Waterski Journal N°1

WATERSKI j

o

u

r

n

a

l

WATERSKI NATION Tour

season

is

not

over

yet!

at

least

4

pro

events

are

surviving the rona!

WATERSKI GAMES

this is not crossfit, this is waterski! WorldWaterskiers in association with Matteo Ianni launched some kind of contest that is about to rock our sport!

HERITAGE OF THE SPORT

The

waterski

podcast

is

now

a

reference.

Sharing

untold stories from the most interesting people that make waterski. Matteo Luzzeri makes the legacy of skiing something we can listen at.

°

N 1.

AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2020

Edito

Freddie Winter on the way for the win at Travers Grand Prix 2019 / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Why do another “magazine” for waterski… well just because I think we all miss it!

Waterski Mag is no longer in activity. That does not have to stop us to talk, write and dream about waterski. Digital era allow us so many things! Why not try this? Waterski Nation gave me the opportunity to share pictures and videos of the best, the most crazy and finest athletes of our sport. We can also talk about it. Watch pictures with story that come with it underneath. Waterski Journal is not a proper magazine of course. But if you guys like it, we will put more into it. This first edition is an occasion to come back over the Moomba Masters. Last Covid-free tournament we ever had. And obviously, time to talk about the future. Especially because 2020 should have been the starting point of the European Waterski Tour, a new face for professional waterski championship. Thankfully, some great project are still on track: Vincent Stadlbaur’s amazing waterski video/documentary - Matteo Ianni Waterski Games project that will start in August thanks to the effort of Worldwaterskiers.com / the Flowpoint Method of Marcus Brown and Jenny LaBaw / Matteo Luzzeri’s podcast aka the waterski podcast… So many things that deserved to be share as many times as possible, as many ways possible!

Ski great, enjoy! And follow @waterski_nation Gregoire Desfond

www.edgewaterski.com

www.edgewaterski.com

Waterski Journal N°1 8 Back on Moomba time to share the story of the 2020 Moomba Masters.

10 Waterski Nation Tour 2020 ? season has been totally messed up by the Corona Virus, is there anything left?

14 Stay tuned with the Waterski Podcast Matteo Luzzeri interviews some of the best characters in our sport and we love it.

15 Waterski Games: the rise of waterski Matteo Ianni and WorldWaterskiers are launching the new challenge for waterskiers worldwide.

28 Matt Rini - Word with the coach When the coach talk, you listen!

30 Lookbook our sport is beautiful, now is the time to share some great pictures of it.

50 FlowPoint Method: 2.0 coaching Marcus Brown & Jenny LaBaw approach to performance waterski

52 Meal plan with Ambre Franc Top 6 in the word, Ambre tells us what to eat. Yummi!

54 Portraits of the month

19 Featured Lake

Slalom: Dane Mechler Jump: Igor Morozov Trick: Erika Lang

Buy your ticket now for Orlando, you're going to Swiss Waterski Resort

60 EWT, the story is not over yet

23 Pro Tips : Freddie Winter

Learn about the next professional pro championship in Europe.

we ask a pro to share some of his secrets with us.

62Â Rankings who are the best nowadays?

26 A cinematic eye in the sport Well recognize driver and photographer Vincent Stadlbaur keeps pushing to entertain us!

66 Contact Keep in touch.

www.radarskis.com

Back on Moomba!

Jacinta Carroll - source: instagram/@jacintacarroll

Close

your

,

Calm

.

eyes

outside

Imagine

powerful

a

. . .

river

underneath

The Moomba Masters is yet the only

big tournament that skied in

Banks filled with thousands of people

is

Speaker announce your name and you

event

.

have to jump into the water

,

that tide already

6

buoys

ahead

.

not even skiing yet

of

.

you

You

.

turn them no matter what

.

Feeling

have

.

the current

No matter the wind

matter

swell

the

. !

Here

to

No matter

we

No

! ’

go

It s

of

often

referred

for

the

,

,

despite

the

2020.

It

the

favorite

Not

because

.

obviously

all

other

.

tournament

Moomba

is

festival

that

during

brings

,

that river

thousands of people

.

blowing

jumpers

in

,

the

,

event

pro

,

set

night

daylight

The thing is

.

over the years

This

happens on the Yara River

the heart of Melbourne

,

Moomba masters

skiers

conditions

tournament

event

.

many

ski

as

the waterski became a full attraction

Notwithstanding that

that

is

simply

mind

,

Same hard conditions

…

has

turn

kicking

gone

off

their

brain

.

that

while

Pretty

ramp

A

sure

before

former

professional jumper told me the swell

,

was so strong one day

he could see

down

the bottom of the ramp going out of

and

the water times to times

… !

better be

on time when you go for it

Thomas Degasperi - source: instagram/@goodeskis

First

tournament

Moomba

.

