What do you get when you combine Beer, Pro Wakeboarders, 1 foot of wind chop, and a barefootin’ event?  Well it turns out you get some Epic Crashes and amazing time!

Unfortunately we did not get to head out to this event (can someone see to it that they bring this to MN for 2011?) so we are relying on Alliance Wake for the coverage.  Head over to their site to check out some pictures or take a look at the video below.  FOF 2010!!!

http://www.alliancewake.com/wake/feet-on-fire-six/

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In this water ski how to, find out how to find the sweet spot on wakesurf board.

Building the Sweet Spot

Before you can find the wake’s sweet spot, you need to make sure you have a sweet spot. If you’re wakesurfing behind a direct drive ski boat, you should be shooting for a smooth thigh-high wake. If you have a V drive wakeboard boat, you can probably throw wakes up to hip high. But you’re looking for more than just size. You want a wake that is long and clean, too, and to get this you’ll need to find the right balance of weight between the front and back of the boat. Start with the majority of your ballast and people weight in the back and on the side of the boat the surfer is riding on.

Now, bring the boat up to wakesurfing speed (8-11 mph). If the wake starts to crumble, take some weight out of the back or move some weight up front. Continue playing with your weight balance until your wake is dialed. You’ll know when it’s right because the whitewater will disappear and you’ll be left with a smooth face of water that’ll look like a miniature version of the breaks you see in TransWorld Surf.

Finding The Sweet Spot

The sweet spot is the clean stretch of wake just in front of the curl. Now, toss your towline into the sweet spot and tie it off at that length. This will put you in the right spot when you stand up, so you won’t have to pull yourself into it. To get up, perform a deepwater start just like you would on a wakeboard, and make sure you’re riding frontside/toeside with your chest and toes facing the wake. Now get you wakesurf board’s edge into the wake and drop the handle. Stay on the balls of your feet with your weight distributed equally, keep your center of gravity low, and use your knees and ankles as speed sensors to tell if you’re moving up or back on the wake. If you feel yourself moving back on the wake, shift your weight forward so your chest is over your front knee. You’ll accelerate and catch up with the sweet spot.

Here is a quick video of Zane explaining the new Powered Tower for 2011! What does everyone think about this new design?

MasterCraft 2011 ZFT5P Powered Tower

Watch the 10 best water ski videos of the first half of 2010. From water ski how tos and a set with Andy Mapple to an inside look at the Malibu Boats factory and pro skiers charging the legendary waves of Maui, there’s plenty here to keep you glued to your computer screen.

1. Video: Your Best Wake Crossings Ever

WATERSKI editor Todd Ristorcelli explains the three simple secrets to the perfect wake crossing by analyzing footage of pro skier Thomas Degasperi. Watch the video here.

2. Video: Andy Mapple Skis Nautique 200

Watch Andy Mapple take delivery of his brand-new Ski Nautique 200, Nautique Boats‘ elite three-event ski boat. Mapple goes for a set then discusses the Nautique 200’s unique design Watch the video here.

3. Video: Pro Snow Skiers Carve up Maui

Watch professional snow skiers Mike Douglas and Cody Townsend ski the legendary waves of Maui armed with wake skis from HO Sports and Stereo Skis. Watch the video here.

4. Video: Todd Ristorcelli Explores Power of PCM

In this water ski video, watch WATERSKI editor Todd Ristorcelli get pulled through some butter sets in the slalom course by PCM Engines. Watch the video here.

5. Video: Malibu Boats Factory Tour

Consider this video your all-access pass to Malibu Boats. Get a behind-the-scenes look at Malibu Boats’ Loudon, Tennessee, factory, one of three facilities that manufacture Malibu ski boats and wakeboard boats. Watch the video here.

Just got these pictures through our inbox!  We are very excited about the new power plants for the 2011 MasterCraft Boats.

Ilmor will be offering 5.7, 6.0, and 6.2 GM engines which will be assembled on the Penske Racing Campus in Charlotte NC.  Ilmor is using their extensive design and development experience to take the same GM engines that Indmar, PCM, and MerCruiser are using and develop a more refined, reliable product.

