Waterski Journal N°12

W A T E R S K I

Erika Lang on her way to win the Swiss Pro Tricks, Ph. John Waldron

We are halfway through the season and have already seen a lot of water skiing, thanks to the Chilean weather welcoming the U17 Worlds at Miranda’s waterski school. We’ve also witnessed some great battles and amazing performances: (1) Nate Smith going for 27 pro victories in a row, which will probably be unmatched; (2) Neilly Ross breaking the 11k points mark, followed by Anna Gay a few weeks thereafter; and (3) Pato Font chasing and breaking his own world record, which he must continue to do with Joel Poland, Louis Duplan-Fribourg, Dorien Llewellyn, and Mati Gonzalez right behind him. Unfortunately, Dorien crashed badly; I really hope he will be back on his feet to give us the show we are all expecting at the International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation IWWF) World Championships at Jack Travers Sunset Lakes in October. We now have another woman in the 10,25m (41off) line : Allie Nicholson. She not only skied her best set ever in Kaiafas Battle (Greece), but also seems to never run less than 4@10,75m (39off). This is a powerful statement to her competitors at the upcoming World Championships.

Gear-wise, D3 has a new ski (NEO 2) that is already shaking the pro scene. Pigoski Gloves (best grip on the market?) are out of stock, then back in stock, and out of stock again. I don’t know anymore, hurry up! Reflex is disrupting the binding market again with a new plate with NO plate. S-lines ropes are more popular on the tour. Radar ropes made their entrance into the Waterski Pro Tour on the 1st edition of the Monaco Slalom Cup. This event, created by Alexis Keusseoglou and Gregoire Desfond (aka, Waterski Nation, aka, me), gave me even more respect for event organizers and those who put on events year after year with the same passion. My highest respect is for those who both organize and ski in events: Matteo Luzzeri and Jon Travers come to mind. You guys are legends.

Here are some great projects to check out:

Fillipos Kyprios’s book Mastering the Art of Waterskiing (available on filliposkyprios.com)

The Vlog of Robert Hazelwood, found on YouTube, is a nice dive into professional waterski life. Waterski Pro Tour’s leaderboards, including the new Brand contest, which brings a new team dimension that is fun to follow. The constant great work of The Waterski Broadcasting Company (TWBC)

Cover : Allie Nicholson

Photographer : Gregoire Desfond

Tournament : San Gervasio Pro Am 2023, Italia

Grégoire Desfond Editor

Waterski Journal N°12

6 Time to trick

Swiss Waterski Resort brings up another pro event, only now we are talking about tricks

8 Jon Travers - The MLCQ king

No one know this game better than JT

12 U17 - World Championships

Young folks for a big crown : world champion

18 Reflex Direct Contact

The futur is on with Reflex new plate system

19 TWBC Brand Leaderboard

The Waterski Pro Tour now credits ski manufactures through a team leaderboard

20 Skiers market place

Which ski did your favorite skier picked this season ?

22 27 and counting

Nate Smith just set another impressive record Wining 27 pro event in a row!

26 Breaking habits : let's change !

International coach Vincent Soubiron gives us some hints for breaking our habits and get new records

28 Lookbook

Some badass picture of our favorite sport

38 D3 NEO2 - A ski to get them all

Neo 2 is the last ski made by D3 and has already quite a nice record of pro wins thanks to Freddie Winter

40 Euro Tour - Euro Trip

During 5 weeks the best skiers on the planet traveled through Europe to 6 lakes for some incredible skiing

54 Pato Font - Above the limits

Onto the path of the trick world record breaker

55 The physics of waterskiing

Back to school with Benoit Lance to go through skiing with a physician state of mind

56 Portraits of the month

Slalom: Allie Nicholson

Jump: Freddy Krueger

Trick: Hannah Stopnicki

62 Waterski Pro Tour standings

Who are the best at waterskiing right now ?

66 Contact

Keep in touch and give love to our photographers and contributors

67 Thank you

You guys are awesome!

No doubt, the Swiss Waterski Resort has the right formula to organize a pro event. This year was no exception as they held the 9th edition of the Swiss Pro Slalom. It has always been an absolute banger in the game! The site is perfectly located in Central Florida, where most pro skiers live, and has perfect conditions all year long.

Clint Stadlbaur has always stated that his lake needs to be as perfect as it can be for every pass of the year.

This year a new pro event was born in April, but no slalomers were involved - only trickers! Fortunately, Vincent Stadlbaur knows the site very well and set up the best webcast possible with the Waterski Broadcasting Company. It was a full day of flips and ski lines. You might think it would be boring. Well, you would be wrong! They created a slightly different format from the usual preliminary and finals to a best of two-round qualifying for the finals. It was a success.

This new formula allowed us to see some more creativity, letting the trickers take risks in either the first or second round depending on their strategy. This was important because your competitors could make a big move in round 1 with an unusually “dangerous” big pass, making it difficult to stay conservative with a small “qualifying” run that usually puts you through to the finals.

