Phil,

Keep asking questions here. Our mission is to make it so we don't have to see another post with this topic again.

Growing water skiing among the novice boaters out there is the only way we can grow.

As you noticed, slalom skiing is really challenging and frustrating -- it's hard to feel like a pro every set out there.

My answer to your question is "Will you let water skiing die?"

Get out there, ski more, and bring more people into the sport. You and I and most of the people on this site know how addicting our passion is... it's a matter of spreading it around so we have more people participating.

keep asking questions and constantly learning. it takes a lot of practice to get to a high level in the sport, but try not to let that discourage you.

let me know what else you're in the dark on!

Go to as many local lakes, rivers, etc. as you can and talk to as many people as you can. Chances are you will find more slalom people than you thought existed in your area.

Three years ago I bought a Mastercraft and a ski and decided I was going to get into slalom big time. I didn't know anyone or of any slalom courses. The first year I found a group of guys who had a course in a river. The following year I found a different group of guys skiing a different river. Just last week, I found a private lake with four members who are skiing 35 off.

There is also a wealth of information on this site and there are others like it. This site offers personal training with a pro and H2Oz offers the best gear in the industry with a try before you buy program.

If you want to do it bad enough, you will find a way.

Ya, I like the whole skiing thing. I love to free ski, lay waaaaay out and just bust those turns in the mouth!!! I love to "Hot Dawg" a bit and jump the wakes or what ever feels good at the moment! To me, there's nothing as cool shredin' unbroken Glass early in the morning!!!

I also love the disciplines of the coarse. If you faithfully practice the "Wax on, -Wax off" stuff  Slalom will reward you. Regardless, Slalom is very unique and addicting for the avid thrill seeker and competitor. The speed is a true rush, the falls can be terrific and you can "feel" as though you own it one day and the next day it simply hands you your a$$!!! -This has to be one of the best sport events ever for the typical perfectionist...

We can all show try to show some extra class and maturity every chance we get by reaching out to anyone and everyone possible.(including them damn Jet skiers and fishermen!!!)  We can take a page out of the wake boarders hand book and say; "the more the merrier"!!! This is a real elitist sport but we don't need to act one! (There's nothing cool about a selfish, up tight elitist!)

It's not just what we do on the water, but how we act on the water that truly makes us Cool!!!

Philgood, I'm in the Nashville area, is there a "Road Trip" in your future? -Come on, the More the merrier!!!

Last edited by h20dawg79 (Mon, Aug 31, 2009 12:44 PM)

Is Water skiing dying?

Only if you let it.

I understand your frustration but there are things you can do. You don't have a slalom course? Buy one, set it up and watch them come out like light attracts moths. No enthusiasm on your lake? Find a ski lake near you and get with people that ski. Take people out with you and introduce them to the sport.

We have a slalom course on our lake and only set it up on the weekends from 7-noon. You should see the people out on thier porches watching us. A few years ago there were people on our Lake Association board that absolutely did not want a slalom course and did everything in their power to prevent it.

We persisted and now complete strangers come up to us all the time and thank us for entertaining them.

And each weekend someone new comes over and wants to try it. And I'm happy to report, most of these are young kids. The conditions deterriorate rapidly because of all the seawalls bouncing the waves around, so midweek we ski at private lake to stay in shape.

We had a young chap, Ian, come out with his dad earlier this summer and he's been back a few times. I asked him just on Saturday why he doesn't wakeboard. He said, "it's not cool anymore. All my friends do it. I like this better. It looks really cool when you guys throw a big spray".

So the onus is on you to keep the sport going and get yourself a slalom course. And if you build it, they will come.

RPG

Water Skiing is not dying - it is just for the truely energetic. Unless you are on a private ski lake, sharing the lake with wakeboarding and wake surfing means our on water time is limited.  True skiers must be willing to get out at dawn or be out the last 1/2 hour before sunset to get that best water.   Our family does all three sports depending upon the time of day.  We find that skiing is far more intense than the other water sports so it attracts a more intense and select athlete.  However, the more "Big Wave" sports we get in the future, and the higher gas prices go (big difference how our PCM drinks fuel at 9.5MPH vs 33MPH) the harder it will be to run on glass behind out Nautique.  Still, if it means only skiing Tue/Wed/Thur morning at dawn in Oct and Nov in Virginia (wet suit conditions), then that is what we will do.

yeah i can see that. i think its because water skiing is so much harder to progress at.  all my buddys wakeboard and when i pull out my slalom they all say who slalom skis?! but the few who i can convince to try it say dude thats way more hardcore than wakeboarding. im tryin to do my part

I have a couple of quick thoughts...
1)  Everytime I tell people that the sport seems to be growing they get excited and interested...I personally think it is and business wise it truly seems so.
2)  Wakeboarding is a leisure activity for most of the people who do it.  Waterskiing has a little of that, but it is also a sport with particular constraints that make it more demanding (i.e. the slalom course).  Waterskiers are a different mentality than most wakeboarders based on this thought.
3)  Most wakeboarders that think water skiing isn't cool are pretty bad wakeboarders...and might I add not quite as cool as they think they are.  90 percent of the wakeboarders on the rivers and lakes aren't doing anything more than someone who is riding skis for the 1st or second time.
4)  I don't want to take anything away from great wakeboarders, as I think it is amazing, but the guys who have the right attitude appreciate how difficult slalom skiing is and what it takes to do it.

Love the sport, embrace it's state, and share it with others and we will continue to grow!

