JP, all,

Lise and I are planning to ride at Lake Anna (warm side) on Saturday if the weather holds (supposed to be 52, calm, and sunny!). Shout if you want to join us~~

Steve

Lake Anna, VA

703-338-0212

Here’s how we solved that problem, and it’s fast, easy, cheap, and works great!

1)     Remove the inside foam layer of the stock binding (the part that goes over the top of your foot).

2)     Leave only the top rubber layer.

3)     Add a strip of nylon webbing (1” or 1 and 1/4” wide) . This does two things: it makes the resulting binding set-up less elastic, holding your foot in place more securely than just the rubber piece by itself, and it keeps the rubber binding from ripping out (I don’t know that it would really rip out, but seemed like a good idea not to take that chance). I applied the webbing DIAGONALLY from the front screw on the inside of the foot, to the middle screw on the outside of the foot.

4)     Bingo. You’re done. This set-up combined with the Cinch Foot Stays works great and cost me nothing.  (I’ll try to post some pics soon.)

Now, what to wear. This will depend on your foot size. My wife is an 8, so can wear full-on wetsuit boots (the ones with a rubber sole) and loves how it fits and feels.  But I’m a 13, so had to go thinner…I got a pair of thin neoprene socks at REI that I wear over a mid-weight wool or fleece sock. And I tuck that up into my dry suit gasket. Works great.

Obviously, if you have built-in booties in your dry suit, just use those, though I’d personally be inclined to wear a neoprene boot or sock over the top to prevent them from wearing.

Cheers,

Steve

I have been going through some old pictures and found a few that caught my attention.  I really like the light on our lake from about 6:00 to 8:00 pm during late July.

Btw…there is 24+ inches of ice on our lakes right now……..10 weeks until ice out!!

    Jason

For those that do not know, I am the USHA representative on the USA Water Ski (USA-WS) Board of Directors. The annual USA Water Ski board meeting was Sunday, the 27^th. There is nothing major to report from the meeting – most of it is the mundane processes necessary to keep a governing body running.

However, this was the first chance I had to see the new Executive Director, Steve Locke, in action. I am extremely impressed with his background, knowledge of Olympic governing bodies, and his wisdom regarding what is needed. Everyone in the room seemed confident that Steve will lead us forward down the correct path, and that alone is significant, as it could bring harmony to a group that is often contentious. While the USA-WS board is composed of well-intentioned water sports people trying to lead an organization, Steve Locke has successfully lead USA Taekwondo and USA Triathlon, and guided other groups. He knows what we need to do, and he has many contacts within the Olympic organization.

There were a couple moments that I realized he “got it.” First, when someone commented that the World Wakeboard Association (WWA) has been growing rapidly, he noted that the WWA and the INT are our allies, not the competition. We are more successful when they are more successful. That is a change in attitude that is much needed.

Second, concerning membership, he stated most people want to participate in events, and will join if they need to for events. He correctly noted that our customers are the event organizers (and privately acknowledged that we do many things to make it difficult for event organizers). Put simply, events drive membership.

Steve also noted that we need to work with industry to make them more successful – a strong industry is good for the sports.

Steve intends to introduce diversity into what is a “lily white” organization (like others he has led). That starts with staff, as a new person will take on a mail room / membership combined position. Yes, board members questioned why we are hiring when we just laid people off. The new hires are at a much lower salary than those laid off, and after the layoffs, one person quit. A private donation will cover the salary of the new Grassroots Series person.

Steve said he intends to be with USA-WS for no more than 4 years. I see announcing that up front as a positive – he has a clear goal to get our organization on track, and when that is done, he will move on. So, he knows what he wants to accomplish here.

I’m very optimistic that Steve will be an excellent leader and move the organization in the right direction.

Brad Scott

USHA President

Brad Scott

USHA President

Oh, I forgot that part – yes, get the Wakeboard Pro.  I know some folks like the RPM only mode, but

for me – the MPH mode works best – and with this unit, you have a choice.

I also took a GPS unit out and calibrated the speed- it was pretty close – but at Wakeboard speeds – go figure.

For 24-27 MPH, it needed a little adjustment – but that’s not hard to do either.

We had one installed last year – it works great.  Make sure he gets the PP designed

for an IO.

It has some of the same issues as all of them, while turning, it may over compensate a bit,

but I will tell you – as the primary driver – this REALLY  makes a huge difference and

allows me to focus on my rider and the other boats – and not have to throw worry

about the speed into the mix.

Don’t know why I waited so long (but they aren’t cheap) – and now I know

why they call these things “marriage savers”.

Todd

For those of you who have not renewed your membership in the US Hydrofoil Association (USHA) for 2008, you can do so online. Go to http://usawaterski.org/renew/ -- with the new system, you will need to logon. To get a password, choose “Forgot your password”, and you will be emailed a password. Then you can logon and renew, and/or change your password.  

The USHA board will be meeting this Saturday. Please let me or any other board member know if there is something you think we should discuss.

Thanks,

Brad Scott

USHA President

The dates have been set and are now official

October 3,4,5  2008