Re: Understanding Competitive Slalom Skiing
In the tournaments I used to run, it was either a 75 or 60' rope (you could choose to run a 60) up to a full pass at 36... then the rope would get shorter (which I never needed to worry about
), speed stayed at 36 for men. (60' is "15 off"). In order for the score to count, you need to make a complete pass of 6 balls, and through both gates (e.g. "6 at 32")... then on the next run you might get "2 1/2 at 34". If you started at 34 and only made 2 1/2 balls, it wouldn't count.
As for finding a course, often people who put them out don't mind if someone else uses them, but make sure to find out whose it is, and ask first. Tell them you're a complete novice, but would love to try their course and you'll fix any buoy's that come loose, (and mean it). Sometimes the handle will snag a ball after a wipeout and move it, so they need to be put back. Me and my BIL talked about putting our own course in a few times, but we've done it enough to know that it's a PITA to put a course in, and especially maintain it if you only get there every few weeks.
I don't know who drives for you, but driving slalom is not the same as driving for recreational skiing. The driver needs to be good. They need to be aimed straight at the course long enough in advance to give you time to set up for the entrance gate, and they need to get to the right speed and work the throttle to keep it there once you start pulling. Many recreational boats are not torquey enough to keep the speed from dropping. I think now days, real competition boats have a "perfect pass" system that controls the speed of the boat. In the days when I skied, it was common for a run to be "busted" because the boat speed was not right. It is particularly hard for a driver to maintain speed with a heavyish skier starting at slower speeds. Even competition boats struggled. I have a 16' outboard ski boat with a 150 hp merc and it still takes lots of throttle and steering input to give a skier a decent slalom run. Medium sized boats with smaller outboards will be less likely to be hold true speed. It's a big difference skiing behind my boat and a true competition boat.
Also, the driver needs to be able to turn around after exiting the course without making rollers that will feed back into the course. This means a run straight out, starting to turn one way, and then reversing the turn and making a nearly complete circle back into your own wake and then turning back down the original line through the course. On some courses I've used, they're put in bays as close to shore as feasible to keep them sheltered from wind. This can make the turning tight. (way different than recreational skiing). Come up with a hand signal that means "give me a rest" so the driver knows if you want to just hang behind the boat for a minute before giving you the next pass. Then they can extend the outbound run before doing the turn. Overall, the driver is usually too busy to see anything the skier is doing.
If you do give it a try sometime, ignore the gates at first. Start way outside, near the first ball. Start 2 mph slower than you think you need to. Skiing into a slight breeze makes it much easier. Latching onto someone and having them pull you for a few passes would definitely be the way to start.
Good luck!
