Waterski Journal N°2

WATERSKI j

o

u

r

n

a

l

WATERSKI NATION Tour

the season did happen!

Top Elite skiers skied against each other in 6 awesome events!

Established leaders have delivered what we expected while new guns made their way up the rank.

RADAR SKI LAB

Brooks Wilson gives us a tour in the intimacy of the famous waterski brand and shows us how to make a vapor pro, their most competitive ski on the water.

OFF SEASON PREParation

Marcus Brown and Jenny LaBaw walk us through their awesome program to reveal the best skier we can be.

°

N 2.

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2020

Ph. Jason Lee

www.radarskis.com

Edito

Sacha Descuns at 2019 Travers Grand Prix - Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Season has been weird indeed but it did happen after all!

6 pro events across the U.S. allowed skiers able to ski in the country to show us how sharp they are on the ski despite the ongoing situation. We'll talk about that in the following article.

My thought goes to a few guys and girls that were either stuck into their country or not able to travel to the U.S. to fight against the other skiers. I'm talking about Robert Pigozzi, Sacha Descuns, Carlo Allais, Matteo Luzzeri, Joel Howley, Ambre Franc, Geena Krueger, Giannina Bonnemann and few other names. At least they had the opportunity to attend some performance based tournaments. This allowed skiers like Sacha Descuns to have an incredible season, scoring 6 times into the 9,75m (43off) rope length. Or Giannina, who broke her personal best and scored over 10.000 points in trick!

In the U.S. some incredible performances aside the pro tour must be mentioned: Jon Travers and Will Asher both completed 10,25m (41off) in the same weekend at Jack Travers' lake. During the same event, Dorien Llewellyn set a pending overall world record!

It is now the off season for many of us, and thanks to Marcus and Jenny, Flowpoint Method will give us some tips to stay in shape and prepare the 2021 season!

Gregoire Desfond

Cover Picture: Photographed by Krista Schipner (Black Oak Creative) for MasterCraft Boats

Waterski Journal N°2 7 Behind the camera

42 Lookbook

get to know those who immortalize waterski best moments with their camera

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

11 Waterski Nation Tour

60 FlowPoint Method

if you did not follow the action live, here is the recap!

23 EMS IWWF new website for competitors and tournament organizers

24 Making a waterski Brooks Wilson, COO of Radar, brings us into the Radar Lab.

32 Featured Lake take a tour of the legendary lake of Jack Travers, down in Groveland, Florida.

36 Pro Tips : Thomas Degasperi how does Tgas approach a tournament?

39 Matt Rini - Word with the coach listen up guys! The coach is talking!

stay engaged during the off season with Marcus Brown and Jenny LaBaw!

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

66 Matteo Luzzeri gets in your mind turn on your brain and stay focused on what he has to say!

68 Portraits of the month Slalom: Regina Jaquess Jump: Scot Ellis Trick: Joel Poland

74 Rankings who are the best nowadays?

78 Contact Keep in touch.

www.edgewaterskis.com

TIARE MIRANDA

interview

BEHIND THE CAMERA SPENCER SHULTZ

Tiare Miranda

Spencer Shultz

When did you start taking pictures ?

I really don’t remember exactly when , but I got

Junior

my first camera with manual mode first year of

started with black and white film and learned to

college ! It was a digital camera with manual

develop in the dark room. But I didn’t really start

mode, small and great for traveling. The only

focusing on skiing until 2013. I shot the Masters

reason

that year as intern for WATERSKI with my sisters

I

document

started

to

all

moments

the

take

pictures of

was

traveling

to

and

year

of

high

school

(07-08).

I

actually

camera.

skiing !

How did you get into waterski ?

I come from a water ski family, growing up at

My Dad and his buddies got me hooked.

the lake back at home in Chile and literally living “thelifeofawaterskier�. ( meaning summer to summer , lake to lake ) I skip winters

đ&#x;˜‚

Who is your favorite model ?

It used to be my brothers , then my friends...

I’m a huge fan of a lot of the pro talent! Favorite

Then it was my husband , but now it’s my little

though

daughter MIKAELA

â?¤

is

probably

Freddy

Krueger.

When

he

straps on the sticks, it’s just jaw dropping.

What type of camera do you use ?

Canon for ever and also I have film camera as

Nikon.

well !

Best memory of shooting

I don’t have one exactly, but I love to shoot my

Probably

waterski friends and family.

usually come down for the tournament and it’s

It’s just so awesome to be able to try new stuff

cool to have them see what I do and the brand

without been in a rush or doing a “job� that you

I’ve been able to build.

need do good .

It’s the time that you have to create art and make it a team effort, if it works usually is a master piece but most of the time it’s not even close to what you were expecting....

shooting

The

Masters.

My

parents

Spencer Shultz

Tiare Miranda

Worse memory of shooting

Having a driver cut the jump ramp anchor line at

Ufff I guess it wasn’t waterskiing but I es working

Jack Travers Ski School at 6am before a shoot

on a wedding and my cámara stopped working .

with Erika Lang back in February. Air temp was

Luckily I was in the makeup of the bride so I had

like 30 degrees and I had to get wet before we

time to borrow a cámara from a friend !

started shooting. We nearly froze but we got a

But It was very stressful, and i did not wanted to

cover out of the ordeal!

stress the bride. so, I went to the bathroom and hide there ultil my good friend came to save me wit her cámara .