March

great

last

Masters

The

. ,

one

year

favorite

of

2020 so

year

always

the

happen

in

edition has been a

Webcast

we

skiers

,

the

improved

could

properly

’

since

watch

even

our

if

we

.

didn t flew the globe to join the party

!

A lot of drama in the course

with

the

,

women

World

Starting

Champion

Manon Costard came as the favorite

.

for the slalom event

off

against

the

Ended up in a run

american

Allie

Nicholson who fought her way to tie

!

the lead

,

Coming up first of the dock

better

with

score

than

4@11 (38 m

believe

in

a

,

pass

and

.

Melbourne

!

either

previous

.

Manon

did

Defending

not

the

). !

off

he

had

title

champion

in

us

Thomas

5@10,75

m

Strong because of the bad

Struggled

,

after the buoy

5.

not

deceive

Degasperi scored a strong

(39

was

she managed to run

outrighted

Men

one

which allowed to

victory

done yet though

the

her

)

off

she set a

Good

behind

the

4

boat

but managed to turn

performance

.

afterall

,

Following him on the same score

World

record

Promising

Nate

a

went

managed

fine

first

to

Finishing

holder

with

his

the

an

for

off

m

amazing

). 2

off

buoys

performance

. . …

(39 ).

Smith

the

run

10,75

take

3@10,25 (41 2019 m

fight

in

Nate

title

and

off

score

of

short

of

were

he

tied

up with Will Asher to set the course

.

record

The

Italian

,

chase Smith

. °5,

line

,

to

10,75

m

Tgas fell at buoys

a little bit too much on the back

,

of the ski

for

strong

solid start at the

Unfortunately

n

came

the

.

boat

’ 450

that didn t set him up well

pull

of

the

horsepower

,

Trick wise

the young Pato Font continued to secure his

dominance and scored an amazing

,

final

leaving

Llewelyn

(2 ) , nd

competition

Gay

and

no

chance

and

Joel

to

his

Poland

11 740

points in the

competitors

(3 ). rd

In

the

Dorien

,

Erika Lang won the title once again

Giannina

Bonnemann

joined

her

'

women s

Anna

onto

the

.

podium

,

Jumpers are crazy

they have to leave it on the dock and

.

go kick that ramp as hard as they possibly can

,

end

the living legend Freddy Krueger came up longer

than

the

others

,

Morozov though

and

. 1

won

foot

longer

than

Igor

who delivered a strong performance

and put himself in a position of being a strong contender

with a

river

65 (213 )

for

m

m

ft

another

55,2 (181 ) ft

.

jump

Jacitta Caroll flew over the

consecutive

year

and

.

jump

Yarra River, Melbourne, Australia - source: instagram/@nautiqueboats

Podium slalom men - source: instagram/@this_is_tgas

At the

Podium slalom women - source: instagram/@manon_costard

won

with

a

2020

WATERSKI NATION TOUR what's the plan ?

No need to talk about the covid again. 2020 is not happening as it should. Tournaments got cancelled for the safety of us all. A wise decision I believe. The most important is to face those events and come back stronger next year. Elite points are not going to be allowed this year so Masters’ spot are secured for next year.

Regina Jaquess at 2019 Swiss Pro Slalom - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Also, we might have a small professional season thanks to the work and perseverance of few people. And this is exciting for us! Here is the plan: there are supposed to be 4 tournaments across the US from August 15th until October 11th. Maybe a fifth tournament would be in preparation in the Orlando area but nothing is confirmed yet. All this is subject of modification obviously. We hope they are going to happen.

MEN SCHEDULE Hilltop pro am,

WOMEN SCHEDULE August,

Stillwaters pro,

August,

Arlington, WA

14-15

Oconomowoc, WI

14-15

Malibu Open,

Sept,

Malibu Open,

Sept,

Charleston, SC

Travers Grand Prix, Groveland, FL

11-12

Sept, 24 - 25

Charleston, SC

Travers Grand Prix, Groveland, FL

11-12

Sept, 24 - 25

Swiss pro slalom,

Oct,

Swiss pro slalom,

Oct,

Clermont, FL

11th

Clermont, FL

11th

4 names to remember. The good news is that they are all supposed to be broadcast under the supervision of Vincent Stadlbaur and the Waterski Broadcasting company! That’s obviously the best part. We will follow the action. Waterski Nation will award a special prize over those tournaments results. Name it the Waterski Nation Tour. A special ranking will be organize for this purpose only and award the best skier of the season. All instruction will be released soon on www.waterskination.com and obviously their instagram account @waterski_nation

Matteo Luzzeri interviwing 2x world champion and italian teammate, Thomas Degasperi - source: instagram/@luzzgram

It has been a few months now that we all listen to waterski stories while driving our car or sitting in our rocking-chair. Hearing about the story of young and less young personalities of the sport has brought good times to many.

