"water skiing" via Eric in Google Reader

Who Am I - Puzzle Me Together V4

2009-11-13T22:15:00Z

Here is our final one for the day. That makes four total. and as of writting this, only one is solved. Here we go with version 4

High Lights...

2009-11-13T21:00:00Z

Told you I would post these later. But as I straight up stole them from Ball Of Spray, I figured we could give Horton his moment in the spot light for scooping us. *he wins everytime...bastardWorld Water Ski Championships 1/2 hour highlight show from Lorne Webber on Vimeo.

Who Am I - Puzzle Me Together V3

2009-11-13T20:57:00Z

Cris is on a roll. See if you can get this one, and for gosh sakes, help out with V2. Get it on!!

Who Am I - Puzzle Me Together V2

2009-11-13T18:41:00Z

Well, the first Puzzle was solved by noted real estate mogul Cris, who also sent along another one. In a word doc. Thanks for staying in the 90s bro! Ok, here is another. I can't figure it out. Get it on!!

Who Am I - Puzzle Me Together Edition

2009-11-13T00:44:00Z

Taking a que from one of our favorite sites, Bleed Cubbie Blue, we present you with a bit of puzzle pictures Who am I fun. For a bit of explanation, check out this post on the BCB site. Link. Ok, so, guess who this is.

Guess or add your own below.

Also, be on the look out for some fun stuff coming your way next week.

Lake Trout Carry Out - hot coals for all

2009-11-11T23:01:00Z

Lake Trout Carry Out is what we are currently calling the random link heap/dump/thing/whatever.Well today is Veterens day and this is a waterski blog...yes...yes it isSo how about veterens waterskiing.works for meOh and here in USA Todaywoot to that Ok this is not waterski related...well it could be but thats your perogitive...but this guy makes a good point about the current trend in crappy tv

Zero Based Scoring

2009-11-11T13:12:21Z

Regardless of the scoring methodology, trying to equate divisions with different maximum speeds is never going to be perfect and will be subject to opinion. The discontinuity that occurs at the transition is unavoidable. However, what the current ZBS system does very well is to make the “difficulty” level between all scores [nearly] the same, regardless of maximum speed. The concept is that if the SAME skier were to go compete at either maximum speed that the scoring system would produce the same score for that skier. At long line, everyone produces the same score because the BASE is the same. At short lines, the difference in maximum speed is closely offset by the difference in line length (for the same score). Most would agree that while not perfect, this statement holds very true.

To illustrate this concept, Dave Clark just finished some analysis of scores in the Ranking list, for highly ranked men skiers who between the 2008 and 2009 seasons "Graduated" to a division with a slower maximum slalom boat speed. This analysis consists of 14 men skiers who were M2 in the 2008 ski year, and who became M3 in the 2009 ski year. Also included was a similar analysis of 14 men skiers who were M6 in the 2008 ski year, and who became M7 in the 2009 ski year. In both cases these skiers are moving to a division which has a slower max slalom speed.

Essentially, what this illustrates is that while some go up a bit and some go down a bit, that the average ranking score in the new division is very close to the ranking score they had in their previous division, despite the slower speed. They are picking up roughly a full pass in shorter line length, as the speed drops one interval. Hence that the total buoy score as currently computed is accomplishing what it is intended to.

Back Home!

2009-11-11T02:38:49Z

I am finally back home. What a great trip!! I will be updating the web site until somewhere around November 18th. There is still a large amount of video to process through from the second ski site. All of the still photos, blogs and podcasts have now been published. Lots of video is still to come on this site. Please keep checking back and enjoy!

I think the pic below is the best example of the long trek home. Sorry Deb and Marci... I just had to put this one on here :)

World Water Ski Championships 1/2 hour highlight show

2009-11-11T01:50:52Z

World Water Ski Championships 1/2 hour highlight show from Lorne Webber on Vimeo.

Day on the Water with Mitch Bergsma and Justin Worrell

2009-11-10T19:26:07Z

Day on the Water with Mitch Bergsma and Justin Worrell. 68 degrees with a 30% chance of rain is not really the best way to start the day but nothing was going to stop these riders from taking a few sets. Mitch is a local Austin rider that has always impressed Wakeboarder.com with his riding. Justin has just relocated from Arkansas and works at Central Texas Malibu and Boardstop. Justin will be responsible for taking the new Austin Texas Boardstop location to the same level of Boardstop.com. If you need any wakeboard advice Justin is the one you need to see. I'd like to thank Rob and his family at CTWS and the riders for putting up with the weather conditions and making it such a great day.