The project you want to do

Moomba for sure. Even if it’s just for my personal

If I could tell you all the project I have in my

portfolio, I’d like to get over to Australia.

head and some get done and some don’t work out ... so for this time i will keep it to my self until is actually happen .

But I can tell you that there is something coming for next year !

The picture you would like to take

Lots of ideas!

Its

funny

because

photography,

and

I

that’s

love what

documentary I

do

for

living

documents wedding, events , family, etc.. And when

it

comes

to

water

skiing

changes

everything because we are all looking for “that shoot “ . I will actually love to take documentary profiles and make

a visual story of some of the

legends in the sport !

Oh

and

also

I

will

love

to

learn

to

shoot

underwater , scuba photography!

What is your best shot so far ?

not answered

I have a few, some of them are not as perfect as Photograph but they mean a lot to me . ( I don’t believe in the perfect shoot )

What do you use to edit your pictures ?

Adobe suite.

Lightroom.

Where do you shoot the most ?

Central Florida.

Well I guess until later year was in Florida / chile .... this year we move to California so now is California/chile .

Tiare Miranda

Spencer Shultz

What is a good pic of waterski ?

Like I say before a

story

and

for me is the one that can tell

has

all

the

basics

of

a

good

Composition is key. Rule of thirds is my standard.

Also the right mixture of foreground water and top of the frame sky.

photographer.

It must have: - Be a master in reading light - Content ( story) - Composition is everything - technique There is not a specific light for water skiing to make good pictures ...

Depends what you are

shooting ... and what you have in mind and what you want to Create .

I like sunrise if I have to do job ... just because it’s usually flat, quite , sometimes foggy and it’s.

Lot longer than the sunset . So you have more time to play around

đ&#x;˜Š

Who is your next skier to shoot ?

My daughter

â?¤

she will get more likes in my

Freddie Winter. We had a date on the calendar

đ&#x;˜‚đ&#x;˜‚đ&#x;˜˜

before Brittany (my wife) and I moved! I’ll be

Instagram then any other pro

back in Florida soon though.

Regina Jaquess

Erika Lang

We should thank each and every day these photographers.

They give us the opportunity to watch beautiful images of the sport we love. Thank you.

We finally had it! work

from

A proper Tour thanks to the amazing

tournament

organizers

and

skiers

able

travel in the U.S. 6 tournaments over 5 weekends. Let's get back on it!

to

So it all started with a weekend with 2 pro events: Hilltop by HO Syndicate (Washington) and Stillwaters (Wisconsin), giving us a two-way lead on Monday. Daniel Odvarko amazed the waterski scene by taking the win over Nate Smith, while Freddie Winter started his journey with his first win out of 3. In the women, Regina took her first title of the season in front of Manon Costard (Stillwaters) while Jaimee Bull won her first ever pro event at Hilltop!

Hilltop - Ph. Marcus Brown

Everybody moved on to the following event, and this was a major event: The Malibu Open! The kind of event every skier wants to attend and surely win during their career. Trophy Lakes (South Carolina) has been hosting the event lately and it has been a real success! Providing the show we expected.

The champions here were both American, with Regina Jaquess and Nate Smith on the first step of the podium. Manon ended up one step behind Queen Reg. Cole McCormick fought his way through finals then on 2nd spot of the podium! Best ever pro event finish for Cole who started strongly his season (he finished 3rd at Hilltop). Will Asher completed the podium. That’s some kind of first class tournament indeed! Allie Nicholson took serious points also with her third place finish. Up to this point, she obtained two podium finishes in two tournaments (3rd at Stillwaters).

Ph. Eudes Metivier

Event number 3, and skiers are back home in Florida! Lake is sharp, everybody is now in shape and ready to take on some serious pull! It was time for the Travers Grand Prix (Groveland, FL).We saw some priceless crashes and some serious performances! Jaimee and Manon fought at the end of the 10,75m (39off) during round 2. Freddie almost ended up on the boat’s platform. Will Asher started at 12m in finals in order to get a shot at 41off (10,25m) in the opposite direction from his opponents. Unfortunately, he missed the 3rd ball by inches. Adam Sedlmajer skied 3 solid buoys at 10,25m (41off), which put him on the 2nd step of the podium. At the end, Freddie delivered the best performance of the weekend by reaching that 5 buoy at 41off (10,25m), conquering the win once again. Manon also managed her way to the victory. Last of the dock. Elizabeth Montavon skied 2 and Jaimee 3 buoys at 10,75 (39off). Manon went out there and did was she had to in order to take that trophy home.

Ph. Gregoire Desfond

A couple of weeks later, skiers were just a few miles away attending one of the most awaited and most challenging events of the year: Swiss Pro Slalom! Lake Caroline was perfectly prepared for a Pro event, so skiers knew they had to score their best, or better, to get a chance to reach the final round!

The defending champion, Will Asher, injured his hand during a warm up pass. Unfortunately, it did not allow him to ski his best and missed the target score by half a buoy to advance to defend his title. However, the show must go on, and the show did happen!