As a result, we saw Pato Font tie his world record in the first round with 12,590 points, then not ski in the second round. While Joel Poland secured his finals spot with 12,100 points in the first round, but then decided to go big in the second round, starting with an outrageous hand pass. He did not quite complete his pass, but the strategy worked. Because he knew that he couldn’t achieve a world record with his hand pass, Joel decided not to ski his toe pass and returned to the dock to reserve some energy for the finals. This strategy paid off with a 12,010 point run in finals.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the trick scores from the finals. Matias Gonzalez, a young, rising star from Chile (U17 World Champion, 15 years old) was the first skier of the finals with two scores above the 11,100 points! How insane is that? It’s probably the highest cut in the history of the sport.

The women’s division had the same hype. Surprisingly, Giannina Bonnemann was the first out, although she had 8,580 points in the second round. The bigger surprise came from Kennedy Hansen, who earned a personal best in the first round (9370 points). Talking about high scores, the winner was none other than Erika Lang, with an astonishing 11,030 points. Neither Anna Gay’s (10,530 pts) nor Neilly Ross’s (9,950 pts) performances could match such a performance.

Shout out to Martin Labra, another young Chilean man (17 years old), who earned a bronze medal and first pro podium with a solid 10,780 points in the finals. Dorien Llewellyn finished second with a demonstration of consistency in all three rounds (11,230 pts).

And Louis Duplan-Fribourg showed his trick mates that he was not so far off from the world record, earning 12,300 points in round two, his highest score since achieving 12,280 points in the 2020 Master Last Chance Qualifier.

Masters is no longer an invitational tournament for the top pro skiers. You now have to qualify for it. Several tournaments offer a spot to Callaway Garden. The most famous one is the unique Masters Last Chance Qualifier, also known as MLCQ, which is always hosted by Jack Travers Waterski School, the temple of the sport in Groveland, Florida. It is also Jon Travers' home site.

The traditional MLCQ gave a spot to the best athlete in each discipline IF he or she also got a minimum score. For instance, if the required score is 4@10,25m (41off) for the men's slalom, the skier would have to win the event with a score of at least 4@10,25m (41off). If the skier won the event with 3@10,25m, then no ticket to the Masters.

The new format is interesting because there are now four tickets to the Masters, with no score limit and no backup score taken into account. This means that a five-way tie at the same tournament results in a runoff, no matter the backup score. This scenario happened this year in the men’s slalom; a guilty pleasure for fans.

Robert Pigozzi took his ticket straight away with 4@10,25m (41off). Then, five skiers ran 3@10,25m (41off) for only three tickets:

Adam Sedlmajer

Sacha Descuns

Jon Travers

Charlie Ross

Stephen Neveu

I suggest you take a moment to watch Robert Hazelwood's vlog on MLCQ (available on HO Skis Youtube Channel) to get the vibe there and watch the incredible skiing!

THE MLCQ KING

J O N T R A V E R S

This runoff couldn’t have been more exciting as Adam, Sacha, and Charlie scored 2@10,25m (41off); Stephen unfortunately missed 10,75m (39off). Jon was last off the dock, knowing what he has to do to return to the tournament he cherishes: THE MASTERS.

Tail wind at 10,75m (39 off)nailed it. He turned 1 ball deep / slow 2 ball as to not blow out the tail I suppose / strong behind the boat, and off to 3 ball / qualification for the Masters secured!

Sacha and Adam would shortly join him after another sudden death runoff.

IWWF U17 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2022 IWWF World Under 17 Waterski Championships, held at Lago Los Morros on January 5-8, 2023, was an exhilarating event. It showcased the incredible talent and skill of young waterski athletes from around the globe. Organized by the IWWF, this prestigious championship brought together aspiring young athletes, demonstrating their prowess in slalom, trick, and jump disciplines. With Lago Los Morros as the picturesque backdrop, the competition offered a memorable experience for both participants and spectators alike. The site was already dialed in after hosting the Pan Am Championships a month before.

Just because these athletes are young, does not mean they’re not already in shape to accomplish great things. There were some well-known skiers participating, which added pressure to delivering a performance, making this event even more enjoyable to watch.

Talk about great battles, Nelly Allard (CAN) got the jump title with a jump 10cm further than Kristy Appleton (AUS). The same scenario occurred in slalom, where Daniela Kretschmer (CHI) got the extra buoy (2@11m-38off) to take the win in front of her home crowd over Alana Jones (USA). There was another solid fight between trickers Hannah Stopnicki (CAN) and Alexia Abelson (USA), who scored 6, 680 points and 6,500 points, respectively. The Overall Champion was Megan Pelkey (CAN).

Hannah Stopnicki - U17 Trick World Champion

Pictures credit : Jonathan Hayward

Drama alert in the men’s competition!

Slalom - tied with 3@10,75m (39off) Nicolas Nelson (MEX) and Lucas Cornale (AUS) required two runoffs to determine a winner. The first out was Nicholas, who scored 3@10,75m (39off). Lucas then fell around 2 ball at 11m (38off). Nicholas was seemingly the Champion, surrounded by the crowd. But Lucas lodged a protest because Nicholas was still in the lake when Lucas was skiing. The judge’s panel agreed and gave him another shot in this runoff. This time, he got just inside 4@10,75m (39off), requiring a second runoff. And this time, there was no tie. Nicholas knew that 3@11,25m (38off) would make him the winner, as Lucas had fallen around 3 ball. Nicolas gave all his remaining energy to get that title in the best way possible.