The magic of The Water Ski Podcast is brought about by the magnificent subtlety of the interviewer, professional water skier and PhD in sport psychology, Matteo Luzzeri.

stay tuned with

THE WATERSKI PODCAST He manages to walk us through past events and inside the industry of waterskiing. Sharing his microphone with all time legends like Thomas Degasperi, Will Asher, Trent Finlayson, Jay Bennett, Wade Cox, Chris Parrish, Jennifer LaPoint, and Adam and Cory Pickos. He also gives space to new kids on the block like Robert Pigozzi or Jaimee Bull. And, he does not shy away from good chats with top elite skier like Freddie Winter, Erika Lang, Manon Costard, Dane Mechler, Corey Vaughn, and Igor Morozov.

He also shares more untold stories from insiders of the sport like Vincent Stadlbaur and his Waterski Broadcasting company crew Tony Lightfoot and John Waldon, photographer Thomas Gustavson, and former pro turned movie director Marcus Brown.

Plus, he has been picking the brains of top officials like Mario Pigozzi and Candido Moz. An entertaining way to learn about the sport, how it grew, what it was and where it is going.

Walking around the history of water skiing from past and present, Matteo Luzzeri is building a heritage of the sport we are all thankful he shares with us.

The Water Ski Podcast is a “must listen” that has become a classic rendez-vous for people like us, passionate about water skiing.

Matteo Luzzeri interviwing coach legend Jay Bennett- source: instagram/@luzzgram

The Waterski Games is a project I have developed in conjunction with World Water Skiers, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote, market and advance knowledge of the sport of water skiing (https://worldwaterskiers .com/foundation/ ) Most skiers are familiar with the radical differences in scores between one tournament and another. Apart from weather conditions (that are never the same), slalom courses, ropes and boat paths are always different.

A tournament can follow world record tolerances but still transform a 39 off into a 38 off. As a result, ranking list scores are not as comparable as one might think.

It occurred to me that one way to reduce this disparity could be to calculate how much each skier advances, relative to the boat, at every buoy. By knowing the advancement value (in degrees) and adding it to the reach of the skier (in cm/inches) one could calculate with a sufficient level of accuracy whether all tolerances were met.

Allowing any skier, anywhere in the world, to be able determine line lengths by themselves without judges or difficult instruments, has the potential of revolutionizing how record tournaments are done. Anyone could record a ski set and prove that their score was legit! (Dr. Micheals would have never happened if this existed ;P )

But how could I calculate that angle reliably and easily? I first developed an Augmented Reality app that could place a 3D object extending from the pylon of the boat. The app allows for clear visual proof that a skier was (or wasn’t) reaching the right “height” relative to the boat for each specific rope length.

This route had a technical hurdle to overcome, though. To trigger the Augmented Reality object I needed a fixed anchor image on top of the pylon. I needed to develop a specific pylon mount, manufacture it and distribute it to all skiers who want to use this system. This would not have worked on a global level.

During the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown, dusting off some toys I had at home, I found a 360 camera I had used last year for fun. I looked up how accurate these cameras were at evaluating the space around them and quickly uncovered that they are quite good at measuring angles!

I couldn’t believe I had not thought of this solution earlier. 360 cameras are now everywhere. People can buy them on amazon or in any electronic store starting at 150 dollars.

I immediately hired a software developer to create a custom 360 video player for waterskiing that would easily let me measure these angles.

The result was great!

The goal was not to profit from my idea, but I wanted the world of waterskiing to benefit from it. Talking about this to Marcus Brown he suggested to contact our good friends Tom Grey and Jaret Llewellyn, who are the spearhead of worldwaterskiers.com.

Marcus, Tom, Jaret and I arranged a call and from that call, our vision just meshed together. They loved the project and explained how the WWS platform could make my idea come to life. So I decided to donate all the work I had done, including the softwares, to the non profit and we started working together on the online platform to launch our new way of competing.

Tom then implemented a Leaderboard and tournament entry interface in less than a month in order to launch the project this summer. I have to say… he did an incredible job and the end result looks amazing!

