Harrell of B.I. this passed weekend.  He says that Tom
Carrier of Valley Marine in Rindge, N.H. is sponsoring Mike to come up for a
clinic on May 10-11 (that's a Friday and Saturday), but he said if there's a lot
of people that sign up they will bring Mike for additional days earlier that
week.  They are limiting the "classes" to 5 people per boat and they'll be
running 2 boats each day for a total of 10 students per day.  Mike is coming,
but I didn't ask who the other instructor would be.  I also don't know if B.I.
will be bringing up Barefoot 200's or if Tom is supplying "substitutes".

I haven't contacted Tom yet because I'm not going to be able to make it, but I
thought some of you 'footin' folks would be interested in this.  Tom can be
reached at (603)-899-3378 if you want to find out if there are any openings
and how much it will be for the day.

...Roger...

	As it turns out I won't be able to make it that day either.  I'm
	saving my $$ for other things...:-)

	I did ask Mr. Harrell about the boats which will be used.  He told
	me that Valley Marine is a MasterCraft dealer and will be supplying
	Barefoot 200s.

	Have fun if you decide to go!!

	-ric.

    I called Valley Marine. I've been *thinking* of learning how to
    barefoot, can't get a better opportunity.
    
    here's the scoop;
    
    Friday and Saturday are already booked solid. Tom has added an
    additional day, Thursday which has at least one of the five slots
    tentatively spoken for (me!).
    
    Cost is $45 per half day, $80 for a full. Mike is supplying the boats.
    According to Tom, there will be another instructor but Mike will get to
    everyone. Bring whatever gear you have, Mike will bring some of his
    "stuff" as well. Reservations require 1/2 deposit payable to Valley
    Marine. 
    
    ~jeff
         

    re .26
    
    FYI   Valley Marine is not a Mastercraft dealer, they are a Malibu/
    Flightcraft dealer and have been since Malibu came to Northern New
    England.  While there you might want to talk to Tom and ask him for
    a test ride/run behind a Malibu and see why I like mine so much and
    would not switch.  I do believe that Doug will second that thought.
    
    	Greg

    Hi Greg,
      Yup Valley Marine is definately a Malibu/Flightcraft dealer.  But
    they might also be a Mastercraft and/or Yamaha dealer which is a
    sponsor of Mike Seipel.  (Unless they just brought him in for $500 a
    day plus expenses (?)).
    
      What do you mean I'll second that thought?  I liked my Malibu first!
    :^)       :^)         :^)         :^)        :^)        :^)         :^)
    
    Doug

    I thought I'd share my first barefooting experience with you all. I
    went to the Barefoot International clinic at Valley Marina in Rindge NH
    last Friday to learn from the master, Mike Seipel. 
    
    It was rainy and cool when we got there at 7:30. There weren't enough
    drysuits for everyone so some had to share. There weren't enough b/f
    wetsuits for everyone either so some did without or compromised. I
    ended using a pair of padded shorts, my own ski-jacket and then my own
    drysuit over everything. Not the hot set-up for un-restricted movement.
    Some used plain wetsuits with borrowed drysuits. 
    
    For boats we used an 89 Malibu Skier, a student's boat hired for the
    day for insurance purposes [but he got to ski for free, although he
    drove most of the time], and a Supra Comp, again a student's boat.
    Valley Marina had a brandy-new Flightcraft 200XL w/175 OMC outboard but
    it was too new and too $$$ to be used and then sold as a demo. That was
    a World Approved Competition boat. It planes in about 1.1 seconds, more
    on that later.
    
    We hit the water around 7:45 with 6 people in the boat starting with
    the boom, then short line, then lunch. By lunch time we were chilled to
    the bone. After lunch the sun came out and things started to warm up.
    We had worked with Mike all morning, and then some clown took over and
    dragged students across the water and set us back a few hours. No-one
    was able to duplicate the results they had with Mike. Drivers are
    everything.  Because of the lousy weather in the morning two boat were
    sharing a sheltered cove that had little wind and flatter water. Most
    of the water was too rough, either from the wind or the two boats
    trying not to collide. Some of the runs were  so short that you barely
    had time to plane off on your fanny before they shut you down to turn
    around. The morning was hard for everyone.
    