Jump - Martin Labra (CHI) showed the world his dominance in Jump and Overall as neither Damir Filaretov (UKR) nor Tristan Duplan-Fribourg (FRA) could catch him.

Trick - The other Chilean sensation, Matias “Mati” Gonzalez, defeated his teammate Martin Labra (him again) in the trick finals with 11,450 points (vs. 11,030 points for Martin). Even Jake Abelson (USA), the silver medalist at Open Worlds, could not catch those two.

Charlie Ross - favorite of the event, unfortunately could not fight for the win with a 1,5@10,75m (39off) in Finals

Reflex is known for its bindings and release system, which might be the safest on the market. In their journey to develop new technologies on the ski, they created a hardshell binding system with direct contact to the ski. The plate is now gone, leaving the binding locked between the release system and a carbon block in the front.

For those who are about to try it: don’t be as stupid as I was; make sure that you follow the instructions when you mount it on your ski! You can easily find the instructional video on YouTube, where Neilly Ross explains how to mount the Reflex Direct Contact.

Direct Contact Review

I have two words for the experience of this new set-up: radical and touch.

The RADICALNESS comes from the binding structure. The piece of carbon under the heel gives immediate feedback from your movement to the ski. The fact that the boot is now on the ski increases that perception.

The TOUCH is the direct correlation from removing a layer between your foot and the ski. It just feels different. You feel more from the water going through the ski directly to your foot. There must be something there. I heard that Andy Mapple used to cut the bottom of his rubber bindings to have his foot directly on the ski. I don’t know if it’s true, but it would make sense in that search for increasing the sensation and leverage on your ski. Reflex has once again introduced something that could change our skiing.

The Waterski Pro Tour is working hard to promote the sport inside the industry! There is now a battle of ski brands, which is quite exciting because each brand can only name three athletes to its team The competition for first place will be fierce, and will require complete focus from the team skiers to earn the extra points to attain the crown for best ski brand of the year!

MARKET SKIERS PLACE

In every sport, some associations are famous Waterskiing is no exception Just as Michael Jordan is famous for wearing Nike on the court, Will Asher is known for riding his HO ski This year some skiers have made strategic moves to new ski brands!

Let’s get a closer look

Sacha Descuns joined the Syndicate family and now rides a Works 01

Carlo Allais also joined Syndicate; the Italian skier chose a Works 01 this season

Elizabeth Montavon now rides the LaPoint

Robert Pigozzi is now a member of the Radar crew and rides a Vapor

Corey Vaughn rides a brand new KD Platinum Graphite

y , g rode the HO Pro Build

Matteo Luzzeri, who struggled to let go of his Omega, now rides the new Syndicate gray ski Thomas Degasperi, known for riding the same ski from Goode for a decade or more, chose for a new one this season The ski is still custom made and displays the Goode Team graphics

Jaime Palomino, who trains with Tgas, now skis with the XTR Team and has gained confidence riding it He recently broke the Mexican U21 record with 1@10,25m (41off), before Nicolas Nelson took it back with 2@10,25m (41off) This will be a great match to follow for the rest of the season

Freddie Winter, who recently switched his Ion 2 for the Neo 2, already has three victories on this new ski He actually broke one ski in Monaco, but took his spare to Lacanau and immediately performed well

NATESMITH 27 andcounting...

There is no doubt that Nate Smith has dominated slalom skiing for a decade. While the number of times he’s completed 10.25m (41off) is staggering, winning an event requires something more. The best performance has to come at the right moment and most of the time. It is not that easy to perform under pressure, especially when everybody expects you to win. Well, this kind of pressure doesn’t seem to affect the world record holder, who has won 27 pro events in a row. This means that over a one-and-a-half year period, Nate Smith has never NOT win a tournament in which he participated. I don’t have the knowledge of numbers established by the great Andy Mapple, but I do believe that has been a world first.

Well, this kind of pressure doesn’t seem to affect the world record holder, who has won 27 pro events in a row. This means that over a one-and-a-half year period, Nate Smith has never NOT won a tournament in which he participated. I don’t have the numbers established by the great Andy Mapple, but I think that is a world first. The first one to defeat Nate was the Italian Brando Caruso in the Botaski head-to-head semi-finals. Fun fact, the previous skier to beat Nate in a head-to-head (a runoff in this case) was another Italian: Thomas Degasperi, in the 2019 Moomba Masters. Three days later, it was another European, the Brit Freddie Winter, who defeated Nate in a runoff for the win at Monaco Slalom Cup.

Still, Nate Smith reminded everyone he was the World #1 by winning Lacanau Cup by Malibu and Kaiafas Battle back-to-back with scores of 1@9.75m (43off).

Gregoire Desfond

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you're stuck at ball number one or two, pushing yourself to the max speed or rope length, but still unable to improve? Despite your efforts, your training doesn't seem to make a difference. And while coaches and friends offer advice that may work a few times, you find yourself falling back into old habits. Don't worry, you are not alone; this struggle is common, and all of us have experienced it. Making changes is a difficult process that cannot be achieved overnight. It involves creating something new and requires both acceptance and a genuine desire to change. When embarking on a journey to change, it's essential to find meaning in the process. This may involve stepping out of your comfort zone and being open to trying new things. Unfortunately, many people struggle with self-denial and believe that they can improve without changing their skills or abilities, leading to a significant contradiction.