Once again, Cole McCormick delivered an astonishing performance (as well as a beautiful but insanely dangerous crash) and made his way to finals. Regina was undefeated on Swiss lake, and remained such… she was ahead of Manon by 5 buoys in the finals with a score of 3@10,25m (41off). She is Queen Reg! Men’s podium was some kind of demonstration of dominance too: Freddie won a third event here (5 years after his first title at Swiss), Nate ended up half a buoy behind while the Italian superstar Thomas Degasperi on the 3rd step of the podium. For golf fans, that is like having Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson in the last game of a tournament. This was Tgas’ first appearance in this event, and I’m pretty sure he will come back next year. Third at Swiss Pro Slalom is massive. And, Tgas managed to take it despite Benjamin Stadlbaur's beautiful performance on his home lake. Beny crashed insanely hard on 4ball at 10,25m (41off), but unfortunately the ski didn’t make it outside the buoy line. The show was real!

This is it. Last event of the year was the MasterCraft Pro presented by Action Water Sports. We had the information that this tournament would happen pretty late during the season, but we are so glad it did! the tournament took place at Fluid (Polk City, FL), home of jumpers and MasterCraft under the supervision of Kyle Eade. We knew from the beginning the show would be here! Badass boat, loaded to the maximum for powerful jumps! The pro men jump tournament was following the slalom event so we could expect some fun fights around buoys!

Ph. Krista Schipner

At this stage of the WNT, Freddie had pretty much secured the tour. (suggestion) The only way for him to concede was to finish 11th or worse and for Nate to win (which was doable, but worse than 11th? Come on!). Manon was in the lead of women ranking, but Regina could make it back with a win and 3 spots difference with Manon. Cole was siting in third place in the tour before the event, but a strong finish from Beny Stadlbaur would have put him ahead of Cole. The Mastercraft pro was about to be interesting indeed!

We started with girls. Elizabeth Montavon, first on the water, went on Personal Best territory and scored 2,5@10,75m (39off). All the girls now knew what to do to get a chance. And even Manon did not make it outside 3-ball. One one skier was left on the dock, Regina. She took 10,75m (39off) in the previous round but this was completely different, as she had to ski for the win. And she did, scoring 3@10,75m (39off) in order to catch another victory. Who said women's waterski was not entertaining? This was a hell of a show! Men’s final now. Tgas was early on the water and threw a bomb to other skiers face, scoring 5@10,25m (41off)! This guy is not only famous for dancing on TV, he knows how to win pro events too! He just showed the crowd how to do it.

Dane Mechler, Stephen Neveu, and Cole McCormick (him again!) were unable to match this score. Freddie is out now and he has no choice but to take that pass! The guy is famous for not letting go and, from time to time, crash hard! He’s also famous for skiing well and he just did! Freddie performed an epic S turn after 5 ball (cover picture of the magazine) to join Tgas on the top of the leaderboard. One skier left: world record holder Nate Smith. He had already taken that pass 2 times during the tournament. But I guess, this is not the same when you have to make it to survive. And surviving he did, tying Tgas and Freddie for an upcoming 3 way run-off. How cool is that?

Ph. Krista Schipner

Cole, Freddie & Nate on the WNT podium

Run-off: Nate is first to go and burns away the course, scoring 1@9,75m (43off) and setting the path for his opponents. Tgas is second on the water, running a truly cold 10,75m (39off) as he hadn’t ski for an hour. Demonstration of high-level skiing once again. Unfortunately, he took a bad hit around 3@10,75m (41off) which stopped his way for the title. WNT upcoming champion Freddie Winter is last off the dock.

He knows he can make it, but the difficulty is real. We believed he could make it until the very end of the course. Slack rope at 5@10,25m (41off), didn’t let him finish his turn properly and go to 6. That concluded the slalom event, with Nate winning another pro event! What a show, such incredible skiers performances!

The season ended up being awesome! I caanot wait for the next one! WNT winners deeply deserved it with astonishingly consistent performances over the season.

Congratulations to Freddie Winter and Manon Costard.

Nate Smith and Regina Jaquess were first class runner-ups, showing how disputed the way to the title was Third place goes to young guns that showed how good they could ski and that we’ll have to keep an eye on them for next year: Cole McCormick and Jaimee Bull (both from Canada)

Manon & Regina

Vincent Stadlbaur with Nate and Regina

Tony Lightfoot and Wade Cox TWBC has been a great source of pleasure throughout this journey, covering all the events of the tour with professionalism and creativity. We did not expect any less from that great team. The mic star, Tony Lightfoot, was joined by others on the commentating and they really nailed it. Zack Worden is great in that task, we hope he’ll join the team more often! Wade Cox absolutely crushed it!

Following the athletes and officials on shore and on the dock for in-action interviews that were always good to have. The performance was well played and really provided a cool experience for us watching! TWBC is giving waterski what it needed by setting standards for future coverage and we cannot imagine a pro event now without their cameras on site! Cannot wait for next season.

Dane Mechler being interviewed

Allie Nicholson interviewed by Zach Worden

Click to play

EMS is about to set a new standard for competitive skiers and tournament organizers.

A simple website to centralize calendars, results, memberships, and registration.

It should quickly become the new hub for the competitive waterskiing, so make sure you follow the path and go create your profile on this new website.

g n i k Ma i k s r e t a a W The house that Herb built is alive and well. Herb used the Lab to advance modern day waterskiing to new heights and in those advancements built a team around him that would continue his legacy to this day. Chris Rossi, Tim DeHate, and Jason Standley all work tirelessly to create innovation.

