That was soooo fun! - 8/17/2008
I typically like to write about slalom skiing in these posts but I had so much fun teaching people to ski and just horsing around behind the boat on our last vacation that I had to write about it. A couple weeks ago we took a trip up to the northwoods of Wisconsin for a long weekend with family and friends. We brought the boat, of course, and as usual I brought along the old Cypress Gardens combos in case anybody wanted to learn how to ski or just wanted to ride around on them. Typically on these family vacations everybody is disinterested in learning how to ski, or too tired, or too old, or too hung over. This time things were different though- the old Dick Popes got the most use out of any of the equipment in the boat all weekend!
My wife's (much) younger cousins went from the boom to the short 5' rope to longline on combos, as did their neighbor friend that they brought along. We'd come in to the dock after skiing for a couple hours and report "FOUR FOR FOUR!!!" or "THREE FOR THREE" to show everyone who got up on skis. We also took my mom out a couple times, and she even dropped a ski and slalomed a bit. Beth's other cousin and her friend skied. Then we got Beth's mom and my mom out skiing tandem on combos, then Beth and her Dad, then Beth and I- her on combos (since we were going so slow) and I on tricks so that I could get the shot with me going backwards and her going forward at the same time.
I can't tell you how many times that weekend I heard somebody say "that was soooo fun!" after climbing over the transom. It was awesome. Typically when we ski it's all business- ski a couple sets in the course and go home. It was so nice to teach all of these kids to ski and to see how much they enjoyed it. It also goes to show how the right equipment and driver can make learning to ski so much more enjoyable and so much easier for young kids.
Comments:
uk exile, 8/18/2008: Great post ! It's important to remember skiing should ultimately be for fun and not scores. I'll hunt out some pics of kids double skiing.........Terry_in_NC, 8/18/2008: This past Saturday was our club's third and last Learn-2-Ski day of the summer. The club members volunteer their boats, equipment, and time to teach kids from the community to ski or wakeboard. These are kids who usually don't have any access to a boat to find out how much fun watersports can be. This summer we taught over 60 kids to ski or wakeboard safely. You never forget the look on a child's face when they get up on skis for the first time. It is a very rewarding experience. It is run under the USA Waterski's Grass Roots programs so we have certified instructors, safety coordinators, and drivers. At the end of the session I always tell the kids, "You are not ordinary people anymore. You are waterskiers!" That always gets a cheer.
smoothasglass, 8/18/2008: Ask anyone and they can tell you who taught them to waterski. Its usually a great memory! My reg partner and I taught his daughter this weekend and she'll be back. Its the only way to expand the sport. JH don't ever sell those CG skies, and Nice job Terry!
TomS, 8/19/2008: What a great post! I haven't been behind the boat for a few years now (I'm reading the big guy thread to get my courage back up), but as the driver it's still a rush to teach someone to ski the first time. I started a couple of my daughter's 20-something friends last weekend (one on combos, one on wakeboard). They plastered pics all over facebook so I guess they loved it too. It is all about fun for sure.
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