Compared to team sports, individual sports tend to emphasize the desire for maximal results in a short amount of time. This mindset can lead athletes to prioritize immediate performance gains, potentially overlooking the importance of setting realistic goals that align with their available time and effort. It's crucial to remember that achieving success in individual sports requires a balance of patience, dedication, and strategic planning.

BREAKINGHABITS:LET’S CHANGE!

VincentSoubiron, InternationalCoach

Well, bad news guys, the reality is that acquiring a new skill, ability, or breaking a habit is a gradual process that demands a considerable amount of time and effort. Research indicates that learning is more manageable during our younger years. This is because a child's brain has numerous unexplored areas, which makes it more receptive to new information. The earlier we learn something, the more likely our brains will absorb and integrate it.

Therefore, it's essential to learn the correct way from the outset. Given this, one might ask: Why do the best teachers concentrate on graduate school students, and top coaches train teenagers or young adults? The most proficient instructors should oversee early education, while the best coaches should start training children from a very young age. This approach could save individuals considerable time and money in the long run.

Now, despite the challenges of learning new skills or changing habits, there is a silver lining: recent scientific research acknowledges that neurogenesis, the creation of new neurons, continues throughout our lifetime. When these new neurons are used effectively and survive, neuroplasticity, the creation of new connections, can occur. This implies that we have the capacity to break old habits and form new ones regardless of age.

However, it's worth noting that even though it's possible to make conscious and neurological changes, a recent publication revealed that up to 40% of our daily activities are habitual rather than conscious decisions.

To explain how our brains work, let's use an example. When we do something out of habit, the information flows easily through our brains, like driving on a clear highway. But when we try to change a visual element in our skiing technique or improve our balance, we introduce a new and unfamiliar concept to our brains. We have to consciously decide to adjust our eye movements or shift our weight, and this takes cognitive effort to override our habits. Since this action is not habitual, the neural pathway is slow and uses a lot of energy. It's like a small back road for information to travel. Depending on how often we repeat the new action, the connection can either become a clear highway or disappear due to the principle of competitive plasticity: "use it or lose it." Practicing the new action strengthens the connection and can override the old, familiar one.

How do you stabilize your new connection that enables your new move?

• Make a conscious mental decision and a cognitive effort

• Repeat it over and over

• Focus on the now, results will come later

• Have a pair of eyes in the boat, most people realize old habits are back when it’s too late

• Practice at long lines with a low energy cost, it helps focus on the process, not the results

• Link your new habit to an intrinsic motivator

• Be disciplined so you can perform the task even when motivation falls short

• At first, it might only work on one buoy in the entire set, and it is totally okay

• Self-imagery does help create neural pathways

• Once the new pathway is formed, increase frequency in different conditions and increase intensity (shorten the line or speed up the boat)

• Don’t give up on “bad days”

As you probably understood, patience is a key factor to the best and fastest success. If we are indeed able to create new habits and improve, do not forget that the old habits never completely disappear. They become dormant, but can be triggered without notice and knock back at your door with a big smile saying: ”hey dude, I’m still here...” Wind, fatigue, stress, competitions, and many different reasons can bring them back faster than a blink of an eye and, most of the time, unconsciously.

When it happens, and yes, it will happen in case you doubt it, welcome it, even embrace it! Play with it and use it as a tool. Don’t make a big deal about it, because if you do, it will only strengthen the neural connection that leads to that old habit, and thus, back to square one.

I hope this will help you understand your training better and avoid any frustrations that can occur when you are having trouble repeating what you are learning.

For more info you can shoot me an email at vincentsoubiron@me.com or come and train with us. Have a great season

Vinney

Sponsors: Connelly / Slines / Procalp / Chateau Lastours

Dane Mechler / Ph. Jonathan Hayward / Botaski Pro-Am

Pato Font / Ph. Jonathan Hayward / Botaski Pro-Am

Brando Caruso / Ph. Gregoire Desfond / Monaco Slalom Cup

Paige Rini / Ph. Eudes Metivier / Lacanau Cup by Malibu

Robert Hazelwood / Ph. Gregoire Desfond / Fungliss Pro 2022

D3 - NEO 2 A SKI TO GET THEM ALL

The Neo 2 is the evolution of the Neo, except it is completely different. I asked the man behind the ski, Will Bush, about the project “We had some very specific goals with the NEO project We had some good success with the NEO 1, but at D3, we never stop innovating We started with a vision for the NEO - a ski that is different from our past, but retains the D3 feel and quality that skiers expect We believe we have achieved that vision with the NEO 2 While the NEO name is retained, the NEO 2 is a new mold and different ski ”

"I just love it, I'm gonna be on that ski for the rest of my career I feel like"

Freddie Winter, after winning San Gervasio Pro Am

FreddieWinter,winneratMonacoSlalomCup

That said, let’s dive more deeply into the features of the ski.

“One of the most significant changes, compared with prior D3 slalom skis, is the change in bevel angle. This bevel-angle change allows you to stay upright and level as you transition from the wake into the outbound swing to the buoy. Turns are quick with the ski rotating effortlessly – symmetrical in both on-side and off-side turns.