If you think water skiing is dying just take a good look at the demographics for new boat sales with the big three manufacturers in this stressful economy.  Two years ago, it was roughly four plus wakeboard boats sold to every waterski boat sold ( these are new boat sale figures).  Currently, the demographics show that the number is more like one to one with an equal number of each being sold.  In comparison to the percentage of each specific watersports boat type sold, the economic downturn has  had minimal effect on the sales of purpose built water ski boats.  Remember although new boat sales in total are about 20% (roughly) of the amount they were two years ago.  But the sales of waterski specifc boats has not  plummeted near as drastically as the wakeboard market.  This data becomes even more interesting when you consider that for nearly a decade years now several manufacturers have done very little in marketing to build the core percentage of new waterskiers.  A brief summary of marketing strategies and technology advancements have been directly targeted to experienced skiers intent on improving scores.  Virtually none of the major boat manufacturer's marketing strategies have been instrumental in accelerating the growth of a new group of waterskiers.  Not sure about this then pick up a copy of waterski magazine and see the "slant" of the ads for new boats.
To further consider and understand my point, take this test for yourself at your local boat show this upcoming year.  Present yourself to the show sales staff as a person with a budding interest in watersports on a family level.  Mention waterskiing as something you would like to learn to do.  See how quickly you are dissuaded from this and moved over to "Wakeboard Boat"with the salesperson all along  touting this sport as being much easier.  So much for promoting new people into the sport of Waterskiing!
The truth is today as it has been for a long time. the growth of  Waterskiing as a sport is directly on the shoulders of those who participate in it.   So if you enjoy it, you will through direct effort surround yourself with like kind effectively growing real interest and passion which is the foundation for growth in this sport.  The same today as it had always been!
You can easily sell to the masses "Image."  This "Image" and a desire for the masses to have some part of it  is big part of the wakeboarding culture and marketing as it is today.  You cannot however, easily sell to the masses a "Passion," as it usually entails a marked amount of effort and commitment.  "Passion" in the waterskiing sense of the term is something that is grown with each individual who participates and it radiates outward toward others.  While many  may admire and even want for themselves the displayed passion of enthsiastic water ski types,  few are willing to commit to any real effort to actually achieve it.  Instead, they look for something easy to associate themselves with especially when the effort to label oneself as a ??????  requires minimal effort.  Just some food for thought!
With regards to the comments of those  who consider themselves expert.  Simply put: If the big Three are still building and selling new waterski specific boats to accomodate demand, then effectively the sport cannot be dying.  This fact pretty much shuts up the wakeboarding naysayer type.  As always, fact always speaks stronger than opinion!

Last edited by ski4csh (Mon, Sep 21, 2009 4:09 AM)

IMO, what's caused the decline of traditional skiing, and slalom in particular, was the invention of the jet ski and wakeboard boats (nothing against either). Since they came on the scene, slalom skiing on public lakes has pretty much dissappeared. Those who still have courses on public waters find themselves skiing at dawn to avoid the above mentioned interference.

Since no one sees slalom on public waters anymore and instead sees only jet skis and wakeboarding, slalom has left the public eye. Tournament level skiers are usually found only at private sites these days and this has driven the price of admiission up as well.

When I first started slalom skiing in 87, I could ski on the public lakes where I started pretty much anytime. By about 92, I was skiing at dawn in order to have good conditions. I was lucky enough to have to move to West Palm Beach for a job and I now ski at Okeeheelee park. However, my ski partner still skis on the public lake I left and is still forced to ski at dawn. For this reason, no one (of the public) ever sees high level slalom on public lakes anymore. Out of site, out of mind...

It is addicting, same here, bought a boat , learned to ski , found a course, tried it, got addicted, bought my own course, been in 8 years, best investment i bought, as i am lucky enough too have it out side my own door, have even got a few people addicted as my self, just have to get people out there and push them to get a little bit better every time out, then the addiction comes

Stefanos wrote:

Water skiing is not dying.....
It died and got resurrected by skiers like you on this site, pioneers just like those at Cypress Gardens in the 40s and 50s
Spread the gospel on and off the water, keep the faith and you shall be rewarded with eternal spray
Born again skiers are baptized daily and I am one of them.....I lose my way as life tricks me, only to come back stronger and more passionate than ever
Am I religious you ask ? Not really, but ski religiously I say and faith will come to you
Amen

Speaking of worshipping the water...
I think it was Wade who once said; "I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to short line except through me"... Or maybe it was: "except through PSC"!!!

Wade was it you that also said: "Come to me, all ye who are weary and burdened, and I shall give you rest. For my methods are easy and my handle is light"... ???

God is Good! -Amen...

Last edited by h20dawg79 (Sun, Oct 18, 2009 12:06 PM)

I think the main issue is the age demographic of current skiers.

I'm 24 and where I ski there is almost no one around my age. Everyone is either over 40 or you have a handful of kids who are brought along by their parents.

The vast vast majority 16- 30 seems to prefer to wakeboard. There is a danger that when the current crop all stop skiing there will be no one else left.

The main problem for getting young people in the sport is the cost. Most people cant afford to spend money on a sport like water skiing until they are a bit older. For wakeboarding the cable offers a much cheaper alternative. This is why you have an age gap between kids skiing with parents then people old enough to afford to pay themselves.

Also if you were an 18-25 yr old and you went to a club and all the young people were wakeboarding and everyone skiing 'looked old' you would most likely think the wakeboarding is the 'extreme' thing to do.

I think they should offer wakeboaders free or discounted goes at skiing so they can get hooked!