Apr 11, 2008

Is Wakeboarding Waterskiing?

This post is directly inspired by a comment in the "Waterskiing Pet Peeves" article, where someone said, in their infinite wisdom:
Wakeboarders, and dont give me that "some are very talented", NO THEY ARE NOT, they are just talentless pussies that couldent hack it in the 3 event world and jumped on the band wagon.
That statement pisses me off. While of course, the idea was for people to bitch about whatever pisses them off, well, now I am bitching back.

The idea that someone who prefers one style of skiing over another is idiotic, Chris Parrish is not a better skier then Phillip Soven. They just happen to ski in different events. Sure, Phillip can't do the same shit on a slalom ski that Chris can, but, I would bet the entire CRB nest egg (14 bucks and a 1/2 bottle of Wild Turkey) that Chris could not slap on a wakeboard and do the shit that Phillip does.

Anyways, here are a couple of things that I think are contributing to this issue. That being the division between traditional disciplines and wakeboarding. Grammar, coherent thoughts and logical conclusions available upon request!

  1. The Division Between Disciplines. I hate the division that some people set up between wakeboarders vs. waterskiiers, as if they are really two separate sports. Wakeboarding is waterskiing. Its just another discipline within that realm. The same way that riding a Sky Ski is waterskiing. Sure, there may be some semantics or whatever about it, but, in general terms its ONE FUCKING SPORT! Why you would want to shun someone or be prejudiced against another discipline within your sport is beyond me.

  2. Why is 3-Event the Holy Grail? Not sure where it was written in stone that 3-Event skiing is the crown jewel, the be all end all, the big swinging dick of waterskiing. Its just three damn disciplines that seem to work together for some reason. Trick, Jump and Slalom. Neat. So fucking what? Hey, iI am the first to admit that I suck at trick skiing AND wakeboarding.

    It doesnt mean I dont enjoy it them any less.I will go crash all over the fucking lake while facing forward on my trick ski or sort of sideways on my wakeboard. Its all fun, why hate on people who happen to prefer facing more sideways? Do you have feelings of inadequacy because they get more air? They are on TV more? Their "skis" are bigger then yours?

  3. Magazine perpetuate this myth. Waterski Magazine and Wakeboard Magazine. Really? Actually, the more I think about it, the more it is a symptom of a greater ill within this industry. Waterskiing as a sport, be it 3-event, wakeboard, show ski, whatever, all suck ass on TV and no one really cares outside of some love that ESPN or whatever throw at Wakeboarding. Why not band together, make one kick ass tour that travels all around promoting the shit out of waterskiing (all disciplines) and get that shit on TV or Webcast or whatever with some loot for the winners and make it a damn festival?

  4. GET OFF MY LAWN! I fear that the older generation of skiers are locked into a narrow mind-set that only a certain style of skiing is the only way to go. They don't want to admit, allow or embrace the varying nuances that make up this great sport.

    I think that its important to really take stock of what this sport is and what it isn't. Its not like football or baseball or something. Its a playtime activity that people can enjoy for their entire lives, but, the barriers to entry and the translation of personal enjoyment to spectator appeal is much greater then trying to make moto-cross racing or hockey appealing.
Note: I dont have any real answers here. But, its something that is frustrating. I don't like people who are hard-core slalomers to slag on wakeboarders or vice-versa. Its counter-productive and inane. If you are a hard-core wakeboarder, god bless you, same goes to 3-event peeps as well.

But, to puff your chest and beat the drum and try and bring someone else down because of some idiotic thought is foolish. Support your fellow skiers, regardless of their specific choice of shit they slap on their feet. Jumpers, slalom skis, wakeboards, no-skis, hyrdofoils, whatever.

Well, except kneeboarders. they are totally lame.

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous3:04 PM

    hmmm...
    good points...
    dirty wakeboard lover

    ReplyDelete

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