Tag: Barefooting

How to feel good about loosing $50

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Or “Can you leave your wet suit and thermal shirt on the sun deck and take off in your boat and have them still be there when you get to the dock?

The answer is no.

Tonight, I hit the lake with John and T-Bell for a quick set in the evening. John took a slalom set out in the main lake. I took a few foot runs in the bay. Actually managed a couple decent one-foots, but nothing significant. It was just nice to get out. The weekend weather didn’t cooperate much, windy, cool, cloudy, scattered showers, you name it. But Sunday was OK, 60, partly sunny and windy, but do-able.

I was the last to ski and once I got back into the boat, I pealed off my suit and shirt and just left then on the sun deck and proceeded to dry off and change as we idled back to the main lake. Once past the bridges, I was now dry and had forgotten that my stuff was still on the back of the boat, and not actually in the boat.

T-Bell passed the no-wake buoy and took off. About half way back to the landing, we hit a good wave, John’s water flew all over, and (unbeknownst to me) my suit and shirt probably flew off the back off the boat.

We get to the landing, trailer the boat, everyone starts handing stuff out of the boat, wiping it down, putting things in their vehicles and mine. Five minutes later we’re all ready to leave. I hop in my truck and drive home.

I get home about 630. I’m tired and hungry, so I just back the boat into the garage and go inside to start cooking some dinner. While cooking and eating, I start watching a show. I finish dinner and then finish the show. Its now about 730 and I head outside and get everything put away. I unhook the boat, put the truck in the garage and start emptying the it. Find my shorts and gloves. No suit, and no shirt. I hop up into the boat and check… No suit, no shirt.

Call John… Did you happen to grab my wetsuit? Nope.

Call T-Bell… Left a message about if she had grabbed my stuff… still haven’t heard anything yet.

Then I call John back and we decide to head down to lake to look for it. I grab a dry pair of shorts and life vest, just in case we see and it is floating out in the water a ways. I’m foolish enough to jump in with floatation when the water is cold and do some skiing, but not so stupid as to take a swim at dusk when I don’t have flotation on.

Now it is after 8 and the sun has been set for 20 minutes or so and it is getting pretty dark. John starts from the north end of the shoreline where we think it may be on and probable had about 20 minutes of looking in before I started from the south end. I walk about 100 yards of the shore, and who’d a thunk it, I see a wetsuit floating right along the shoreline. I grab a big stick and fish it out of the water. Needless to say, it stunk.

We finish looking, but there is no sign of the shirt.

So, realizing I may have lost both a $200 wetsuit and a $50 thermal shirt, coming out with only losing the $50 shirt feels pretty damn good.

One other thing, this is a mistake I’ll never make again.

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Good Friday

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Good Friday was a great day here in Madison. 85 & sunny isn’t unusual in Wisconsin, but it is in April. Friday after finishing up work, I met up with some friends and hit the water for an afternoon of skiing. And when we made a way into Monona Bay, we found water that was 58 degrees. And 58 degrees, although still cold enough to make you go “damn, this is cold” when you get in, it is warm enough that you can leave the dry suit at home. So Friday, I took the first run of the year with just a barefoot suit on. Free at last. Dry suits are great for their purpose, but they are damn uncomfortable to wear and pain to put on and take off. Now if we can just get the wind to cooperate so we can get some nice calm water.

And a word of advice, don’t drop a 4×8 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood your foot. It hurts.

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Didn’t Drive My Boat

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Last Sunday when I went out skiing with T-Bell and Amy was the first time my boat has been to the lake and I didn’t drive it. Typically, I’ll end up taking the boat off the trailer and putting it back on at the very least, and usually end up driving while someone else skis. But Sunday, Teri did the trailoring and drove while I footed. Since she opted to skip the cold and somewhat windy conditions and Amy was just along to spot, there was nothing that demanded that I drive the boat. It didn’t hit me ’til we were heading back to the landing that it was the very first time since I bought the boat in June of 2000 that I hadn’t driven it while at the lake.

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Lunch Runs

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Yesterday I managed to head out for a long lunch on the lake. I can really only head out about once a week for a lunch run, but they are always worth it. Granted the weather didn’t fully cooperate, but it was still fun to get out on the water and get a quick set in over lunch. In a few weeks, when the water is substantially warmer, these will be even better. There won’t be any need to deal with dry suits and all the other crap that comes with skiing in cold water. I admit the dry suit is instrumental to skiing this early without getting sick, but that doesn’t mean I have to like using it.

This is by far the most I’ve skied this early in the year and hopefully it’ll pay off in summer. Get the kinks out now while the water is still bitter cold.

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The Water is Still Damn Cold

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Another nice day in April in Wisconsin, another cold day on the water. I made the second trip of the year to the lake and took my second set of the year and the water is still cold. It has warmed from two weeks ago when it was 37 and now it is a toasty 42 degrees, which still isn’t all that warm. Add in the fact that the air temp was maybe 60, it just isn’t that warm. But it is still fun to get out there and do a little footin’.