    We did some more practice runs after lunch with the owner/student of 
    the Malibu Skier, also named Mike, and we had slightly better success. 
    By 4:00 everyone was calling it quits and heading home except for 3 people,
    myself included. The sun was beating on us, the water had calmed down, it 
    was nice. Mike S returned to "make champions" of us all. I was
    disappointed with my own personal acheivements in the morning, I did
    terrible actually. After lunch I was doing some textbook boom runs, and
    then the 5' line, and then Mike said it was time for the long line. I
    made a few attempts, kinda-sorta made it up, but felt it was more
    important to perfect my fall, which I did well. At 5:30 we knocked off.
    I wish I had the morning to do over. Of all the students in my boat,
    only one was able to do a longline run, brief, but he made it. Had my
    morning not been a diaster I think I would have done well with all the
    attention I had in the afternoon.  
    
    We got autographed posters of the MC BF 200's, equipment catalogs, 
    bumper stickers, and certificates of outstanding "feets". Not what I
    expected but I'm glad I went. Saturday was suppose to have 16 students,
    *maybe* a third boat, the same amount of insufficient equipment, and
    the usual local boat traffic for a sunny weekend. 
    
    ~jeff
    
    Hey, do I belong to the BBC now ? 

re      <<< Note 334.30 by DECXPS::JEGREEN "Money talks, mine says GOODBYE" >>>

	Sounds like you did pretty good Jeff - congrats.


>                      -< BI clinic at Valley Marina 5-10 >-

	errr, is that a reference to the date, or the economy set-up ?
    
>    dragged students across the water and set us back a few hours. No-one
>    was able to duplicate the results they had with Mike. Drivers are
>    everything.  Because of the lousy weather in the morning two boat were

	So, you took good notes on Mike's driving, right ?

>    By 4:00 everyone was calling it quits and heading home except for 3 people,
>    myself included. The sun was beating on us, the water had calmed down, it 

	Just a glutton for pain ?


	Reg	{Maybe - I dunno, maybe}

    	Boy, sounds like the recession has hit BI!

    	Our day last year on the Quabog was just about perfect.

    	Perfect water conditions, since the river was bordered on
    both sides by weedy areas, the boat wakes just disappeared
    seconds after they were created.

    	Mike had 2 fairly new MC BF 200's with him and was accompanied
    by a knowledgeable crew for both boats. I'm not sure about the amount
    of equipment BI brought as many people attending that day brought
    their own equipment, but I wore one of BI's wetsuits since mine has
    no sleeves. (I'll know the next time I buy one, huh?)

    	Jeff, sorry to hear it wasn't a super day... should I bring the
    Nautique tomorrow so you can do some boom/5' leader work?

    	Oh yeah... footin' w/o a barefoot wetsuit... ouch! I seem to
    remember some lake wedgies I'd rather not experience again.... :-)

    Rick

>    	Jeff, sorry to hear it wasn't a super day... should I bring the
>    Nautique tomorrow so you can do some boom/5' leader work?

    I don't personally own a b/f wetsuit. The shorts I used were BI's. As
    it was my duff was burning on some of the long line runs while Mike
    determined if I was in control enough to do a foot/face plant.  Maybe
    some other time I'll play with the boom, assuming I could borrow 
    someone's wetsuit.
    
    While doing the 5' line I didn't hear/understand Mike say that
    you need to let the rope handle go down to your knees after you plane
    off in order to sit up. So there I am trying to situp while holding the
    handle in close to my stomach skimming across the water on my back
    which isn't padded becuz my shorts were too short and my ski jacket was
    riding up my back. After I got fed up I eased off on the handle and low
    and behold I was sitting up. By then the damage had been done.
    