Moving forward, we will deploy the platform in 2 stages with 2 different types of tournaments: C-Class and Record Tournaments. On the 1st of August we will launch the C-Class events to provide the waterski world some additional motivation to go out and get back into the competitive waterski mode after months of uncertainty. Then, once we are all once again stoked on tournament skiing, we will have partnered with Ski Schools and Ski Clubs all over the world to launch our Record Tournaments with 360 Cameras.

How do these C-Class tournaments work?

First of all you don’t need a 360 camera. You can simply use your smartphone. Second of all… the events are completely free. Entry does not cost anything to the skiers!

You just have to sign up on worldwaterskier.com, if you haven’t done so already, and enter all the mandatory information required to compete, which will only stand to complete your personal profile and bio on the WWS site.

Once logged in, these are the steps needed to participate in our C-Class tournaments: -Enter an active tournament by simply clicking on an icon in the dedicated “Waterski Games” section.

-The system automatically generates a numeric code that will identify your specific performance.

-Following the rules provided on the website, you will have 72 hours to upload the video of your performance on Youtube, Facebook or Instagram and paste the link to it on the dedicated section on worldwaterskiers.com.

-Enter your provisional score, and your performance (score and video) will immediately appear on the world wide Waterski Games Leaderboard.

Users will be able to see all scores and videos of all performances on the Leaderboard. Custom filters will allow to sort the scores by any variable they want, sex, age division, nationality, ski used, boat manufacturer… It is incredibly fun!

On the 1st of August we welcome the whole waterski world on the platform! Go to worldwaterskiers.com, get your profile ready to compete, and swerve your way up the leaderboards!!

Matteo Ianni

www.kdwatersports.com

FEATURED

E K LA

Swiss Waterski School is already one of the most famous lake in the world. Though, it is well deserved!

First of all, this is my favorite ski site in the whole world. Talking to fellow skiers around, I am not the only one. Most of skiers there have been going there for years. The thing is, once you ski there, it become really hard to go somewhere else. Two handmade lakes: Stefanie and Caroline. Host of the Swiss Pro Slalom, an event that became a reference on the pro tour and delivered a fantastic show over the past editions. Last man to get the victory there? Will Asher… a man you can see time to time over there.

It is none secret that Swiss Ski School is driven by excellence. Committed to deliver the best experience for skiers and focusing on performance as much as pleasure. Hometown boy, Benjamin Stadlbaur (top 9 on the world ranking list) is a proof of the efficiency of the school. Good news is you can also sleep onsite. Swiss Waterski is a resort, surrounded by beautiful villas for rent with your friends or family. Less than an hour from downtown Orlando. Looking forward to see you there folks!

Contact: www.swisswaterskiresort.com email: ski@swisswaterskiresort.com Phone +1 407 968 3481 Swiss Waterski Resort 13344 Skiing paradise Blvd Clermont, FL 34711 - USA

FEATURED

E K LA

Swiss Pro Slalom is an event that the pro scene is waiting for every year.

Perfect conditions are reunited to delivered the greatest show waterski is able to!

Last edition did not desappointed with a fantastic run-off between star girls: Whitney McClintock-Rini and Regina Jacquess. The defending champion Regina, finally managed to run 10,75m (39off) and secured her title.

Will Asher, signature turn, 2nd buoy - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Overall world record holder, Adam Sedlmajer on the starting dock- Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Men wise, the all-time legend Will Asher delivered an astonishing performance and won his first Title here on Lake Caroline.

Definding champion, Regina Jaquess - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Sacha Descuns - cover pic

Benjamin Stadlbaur - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Father and son, organiser and skier, Clint and Beny Stadlbaur - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Inside run off: Mario Pigozzi, Sergio Font, Regina Jacques & Whitney McClintock-Rini - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

www.aidecrew.com

PRO TIPS freddie

winter

THE GATE

The Gate Pull Out Paradigm

Over the course of my increasingly deep dive into

skiing

I

have

come

to

realise

how

As a kid I used to see the importance put

misguided my earlier thinking was. There are

upon

every

no more important parts of the course than

coach I talked to as slightly ridiculous and a

the pull out, glide and turn that we all have to

little

do

the

pre-entry

frustrating.

My

gate

young

set

up

mind

by

was

solely

in

order

to

run

the

slalom

course

focused on turning buoys and saw the swing

effectively. This has been underlined not just

out to the left, to where there were none, as

by my experience but from watching those

something of an inconvenience; a necessary

around

me.

evil in my pursuit of slalom course dominance.

training

partner

I would be told I had to focus more on this

every detail of his gate pull out and glide to

area but I was convinced that a big buoy 1

the point of a (healthy) obsession. The chap

turn could and would set everything right and

has

the course could be run from there.

encouraged me to focus even deeper on this

set

A

really of

world

top

mine

level, is

records

sometime

occupied

so

with

naturally

it

area of the slalom course.

