Kid Slalom Speeds
KENGIBBONS
How fast do you folks pull your kids? Just comparing notes.
Our 10 year old has chosen slalom because he figures he will never catch
up to his 12 year old brother's wakeboarding skill. He spent last summer
riding 1/2 of an HO kid's combo set. We just got him an O'Brien G1 with
Advantage high wraps (the wraps are for safety).
Anyway, we have a '94 MC 205 which has fairly large wakes at lower speeds
(hence it's wakeboarding appeal). I pulled the 10 year old at about 24,
where the wakes are still sizeable, but no rooster. One time on glassy
water, I told him to be real careful, and we pushed the speed up to 30.
His grin became enormous as the wake diminished. But this was free
skiing, we rarely see a course.
I am sure that the new G1 will slice the wake better and be more
controllable. So how fast do most kids ski? If we do make it to a
course, what is a good speed and line length to start a small person?
OK now, this is serious, for a loved one. We can joust about boat wakes
in another thread ;-)
Thanks for the help.
david lawrence baxter
On 25 Feb 1997, KENGIBBONS wrote:
> How fast do you folks pull your kids? Just comparing notes.
>
> Our 10 year old has chosen slalom because he figures he will never catch
> up to his 12 year old brother's wakeboarding skill. He spent last summer
> riding 1/2 of an HO kid's combo set. We just got him an O'Brien G1 with
> Advantage high wraps (the wraps are for safety).
>
We have the same problem with my little brother. He is 13 but is very small.
I think that he weighs about 70 pounds. He usually skis on a junior sized
ski master combo ski with adjustable front and rear toe. When he slaloms he
goes about 18-25 depending on the day. I tell him to try to let me speed up
but he doesn't really like it. On a calm day we might get up to about 26-7
but that is about it. He is a wimp and gets afraid if we go faster. We
don't have a course so he has never been through one. He just learns to cut
through the wakes. When he asks how fast he is going and I tell him he
complains that it is as fast as he foots. If your son does start
wakeboarding there may be a problem there too. My brother wants to go about
12 right at the point where the boat wants to plane. At this speed the wakes
are so far apart and he can't clear them and lands real hard. He also has
the problem of not wanting to listen to us when we try to help him. Usually
when he listens it is a benefit. When is comes to some things he will trust
us and other things he will listen to other people tell him the same thing.
The best way that we have found is to go slow and don't force anything on him
and let him go at his own pace. He's a good skier but he would be so much
better if he took our advice.
david
dlba...@uiuc.edu
IHVMYEP
Personally I think 30 is way to fast for a 10 year old unless he is a
great skier. My little cousin who is 8-9???? gets pulled at about 22 -24?
usually slower in the course. I think that having big wakes will just
prove to him how important it is to keep the ski on edge through the
wakes. AWSA's max speed for boys 2 is 34mph, this goes up to age 13, I am
unsure if 10 would be boys 1 or 2, but it is close enough to boys 2,
getting a masters is 2 balls @ 34 for them. That is respectable skiing
for a kid. Unless your son knows what he is doing, feels really
comfortable and is in control at 30mph, keep it slower. I think we all
know too well how hard water can be when you hit it unexpectedly. Plus
ther slower speed will help him get into better form and let him advance
quicker.
Scott
Denton
Ken,
We pull our kids at the same speeds, but the adjustable wake on our
Tige' eliminates the large wake problem while pulling light weight
skiers. Try a different rope length, for your 205, at 24mph, a full
length rope should get them beyond the curling crest of the first set of
wakes.
Denton
> KENGIBBONS wrote:
>
> How fast do you folks pull your kids? Just comparing notes.
>
> Our 10 year old has chosen slalom because he figures he will never catch
> up to his 12 year old brother's wakeboarding skill. He spent last summer
> riding 1/2 of an HO kid's combo set. We just got him an O'Brien G1 with
> Advantage high wraps (the wraps are for safety).
>
Eric Erskine
KENGIBBONS wrote:
>
> How fast do you folks pull your kids? Just comparing notes.
>
95 prostar 190 and I started him at 16mph. He is able to make this
fairly consistantly even though the wakes are large. I have tried him
faster but the falls are hard and he gets frustrated. When he is open
water skiing (which is not often now that he can get through the course)
I have him around 24mph.
Kevin Bradly Bird
nsor. If your son is skiing on a G1 I would certainly guess that he has the ability to ski at higher speeds then 24...27-28mph behi=
nd our 190s seems about the perfect notch for light skiers on a high performance ski. With the 205 you might try the 28 range. I k=
now that it can be heart wrenching at those speeds to see a little skier in a bad wipeout
Dave Deacon
My youngest son started novice tournament skiing when he was 11 or 12. He
started at 20-22 mph longline (I think he got up to 26 mph before falling
at that first tournament). We have a '91 ProStar190, the same as the hull
used to pull tournaments at the time. Insure that he has the proper size
ski, 59-60" and edges through the wakes. Teaching proper body position
will minimize the wake impact and make it easier for him to progress.
KENGIBBONS <kengi...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19970225050...@ladder02.news.aol.com>...
> How fast do you folks pull your kids? Just comparing notes.
>
Dave Campbell
KENGIBBONS wrote:
>
> How fast do you folks pull your kids? Just comparing notes.
>
> Our 10 year old has chosen slalom because he figures he will never catch
> up to his 12 year old brother's wakeboarding skill. He spent last summer
> riding 1/2 of an HO kid's combo set. We just got him an O'Brien G1 with
> Advantage high wraps (the wraps are for safety).
>
> (hence it's wakeboarding appeal). I pulled the 10 year old at about 24,
> where the wakes are still sizeable, but no rooster. One time on glassy
> water, I told him to be real careful, and we pushed the speed up to 30.
> His grin became enormous as the wake diminished. But this was free
> skiing, we rarely see a course.
>
> I am sure that the new G1 will slice the wake better and be more
> controllable. So how fast do most kids ski? If we do make it to a
> course, what is a good speed and line length to start a small person?
>
> OK now, this is serious, for a loved one. We can joust about boat wakes
> in another thread ;-)
>
> Thanks for the help.
I started my kids skiing at 5. UP on one ski at 6. I learned the first
year that with little or large kids you do not want speed for the
course. I started with the kids at 24 behind tri hull boat which has no
wake. An inboard just hasnt worked at slow speeds. This speed was too
fast. I then learned to pull it back to 14 mph and what a difference.
THey started to get the timing down and make full runs. By the time
they were 8 I maxed the tri hull out at 26 and they could make it every
time with full line. I then had no choice but to go to the master
craft. Even though they have timing, the large wake at slow speeds was
a big change. I took them back to 22 and they started to make the run.
By the time she was 9 she could make a full pass at 30 behind the master
craft. She then was showing off, took a crash with the arm extended,
and hurt her shoulder. It is 3 years later, an MRI, theraphy, and she
still can not get the shoulder to stop hurting. I have some real
thoughts now about how soon do you really want to push small ones when
their bodies are still growing. Oh well, thats another topic.
Watching others on our lake teaching their small ones to ski behind a
tournament boat shows me they dont get far fast. Having the two boats
was a big help!