Originally Posted by
obnoxious001
The top skiers make many, many trips on the actual course to the island and back, probably more with training boats, short skis and short ropes instead of spending the money it takes to run the race boat every time. Lake skiing is nothing like skiing in the ocean, both physically and mentally. Besides the the obvious physical conditioning and endurance, it requires constant mental alertness during the entire race, since waves and rollers come from all directions, and in all sizes. If the weather is clear and you can see the island when you start, it seems like it takes forever to get there. If it's foggy, you keep wondering if you are on the right course, and when will you ever spot the darn island.
I have driven and observed in the race a bunch of times, and have driven and observed in many, many more practice runs, including one time when we found the boat filling with water about 20 miles out, and the bilge pump would not work when switched on, and of course no phone or radios, or even a proper bailing bucket. I have also skied to the island a couple of times on training runs.
One of the best deals in connecting teams may be to contact someone from the Long Beach Boat and Ski Club that puts on the race. Another suggestion might be to at least mention the skier's average or best time if you don't feel it's appropriate to put his or her name, but in many cases the name would help. Who is looking to split the run, my skier from last year might be happier only going half the distance?