New Shopping Benefits Page Added

2009-11-10T16:26:37Z

USA Water Ski is pleased to announce that it has fostered an alliance with a sport-dedicated affinity shopping group that will provide discounts to our members and royalties to USA Water Ski.

Executive Director's Report, Nov. 9

2009-11-10T12:11:02Z

Executive Director's Report, week of Nov. 9

Friends forever...

2009-11-09T19:27:29Z

So many stories forever etched in memories...So many thank you’s to so many new friends close to home and half a world away...
Thanks to Nicole for the opportunity. Thanks for thinking of me. Thanks for insisting I go. Thanks to mom for all the years she put up with water skiing taking precedence over almost all else. Thanks to Shelle for covering at work for 2 weeks. Thanks to Jackie (her American name), the Chinese trip coordinator for her tireless efforts to make our time in China wonderful. Thanks to my talented teammates, for making this trip all it was. Thanks to God...for everything!
And thanks to my country...It’s so good to be home.
China. I’ll never forget. Friends forever.

China... The Flight Home

2009-11-09T19:18:16Z

Well Thank you China!!! What a wild ride. I am physically exhausted. Trying to lift my 50 lb. suitcase was a challenge this morning. Winning both competitions was worth it though! The people of China were amazing. I have never experienced anything like this trip. The Chinese people were so welcoming and showed us such support! The opening and closing ceremonies were beyond imagination. The banquets, speeches, and crowds were unexpected. All in all the only thing left to say is thank you. Thank you to Nicole for the invitation. Thank you to the Chinese people for your warm hospitality. Thank you to my angels who made me laugh. Thank you to all my ski team members for an unforgettable trip. Thank you to the Chinese Water Ski Federation for all the hard work. Thank you to the Chinese ski team for such a good competition. Some day I hope to be back again.

Journey Home 2

2009-11-09T18:52:44Z

Long long plane ride... haha! We are all travelling back home on the long plane ride. According to my handy dandy flight checker screen we are now over British Columbia, Canada with about 4 more hours to go until we land in Chicago. This is a long haul. Time to start reflecting back on the trip...

Some random thoughts:
- The people were kind, warm, welcoming and generous. I can’t say enough good things about the Chinese people that we met.
- Their definition of showskiing and our definition vary greatly. We primarily ski for fun and the enjoyment of the sport. To them it’s a job that they take very seriously. No matter what our reasons are for skiing on the water, we find a common ground out on that dock and behind the boat that makes everyone smile.
- There is great disparity between modern “westernized” China and rural China. They stand in stark contrast to each other. While every country has different socioeconomic classes, I was also struck by the disparity between poor and wealthy in China.
- While some communication was always possible, I feel a gap left by the fact that I cannot speak Chinese. That is a regret I have coming home from this trip. I wish that it was easier to communicate with everyone there, especially the Chinese skiers. They have coaches, while we share ideas. I had hoped to go there and share ideas with them. While we did pick up some doubles ideas from them there wasn’t an exchange of ideas on showskiing. Perhaps in the future that will change as American teams continue to visit China.

Some Thank You’s:
- Thank you to Nicole T for allowing me to participate on this trip... it was great! It was a unique opportunity for me to experience another culture that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.... Thanks Nicole!
- Thank you to the Quaker Oats company for making Quaker Chocolate Chip Granola bars. I lived on these for certain parts of the trip and probably wouldn’t have made it through without the 7 boxes of them I brought along... haha.
- Thank you to Mike C for taking some of us out and finding us some sweet deals on winter ski and snowboard clothing.
- Thank you to Paul for being my roomie for 11 days, putting up with me and most of all for NOT snoring and allowing me to get some sleep during the trip.
- The staff at the “Also-Milo” restaurant in Zhongxian restaurant were awesome! They kept me from starving during the second half of the trip with great food. Thank you!
- **Thank you to whomever created the homemade strawberry jam at the Also-Milo... that stuff is so good it’s like friggin’ catnip! I wanted to buy several gallons and bring it home!
- Thank you to Jackie of the Chinese Waterski Association for bringing us over and providing us with a great skiing experience!