The tunnel concave has been optimized to promote width in the course and at the same time to ensure there is no unwanted excess of speed in the turn.”

I have not yet ridden the ski, and admit that my love for the NEO 1 would be irrelevant to any assessment of the NEO 2 because it is completely different.

My observations nevertheless:

There are already more top-level skiers riding it as compared to the Neo 1, like Freddie Winter, Sean Hunter, Arron Davies, and the young Frenchman, Clarens Laveau.

Freddie seems to be dialed into his NEO 2 already, with three victories and a total of five podiums in the last five pro events. The ski is definitely working for him as it appears to hold some of Freddie’s hardcore turns.

FreddieWinter'swinningskiatSanGervasioPro-Am

"I’minlovewiththe stuffNeo2.Feelssuper similartomyION,but withbetteronsides.Very quickacrosscourse wakesbigturns,but stableenoughtohandle themwithease.I’m reallyenjoyingtheski andammadI’mnot gettingfurtherdownin tournamentbecauseit feelssogood!"

-SeanHunter

E UROTOUR -EUROTR I P

6 CASH PRIZES EVENTS

4 WATERSKI PRO TOUR STOPS

4 COUNTRIES

5 WEEKS

Traveling the world with a bunch of waterski junkies like yourself - isn’t that what it is all about? The European leg of the Waterski Pro Tour has been so enjoyable to experience and witness. Just the feeling of being surrounded by the whole team of pro skiers is a blast. Traveling adds some excitement in the process. We traveled to places that we already know and have some routines, but we also discovered some fresh air in new locations!

Officially, the European part of the Pro Tour started in Monaco. The truth is, there were two tournaments before then, and they offered firstclass cash prizes and elite standards for the best skiers in the world. Unfortunately, Fungliss Pro (Dommartin, France) and Botaski Pro-Am (Botaski complex, Madrid, Spain) are not part of the Waterski Pro Tour this season. We are looking forward to them joining the Tour in the future. These great events should not be left outside of the limelight.

Benjamin Soucy - PB with 4@10,75m (39off) for his first participation in a Pro Event

FIRST TIMERMONACO SLALOM CUP

SCHEDULE

Fungliss Pro Dommartin, France

Botaski Pro-Am Madrid, Spain

Monaco Slalom Cup Roquebrune sur Argens, France

French Malibu Open

Lacanau, France

Kaiafas Battle

Kaiafas, Greece

San Gervasio Pro Am San Gervasio, Italy

Let’s cover them all shall we ?

Fungliss Pro has become the new playground for Nate Smith, who took back-toback victories. Nevermind that he almost pulled for the 3rd buoy at 9,75m (43off) in the first round of qualification, missing the handle by three fingers and unable to hold it through the wakes. He still had an amazing score of 1,5@9,75m (43off). The podium was completed by Brando Caruso and Dane Mechler.

Brando Caruso had an astonishing start to the European Tour, given that he did not ski the first part of the season in the USA because of work. He certainly demonstrated to the crowd that he was in shape for this season, scoring repeatedly 4@10,25m (41off). He even defeated Nate Smith in the semi-finals head-to-head at Botaski Pro-Am He finished second in the event in a runoff against Freddie Winter, who returned to the top of the podium.

Jaimee Bull managed to win the title versus Allie Nicholson.

Freddie continued his great European trip in Monaco, where he took the win over Nate Smith in a runoff deep into 10,25m (41off). Meanwhile, Whitney McClintock-Rini received the winner’s jacket of the Monaco Slalom Cup as she was the only one to run 10,75m (39off). Jaimee Bull, who was inches from running it, finished second.

B O T A S K I

P h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f J o n a t h a n H a y w a r d

No time to rest - after a couple of days in the French Riviera, the waterski circus went to the Atlantic coast for the French Malibu Open in Lacanau This time, Jaimee Bull did not hold back. Although Whitney, the Canadian World Champion, ran 1@10,25m (41off), Jamie gave us a demonstration in water skiing. She was last off the dock, running 10.75 (39 off), then turning 1 buoy at 10.25 (41 off), and rounding 2 buoy, winning the event in the most exciting way. Brando Caruso, again running 4@10,25m (41off), won the bronze Nate Smith was again at the top of the podium, edging out Freddie Winter by one buoy.

Next, we’re off to Greece for the Kaiafas Battle Pro Am This is surely the loudest event out there! If you want to party while enjoying some amazing water skiing, don’t miss this tournament. We could compare it to the 17th hole of the Waste Management Open in Phoenix (Arizona) on the PGA tour. Wild! Nate once again stood at the top of the podium with 1@9,75m (43off). But that was not the best part of the event. In the first round, and for the first time in history, three men ran 10,25m (41off) backto-back. It started with Will Asher, the defending champion of this event, then Freddie Winter, and finally Nate Smith. As if the crowd needed more reasons to party loudly, Allie Nicholson skied a personal best, running 10,75m (39off), becoming the 12th woman to do so. Consistent as always, she ran 4@10,75m (39off) and got second place behind Jaimee, who almost ran it with 5,5 buoys. Manon Costard completed the podium for a great comeback, after some back issues during the last couple of months.