The conditions today weren’t the greatest, there was a pretty strong south wind which pretty much manages to turn most of the lake to crap for footin’, but we did find a couple of somewhat calm areas. Now if we could get the fishermen to stop driving around it would be better. We found a calm spot and still had to deal with random rollers.

Personally, I can’t wait until the air and water are warm enough to allow me to take those nice early morning runs when the lake is both calm and vacant. We’re suppose to have a nice warm week, so hopefully that’ll get the water just a bit warmer. Right now, 50 would be nice.

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37 Degree Water

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Today was the day. Boat was already to go, sun was shining, temperature was a balmy 48 degrees and the wind was calm. Everything that makes for a beautiful day in March.

So this afternoon I headed to the lake with Bugsy, Adam and Holly in tow, ready to hit the water. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a dock already in the water, it makes it much easier to launch the boat when the water is cold.

And cold it was, a brisk 37 degrees. I suited up in my wetsuit, heater shirt, sweat pant and shirt and a dry suit on top of all of that. Since I was the fool that managed to convince Bugsy and Adam to go skiing in March, I decided to set the example and went first.
Now one would think that getting into the water when it is that cold would be difficult. It’s actually not to bad. You just ease yourself in, making sure to keep your head dry. You sit and float with head, feet and hands sticking up above the water, trying to keep them warm. Finally, the rope comes tight, I yell “Giddy up” and the boat takes off. This is where it really starts to get cold. The ice cold spray has now completely coated my face and I plant my feet and stand up. Now, the spray is out of my face, but my wet face is in the air in the 42 MPH wind. That is the coldest part. Wind-chill. It sucks. Then when you’re done and back in the water, your hands and feet start to go numb as you make your way back to the boat. Although there is something to look forward to in the boat. A cooler full of hot water to stick your hands feet in.

Needless to say, I got up, first attempt, and had a decent first run of the year. Had a decent one-foot, albeit a brief one, during the run. Well worth the effort.

And in case you didn’t realize, 37 degree water is cold. And I managed to beat last year when I waited until April 2nd to hit the water.

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Best Ski Team Memories

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Yes, I know the weather is still cold here in Wisconsin. We had a blizzard last Thursday which is still melting away, but ski team season is rapidly approaching. For those not in the know, I’m talking about water ski team. I’m on the Mad-City Ski Team, a water ski show team. Our shows consist of pyramids, jumping, ballet, barefooting, doubles, trios and swivel set to a theme. We perform our shows weekly throughout the summer in front of our home crowd at Law Park in Madison. We also go to tournaments at the state and national level to compete for state and national championship.

Since the season is approaching, I got to thinking about some of my best memories from ski team, and skiing in general. There are some group accomplishments like our state and national championships from 2004, but even more than that, there are small personal accomplishments that mean even more.

One of my best personal memories is from a couple years ago at Nationals (2003 I believe). I was in the middle pyramid between 2 four highs. The person next to me who was in the four high fell on the start and I was going to have to carry the four high. We put the pyramid up and I carried it through the show course and made it back to the beach with my girl. That was the first time I had carried a four high on water and it was at a Nationals. I had help through it though. The person to the inside of me was shouting words of encouragement, telling me suck it up. The person who was going to be in the middle pyramid with me had managed to pick up the ropes that were dragging the water and made my job much easier.

Another of my best memories is from quite a while back, 1991 to be exact. I had learned how to barefoot earlier that summer and I was admittedly still a little rough around the edges when it came to my barefooting prowess. It was our last show of the season and in typically Law Park fashion, we were going to skiing in what would nearly be white caps. No one was jumping up and down saying I want to do the barefoot flyer of the dock. I said I’d do it, but might not make it. We had a small contingent of skiers left so they decided to right me in to the spot. Show time comes, I’m standing on the dock watching my rope feed out. It comes tight and I run of the dock throwing my feet in the air. I hit the water, the boat goes up to speed and plant my feet and manage to stand up, at least just a little bit, still buried in a ball of white spray. But I had stood up, barefooting, making it through the show course in the rough water before ending my run with a face plant. This is the first time I had successfully barefooted in a show.

My next best memory is from just last year. I had always just kind of been the bit skier. Skiing fluff in the four highs, conventional doubles and other small parts in the show. It was at a practice last year on a Saturday morning in June. We had originally been scheduled to compete in a tournament in Beaver Dam, but were no where near ready so we cancelled our tournament appearance and stayed home to practice, we needed it. Since I was running sound, I arrived, took a quick barefoot run while others were still getting ready. During my run I had taken a bad fall and injured my shoulder. My right arm was pretty much dead weight for the next few days and in excruciating pain. It was an injury that lingered even through the winter and into the spring. (It was only recently that the pain had finally disappeared.) I was sitting there running sound as they were setting up to practice pyramids. Four highs. They ended up being one person short and came over and said, “Wedge, we need you in this pyramid.” Until that time, they had never asked me to be in a four high in a position other than fluff. It was painful to put my skis on. I couldn’t really move my right arm. But did manage to ski my position holding the rope in my right hand, carrying the pyramid on left shoulder. The pyramids were all very painful, each time the girls would transfer over, briefly standing on my right should, jolts of pain went shooting through my arm and shoulder. But they had needed me for the practice and that made it all worthwhile.