  
  >	Oh yeah... footin' w/o a barefoot wetsuit... ouch! I seem to
  >  remember some lake wedgies I'd rather not experience again.... :-)

    No wedgies here, just duff burn !
    
    ~jeff_who'll_play_with_sticks_and_dodge_stones_tomorrow

Hey Jeff... welcome to the BBC.  You skied with Mike Seipel, so you're a member.
There's no rule that says you have to ski "*LIKE* Mike Seipel to be a BBC
member.  And thank God for that!  :-)

Sounds like you had a pretty good day overall.  What I remember from both times
I've skied with Mike is that you have to "use" the instructors.  Mike Smith did
exactly that last year, and that's the right thing to do.  I, on the other hand,
spent most of the time learning one thing (one foot toehold), which is OK but
not the best thing to do IMHO.  Instead of perfecting one particular thing, it's
good to get them to tell you the intricacies of as many things as you can
remember, then work on them on your own.  Of course, spending a little extra
time on a given thing is good, but you want to get the basics down, then pump
the instructor for details you can bring back to your site.  Hopefully, you came
away with lots of stuff to work on.

...Roger...

    
    When Mike and Company came up last year they were here for 
    a couple of weeks and I believe that Nick and Joe actually
    drove up in a suburban.  Therefore they were able to bring
    lots of equipment with them.  I would guess that Mike just 
    flew up for this school and therfore was probably much more
    limited in the amount of equipment he could bring.  Complete
    barefoot attire for 10 people is a pretty significant amount
    of equipment.  If you were to go to his school in Fla you 
    do not need to bring anything.  In fact when I was there I did
    not own any barefoot attire.
    
    As far as drivers go you have learnd a very important leason very
    quickly,  the driver when learning is extremely important as far
    as learning and safty.  I do not know who came with Mike and was
    the "other" driver/instructor  but the last I had heard was that
    neither Nick nor Joe were working with Mike anymore.  This is
    a big loss for him if true since they were good to learn from as
    well.  
    
    If you were able to attempt a deep water start on your first day of
    barefooting I would say you had a pretty good day.  I can sympathize
    with you about riding across the lake on your butt for what seems like 
    miles before Mike gives you the Ok to try and stand.  I did the same
    thing when I was in Fla.  I believe this is a good technique that you
    will later appreiciate since being comfortable in the sitting postion
    will assist in learning many other tricks.  Is is one building block
    in learning to foot.
    
    I does not sound like this clinic has held under ideal conditions,
    but it sounds like a lot was learned.  It good to see that you were
    able to get back out with Mike in the late afternoon.  I have always
    come away from his scholls learning something new.  I find him to
    be a good teacher,  but I have never been to any of the other top
    barefooters schools.
    
    Good luck footing,
    Mike Smith

    Mike and Dave (or was it Dan, the bozo driver, and organizer of the
    clinic) pulled up in a Hyundai hatchback with 3 duffel bags of gear.
    I'd say they were on a low budget. There was a screwup with the boats.
    "Someone" was suppose to order them ( MC BF 200's) but "forgot". 
    
    My personal goal was to learn enough to be able to do deep water starts
    this summer. I feel as though I learned enough to be able to do that.
    One of the popular phrases for the day was, " You can ride your butt
    forever, so take your time". Plus, butt-riding is an essential part of
    doing tumble turns which I like the looks of, and one leg toe-ups.  My
    disappointment is in the fact that I didn't accomplish *anything* in
    the morning session. 
    
    One thing in particular that I liked about Mike's driving was that he
    matched the boat speed to your position. If you were butt riding he'd
    ease off on the throttle until you started to plant your feet. The more
    you planted your feet, the more throttle he gave you. If you eased out,
    he eased off. If you were doing tumbles he'd ease off even more. He was
    in tune with what you were doing. 
    
    ~jeff  

>> in tune with what you were doing.

And that's the key!  In barefooting, the driver is 50% of the action.  No
question.  You sink or ski depending on the abilities of your driver (of course
you can't always blame the driver if you catch a toe! :-)).