KAIAFAS IS SOMETHING ELSE, THE LOUDEST EVENT OUT THERE!

Last but not least, the skiers traveled to Italy for the oldest Pro Tour stop in Europe, the 9th edition of the San Gervasio Pro Am presented by Santos Dassault It’s a special event in the heart of skiers, with a unique atmosphere and rituals that we look forward to, like the dinner and bibs ceremony the night before the event. The format produces drama, with head-to-head quarter finals up to finals on Sunday. Drama first came when Jaimee could not complete 11,25m (38off) against Ali Garcia who, going second, managed to beat Jaimee and punch her ticket for the finals. The second drama happened in the other semi-final. Manon Costard posted the score to beat, 4@10,75m (39off). Allie Nicholson would have to beat that score to advance to the finals. She brilliantly did so with 5@10,75m (39off), and won the final to conclude one hell of a Euro Trip! Allie not only won the last event, but also got 2nd at Botaski, 3rd in Monaco, 3rd in Lacanau and 2nd in Greece. Amazing!

Freddie Winter, closing his trip on a fantastic note, defeated Thomas Degasperi in the finals for a third title over the last five pro events. Will Asher completed the podium once again, and for the third time in four events.

See you next year Europe !

SAN GERVASIO IS THE TEMPLE OF EUROPE PRO SKIING. 9TH EDITION OF THE SAN GERVASIO PRO AM.

Lacanau vibes

EUDESMETIVIER photographer

P A T O F O N T ABOVE THE LIMITS

Pato is the trick skier we all want to watch. He has been redefining the sport and setting a new standard as he keeps pushing the limits of human ability, by flipping and moving his body in a 20-second timeframe. In May, Pato set a new world record for the second time in a row in less than one year. It’s incredible, especially considering world records usually stand for years. Yet this new bar of 12,690 points is likely not the highest score we’ll see from Pato.

So I asked Pato a series of questions: Was it your goal to break the record again since you already broke it a few months ago? The new record doesn’t seem too far from 13,000; do you think this mark is reachable some day? I'm sure you have several passes in your bag, depending on the purpose of the run (record, qualifying round, world title pass etc.); can you tell me the highest-point run you have?

I first tricked 12,690 points in May in one of the Masters LCQ [Last Chance Qualifier] at Neilly’s Lake [Drew Ross Ski Academy] I think my goal is to always get better on and off the water I do believe that 13,000 points is very possible for me and for other skiers For me, I know the parts that I need to improve upon, and the off-water exercise in order to get to 13k I very recently managed to create a new run that I hope, when put all together, will work During these next couple of months, I hope to trick 12,590 or 12,690, and hopefully push for more points and manage to get close to 13k I think my maximum-point pass could be anywhere from 13,000 to 13,150, theoretically speaking, haha But I certainly wish to push myself and push others to achieve that score

Breaking News - Pato just broke another world record with 12,770 points in August 13k is coming!

THE PHYSICS OF SLALOM WATERSKIING

By Benoit Lance

Did you ever wonder about the top speed, acceleration and rope tension you reach when going through the slalom course? Did you ever think about a scientific approach that would teach you about your performance?

As a recreational skier with a physics background, I began to thinking about this topic since the summer of 2019, after a slalom training at “Le Plan d’Eau”, in France. I was surprised that so little was written about waterskiing, as opposed to alpine skiing, for which several articles and books are written. Amongst the four studies I identified, one was dedicated to waterski jumping, in a chapter of a French book dedicated to the physics of sport. Another, the most recent one, was performed at the University of Guelph, in the province of Toronto. It considered the development of measuring systems impacted on the skier and his/her ski and was focused on slalom. I first concentrated on slalom modeling and decided to implement a model on an EXCEL worksheet.

After getting initial insights by simple rules of three, I thought about slalom like a moving harmonic oscillator, if you remember your physics lessons ☺ Although this is interesting to get some insight about the speed variation throughout the slalom course, this approach provides nothing about the forces involved.

And so, what about them? Those forces are driven by hydrodynamic effects, all being proportional to the square of the skier speed. One identifies several contributions, taken independent from each other for the purpose of simplicity: the water friction, uplift and wake drag contribution, that is the force applied by the skier while adopting a side leaning position. All forces are assumed to be applied on both skier and ski, resumed to a single point at the handle. This is a 2D problem, for which the forces are resolved into tangential and radial contributions: the tangential contribution is responsible of the acceleration and deceleration of the skier, while the radial one is responsible of the rope tension the skier has to sustain, especially during the acceleration phase. The figure below illustrates the forces and the chosen referential, during the cut phase. In order to mathematically express those forces, the ski orientation has to be expressed through 3 angles: the pitch, heading and roll angles:

The pitch angle is measured between the ski in a static position (no slalom traverse) and the water surface It can be expressed as a function of the skier speed;

The heading angle quantifies the way the ski is directed towards the coming buoy and is measured between the ski and the boat directions. It is computed in order to maximize the tangential contribution of the force applied by the skier

And the roll angle is the one made by the ski from the water surface when the skier adopts a side leaning position. The maximum value of this angle is chosen by the user, while the way the angle is varying is implemented in the application: the angle is kept to its maximum value during half of the traverse (i.e. acceleration phase up to the boat channel), then evolving linearly up to the opposite value at the following buoy.)