It is in the Radar Lab that new foams are tested, different carbons are sourced, and the latest shapes come to light. Every concept is born here, and every Vapor is produced in this special place, thanks Herb.

Brooks Wilson

Let's get a tour into

Aerocore

Carbon sheets

Carbon rods

What's inside your board?

Enjoy this short movie, courtesy of Radar, that follows the making process of the Vapor Pro.

Click here Resine

The press

tools needed Rocker test

Flexing machine

process

Final product

K.C. Wilson Ph. by Jason Lee

Radar lake, Woodinville, Washington

The men behind the ski Brooks Wilson on Lithium Vapor

Paige Rini on Vapor Pro

Corey Vaughn on Orange Vapor Pro

www.radarskis.com

www.kdwatersports.com

FEATURED

E K LA

This place is so much more than a waterski lake. The whole spirit of waterski is everywhere here. I remember the first time I showed up. I was walking down the alley to the main lake with Ambre Franc. She was about to ski with Jack. I looked around, Natalia Berdnikava was in prep to go jump; Chris Travers behind the wheel. On the right side lake, some guy flipping around his trick ski behind a beautiful Nautique (I would learn later the guy was Aliaksei Zharnasek). In fact, I learned soon enough that almost everybody around was some kind of champion.

Some people call that place a lake, most of them talk about it like home.

Not to mention the living legend Jack Travers who has coached a great amount of waterski champions like Sammy Duvall, his own son, Jon Travers, or the rising star Jaimee Bull. They are so many more that have been trained here. Meanwhile, it is also the perfect place to spend holidays with your children alongside the pros. Sunset Lake is not just about coaching skiers, it’s also about building champions!

Contact: www.jacktravers.com email: h2oskijacks@aol.com Phone +1 (352) 429-9027 20225 County Road 33 Groveland, Fl 34736 - USA

Composed of 3 handmade lakes, jump ramps, slalom courses, and smoking Nautique boats, all conditions are mixed to delivered the best waterski experience. Whether you’re tricking, jumping, or slaloming, you can be sure to have the right person in the boat to coach you. It might even be Chris Travers, pure legacy of his father Jack. And don’t worry, Lelani will make sure everything is taken care of. No excuses or worries are allowed. You can just think about skiing!

Gregoire Desfond

FEATURED

E K LA

This year marked the third edition of the Travers Grand Prix. This tournament is indeed unique because of its format. The Pro slalom event embedded in a pro-am team competition where everyone is on the same level to make out their best through a multi-sport tournament: waterski, skeet shooting, and go kart (golf replaced go kart this year).

The man behind the event, alongside his whole family and friends Jon Travers

It has become a classic event of the season despite it was only the 3rd edition. Pros understood right away the event would be a great one.

Indeed, so many records have been made on the main lake at Jack's!

Quality of the amenities are just at the highest level you can expect from a pro event.

2 times Travers Grand Prix Champion - Freddie Winter

Jmac at skeet shooting

Marcus Brown with his camera

Tgas washing hands routine

m a e HO t s s e l r Fea Robert Pigozzi displaying counter rotation skills

www.aidecrew.com

PRO TIP

by Thomas Degasperi

World champion 2007 & 2011 Masters champion 2014 Moomba Masters champion 2014, 2017 & 2019 European champion - 7 times from 2002 to 2019 Malibu open champion 2006 & 2016 & more

Back to back podium at 2020 Swiss Pro Slalom and Mastercraft Pro !

I try to give each event the same importance even if in my mind some are more special than others. But I always try to give my very best on each on of them, because this is what I do and I can’t allow myself to not taking it seriously. I always have a day off the day before any event to give my body and my mind a break and be 100% the day of the tournament. I have my routines the day of the event I do my mind relaxation exercises , visualizing, feeling my body , watching my performance in my head ...it’s a kind of meditation in a way.My aunt taught me at a young age to perform these exercises, since she a doctor in psychology focusing on sport and couple therapy. I have to say they helped me keeping me calm and be aware of my potentials and keep my focus on myself.

HOW TGAS APPROACHES A TOURNAMENT Tgas finished 5th of the Waterski Nation Tour with only 3 participations over the 6 tournaments of the season

I Focus on timing, speed ,width. Line control, line tension and my stands from the pull out till the time I cross the wakes. Everything has to click everything is connected and everything is a consequence of the previous movement

When I ski I focus on my gates mostly. I’m a firm believer that a good gate will set the whole

rhythm

for

your

pass

and

that’s

what I work on with my students. This past summer I spent a large amount of time going start

back from

to

the

zero.

drawing

Due

to

board

the

and

pandemic

many events were canceled so I had the opportunity to focus on my gate with the help

of

Benatti. course

my I

father

changed

from

the

Marco my

gate

and

Claudio

approach and

the

of

the

results

speak for themself making podium in the last 2 pro events of the season. During the event

I

try

to

mainly

focus

on

one

movement only I don’t want to have my brain full of things I need to think. So my pick is the gate.

WORD WITH THE COACH

M A T T R I N I S t a r t

a t

A skier’s body position often causes the ski to react negatively - learning how a slalom ski is designed to work in the water can help a skier understand where they want to stand on the ski.