My own gate has seen a few iterations over the years. I started out, as we mostly all do, using

the

traditional

two-handed

approach

before moving to the one-handed gate that, beyond helping my scores, tickled my desire to be on the cutting edge (one hand gates were oh-so-trendy back in the mid-00s). I’ve since

moved

necessarily

back.

‘better’

I

don’t

than

the

believe other

one as

is

both

have their strengths and weaknesses but what is certain is that no matter which approach is used there are definitive areas that must be considered equally for both. The following is a brief

explanation

of

my

thinking

comes to performing a perfect gate.

when

it

The tennis ball fall Probably the hardest part of the gate is understanding exactly the point when the skier should turn in towards the gate. Confusingly, this is not actually a physical point relative to the gates but a speed relative to the boat. The best point for the skier to turn while maximising control, swing and therefore width is when the skier is going at about the same speed as the boat itself.

An easy way to think about this is to use the metaphor of throwing a tennis ball in the air. As you throw the ball up it moves to a point of maximum height where it is neither moving up nor down: an equilibrium. After an initial acceleration up the ball decelerated to a point where it has zero velocity before inevitably falling down. This equilibrium point is exactly the point at which a skier should aim to turn in. At equilibrium the skier has no excess speed relative to the boat which would result in slack through the turn or too little speed which would decrease width and make swing harder.

My advice: if in doubt, pull out early and miss the gate when trying to feel this. Feeling the correct swing and getting across to buoy 1 balanced is paramount, even if it means not being tournament legit. Once this is mastered, pull out later and make the gates every time.

The pull-out pyramid To put it in very basic terms, there are three variables that govern the incredibly crucial level of speed the skier will have when they turn in to cut through the gates towards buoy 1. These three are closely linked and depend on one another in shaping the perfect pull out (hence ‘pyramid’).

These are:

- The initial pull out point.

- The intensity of this pull.

- The pull out length.

a

How much pressure the skier puts on

How long the level of intensity is held

wide point close to or past turn buoy

the line and ski to create speed out

for

width from just to the left of the wake.

wide.

pressure

This is generally measured relative to

acceleration.

Where

the

skier

starts

to

move

to

the proximity of the boat or the skier to the green pre-gates. Later pull out, less time to get wide (and less time before turn in point).

More

pressure,

more

before

the

and

skier

enters

releases the

‘glide’

the or

deceleration phase. Longer pull, more speed at turn in point.

When

these

variables

are

balanced

and

coordinated the result will be a perfect pull out. The skier will have optimum speed, width and balance when they turn back in towards the gate itself. Conversely, of course, if even only one variable is under or overcooked, the pull out will be off and the skier will be forced to turn in with less than perfect speed, width or control. For example, if the pull out is in the right spot and the level of intensity is right but it is held for too long the skier will overshoot the gate and turn into slack.

For the more prevalent two handed gate, an overall marker for many is to pull out when the boat is one boat length (6m) in front of the pre-gates.

This

point

of

but,

is

a

course,

solid this

ball-park can

be

starting modified

depending on boat speed, line length or simply skier preference.

Ph. Eudes Metivier

Pull out intensity and length are so easy to get wrong but the fix is easy. I often see skiers go extremely hard against the boat very soon after their pull out point and then stand up quickly after a short pull. In this case, acceleration is high so speed is achieved but it is done so in an uncontrolled manner. At this point the skier has very limited ability to adjust their speed and must simply make do with what they have. I favour a more controlled, lower intensity pull out over a longer period. If the skier feels they have too much speed they can decrease the length of their pull and vice versa. The further benefit is the skier maintains better balance, a crucial but often underrated benefit in slalom skiing.

Above all consistency is about the most important thing for perfecting a gate pull out. Given the multiple variables

described

above,

it’s

crucial to focus on changing one at a time. Limiting variables is the best way

to

see

what

works

and

what

does not. If everything is changed at once

then

the

understanding

skier of

will

what

have

made

no that

one gate the best there ever was or a horrific disaster.

Freddie Winter

A CINEMATIC EYE IN THE SPORT -VINCENT STADLBAUR

You all know Vincent.

Whether you have seen one of his photography, whether you have watched a waterski webcast, whether you have been driven by him on a tournament or at Swiss waterski resort, whether you have watched waterski videos on youtube.

