July 12th 2008 Groveland, Florida
I’ve done well this year May 3, I received a qualifying Slalom score of 14.2 points and I needed 14.1 points, then June 28th I received a Trick qualifying score of 2620 points where I needed 2550 points.
The knee is better but it’s still sensitive and I’ve had to be very careful to not injure it again. I’ve not jumped since June 14th and I’m not 100% sure if the knee will be able to handle the landing of jumping over 40 feet in the air. So far this year, I’ve only focused on a single event at each tournament but we are getting closer to Regionals and Nationals, so I need to ski all events today.
The first event is Tricks, and as always I nail the start and have a great trick pass with a score 2720 points; most likely this will be a National Record. Great way to start the day. Second event it Slalom (also know as wakes) and I way a personal best 15.0 which is beyond amazing for anybody much less a 57 year young man! I never dreamed that I could possibly score anything near this value. Wow things are really going great!
Where we go, the last event… Jump.
Jump 1– I go about 10.8 meters and loose the handle. I’m told by my ski buddies to use a special glove that will help me hold one.
Jump 2 – I use standard gloves and jump about 10.8 meters again, but again I loose the handle in the landing.
Jump 3 – I change gloves and use ‘clinchers’ and go about 11.1 meters and land so hard that I break the rope! Wow clinchers really work.
Jump 4 – I’ve made some adjustments in body position, approach to the ramp, and where my eyes focus as I go over the jump. I travel 11.3 meters and I hold one! Wow 11.3 meters – a new personal best. Not enough to get me qualified for the Worlds (12.7m) but now I’m getting closer.
Today was the greatest performance of my ski career. Two personal bests and a 99% performance in the third event.
Regionals coming up in two weeks, and hunting for 12. 7 meters in jump…
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Qualifying in the Trick Event
Now I’m in trouble. I get hurt Saturday June 14th Jumping in Atlanta and I have a tournament in two weeks June 28th at Port Saint Lucie, Florida. I have to give up training for Jump and start training to qualify in the Trick event in less than two weeks with a bum knee, and my ski partner is now in the UK.
I have to really take it easy and I train very carefully to not injure the knee anymore, but I still have to push as hard as I can. Delicate balance here…
Saturday June 28th arrives and Joe Pressendo the Tournament Director allows me to ski early in the day to give me the best water so that I have the best opportunity to get a qualifying score. My trick run consists of a start called the ‘flying-back-tumble-to-one’ which is worth 700 points (see http://www.barefootwaterskier.com/videos/Back-Deep-To-One-Holt.wmv), by the way qualifying score for Worlds is 2550. I’m probably the only skier the world that attempts this trick in a competition, and to my knowledge, I’ve never missed it, but you know there’s always the first.
I’m on the starting dock with the rope in my hand, the boat proceeds to idle away and I call ‘hit it’ the boat takes off, I jump off the dock, the tumble around and nail the start. The then proceed to do all of my tricks, backwards one foot, one foot reverse (other foot), surface how (while skiing backwards), back-to-front (now I’m skiing forward, all at 43 miles per hour), now a tumble to one 360, reverse 360 to one, a 180 to one, a reverse 180 to one, then a wave and wave reverse (see http://www.barefootwaterskier.com/videos/MikeHoltTrick2July8-2006.wmv)
I’m happy, but now I need to complete my second pass and the start is the second most difficult start in the world, it’s the back-deep-to-one. Okay boat tightens up, I yell ‘hit it’ and we are off to the races. I again make the start, but I’m skiing backwards and I need to turn from the backwards skiing position to the forward position. I make the back-to-front and get ready for my run at 44 miles per hour. I ski with no hands only with my neck, then a neck one foot, reverse neck one foot, two one foots, then teeth, then teeth one foot, and teeth one foot reverse, now a toe, tow reverse, tumble 360 to two fee, reverse tumble 360 to two feet and I’m done!
