- Location
- Jersey
the first being the pro freestyle tech @ havasu
i think this is just another example of the powers that be shooting themselves in the foot. nascar does something similar to the silouhette thing with the templates to check the cars, but we all know there is nothing stock about a stock car. the aftermarket top decks like WF,Waterdawg,XFT, EME, and anyone else that builds a top deck should be allowed these are the poeple that are furthering the sport. innovation leads to change and expansion, this is like freestyle slavery almost....... creating outkasts because they don't "fit the mold". these hulls make the tricks we are seeing today possible. with out them who knows how long it would have been before someone pulled a flatwater backflip or a double barrel roll
Secondly the O-side Comp Tech Rules
some complain about not allowing certain things
the rules are as follows
* OEM HULLS ONLY- Yamaha, Kawasaki, Polaris, Hydrospace. May be reinforced or customized. Handle pole must have full movement (no locking or strapping down. Limiting straps to protect over extension ok as long as free pole movement is allowed). No protruding fins or anything creating an unnecessary danger. Hulls must have bumpers.
* MOTORS- No big bores. Kawasaki-800cc Yamaha-760cc Polaris-785cc. Charging electrical systems only. No strokers. Porting ok.
* SAFETY- All riders must wear lifejackets, helmets, and safety lanyards on skis. Must have rescue loops on bow of ski.
some have stated to keep the costs down and stuff which is understandable and safety is big concern too. both good points. i think what the powers that be that are organizing it are trying to do is make a grass roots effort. and get more people involved with out worrying about not being competitive because of having a lesser powered boat i maybe wrong but i could be right. look at any motorsports today... generally the person that wins is the one with the deepest pockets, but skill also has alot to do with it.
case in point:
amateur freestyle Havasu... who won... Lee stone.. why? 1 because he is a good rider but also because he had a bottomless bank account to which he could buy a pro-caliber boat to compete with
you give ratti, kahuna, jesse, or anyone else that kinda money to build a boat and they would be just as good.
it all comes down to keeping the sport alive. why put stuff so out of reach that people not already in the sport don't wanna try it because they don't have the money to. i got into this sport for 1 reason.... to have fun. i don't care about trophies or winning money. i do it out of love for the sport and because of the friends i have made. now someone looking to get into the sport might see it as if i don't have the newest fastest, shiniest looking thing floating on the water i might not be competitive. the OEMS need to look at this as well.
why make a boat that is so out of reach for the intended audience that only those with deep pockets can afford it. look at Hydrospace and what happened to them. to high of a price and not enough demand... which brings me back to the deep pockets thing and competition. look at i believe juniors ski ltd. last year... what won? a hydrospace, why? because someone bitched enough to mommy and daddy who had deep pockets.. basically they bought a world title for 13000 dollars... put that kid on a ltd. sxr and he may have or have not won the title. which is why i said it is not always the best rider that wins, its the rider with the deepest pockets.
they should make spec classes similar to what they have in SCCA racing. everyone has a choice of vehicles and must run off the shelf available parts.... no whacked out carbon fiber flux cappacitor type crap.
sorry this was a long rant on certain things but that is just how i feel right now. with all the crap that has gone on over the years and recently with flame wars and such i am just trying to shed some light on things and keep alive a sport to which i have a passion for and to which i have made so many friends who have changed my life
these people include:
Kahuna, Jesse, Paul Lehr, Ronny, Ally, Kevin @ legdrag, Kahuna's Friend Paul, Kahuna's Friend Chris, the biggs family, Kathy, Slut, Saki, Brad aka Kid4Now, Tinks, bill hall, don and susan anderson, tony k @ riva, htvixen, the mckenna brothers, ratti, ross c, the hughes family, kevin kennedy, tiny, greenwald, d-mack, and anyone else who i have met through my travels in this great sport
that is all,
the fat kid
from the city outside of the pwc industry........ what a load... if you live in havasu i can pretty much guarantee you have seen or have heard about pwc racing..... or have ridden one yourself.... thats like trying to find an unbiased jury for a murder trial that was nationally publicized, its not gonna happen.
