Tag Archives: slalom skiing

Member Spotlight: Charlotte Bocly

Posted on by

We love our Members at Hobe Lake Ski Club, and this week we’re highlighting Charlotte, one of our members from the UK.

Charlotte’s passion for waterskiing is evident and we love her drive to continually improve in the sport. Check out her answers below and stay tuned for more Member interviews in the future.

Charlotte Bocly on Hobe Lake

Charlotte Bocly
Hometown: London, England/Palm Beach, Florida
Occupation: Psychotherapist

  1. When and where did you learn to waterski?
    I first learned to ski when I was 5 or 6 years old on my grandmother’s boat in Long Island, New York. (My grandmother skied until she was 80 years old!) I first skied on a slalom course in the UK about 7 years ago.
  2. What is your favorite waterski memory?
    Running my PB—3 buoys at 55k! Also, switching from my recreational ski to a Syndicate slalom ski made it feel like I was skiing on a Ferrari. So, finding the right equipment was a good memory.
  3. What do you love about the sport?
    I love how beautiful and graceful it looks when it’s the hardest thing in the world. I love the adrenaline rush and the feeling of being so strong and being propelled by the boat.

Winter Fitness Training

Posted on by

With winter upon us, now is a good time to get serious about getting in shape for next season.

Working out with a personal trainer may produce better results than going to the gym by yourself. A good trainer should be able to give you exercises specific to your sport and help you stay motivated through the winter months.

slalom skierAs we all know, core training is beneficial to us water skiers, but often we tend to overlook our legs. Strong legs are essential to maintaining a quiet upper body and powerful position in the slalom course.

Make sure to use proper technique during your workouts to prevent injury; this is another reason why it might be beneficial to work with a coach. It’s also very important to work on flexibility with a good stretching program, and then exercise your muscles through their full range of motion. Just try to have a good time doing it!

Last but not least, planning a trip here to Florida’s Treasure Coast can break up the winter just enough to get you up to speed faster next spring. You’ll forget about all the hard work you put in when you’re ripping it up and running your personal best next season.

Wonderful ski weather continues!

Posted on by

Father and son Bud and Buddy Howard from Jupiter, Florida took advantage of the warm temperatures and great conditions to learn some new skills on the water.

Bud completed a full pass in the slalom course for the first time! Buddy got up on one ski, crossed the wakes and made the turn at the end of the lake.

triptych 2018-NovWe showed up at the lake with a smile and left laughing…we’re making memories here! Congrats guys!

—Wim

Driving the Slalom Course

Posted on by

driver courseSlalom skiing is an individual sport, yet the boat driver plays an important role in the enjoyment of our ski sessions and in the success we achieve.
Just as in most sports, in order to become the best driver you can be you need to practice as much as you can. There is more to it than just spending time in the driver seat though.

Here are some ideas that might help you next time you make it out on the water:

  • The first is to keep your boat balanced. Fifty pounds of weight that can be moved around usually does the trick.
  • It is very important to get the boat up to speed and lined up early so the skier has a nice long run into the pre-gates without having to worry about either the driver or the boat path.
  • Once the skier starts the pull out, make sure your boat path stays in line with the course without getting pulled over to the left. The last thing you want to do here is to correct while the skier is on his glide, since that will almost always guarantee a negative swing with the skier.
  • As a driver you want to stay in sync with your skier, so it’s important to stay proactive. Know where your skier is at all times, and don’t be afraid to move a little sooner than you are comfortable.

The worst thing you can do is wait until the skier pulls you and then react since you will be chasing the skier the whole time and your boat path will suffer. If you execute this properly though, you will be able to keep the line tight, and both you and your skier will feel tremendous satisfaction!

Good luck!