Many times a skier will make movements or adjust their body position without any regard for what consequences may result. The ski is constantly sending feedback that dictates how the skier reacts with his body and technique.

Understanding a few key areas will help a skier gain clarity on how he wants to ski.

t h e

b o t t o m

Slalom ski design has evolved over the years but there are many constants from ski to ski. A slalom ski has a wide point; from the wide spot forward the ski narrows (some quicker than others) and from the wide spot back the ski narrows. Each ski company has a philosophy on how the lines should run either way of the wide spot based on what their goals are.

Typically the wide spot is located somewhere between 4043� from the tail of the ski. To help you envision that area, it is located just in front of the the most forward insert on your front boot. When the water is breaking on the ski in front of that wide spot the ski wants to turn; and when the water break is behind that point, the skier can ride the speed or swing created behind the boat.

So, from the pre turn to the beginning of the downswing back to the wakes it is imperative to keep the water break ahead of the wide spot to ensure the ski turns and drives back to the center line. Imagine a wheelie, or falling back on the ski out of the turn, and how detrimental that can be on a skiers’ hardest pass.

Ambre Franc / pre turn

Most skiers have felt both ends of spectrum- where the ski is in the water at the finish of the turn and you take off like a rocket; and most have also felt the ski pop up at the finish of the turn and the need to spike the line to attempt to get enough speed to get to the next buoy.

The area that is most misunderstood, I call the “silent killer”- is the edge change. When a skier releases the edge and starts to climb up on the boat, that is the point of max speed and the senses tell the skier to release the energy and start the turn. But, if the skier pulls too long, it is like staying on the gas too long in a race car into a turn. If the skier doesn’t have enough speed before the edge change for the line length or wind conditions they will run out of speed at the ball. Sometimes, good skiers talk about “riding the line” outbound, that’s like letting off the gas slowly into a turn before turning the steering wheel.

This is accomplished by keeping the upper body swinging on the pendulum while simultaneously edge changing, which allows the skier to keep the outbound direction without pulling but also not letting off.

Sacha Descuns / edge change Now let's go back to how the wide spot of the ski affects the edge change. If the water break is ahead of that spot when the ski lands on the new edge it will pull that direction and “start to turn”. The more we let the water get ahead of that wide spot and the faster we are going the more and the harder the ski turns at the ball, but if too much happens too soon we end up going straight before we can turn because of the shallower line into the ball.

As the rope gets shorter we go much faster which requires an earlier edge change the more we allow the water to get in front of the wide spot when we change edge the more the ski will track towards the ball and the less it will track out. Automatically we think “I must have let up too soon because I was early out of the ball before and now I'm narrow and going straight at this one”.

The typical compensation (this is where our skiing instincts kick in) is to pull longer to delay the ski tracking too much towards the ball to give us a better approach. But that is a slippery slope which eventually cost us line tension and too much speed right at the ball. Also, if the goal is to turn early, then a long pull delays the ability to actually start the turn. This is super apparent in tail winds, if you don't get on the new edge early enough you can’t start your turn early enough.

Regina Jaquess / edge change

The best way to adjust how much ski is in the water at the point of edge change is with posture and back arm pressure. The upper body plays a huge roll in balance, it also happens to be where the body is connected to the boat, so understanding how the shoulders (forward, back, open or closed) affect balance allows you to micro adjust the water break in relation to the wide spot. Water break on the ski easily becomes the “result� instead of the focus we should build technique around.

This is why being stacked is so important; often we forget we are on an unstable surface, if the posture is poor we must compensate by bending or leaning or hunching forward in some capacity. As soon as we are forced to lean forward, this moves the water break forward. Thus, as soon as you change edge the ski will track towards the ball because the water break is too far forward.

Robert Pigozzi

I guarantee that if you take a fairly easy pass and stand with slightly better posture the whole time you will feel more space before every ball. Having the water break swill stay behind the wide spot slightly longer will give you an outbound line rather then one that forces a narrow, fast feeling approach.

MATT RINI

www.mattrini.com

Regina Jaquess, 2019 Swiss Pro Slalom / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Felipe Miranda / Ph. Tiare Miranda

Joel Poland / Ph. JosĂŠ Gonzalez

Ryan Dodd, US Masters 2019 / Ph. Vincent Stadlbaur

Thibaut Dailland / Ph. Miks Cinis

Thomas Degasperi, 2019 Travers Grand Prix / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Thibaut Dailland, 2019 Worlds Championships / Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Pato Font / Ph. Vincent Stadlbaur

Diego Font / Ph. Tiare Miranda

6 keys to your best ski season ever If you’re reading this right now you’re probably a water skier. If that’s the truth, then chances are that you also have an interest in getting better on the water. But, wait… The water is getting colder. The tournaments are over. The boat is winterized. It’s offseason. So, what are you going to do until it’s time to rip again? What are your plans to continue improving in the off-season?

First, let’s define the off-season and what its main purpose is.

Off-season is the most underrated and overlooked season of the year. It’s the time which provides the greatest opportunity to recalibrate your approach to next season.

Being the best athlete you can be, means taking time to recover physically, mentally and emotionally but that is far from meaning the entire winter is actually taken “off”. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Here are six main things you can do this off-season to make your 2021 your best season yet.