i think this is just another example of the powers that be shooting themselves in the foot. nascar does something similar to the silouhette thing with the templates to check the cars, but we all know there is nothing stock about a stock car. the aftermarket top decks like WF,Waterdawg,XFT, EME, and anyone else that builds a top deck should be allowed these are the poeple that are furthering the sport. innovation leads to change and expansion, this is like freestyle slavery almost....... creating outkasts because they don't "fit the mold". these hulls make the tricks we are seeing today possible. with out them who knows how long it would have been before someone pulled a flatwater backflip or a double barrel roll
Secondly the O-side Comp Tech Rules
some complain about not allowing certain things
the rules are as follows
* OEM HULLS ONLY- Yamaha, Kawasaki, Polaris, Hydrospace. May be reinforced or customized. Handle pole must have full movement (no locking or strapping down. Limiting straps to protect over extension ok as long as free pole movement is allowed). No protruding fins or anything creating an unnecessary danger. Hulls must have bumpers.
* MOTORS- No big bores. Kawasaki-800cc Yamaha-760cc Polaris-785cc. Charging electrical systems only. No strokers. Porting ok.
* SAFETY- All riders must wear lifejackets, helmets, and safety lanyards on skis. Must have rescue loops on bow of ski.
some have stated to keep the costs down and stuff which is understandable and safety is big concern too. both good points. i think what the powers that be that are organizing it are trying to do is make a grass roots effort. and get more people involved with out worrying about not being competitive because of having a lesser powered boat i maybe wrong but i could be right. look at any motorsports today... generally the person that wins is the one with the deepest pockets, but skill also has alot to do with it.
case in point:
amateur freestyle Havasu... who won... Lee stone.. why? 1 because he is a good rider but also because he had a bottomless bank account to which he could buy a pro-caliber boat to compete with
you give ratti, kahuna, jesse, or anyone else that kinda money to build a boat and they would be just as good.
it all comes down to keeping the sport alive. why put stuff so out of reach that people not already in the sport don't wanna try it because they don't have the money to. i got into this sport for 1 reason.... to have fun. i don't care about trophies or winning money. i do it out of love for the sport and because of the friends i have made. now someone looking to get into the sport might see it as if i don't have the newest fastest, shiniest looking thing floating on the water i might not be competitive. the OEMS need to look at this as well.
why make a boat that is so out of reach for the intended audience that only those with deep pockets can afford it. look at Hydrospace and what happened to them. to high of a price and not enough demand... which brings me back to the deep pockets thing and competition. look at i believe juniors ski ltd. last year... what won? a hydrospace, why? because someone bitched enough to mommy and daddy who had deep pockets.. basically they bought a world title for 13000 dollars... put that kid on a ltd. sxr and he may have or have not won the title. which is why i said it is not always the best rider that wins, its the rider with the deepest pockets.
they should make spec classes similar to what they have in SCCA racing. everyone has a choice of vehicles and must run off the shelf available parts.... no whacked out carbon fiber flux cappacitor type crap.
sorry this was a long rant on certain things but that is just how i feel right now. with all the crap that has gone on over the years and recently with flame wars and such i am just trying to shed some light on things and keep alive a sport to which i have a passion for and to which i have made so many friends who have changed my life
these people include:
Kahuna, Jesse, Paul Lehr, Ronny, Ally, Kevin @ legdrag, Kahuna's Friend Paul, Kahuna's Friend Chris, the biggs family, Kathy, Slut, Saki, Brad aka Kid4Now, Tinks, bill hall, don and susan anderson, tony k @ riva, htvixen, the mckenna brothers, ratti, ross c, the hughes family, kevin kennedy, tiny, greenwald, d-mack, and anyone else who i have met through my travels in this great sport
that is all,
the fat kid
