Entering my first comp this weekend!

[CP3]

So what were the results??

[dogbert]

Good luck!

[Timmy!]

Thanks so much for the advice! Good to hear someone else's experience and what to do and what not to do. Congrats on your 1st place finishes too!

[laketime]

hey this year was my first year of competing. i showed up tho the first comp and really didnt have a rutine to planned. i was thinking about it when i was on the start dock. (big mistake) anyways i sketched myself out and took both my crashes and didnt do good. just make sure you know in your head what your going to do. and it is your first comp so its a whole different thing, and the run is pretty short.

i started in INTER ( wich allows one invert and spins up to 360)
by the second comp i had really got my stuff together and got my 3,s down. i ended up winning first place. i won the next 2 and then i jumped to ADVANCED(allows 3 inverts and spins to 540) for the last comp and took first. all you need to do is be comfident in your riding and make very pronounced grabs. if you do a really good grabs the judges will like it more than if you were to stick one raley.. and get your spins down. they really like spins
they used a malibu for the last comp. and im going to say it, it was the best wake i've ever rode. even better than the x-star that was used at another comp. its super tall and rampy. really easy to get your pop. RIDE 5 FEET BACK than normal . i promise you. i rode at 70 ft and should have rode 75. go at least 70 feet back

and oh yeah crashes do not count against you... only tricks you land. time your tricks so that if you crash you will still have time to do more when you get back up.. if you crash near the end you wont have time to do anything waiting for the boat to plain

[G-MONEY]

I know, I pop the handle every single time, haven't ever completed the handle pass yet (been close). I am going to do some practice on the trampoline tonight.

When you hit the wake pull the handle hard to you hip and try to keep it close to your body.

[Timmy!]

Don't have "The Book"...yet. Was hoping to get that for Christmas this year!

[da.bell]

I know, I pop the handle every single time, haven't ever completed the handle pass yet (been close). I am going to do some practice on the trampoline tonight.

Great idea.... Do you have "The Book"???? Might want to watch the video on handle passing if so....

[Timmy!]

Well, you need to change that attitude... Think.... "I can make it!!!" and you will be okay... Don't think negative

I know, I pop the handle every single time, haven't ever completed the handle pass yet (been close). I am going to do some practice on the trampoline tonight.

[Timmy!]

Ooops, I was confused! This comp isn't an INT comp, it's a private comp someone is holding in hopes of having a series of 5 events next year if it's successful. I will ask about the bonus trick!

[da.bell]

• attempt my wake to wake 360 (probably won't land it)

Well, you need to change that attitude... Think.... "I can make it!!!" and you will be okay... Don't think negative

[dogbert]

Actually, we're doing our first INT competition this weekend, but he's done 4 other competitions so far this summer. Each one is a little different format, but it's always points for the successful tricks. INT may not have the bonus trick option, so I'd ask.

[Timmy!]

Most of my wake to wake jumps include a grab of some sort unless I go so big that I've thrown myself off-balance. Thanks for the recommendations! I know your kids enter the INT comps so you have some experience at this!

[dogbert]

Throw in a grab on your wake-to-wake jumps because you'll get more credit for them, if you're comfortable with it. I'd see if they had the bonus trick option, because that's when you want to throw the 3. That way if you don't land it, you don't get penalized.

[Timmy!]

My (sketchy at best) run was going to go something like this:

• Start out switch
• Rail slide the wake and back to normal stance
• do a wake to wake jump to test the rope length and width of the wake (maybe throw in a grab)
• do a single wake jump back across the wake for my return to the starboard side (normal riding stance side)
• Maybe ollie out in the flats with a grab
• go big with a nose or tail grab and some style
• wake to wake 180 (then 180 back to normal stance)
• attempt my wake to wake 360 (probably won't land it)

I'm borderline beginner/intermediate as you can see by my tricklist but I feel that I wouldn't have fun in the beginner class with only going across 1 wake. It's a weak set of tricks I can do, I know but it's only my 3rd season of riding and my first year riding behind a wakeboard boat and with a tower.

[dogbert]

What da.bell said!

Keep in mind that you get points for each trick, so it's not the quality/difficulty of the tricks, but the number of points you get. Even if you think they're lame, do them and get as many in as you can. Usually, you'll get credit for the 5 or 6 tricks and maybe one bonus (double-up or out of class) trick that only counts if you land it. It's better to get lots of successful tricks in than lots of unsuccessful high value attempts.

As for rope length and wake size, I'd actually go shorter than what you normally ride. Take the first wake-to-wake jump as big as you can just to see how the wake works for you and then make the adjustments.

My youngest didn't place at a recent kids comp because he crashed 2 times. He'd never ridden behind the Mastercraft X1 and found the wake to be somewhat undersized and washed out at his rope length. Plus he tried his bigger tricks right off the bat without checking out the wake. He was clearly the best rider out there, but didn't even place. We talked about that, but he decided to ignore his old man so for him it was a lesson learned. He was pretty upset with himself, but he's taking my suggestions more seriously.

Just don't think about it too much and if you crash, forget it and keep going. It's not your day job, so there's nothing to lose!