Vincent Stadlbaur is a “swiss knife�. He does a lot for the sport and keeps pushing forward!

Graduated from Full Sail university in Orlando, cinema & tv industry oriented, he might be the most legit person to do video of guys and girls on a ski. Thankfully, he does!

Click to play

Last great achievement “Story of a champion” starring Nate Smith. World champion and world record holder.

The video goes through the whole journey of the athlete, starting with his early age on a ski and going through his career. A kind of documentary that should be stream on Netflix! It’s hard to write about something so visual, but one thing is certain, Vincent has developed a proper pattern over his videos. Getting shots always closer, from angle we did not think about before. The kind of shot that requires preparation plus a full trust and commitment from both skier and the team behind the camera. Best advice right now? Open your laptop, go to YouTube, look for the Waterski Broadcasting company channel and enjoy the show! Stay tuned for the next big release, I heard we are about to see some jumps …

Gregoire Desfond

@vincephotography

WORD WITH THE COACH

M A T T R I N I A r e

y o u

c o a c h e d

Think about some of your main keys that help your slalom. Everyone has a short script of a few key technical elements that they know work and make them ski better.

Some you may have got from a coach or some you may have figured out on your own and some you may have acquired from watching other skiers. Now if you break down those keys do they trace back to the big picture of slalom taken at 30,000 feet or are they simply band aids to help compensate for some bigger issues in your technique that you may not understand?

o r

b e i n g t a u g h t ?

There is a big difference from being coached and being taught. Being coached is like when you help someone with their math homework but basically do it for them. Yes it gets the assignment done and they may kind of understand it but without you holding their hand every time they do it more then likely they will have problems and need you to get through it next time. Being taught is taking the time to break down each step until the person truly knows it, from that point they really don't need much help in the future until something harder comes along. If they have to do that kind of math again they will be fine and will have the skill for life.

Waterski instruction is much the same. Having a skiers understand the “goal” of slalom is key before they can truly understand at what point they are at and where you need to begin to break down the barrier that currently holding them back. “Technique” is fancy word that describes a series of movements that we go through to try and make our ski do what we want it to do when we want it to do it! But do you know what you want your ski to do?! If a coach helps you understand the big picture then all the exercises/drills or techniques he has you do should be helping you reach the goal. Understanding how the ski works in the water at different times in the course is step one…once you understand this then any body movements should compliment what you want the ski to do and where you want the water to be breaking on it at every point in the course. Many times i have students at the school who say “this person told me to do this” so i ask them is this what you want your ski to do here? Never forget for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…this could not be more true as our sport is performed on an unstable surface. There are 3 planes of balance and if we move 1 plane then the other 2 will automatically adjust. Nothing on a slalom ski is ever static.

I have always found that once i explain the big picture of slalom and help skiers understand how the ski reacts with the flow of water at difference points in the course then the “technique” becomes very simple and they can take away all the band aids and focus on the main issues that are holding them back.

MATT RINI

www.mattrini.com

Neilly Ross / Ph. Vincent Stadlbaur

Will Asher, 2019 Travers Grand Prix / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Thomas Degasperi / Ph. Tiare Miranda

Regina Jaquess / Ph. Spencer Shultz

Freddy Krueger, US Masters 2019 / Ph. Vincent Stadlbaur

Robert Pigozzi, 2019 Swiss Pro Slalom / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Freddie Winter / Ph. Spencer Shultz

Pato Font, 2019 Worlds Championships, Putrajaya, Malaysia / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Sacha Descuns at Fungliss, Dommartin, France / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Blaze / Ph. Tiare Miranda

How committed are you, to becoming the best skier you can be? That’s the question upon which we built the FPM.

Marcus Brown

Jenny LaBaw

Moomba Masters and US Open Champion 20+ years of coaching expertise and knowledge .Ski and Boat Designer (HO Skis and MasterCraft Boats)

BA in Fitness and WellnessNational Strength and Conditioning Certified Personal TrainerCertified Nutritional Therapy PractitionerCertified Mobility Specialist Lifelong athlete

10 years ago, when we traveled the country on the Face To Face Tour, we realized there was a huge

gap

skiing.

in

We

the

way

played

skiers

around

approached with

the

their

idea

of

building some sort of online program, specifically for

skiers.

Unfortunately,

back

then,

the

technology just wasn’t there.

Within the past couple years, we again revisited the possibility of building an all-inclusive program for water skiers: all the latest information on water ski technique, fitness, nutrition, mindset, etc….basically everything you need, as a skier, to reach your potential on the water.