On our way home.

2009-11-09T14:15:05Z

Wow, I’m still amazed at how cool it is when I am fortunate enough to go on one of these trips. I have been on waterski trips to Japan, Jordan, and this is my third to China. This trip had things that were different and things that are the same.
The new things are the people that I’m going with, the places we visit and perform, the development of the Country, and how my body can handle it. :) Yes my ribs are still sore from the first day where I took the ski tips to the rib cage on my right side. The couple of days off from skiing and sightseeing were a blessing. The things that were the same are that there so many Chinese people and a lot of them are so entertained to see us perform, the chinese food is nothing like the Chinese food in the usa, the air quality, the kindness of the Chinese people, the long travel time, and my appreciation for home.
This trip had the second largest crowd I can remember skiing in front of. The first day of practice it was free to the public and had the biggest audience of 40,000 to 50,000 people. Then during the two days we did the opening and closing ski shows competition and drew in 100,000 people who had to purchase tickets for 100 RNB. = $15.00 us dollars.
It was great being able to Ski with our talented skiers where we put together some great jumping that received a perfect 100 out of 100 points in the competition. As it turns out I’m 6/6 on winning in China, not sure on how or why and it would not matter if we won or not because we are all winners just to get to be on the trip. Another few highlights of the trip are the inexpensive great massages we received, the shopping and sightseeing, the history we learn about, and sharing the fun of waterskiing with people from the other side of the world. It was really great to work with the Chinese olympic Doubles coach and the unbelievably flexible little doubles girls to learn new lifts.
Couple more things I noticed on this trip. All the taxi cabs are Exactly the same in the cities we were in. I’m guessing owned by the government in each area. A five to ten minute cab ride (can hold just four americans) costs 4 or 5 Y (rnb) = .85 cents. There is so many more stories to tell you about, like fun with the laser pointers and the crazy and funny things that happened to some of the people on our team. The ski tip that broke during one of our pyramids, the clown act etc...
It is a wild experience to get a chance to be treated like a rock star getting swarmed, getting your picture taken by thousands, signing autographs everywhere, like “living the dream baby”.
I’m looking forward to getting home to my family and friends that I miss so much.

Jon

My first and only blog entry

2009-11-09T13:09:03Z

Well, here we are on our way home and I’m finally doing my first blog entry. I still don’t know what to say as I struggle to begin. This trip was my third waterskiing visit to China this year. (and my fourth visit since 2002) I’ve considered each and every opportunity to travel a wonderfully unique gift....even now that I’ve become a frequent flyer!!

I wish I could find the words to express what an awesome experience this visit has been. My teammates were a lot of fun and the skiing was great! We actually WON in both cities! Although any day spent skiing and NOT at work is terrific, these visits to China are really so much more than a vacation. I am constantly amazed and enthralled with the country and its culture. We have been treated so well and cared for so generously by our hosts. At the same time we have been surrounded by poverty and incredibly poor living conditions. Spending time in China has made me so thankful for all we have in the States....most of which we take for granted all too often.

I like to think that our team’s performances brighten the days of the Chinese spectators. We are showered with praise, smiles, and handshakes every time we come and go from the site. We are treated like rock stars...taking photos and signing autographs. I wish the crowds paid half of that attention to their own Chinese ski team. They do a fabulous job but get very little praise.

The line of waiting bloggers is growing behind me, I really ought to sign off. I’m anxious to fall asleep and wake up in Chicago. I miss my kids and my dog....but no regrets!! Soon we’ll be home, suffer a day or two of jet lag, then back to life as normal. The trip to China will become another fond memory of Living the Dream!

Debbie

2010 Radar Strada

2009-11-10T00:21:04Z

2009 OBrien Big Dawg Finals Presented by Nautique - Recap

2009-11-09T15:51:01Z

Hyperlite Is Back Home At The OWC

2009-11-08T19:18:25Z

The Hyperlite brand has once again found its way back to the OWC. HO Sports company Inc. says, "We're Home."