Get the Kids out on the water.

I love doubling with the kids....I am going to try and get a good photo of the whole family skiing as a xmas card, but, the 5 yo is being stubborn!

As for passing the bug, some of my fondest memories as a child are at the lake skiing. I know my three will never forget the times we have had skiing. Best family fun ever!

That's great. I hope my sons will have that same sort of bug from the memories we're creating now.

Yeah, I think it is cool getting him good at the sport and competing so young. If he sticks with it, he'll be quite the rider by the time he's 18.

SPF is held at Eufaula Lake.

Tique...great pic of you and your brother. I wish my brother and I were both into watersports (and lived in the same area). It would be fun to do that with him.

Okie Boarder wrote: Doubles is sure a lot of fun. Especially doing it with your kids.

Never too old for that.

My brother (57) and me (53), just last summer
(I know...this is supposed to be a "kids" post...but I think we probably still qualify.)

Very cool stuff...
Nice age to start into the competitions..
I started into them when aged 20...before that the sport here in argentina didn´t exist...

kapla,

Bryce is the oldest. He's 9...will be 10 in November. Tristan is the youngest. He turned 7 in May.

Bryce actually had his first competition this year. He competed in SPF here in OK. He took 3rd place overall in the grom division. He can do HS W2W pretty good. Sometimes he can get 4' of height. He is pretty good with ollies, lip slides, front slides, back slides and he can do a TS 1-wake jump.

Tristan got up a couple times last year and rode about 20'. In the picture of him you can see the smile on his face. That was from this year. He has ridden several times now where he stayed up and riding for a good while and is even starting to move around a bit.

We definitely love being out on the water and all learning and growing in the sport of wakeboarding, plus bonding as a family. It means the world to me to be able to spend that kind of time with my wife and kids making memories.

I'm kinda bummed we need to park the boat and do the stringers, but we'll catch a few rides to finish the season and we'll get right back into it next season.

Terp,

Doubles is sure a lot of fun. Especially doing it with your kids.

Okie, that first shot is great. Can't wait till I can do that w/ my daughter.

how old are your kids?
nice jump on the last picure..
don´t be afraid to give us their names, we are all good people here!!! lol..
I have 2 boys Valentino aged 3 and Tomas aged 1. And Looking forward to iniciate Valentino this summer...

Hollywood wrote: Snap, another new boat. You guys are crazy I barely have enough time to maintain and use just one boat and I don't even have any kids. I am trying to find a partner for another though... PLBC is shopping for a 98/99 Sport, his wife is looking at 07/08 206s! lol

Well Kev, you can see when you do have a wife and kids, you have to keep the whole brood happy, especially while out on the water all day.. All the small boats I've had have been great, but never a good match for GL, additional friends, and more gear.... It's bigger boat, or a house on the lake... Ahhh, I can still slave away to pay for the boat haha.. You'll get there some day....

Dave.
PS: I don't envy PLBC... hahaha....

bkhallpass wrote: Congrats on the new boat. Is this the boat she slalomed behind? BKH

Thanks Brain..... Nope the 96' Ski... We'll see how she does behind this new wake she'll see for the first time..... She said Sunday, forget that, I want to see what happens when you fill the "water thingies" and the wake gets bigger for boarding.... Yep, typical kid hahaha..

I'm hoping this will help teach them a few new things as well...

Ha... Picked her up Sat..

Moj'

IT WAS OUR TIME......

The lake was less than favorable. Water temps around 70 degrees, wind blowing a steady 20mph easy. We heading out of the marina in the Nautique, fighting 2 foot white caps (yes this is GL, WI)to reach some sort of skiable water. After rattling our teeth and freezing our butts off (maybe 73 degrees out), I ask my oldest daughter if she's going to ride or finally try slalom, which she has always wanted to try, but with always a reserve voice and attitude.
Well, we darn her with an oversized HO wmans Comp ski (she all of 80 lbs soaking wet). I thought, man this is heavy and she's going to have one heck of a time with it, but what the hell. She has good balance and arm strength, maybe she'll fight off the height and responsiveness of the ski..
Shivering on the platform, she get the ski on and we dump her in and we get ready. Now, there are boats everywhere, tubes, skiers and the like are trying to use the same water.. The waves are crashing over her head as she continues to keep the ski tip stright and body centered. Finally after waiting what seems to be a lifetime, I said to myself, screw it, we have to go.. I scream to her to "Ball up" and I hit it, giving the throttle a good jolt, but now enough to pull her over the top or handle from her hand...
I can see in the mirror, she's actually fighting, ski tip still coming out and centered, so I throttle up and out of the hole she comes !!! She leans back and is up and perfectly balanced and is skiing..... SHE's UP I Screamed. She has nailed the initial launch, never to have strapped a slalom ski on before or any ski on for years as she's converted to wakeboarding...
She's skiing and sees some flat water and head out to her strong side with a Sh*t eat'n grin the size of Texas and make a cut back to the boat, through the wake to the other side..
We are screaming in the boat, fists stabing the air and high fives around the boat with such disbelief, happiness and pride, Time-Stood-Still for me... My entire childhood flashed in my mind. People on the docks are screaming, people on other boats are clapping as the run seemed to never end.. Then she finally let go out of exhaustion...
I've never seen anyone master a deep water start the first time, especially in those conditions and carve for a mile... Choking up with pride, I jumped in, swam out to her, shirt, hat and all and wrapped my arms around her. It was her moment. With me growing up around water and skiing, "It was our moment". One I will truly never forget...

Nothing like a day on the lake to mark a footprint in your sole....

Moj'
My daughter Danielle, age 11

Yep a CCfan Fan

My 9 year old Gabrielle


Thanks Brian for the inspiration to write my little story for 2009'
Moj'

Oh no......I am not a wood worker! I used up all my woodworking skills for the Pinewood Derby (first place!). You are way above my skills. How did it turn out? I saw my sons contraction for bending the wood; I wish I had a photo! Two concrete blocks and an 80lb bag of water softener salt and the water hose.
If you could figure out a way to convince him the wakeskate would impress the girls, he would be in the garage nonstop! My son is just starting to think girls are so bad after all....downhill from here!

This is a picture of my 12 yo skiing on his home made ski. He cut a piece of OSB plywood into the shape of his skimboard and wanted to try and ski on it. It took him about five or six times but he got up on it. Deep water start. After this photo we stuck a small fin on it, and he had a blast.
I broke down and ordered a wakeskate for him, but he may end up sticking with his own design!

More good photos and vids from all. Terp, looks like the wife is pulling your girl at a pretty good clip there. BKH