As a pro skier (Marcus) and fitness/nutrition expert (Jenny), we have put our combined 40 years of experiences, mistakes and successes together to develop an all-encompassing ski program. We believe this program is the best collection of information and resources, all in one place, giving you the tools to take your skiing to the next level. As we have traveled the world coaching, we have seen a lot of great things that skiers are doing. BUT, we’ve also seen some not-so-great things. We have used this knowledge to create a holistic program to improve your knowledge and implementation of skiing, fitness, nutrition, mindset and more.

The FlowPoint Method isn’t a one and done program. It isn’t a quick fix. It is a continually evolving program that gives you the best chance for success on and off the water. No more scouring the internet, navigating half-assed YouTube videos or visiting endless forums. This is your one-stop shop

Marcus Brown

www.flowpointmethod.com

It’s

been

a

long

time

since

science

proved

us

that

following an healthy diet and drink enough water can improve your performances in any type of sport.

If eating healthy should be an everyday concern, there’s few nutrition tips that could be very helpful with your skiing. These are averages advices, and I encourage you to book an appointment with a certified dietetician or nutritionist that will help you create your own diet.

Your last meal should be 3 hours before your ski turn: It will give you energy, and enough time to digest without feeling bloated, or sleepy.

Your meal should be high in carbs to give you energy, moderate in proteins and low fat, because they take longer to digest. If possible, don’t eat a meal with too much fibers : they can cause you stomach pain, and cramps. (Tips : if you like to have veggies and fruits, cook them. It will softer their fibers which will be easier for you to digest)

Examples for breakfast :

Exemple for lunch or dinner :

- Omelet with 2 eggs and a portion of

- A small piece of chicken + rice + a

spinach + 2 slice of bread + 1 portion of

little portion of broccoli + banana with 1

fruit

teaspoon of peanut butter

-

Greek

yogurt

with

a

portion

of

- A small piece of Salmon + pasta + a portion of zucchini + 1 slice of cheese +

granola + applesauce

1 portion of applesauce

AMBRE FRANC Ambre is a top Elite skier from France. #6 on the world ranking list Graduated drom Florida Souther College, Lakeland,, Florida Certified nutritionist

WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT BEFORE A TOURNAMENT ?

You can have a snack until 30 minutes before your set. Dried fruit (except prune that contains a lot of fibers) or fresh fruit (such as bananas, peaches...) 1/2 of an homemade cereal bar, few nuts and apple sour are perfect before a ski set because they give you energy very fast and does not ask for a lot of digesting work.

Ambre Franc

@ambre.francski www.ambrefranc.com

Slalom skier of the month

Dane Mechler WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!

DM - 5 years old. Summer of 2000 in Cincinnati, OH

DM - Junior Worlds 2013 - went to win, ended up last in finals ♂ - First pass of familiarization in Malaysia đ&#x;˜‚ thinking "is this real?"

WJ - Where do you ski now?

DM - Little Mountain Ski Club - Charlotte, North Carolina. Moved here summer of 2018 WJ - How many set per week?

DM - 4-5 days. 6-8 sets peak season if work allows.Â

WJ - Favorite training partner?

DM - Giannina Bonnemann - keeps me in shape đ&#x;˜… WJ - Your ultimate goal?

DM - Be World Champion, the dreamÂ

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

DM - Pickos Ski School - Lake 3 WJ - Favorite tournament?

DM - Swiss Pro Slalom - amazing site, people, Webcast. US season kick off. That “summer is here� feeling.

WJ - Best waterski memory?

DM - Winning the U21 World Championships in 2015. First big title. Something I will never forget.

WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski) DM - Lake 38. Right at sunset, just after the glare. Keith Albritton at the wheel. Luzz watching. Fresh pair of gloves. Goode ski dialed in. Water mid 70s

@danemechler

Jumper of the month

Igor Morozov WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

IM - I started with snow skiing at about 2,5 years old and pobably around 4 years old on water skis WJ - Where do you ski now?

IM - Mostly in Florida WJ - How many set per week?

IM - Really depends on what I’m doing at the particular moment. Getting ready for the event or skiing and working on some new things.

Usually ratio is about 3 days of skiing and one day of rest WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

WJ - Favorite tournament?

IM - Every tournament I jump very far is my favorite haha I would say Moomba is great because of all the crowd and a downtown set up. But it’s quite nerve racking event.

Malibu Open last year was my favorite, because I won WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!

IM - I’m not a person focusing and remembering bad staff, so I don’t really know. Even if I skied bad or injured myself I was always able to focus on something positive.

From a recent memory I would say last worlds were very lame...

WJ - Favorite training partner?