Improve stability

joint

mobility

and

Improve strength and power It’s no secret that being strong and powerful in

Water skiers are notoriously missing

relation to your weight is beneficial on the ski.

shoulder,

of

Performing functional movements as opposed

motion. These deficiencies can not

to isolated movements will give you the most

only

impair

can

athletic bang for your buck. Keep reps in the 1-

also

lead

be

5 range in order to work strength and power

addressed year-round, but here are

and not gain mass. Here are 3 movements we

3 mobility tools you can start today.

suggest including in your program.

Double LAX T-Spine Smash

Deadlift

Banded Distraction: Hip Extension

Press

Pistol Push

overhead range of motion)

hip

to

and

ankle

range

performance injury.

This

but should

1

and/or

Dumbbell

Landmine

Clean

(try

Press

Dumbbell

(if

Hang

missing

Power

2

Clean if it’s a new movement and/or if you’re missing range of motion)

Improve metabolic conditioning Metabolic conditioning, in its most basic sense, means sports specific training. Skiers spend around 16-22 seconds working and 1min + resting. Training your body metabolically for this type of output is critical to your success. More of this specificity is done in the pre-season, but hitting it in the off-season is beneficial as well to start priming the body. This doesn’t mean that going for longer, slower aerobic session is bad. Do those too if it fits your schedule in the offseason, but try not to make them the primary focus. Below are 3 different types of metabolic training workouts to try.

Sprints (rower, running, biking, etc) 8 x :15 effort/:45 rest Every Minute on the Minute x 12 minutes

Odd Minutes: 45 seconds jump rope (single unders or double unders) Even Min: 5 Heavy Goblet Squats with 2” pause in bottom position

As many rounds as you can in 7 minutes 7 Landmine Push Press each arm 5 Pull-ups 3 Lateral Box Jumps Overs each side

3

Move in different ways We are all passionate about water skiing and some of you may have the

ability

There’s

to

no

ski

one

year-round.

prescription

But,

for

that

the

doesn’t

amount

mean

of

time

you to

should.

take

off,

however we recommend giving your body a couple months of little to no

skiing

on

the

water.

Instead,

challenge

your

4

athleticism

different sports/activities that interest you.

with

Practice and sharpen your mindset It’s been said that skiing is 90% mental. We know that improving your capacity to control your state of mind will improve consistency, safety and get you more PBs.

Here are

3 practices you can implement in your off-season

- Practice breath work regularly (ie: 10 x 6 second inhale, 4 sec hold, 8 sec exhale) -

Self-video

analysis

and

critiquing:

make

sure

to

identify

strengths/weaknesses at a 1:1 ratio if you find something you don’t like about your skiing, make sure you identify one of your strengths as well.

-

Develop

and

strengthen

a

visualization

practice:

We

can’t

overstate

the

importance of this for peak performance on the water. But, remember it’s the off-season

so

let’s

keep

this

playful

and

simple.

Here

are

2

different

approaches to visualization to start trying.

Real time:

For this approach, we recommend you find a comfortable

place to sit, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. Visualize (and attempt to feel the sensations of) putting your ski gear on, your feet in your bindings, jumping in the water, your deep water start, and then step by step through your set. Basically, visualize every aspect of a real set and try to do it in real time. Don’t worry about making mistakes, those will happen. Just try to keep the tempo of your set going in your head, and simply move through any mistakes or sticking points to continue to the next moment, or

5

buoy. The more you practice this, the better you will get.

Slowmotion:

For this approach, you can either sit or you can stand and

physically walk through the course as you work through this practice. Pick a pass that you want to really FEEL in detail. Start at the gate pull-out, and allow yourself to ski this pass in slow motion. Don’t take it too slowly, and try not to “rewind” or “re-do” something in your head, but do allow yourself the time to ski it how you want to ski it. Really try to make the mind-body connection as you move through this pass...by sensing what each portion of the course would feel like, as you are negotiating it.

Understand how to fuel your body Doing all the work in the gym and on the water, but not thinking about what you’re putting into your body is doing yourself a disservice. One thing to keep in mind, we are all different and our energy requirements are different. Listening to your body is the most important thing. The off-season is a good time to play around with what works best for you, when performance is not on the line. Here are 5 main things to start today.

- Remove all processed foods and refined sugar - Drink an adequate amount of water (minimum recommendation is 1/2 body weight in ounces daily….ie. 150lb person = 75 ounces of water) - Eat REAL food (quality protein, healthy fats, fresh produce) - Reduce or eliminate alcohol consumption - Slow down, enjoy your food in a calm/appreciate state

6

There is no one right way to train. In fact, if you

FlowPoint Method isn’t just a program, it’s a skier’s

have a coach that tells you it’s their way or the

way of life. We invite you to check it out, give it a

highway,

trial,

run!

There

are

some

fundamental

or

just

dive

right

in.

We

promise

you,

you

concepts that apply to making your program fit

won’t regret it. Remember, the best program is the

your needs, but, ultimately, the program you enjoy

one that resonates with you and the one you will

and follow will be better than a perfect program

actually follow. It should fit your values, your goals,

that you don’t do.

your accessibility and your availability. We’re here to answer any questions you have and wish you

Our program, the FlowPoint Method, is a yearlong,

holistic

approach

to

waterskiing.