For more information visit www.mastercraft.com or www.ilmor.com

Want to bring your Skiing to the next level?  Who doesn’t!  Get a chance to improve your Personal Best and or technical ability with H.O. Sports Factory Team Member and MasterCraft Team Member Wade Cox.  Midwest MasterCraft is excited to bring you the chance to ski with world champion Wade Cox.
This Clinic is for everyone from Novice to Expert.  The format is easy going and allows for everyone to enjoy the day out on the water!

We still have spots available for all three days of the clinic!  Sign up now!

To learn more about this event and reserve your spot visit the link below:

http://www.waterskis.com/Waterski-Clinic-with-World-Champion-Wade-Cox-p/waterski_clinic_wade_cox.htm

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Where:

Located an easy eight miles east of Seattle proper, Lake Sammamish stretches from the city of Redmond, Washington, south to historic Issaquah.

What:

More than seven miles of deep, clean, shred-ready water. Granted, it is a public body and as such can be susceptible to rollers and wind, but there are numerous protected, secluded lines up and down both sides of Lake Sammamish that offer smooth water on most days. A slalom course, maintained by the Lake Sammamish Waterski Club, has been located on the quiet north end of the lake since the mid-1950s.

When:

While the local scene thrives 12 months of the year, you will want to ski Sammamish during Washington’s summer or fall months. At more than 100 feet deep, Sammamish is slow to warm up in the spring but will hover just below the 80-degree mark well into early fall. Summer skiing and boarding conditions are perfect, with no wetsuits needed. But the long, windless falls are the best time of the year. Dwindling boat traffic and Indian summer conditions make late September ideal.

Why:

To become immersed in water-sports history. Practically every manufacturing milestone has been tested on the waters of Lake Sammamish. Jobe, HO, Hyperlite, EP, O’Brien and Connelly skis were all initially designed and developed on Sammamish, with many of their founders living on the lake itself. Currently, you can run into the guys from Radar Skis and Ronix testing new product, holding team photo shoots or just enjoying the lake themselves. Skiing or riding Sammamish is breaking water on hallowed ground and truly has to be experienced.

How:

If you are driving in, take I-90 east from Seattle to exit 17: Front Street North/Lake Sammamish Parkway. There is a boat launch at Lake Sammamish State Park a few miles north. If you are flying, the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is roughly 40 minutes from the lake. With snow skiers flocking to the area all winter long, airline agents are generally relaxed if your ski bags are slightly overweight. Contact the Lake Sammamish Waterski Club (lswsc.org) before coming. Membership is a measly $55, and they may have advice for finding a pull if you don’t have access to a boat.

Where to stay and play:

Issaquah on the south end of the lake and Redmond on the north end both have the usual chains of affordable hotels, though there are more in Redmond. Located less than a mile from Lake Sammamish State Park is the Joker Pub and Grill, with beautiful servers, good fish tacos and aggressive pours. Time Out is located a few miles south in Issaquah and is a great lunch spot. For dinner, try El Toreador in Redmond for life-altering Mexican food and margaritas.

Laying into a long, carving turn, throwing up a thick wall of water, is what draws water skiers to the lake day after day. So, if it’s all about the turn, it’s time to fill in the gaps. In this water ski how to, Trent Finlayson shares four secrets that will make your turns fast, consistent and, if nothing else, spectacular.

Let it go

Given you have not overloaded the line or leaned excessively hard during your approach to the wakes, the reach will feel completely natural. You want to begin your reach as you feel yourself become free from the pull of the boat. This occurs as your path begins to run parallel to the boat.

Counter-rotate with purpose

Counter-rotation is a good thing, but you must address your real goal for doing so. In rotating your shoulders to the outside of the turn, you are in affect rotating your hips as well. However, excessive upper body counter-rotation can rock your weight too far back. Instead of contorting your upper body in an attempt to move your hips, concentrate on leading the turn with your inside hip. This will have your lower body facing the outside of the turn on your heelside (onside) turn. On your toeside (offside) turn, this will have your hips facing square down the lake. This will limit your upper body movement, helping you remain balanced atop your ski.