The equations of motion have been implemented into the EXCEL worksheet:

But let’s talk about the results!

The figure below illustrates the handle and the ski position during the slalom course, here simulated for a boat speed of 58 km/h, rope length = 16 m, a skier size of 1.8 m and weighing 80 kg. It has been calculated to take into account the body motion along the radial direction during the pre-turn phase, otherwise you can forget performance with a rope length below 12m!

The simulations were compared to the few results that were available:

good agreement with the measurements (speed, acceleration, and rope tension) of the Canadian study, considering recreational skiers completing the slalom course with a boat speed of 52 km/h and a rope length of 18.25 m

and also comparisons with rope tension measurements reported during Slalom Pro Tour events (special thanks to Vincent Stadlbaur!), from which it seems that the simulated rope tension is slightly overestimated (rope tension higher than 5x the body weight for a rope length lower than 10.75m, at the end of the acceleration phase).

When a skier adopts a too-high roll angle, the rope tension is unnecessarily high, but also the overall distance traveled by the skier: the skier tends to turn too far away from the buoy and excessive force and acceleration must be created by the skier to get back the lost distance from the previous buoy.

Of special interest is the speed dependence with the rope length: the figure below illustrates the average, minimum, and maximum skier speeds, along with the boat speed of 58 km/h, for various rope lengths from 18.25m and down to 10.25m. While the average skier speed is ~ 16% higher than the boat speed, whatever the rope length, the minimum and the maximum skier speeds are respectively decreasing and increasing with shorter rope length, up to extreme values of ~ 30 and 105 km/h. This suggests that the maximum tangential acceleration also increases with a shorter rope length, from ~ 2 up to 3 “g”, located just after the turn. Of course the tangential and the radial forces display the same increasing trend with a shorter rope length, the increasing rope tension being a price to pay for higher performance.

The study is still on-going and improvements are expected: measurement campaigns are envisaged in order to (i) fix some hydrodynamic parameters that were somewhat empirically chosen so far, and (ii) perform comparisons with the measurements. Further options have been added to the application, especially the simulation of the gate and the roll angle variation that the skier can choose. So if you are interested, we can speak about the gate in a next article. Unless you are more interested in reading the simulation tool I developed for jump which will give you useful insights to improve your jump performances!

Should you be interested in using the application, please let me know.

Anyway, have fun on your ski, Ben

Slalom skier of the month

Allie Nicholson

WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

AN - I started skiing somewhat reluctantly at the age of 6 I started to enjoy it when I started getting more involved with the fun of events and getting to go to ski school!

WJ - Where do you ski now?

AN - I ski primarily at Jack Travers’ Sunset Lakes The Travers family has welcomed me with open arms for many years I started skiing there while studying at Florida Southern College In recent years, I have come to think of Jack’s as my home site I love getting to train daily with my friends and HO teammates Surrounding myself with other high-level skiers has pushed me to train harder and has helped my personal growth as a skier

WJ - How many set per week?

AN - Typically, I would say that I do between 5-10 sets per week I enjoy taking 2 sets per day most days with 1-2 rest days per week I typically take the Monday off following an event and sometimes one more day later in the week if needed. I am not one for many days off

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

AN - I have been to so many amazing lakes during my career This year, I had the pleasure of going to Sci Nautico Trento to ski with Thomas Degasperi The site was absolutely beautiful! For training purposes, Jack’s is by far my favorite!

WJ - Best waterski memory?

AN - The best memory is somewhat hard to narrow down One of my best memories is definitely when I won U21 Worlds in 2017 in Dnipro, Ukraine I would also say running 10 75m (39off) for the first time in Greece would be among my favorite memories

WJ - Favorite tournament ?

AN - My favorite tournament is Kaiafas Battle in Greece! Giorgos Hatzis truly goes above and beyond to make the event amazing for all of the athletes It is the most fun event I have ever been a part of

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

AN - I have been very fortunate to not have many negative memories from skiing I try not to dwell much on the bad days, which may be why nothing comes to mind immediately If I had to pick something, I would maybe say breaking my ski in an unfortunate crash at San Gervasio last year I had to switch skis mid-tournament I was able to overcome the adversity and still managed to place second in the event That experience reminded me that I am stronger and more adaptable than I had previously thought

WJ - Favorite training partner?

AN - My favorite training partner is my brother and coach, Zane Nicholson. When we ski together, we have a daily competition to see who can get the best practice score Over the years, the handicaps have changed several times, but the rules have remained the same: the second skier has to beat the first skier (no ties), each skier gets one mulligan (free second attempt), the loser has to buy lunch/dinner This friendly competition has kept us pushing each other during our training sets.

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

AN - The obvious answer is to be an Open World Champion/to be the best in the world Beyond that, I want to be an inspiration for all of the young skiers, especially the young girls. I still fall in love with the sport more and more every season, and I hope that I can impart my love for this sport to all of the younger generations

WJ - What is your objectif for this season ?