Hey Jeff, maybe we can work on that long line deep water start tonight.  We'll
do doubles so that not only can you experience the thrill of butt-riding again,
butthe fun of bouncing off the guy next to you!  :-)

RE: Mike S.  No more Nick or Joe?  That *is* a bummer!  Nick was an *excellent*
instructor/driver (and not a bad undercarriage car washer either :-)).  He's the
guy that got me up backwards barefooting.  Have you heard where these guys went,
or why they left?  It's really too bad...

...Roger...

I had a VoiceMail message on my phone this morning from Dave Harris of B.I.  He
said there is going to be a clinic here in Mass. on August 5th.  Mike will be
here.  I don't know the location yet, but I thought I'd drop a note in here to
see if there's any interest.  I'll call Dave back this morning and find out the
details (where, how much, etc.).

...Roger...

    The August 5th clinic is full.  However, there will be another one
    on Tuesday, August 27th.  If there's enough response, they'll also
    have one on Wednesady, August 28th.  Both clinics will be at the
    Brookfield, MA site (where Mike held the June school in past years).
    Due to the late registration time for this clinic, B.I. is asking
    payment in full before the clinic ($100 for the day).  There will be 2
    boats running, one of which will be a new '91 Mastercraft Barefoot 200.
    
    If you guys would like to go as a group, perhaps you can start a
    discussion (either here or offline) and figure out how many want to go,
    then give Dave Harris at B.I. a buzz (1-407-964-3346 ... 9-5 Mon-Sat).
    I'll be on vacation next week (7/29-8/2) and won't know if I have any
    money left over till I return the following week.  :-)
    
    ...Roger...

>    payment in full before the clinic ($100 for the day).  There will be 2
>    boats running, one of which will be a new '91 Mastercraft Barefoot 200.
    
    Gee, where have I heard *that* line before. Maybe they're planning on
    super_glueing the poster of the MC 200 on the gunnels of whatever 
    students' boats show up. Would that technically count ??
    
    ~jeff    
    

    I spent last week in Florida (on a business trip) and decided to
    get some additional instruction on backwards barefooting.  Last
    year I spent a week at BI (a week is to much when it comes in May)
    and learned how to forward barefoot.  This time I was looking for a
    different place to go.
    
    BI doesn't have much to offer since they lost Casey and Nick,
    especially if Mike isn't there.  With a little investigation I
    located Casey at his own company.  I new he did some training on
    the side but he is now trying to get official about it.  He doesn't
    have all the amities of BI (ie: bring your own wet suit, etc) but
    has a much better personality.
    
    Casey's company is:
    
            Progressive Barefooting
            1779 N. Congress Ave, Suite 346
            Boynton Beach, FL  33426
            (800)477-9272 or (407)734-3386
    
    Both Casey (Scalise) and Shannon Bowell are available for
    instruction.  They can take you out most anytime, Saturday, Sunday,
    weekday, or evening.  If you don't know or don't remember Casey, he
    can be seen on page 84 of the May 94 issue of WaterSki.  He also
    has an ad on page 123.
    
    I enjoyed him more than the unknown instructors at BI and would
    recommend him to anyone.
    
    BTW ... I made progress on the backwards but still have a long way
    to go.
    
    /Steve
    

    So, what's Nick up to these days, any idea?  I thought he was a *much*
    better instructor than Mike (too busy thinking about his next promo
    tour or stunt for the record books).
    
    Doug

re               <<< Note 334.42 by SALEM::WHYNOT "Malibu Skier" >>>
>             -< Barefoot westuits fit nicely in carry-on bags :^) >-

>    better instructor than Mike (too busy thinking about his next promo
>    tour or stunt for the record books).

	On the subject of "Stunts".....

	Latest W/S mag has a picture of him going off a footing jump 
at 50 MPH being pulled by an amphibian ...   
supposedly he (unofficially) cleared over 100ft.

>    Doug


	Reg