Led

the best in your off-season training.

by

coaches, Marcus Brown (pro-skier, engineer and visionary)

and

conditioning elite

Jenny

coach,

athlete).

We

LaBaw

functional

take

into

(strength

and

nutritionist

and

account

on-water

training, off-water training, mindset, nutrition and

To

contact

Jenny

or

Marcus,

email

FlowPointMethod@gmail.com or check out

lifestyle that all play important parts in an athlete’s overall success. We have put together a combined 40

years

of

experience

in

our

respective

https://www.flowpointmethod.com/theprogram

disciplines to take the guesswork out and provide you with a step-by-step plan to improve not only

for more info on the FlowPoint Method.

on the water, but in life.

www.flowpointmethod.com

As

a

certified

nutritionist,

the

most

important

thing

in

my

opinion, is to eat the least amount of products from the food industry. Most of the energy bars found in supermarkets are high in sugar, additives and preservatives, which can cause you health problems in the long run.

Cooking your own energy bars will only take a few minutes and allow you to recharge your batteries after your ski set or your workout.

Ingredients for 6 bars

Instruction

100g of oatmeal 30g of nuts, almonds, cashew nuts,

Crush the nuts in a blender In a large bowl

Mix the oatmeal, the nuts and the chocolate chips together then add honey in the bowl.

sunflower seeds....

2-3 tablespoon of organic honey 2 tablespoon of chocolate chip

Mix everything together - you can use your fingers it's easier

Spread everything in a rectangular cake tin and flatten it all with a spoon.

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 ° C.

Cool everything then delicately cut the cereal bars into 6 parts.

Enjoy!

You can keep these granola bars for about 4 days in a tupperware.

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

ENERGY BAR RECIPE

www.watergear.shop

MATTEO LUZZERI Ph.D in Sport Psychology From Florida State University

It’s on You! The Subjectivity of Technique and Why That Is Exciting Ph. Brett Perry Let’s face it. We are part of an extremely technical sport.

Physical preparation and agility are important aspects, yet not one of the top athletes shares a definite combination of all these. To be specific, look at the different physiques of the top skiers in each event. Slalomers tend to be tall for there is a clear advantage in that, one that is beyond our control.

However, this advantage is not stoping skiers such as Terry Winter or Breanne Dodd from being extremely competitive on the Pro Tour.

The differences in physical qualities might lead one to conclude that, ultimately, a solid technical similarity underlines all of the top skiers in the world. Unfortunately, this is not the case either. Every year there are about 30 to 40 male elite skiers running 39off in the world, and none of them run it the same way. Or look at the top two Men Pro Jumpers in the world right now, Freddy Krueger and Ryan Dodd: very different styles.

I feel the need to write this article because I see a lot of misguided approaches on how to improve skiing ability. To begin with, some people have the tendency to mindlessly imitate the top skiers in anything they do.

Usually, this is how it happens. Mr.X recently switched to a new brand of life jackets, he goes to a tournament, and skis a massive score. Clearly, the life jacket allowed him to move more freely and ski at his best. New life jacket order is submitted. This example– which of course does not want to denigrate the importance of life jackets–can be restated substituting Mr.X with any pro athlete and life jacket with any piece of equipment.

Claudio Köstenberger

More to the point, life jacket can be substituted with any specific aspect of someone’s technique.

The most explicit example I’ve seen in recent months is the mass switching to two-handed gates, most likely inspired by the impressive scores and victories that Nate Smith is obtaining.

Obviously, I am not implying that everyone that switches to a two-handed gate is merely copycatting, but we all know those skiers who drastically change aspects of their own skiing out of copycatting. The ultimate test to detect such empty approach is a simple yet disturbing question: “Why?”

Nicholas Benatti

The key to improvement is understanding the advantages and disadvantages in someone’s technique, and then try to apply such knowledge to your own skiing.

This being said, there is a certain skiing level that you have to reach before you can just feel free to apply the results of your understanding.

To your disappointment, I am not going to say where to draw the line because I have no idea where the line is. Most likely, common sense dictates it.

Side note aside, it is important to watch better skiers than you and see what they do and how they do it. But the fundamental aspect of this endeavor is the following step, which is a constant research for the reasons of their movements. What advantage does she obtain from keeping their sight down course as she turns onside? Why does he release his left hand in the second half of the jump? How come she is opting for this toe pass and not that one?

These questions are usually answered by your coach, especially at the early and intermediate stages of your skiing potential, and luckily so. Having someone more experienced than you watching your movements is a fortune that everyone should treasure. In fact, your coach went through and still goes through the same questions that every athlete does. The good coach delivers the solutions to his questions by shaping them on the athlete in front of him, taking into account as many variables as possible, such as physique, personal technical aspects, and athletic features such as strength and agility. All you have to focus on is ski and execute!

However, not all of us are lucky enough to have a coach consistently following us. In this case, the search for your technique needs to be smart and well-pondered while fun at the same time. So a good start is to go to videos of the top level skiers and ask yourself “What advantage is that movement giving her on this trick?” or “Why is he twisting his head after grabbing the handle on the offside turn?”

At the same time, look at your videos, analyze your movements, and do not just focus on the downsides of your technique. See what you like about the way you ski and make sure you understand why those movements work!