AN - My goal for this season was to finally complete the 10 75m pass in a tournament I was able to achieve this goal at the 2023 Kaiafas Battle This has been my goal for a while now I ran 4@10 75 for the first time in 2020 and have been pushing to complete the pass every tournament since Now that I have accomplished the goal of running 10 75 for the first time in competition, my goal is to become more consistent with running it in future events.

Jumper of the month

Freddy Krueger

WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

FK - I started skiing at age 3, and jumping and competing at age 6.

WJ - Where do you ski now?

FK - Winter Garden, Florida, in our backyard.

WJ - How many set per week?

FK - It depends on upcoming events. In primetime training, I’m jumping 3-4 sets a week and then events on weekend

WJ - Best waterski memory?

FK - When Karen Truelove (my wife) and I both won a Malibu Open in 2002, and I set a record and won an additional $25,000.

WJ - Favorite tournament?

FK - The Mastercraft Pro

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

FK - At the 2017 US Masters, a crash took me out and hurt me for remainder of the season

WJ - Favorite training partner?

FK - Karen Truelove

WJ - Favorite place to ski?

FK - My favorite lake is Lake Grew, Polk City, Florida, at Action Water Sports and Ski Fluid.

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

FK - To compete for as long as I feel like I can challenge for the wins, stay healthy, enjoy my time with Karen, and keep my kids excited in the sport

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

FK - Home practice with some other jumpers to motivate; Mastercraft Prostar 6.2; Karen driving; the boys watching; and D3’s flying baby!

Pictures courtesy of Vincent Stadlbaur

Tricker of the month Hannah Stopnicki

WJ - How old were you when you started skiing?

HS - I was 2 years old when I first rode skis and I grew up on a slalom ski. When I was 9 years old, I started competing and began tricking for the first time

WJ - Where do you ski now?

HS - Matt Rini’s Waterski School in Orlando, Florida

WJ - How many set per week?

HS - I ski about 18 sets per week (3 sets/day, 6 days/week) depending on the week Leading up to a big tournament, I’ll ski less to keep my body and mind fresh

WJ - Do you have a favorite course?

HS - I’ve skied on beautiful lakes all over the world While Matt Rini’s lake may be a shorter setup and can sometimes get windy, it is my favourite because of the unmatched energy and good vibe that Matt and the rest of his crew create every single day

WJ - Best waterski memory?

HS - I’ve made a lot of wonderful memories with my friends, idols, and coaches over the year I would say that the bonds I’ve made in the sport is my best memory of all However, if I had to choose one day, it would be when I won the Junior Worlds last January in Chile So much went into that win, including the extremely draining experience of recovering from my back injury that occurred only 2 months before the Worlds, training in the middle of the winter in difficult conditions, sacrificing a lot of fun times, and the stress of knowing that in order to take the gold, I’d have to trick a personal best score So when it all finally came together, I was exploding with joy!

WJ - Favorite tournament?

HS - The US Waterski Masters is the most exciting tournament of the year for me.

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

HS - I think my worst waterski memory was about three years into learning my first backflip and about thirty attempts into the set mid-December While skiing down the lake, I had a horrible feeling that I wouldn’t ever be able to land it, and just started balling my eyes out behind the boat

WJ - Favorite training partner?

HS - It would be hard to choose just one, as every day I have a whole group of amazing skiing partners, who have all achieved incredible things in the sport, who I look up to and who support me I am grateful to Whitney Mcclintock Rini, Paige Rini, Joel Poland, and Robert Pigozzi

WJ - Your ultimate goal?

HS - I would love to trick 11k points one day, but the ultimate goal for me is to continue to make amazing memories within the waterski community and achieve as many smaller goals in my skiing as possible along the way.

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

HS - My regular training day early in the morning at Matt Rini’s Waterski School, with Matt Rini driving, along with either Whitney McClintock Rini, Paige Rini, Joel Poland or Cole Grant in the beautiful Nautique boat

WJ - What is your objectif for this season ?

HS - As the season comes to an end, I will be skiing in my first elite world championships this Fall I would like to achieve a personal best score and learn to compete amongst the older and more experienced girls

Thanks to

everybody that took part one way or another to make this Waterski Journal #12 edition.

To name a few

My wife Ambre Franc

Karen Melnik

Brooks Wilson and Radar

Aide crew Edge

D3

Will Bush

Matt Rini

Paige Rini

Vincent Stadlbaur and the whole Stadlbaur family

TWBC

Freddie Winter

Eric Franc

Matteo Luzzeri

Neilly Ross

Drew Ross

Dane Mechler

Nate Smith

les coureurs

Valentin Lucas

Olivia Merieux

Pato Font

Aline & Sergio Font

ToYou

Will Asher

Robert Hazelwood

Jon Travers

Natalia Berdnikava

Joel Poland

Robert Hazelwood

Schader Real Estate & Auction

Eude Metivier

Jay Humphreys

Keusseoglou family

S A S Le Prince Albert de Monaco

Whitney McClintock Rini

Robert Pigozzi

Marion Mathieu Ellis

Scot Ellis

Flowpoint Method

Benoit Lance

Vincent Soubiron

Boris Likatchev

Gilles Cambray

John Horton & BallofSpray

Swiss Waterski Resort

Jack Travers sunset lakes and the whole Travers family

Monaco ski nautique

my beloved parents and brothers

Ph. Vincent Stadlbaur