I have some non-skiing memories as well. The good times we had every time we went over to the Essen Haus or Come Back Inn after practice and shows with Bugs, John, Tristan and Mike. Getting stuck on the side of the road with Tristan and Mike and the Mad-City truck half way to Janesville waiting for the tow truck in the hot and humid weather. Finally, at Central Regional a few years ago, a small group of us went out for some food and had a really good time.

Ski team has given me so many good memories, it would be hard to name them all. The commitment made to be involved in a ski team is great, but the rewards are even greater. The friends and accomplishments can never be replaced. During the summer, I look at every day I get out on the lake as a good day. Luckily, I get out on the lake just about every day.

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My Crazy Summer Schedule

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Here is a little overview of my life in the summer…

Saturday – June 25 – Up at 515 to be at ski practice by 6am. Barefooting at 610. Injured at 612. Couldn’t move my right arm for most of the day… Skiing in four highs later that morning. Four highs weren’t bad, but the transfers where they stood on my injured shoulder, extremely painful. Practice finishes up at 230. Decide to take the ski team truck to Janesville today. Make it half way there and it the clutch burns up. Spend 2 hours waiting for a tow truck. Get back to Madison and load all equipment from trucks into the trailers. Get home at 830. Eat supper. Complete voice-overs and music mixing at Midnight and go to bed…

Sunday – June 26 – Wake up and my shoulder is in extreme pain. Reaching to turn off the alarm clock was excruciating. Leave for Janesville at 7. Arrive by 8. Ski at 1215. Nearly died of heat running sound on black top in 95 heat which felt like 120 where I was located. Load up all equipment. Stop for lunch. Make it back to Madison. Setup for night show. Head out after show. Get home at 10pm.

Monday – June 27 – My day “off” – Up at 530 to be on the water by 6. Home at 930. Change oil in boat. Head to lake at 1145 to go skiing, again. Back at 330. Eat snack, watch Family Guy. Go to ski site for practice at 6. Home at 930.

Tuesday – June 28 – My easy day – Go to work, go to practice, head out. Home at 10.

Wednesday – June 29 – Up at 545 to be skiing at 630. Done at 830 and go to work. Finish work at 545 and go to practice. Home at 10.

Thursday – June 30 – Just like the 29th. Except Home at 10, go to get gas for boat and then get boat ready for Friday. Bed at midnight.

Friday – July 1st – Up at 7. Get boat and truck loaded up and ready to go. Go to work. Very long and busy day at work. Get call saying my third, and then my second can’t make it just before I leave work. Make some calls, no answers. Head home. Finally get a call to be a third for some friends so I drop my boat off and go skiing. Re injure my already injured shoulder while barefooting at a far to slow of a speed. Get home. Head out. Bed at 1am.

Saturday – July 2nd – Wake up 8 to go skiing with the Family. Get home at noon. Take nap. Go to Rhythm and Booms. Assisted on another fine parking job. Watch the fireworks from ground zero. Booms over at 1030. Back in car at 1100. In a bar at 1120. Can’t do much better than that. (BTW, the live music broadcast quality sucked. The booms were picked up by the mikes and broadcast as well. Not sure what they were thinking putting the orchestra under the fireworks and not thinking they might have some audio difficulties. The pre-show music by Sandy something. Really bad. And I mean really bad.) Out at the bars till bar time. Get some food. Home at 4am.

Sunday – July 3rd – Head to parents for mom’s b-day. Go to ski show. Watch WOTW. Go to bed. Easy day and early night.

All the while, my shoulder is still very sore, waking up is not something that is nice to do… it involves reaching for my alarm clock with the arm attached to my bad shoulder. It hasn’t gotten any easier the entire week.

Summers only a hundred or so days long and try to make the most of the days that have nice weather…

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First Run of the Year…

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I posted a handful of pictures from my April 2nd skiing adventures. Turns out I forgot the skis so I barefooted for the first run of the year. 50 Degree weather, 42 Degree water and 42 MPH are a pretty brisk combination. I wasn’t the only foolish one, my buddy John also took a run. We weren’t even the only people skiing on the lake that day. There was another boat of brave/foolish souls who also had spring fever.

And how cold is 42 degree water? I checked the water temp of my hose a couple days later and it comes out at 53 degrees so I’m guessing that is roughly the temp of most tap water. And just imagine filling you tub with cold water and getting in. And then imagine the water was 10 degrees colder.

And just to clarify… the skis were in the boat, I just forgot to use them. It just seems to be more fun that way.

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