Some people complain about our sport not having a set technique that everyone should aspire to… I personally think this is one of the most exciting parts of what we do!

by Matteo Luzzeri

Brando Caruso

This article was originally issued on ballofspray.com Ph. Gregoire Desfond

Slalom skier of the month

Regina Jaquess WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

RJ - I started skiing with my family at two years old. My parents were already tournament skiers, and my older sister Renee was already on skis. So naturally I thought I should be on the water too.

WJ - Where do you ski now?

RJ - I don’t have a set place as far as where I ski and train. I have been training a lot with Jay Bennett over the last several years. And other places around WJ - How many set per week?

RJ - Every week is different. Unfortunately I don’t get as much time on the water as I would prefer, especially with running Emerald Coast Compounding Pharmacy. Most of my training is done on the weekends.

WJ - Best waterski memory?

RJ - Running the world record of 4..5@41 while both of my parents were at the site WJ - Worse memory? You can choose, funny or serious hah!

RJ - Worst waterski memory tearing my meniscus on a jump and having surgery and to endure the recovery process WJ - Favorite training partner?

RJ - Favorite training partner that’s a tough one. It takes an army and I have a great group that I train with too many to name just one WJ - Your ultimate goal?

RJ - My ultimate goal is to run 41 off WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski)

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

RJ - Well there are many sites that just ski amazing. Currently I would have to say where the world record is at - Lymanland WJ - Favorite tournament?

RJ - The Malibu Open

RJ - Best set up is the Malibu TXI with Chad Scott behind the wheel while riding my Goode Carbon Core XTR

@regina_jaquess

Jumper of the month

Scot Ellis WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

SE - 4 years old Summer of 1975

WJ - Favorite tournament?

SE - Moomba Masters !

WJ - Where do you ski now?

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

SE - I train in Central Florida , Auburndale, FL with my wife Marion Ellis.

SE - I have 4 of those! Dislocating my hips.

1995, 2004, 2006, 2014

WJ - How many set per week?

WJ - Favorite training partner?

SE - Depending on if a tournament is coming.

Tournament week 8 building sets. (type of training I do) No tournament coming up I will wait for good weather and take probably 3-4 sets that week.

SE - I have trained with many great jumpers over the years. It's hard to pick a favorite.

John Livingston, Curtis Sheers, Ryan Fitts, Seb DePasqua, Igor Morozov.

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

SE - I like any jump course with a head wind.

WJ - Best waterski memory?

SE - Being around for so long I have many memories and they have changed over time. It use to be winning a big tournament but know its watching my kids enjoy skiing.

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

SE - I have reached my goals, so now I just like to jump and keep going as far as I can.

WJ - Best set up? (lake, time of the day, boat, pilote, ski) SE - When all things fall into place, MY lake is the best set up. I have had so many monster jumps out there.

@scotellis

Source: Waterski Mag

Tricker of the month

Joel Poland WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

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

JP -3/4 ish can’t quite remember đ&#x;˜‚

JP - I actually cant think of a bad memory. All the failures have pushed me more then the successes and I wouldn’t change them! Except maybe winter training in England.

WJ - Where do you ski now?

JP - I do the majority of my skiing at Matt Rini’s lake in America and when I’m home at JBSki. WJ - How many set per week?

JP - 3-5 sets a day 5-6 days a week and then I trick on my days off.

WJ - Favorite training partner?

JP - Fred Winter and Robert Pigozzi. Push me to my limits but still a great laugh.

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

JP - 1 day at a time and see when I end up. But 4 golds would be kinda cool I guess.

JP - Far to many great sites to narrow it down to just 1.

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

WJ - Best waterski memory?

JP - Xtreme gene, that place is amazing. at the end of the day when the sun sets and we just wake surf and mess around on the lake untill dusk.Nothing compares to that!

JP - (u14) i had been chasing the british slalom record all year (1.5@11). Finally at the junior Europeans I got around 2 and back the the wakes, winning the tournament and breaking the record. That was my 1st taste of victory and I’ve never got sick of it since!

WJ - Favorite tournament?

JP -Definitely moomba. The crowd, the competitions, the challenging conditions. All of it mixed together makes a totally unique atmosphere that you just don’t get anywhere els.

Photo credit / Jose Gonzalez

@joelpoland

Ph. JosĂŠ Gonzalez

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 or another to make this Waterski Journal #2 edition. To name a few Brooks Wilson and Radar Aide crew Edge KD skis Matt Rini Vincent Stadlbaur and the whole Stadlbaur family TWBC Marcus Brown Ambre Franc Freddie Winter Krista Schipner and Black Oak Creative Eric Franc Matteo Luzzeri les coureurs Valentin Lucas Matteo Ianni Tiare Miranda Olivia Merieux Spencer Shultz Pato Font Will Asher Thomas Degasperi Jon Travers Joel Poland Regina Jaquess Eude Metivier Dane Mechler Keusseoglou family Paige Rini Igor Morozov Whitney McClintock Rini Robert Pigozzi & Pigoski Marion Mathieu Ellis Scot Ellis World Waterskiers Jenny LaBaw Flowpoint Method Goode D3 Justin Campfield Givego FFSNW Peter Frei and IWWF BallofSpray Watergear.shop Swiss Waterski Resort Jack Travers sunset lakes and the whole Travers family Monaco ski nautique my beloved parents and brothers

@waterski_nation

Ph. Black Oak Creative