Wait it out

The finish of the turn is where nearly every missed pass in the slalom course comes unraveled. In an attempt to quickly get to the other side of the course, skiers often begin to load the rope before their turn has fully completed. The result is a rapid loss of speed and poor angle into the wakes. To keep from rotating your upper body into the turn, concentrate on where you feel the line’s tension first. If you rotate your upper body into the turn you will feel load on your lead arm first (left arm at ball one). Your goal is to keep your upper body still as you ski through the turn, feeling load on your trailing arm first (your right arm at ball one). This will keep you from rotating and reaching for the handle and ensure you have completed your turn before loading the line.

Reach right

As you begin your reach, think about feeding the handle smoothly toward your direction of travel, as opposed to “dumping” your handle to the inside of the turn. This will help keep your hips and shoulders square and prevent you from engaging your inside edge too aggressively too soon.

Ski with and get lessons from more than a dozen of water skiing’s top pros at a skiathon to benefit injured professional water skier Kyle Eade. Aaron Larkin, Jodi Fisher, Thomas Moore, Karina Nowlan and many more pros will be on hand at Champions Lake in Clermont, Florida, on June 20, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Get coached by your pro of choice, take a lesson from world-famous coach Matt Rini, or have legendary skier Kris LaPoint set up your ski. Ski behind the new Ski Nautique 200 or watch from inside the boat as your favorite pro tears up the course. Then stick around to eat, drink and talk shop with the pros at a barbeque after the event.

All proceeds from the event will go to pro skier Kyle Eade, who was paralyzed during a practice jump earlier this year. To book your slot, call or e-mail Phil Hughes at 863-289-5505 or h2osport@gate.net. Even if you cant make it to the skiathon, you can still make a donation through PayPal at waterskier3829@gmail.com.

Pro Skiers Who Will Attend:

Karina Nowlan
Breanne Wagner Dodd
Hanna Edeback
Jennifer Leachman LaPoint
Nicola Fisher
Aaron Larkin
Jon Travers
Boris Laval
Thomas Moore
Billy Susi
Kris LaPoint
Todd Ristorcelli

Brooks Wilson, Mochaela Cooper, Mayayla Haw, Lauren Morgan, Storm Selsor and K.C. Wilson won titles at the Junior U.S. Open Water Ski Championships June 6 at Princeton Lakes in Princeton, Texas. Nearly 50 of the world’s top junior water ski athletes competed for titles in slalom, tricks, jump and overall at the two-round, world-record-capable water ski competition.

Selsor won titles in Men’s tricks (8,290 points), jumping (193 feet) and overall (3,000 points) for the second consecutive year. Haw won titles in Girls’ slalom, tying the Girls Junior U.S. Open record with 2.5 buoys at 38 feet off, and overall (2,464.5 points). Cooper won Women’s slalom (4 buoys at 35 feet off); Morgan won Girls’ jumping (138 feet) for the second consecutive year; Brooks Wilson won Men’s slalom (4 buoys at 39.5 feet off) for the second consecutive year; and K.C. Wilson won Boys’ slalom (4.5 buoys at 38 feet off) for the second consecutive year.

Other athletes winning titles were: Chile’s Nicole Naser, Girls’ tricks (5,790 points); Australia’s Joshua Briant, Boys’ tricks and overall (8,840 points/2,846 points); Great Britain’s Christopher Wharton, Boys’ jumping (155 feet); Australia’s Michale Briant, Women’s tricks (7,240 points); and Canada’s Maddison McCammon, Women’s jumping and overall (122 feet/3,000 points). For complete results, visit usawaterski.org

The Princeton Lakes Water Ski Club served as the local organizing committee and host of the 2010 Junior U.S. Open Water Ski Championships. Princeton Lakes is a 144-acre subdivision containing estate-sized waterfront lots on four private lakes, each custom designed to provide outstanding water skiing conditions. Martin Eagle Oil Company of Denton, Texas, provided the fuel for the event. Rebecca Robinson, Miss Texas 2008, presented the post-tournament awards to the athletes.