IM - The bigger jumps the more favorable course. I like Palm Bay set up, lake Tennessee and Fluid in Florida. But the wind has to be right for the most fun!

In Europe love to jump in Lincoln, England and Franz’s lake in Austria felt really good too.

IM - Stoked to have Rocketman behind a wheel for the most of my jumping training. He is a huge jump enthusiast. And it’s alway fun to jump and jumpchat with MegaDodd. Very inspirational dude.

WJ - Best waterski memory?

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

IM - Hard to say, because I have so many great waterski memories on and off water. I might be able to narrow it to like best 10 memories, but it’s a long story

IM - Most fun and happiness!

WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski) IM - Yet to be determined! but no jumping in the mornings for sure

@igormorozov

Tricker of the month

Erika Lang WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!

EL - I was two years old when I first started and 5 when I started competing.

EL - My worst waterski memory is whenever I’ve fallen early in any major competition. A memory that stands out to me is when I fell on my first trick second pass last year at Worlds. I always have to remind my self tbt you have to have the bad days in order to appreciate the good ones.

WJ - Where do you ski now?

EL - I ski at Crystal Point in Gilbert, Arizona and at Matt Rini’s Water Ski School in Orlando, Florida.

WJ - Favorite training partner?

WJ - How many set per week?

EL - My favorite lake is Robin Lake in Callaway Gardens, Georgia.

EL - My favorite training partner is anyone who motivates me to be better than I was yesterday.

My coaches Richard Abelson and Matt Rini have helped me a ton but I’d say my most influential training partner has been my mom. A lot of my sets have just been her and I and I’d say without her I wouldn’t be where I am today.

WJ - Best waterski memory?

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

EL - My best waterski memory is breaking the 11,000 points barrier last year. This had been a goal of mine since I was super young and to finally accomplish it was the best feeling in the world.

EL - My ultimate goal is to be a positive influence for the younger generation and to push the barriers of what can be done on the water.

EL - I take at least 5 trick sets per week.

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski)

WJ - Favorite tournament?

EL - My favorite tournament is the Moomba Masters in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is always so much fun and the energy of the event can’t be beat.

EL - My favorite setup: Boat: Ski Nautique, Ski: D3 Aira trick ski, Lake: Crystal Point Estates in Gilbert, AZ, Time of Day: The evening around 5pm.

Photo credit / Spencer Schultz

@erikalang36

Photo credit / Spencer Schultz

European Waterski Tour

the story is not over yet!

As you may or may not know, 2020 was supposed to see the launch of the European Waterski Tour in association with tournament organisers and professional water skiers. Basically, the EWT will be a professional championship over the pro tournaments happening in Europe from June to August. Delivering points on every tournaments in order to set a ranking for this special purpose and at the end: tell us who was the best over the European pro season and deliver a cash prize.

Hopefully we will keep this set up for next year, otherwise, we will adapt.

Sponsors are coming from other industry than waterski and will keep supporting us.Â

Original schedule for the 2020 edition of the EWT

The action will be followed by the great crew of the Waterski Broadcasting Company for most of them, guaranteeing a perfect webcast experience. The ranking and leaderboards will be available through the website of the tour: www.europeanwaterskitour.com Robert Pigozzi at French Mlaibu Open in Lacanau, 2019 - Ph. Eudes Metivier

See you next year, summer is going to be hot!

For any questions or contact inquiries please email: greg@europeanwaterskitour.com

www.watergear.shop

SLALOM RANKINGS

source: www.worldwaterskier.com

TRICK RANKINGS

source: www.worldwaterskier.com

JUMP RANKINGS

source: www.worldwaterskier.com

OVERALL RANKINGS

source: www.worldwaterskier.com

CONTACT www.waterskination.com greg@waterskination.com IG: @waterski_nation

Thanks to everybody that took part one way another to make this first Waterski Journal edition. To name a few Brooks Wilson and Radar Aide crew Edge KD skis Matt Rini Vincent Stadlbaur and the whole Stadlbaur family Marcus Brown Ambre Franc Freddie Winter Eric Franc Matteo Luzzeri les coureurs Valentin Lucas Matteo Ianni Tiare Miranda Olivia Merieux Spencer Shultz Pato Font Will Asher Thomas Degasperi Jon Travers Neillly Ross Eude Metivier Dane Mechler Igor Morozov Erika Lang Keusseoglou family Paige Rini Whitney McClintock Rini Roberto Pigozzi Marion Mathieu Ellis Scot Ellis World Waterskiers Givego FFSNW Watergear.shop Swiss Waterski Resort Monaco ski nautique my beloved parents and brothers

@waterski_nation