I receive a score of 2620 which is enough to qualify me for the Trick event at the 2008 World Championships. I did it, I’ve now qualified in two of three events. In 2006, I only qualified for one event, and now two years later and I’m two years older, I’ve improved to the point where I’m going to words for two events.
But a Jump qualify score of 12.7 meters is still to be conquered.
I have to really take it easy and I train very carefully to not injure the knee anymore, but I still have to push as hard as I can. Delicate balance here…
Saturday June 28th arrives and Joe Pressendo the Tournament Director allows me to ski early in the day to give me the best water so that I have the best opportunity to get a qualifying score. My trick run consists of a start called the ‘flying-back-tumble-to-one’ which is worth 700 points (see http://www.barefootwaterskier.com/videos/Back-Deep-To-One-Holt.wmv), by the way qualifying score for Worlds is 2550. I’m probably the only skier the world that attempts this trick in a competition, and to my knowledge, I’ve never missed it, but you know there’s always the first.
I’m on the starting dock with the rope in my hand, the boat proceeds to idle away and I call ‘hit it’ the boat takes off, I jump off the dock, the tumble around and nail the start. The then proceed to do all of my tricks, backwards one foot, one foot reverse (other foot), surface how (while skiing backwards), back-to-front (now I’m skiing forward, all at 43 miles per hour), now a tumble to one 360, reverse 360 to one, a 180 to one, a reverse 180 to one, then a wave and wave reverse (see http://www.barefootwaterskier.com/videos/MikeHoltTrick2July8-2006.wmv)
I’m happy, but now I need to complete my second pass and the start is the second most difficult start in the world, it’s the back-deep-to-one. Okay boat tightens up, I yell ‘hit it’ and we are off to the races. I again make the start, but I’m skiing backwards and I need to turn from the backwards skiing position to the forward position. I make the back-to-front and get ready for my run at 44 miles per hour. I ski with no hands only with my neck, then a neck one foot, reverse neck one foot, two one foots, then teeth, then teeth one foot, and teeth one foot reverse, now a toe, tow reverse, tumble 360 to two fee, reverse tumble 360 to two feet and I’m done!
I receive a score of 2620 which is enough to qualify me for the Trick event at the 2008 World Championships. I did it, I’ve now qualified in two of three events. In 2006, I only qualified for one event, and now two years later and I’m two years older, I’ve improved to the point where I’m going to words for two events.
But a Jump qualify score of 12.7 meters is still to be conquered.
Qualifying in the Jump Event
Okay, I’ve trained 100% to qualify in the Jump event for Worlds for four weeks with the World Record holder in this event David Small. I must receive a qualifying jump distance is 12.7 meters (41.6 ft), and the best I’ve ever done is 10.1 meters, so I need 2.6 meters more.
Arrive in Atlanta Friday July 13th and I’m getting excited, since I have nine attempts to make it happen. Saturday we start jumping about 2 pm and I’m the first jumper. Jumping is a very scary event, because of the high risk factor of getting killed if you fall just before the jump and smash you face into the hard surface of the jump.
Jump 1 – I travel 10.4 meters (more than my previous best) but I don’t hold on to the handle.
Jump 2 – I travel 10.6 meters, but again I can’t hold on to the handle.
Jump 3 – I notice that the rope is not tied to the right attachment point and it’s move to the higher level. I travel 10.8 meters, but I’m not able to hold on again…
Jump 4 – I travel 11.1 meters and I can’t hold on and the bad news is that I twist my knee on the landing and that’s the end of the day.
Bummer, I can’t jump anymore and I don’t know how bad the knee is and when I’ll be able to ski again. Now I need to drive six hours home …
But I did the best I could, but it was not good enough. Well at least I’ve qualified in one event for Worlds – Tricks at PGA May 3, 2008.
Arrive in Atlanta Friday July 13th and I’m getting excited, since I have nine attempts to make it happen. Saturday we start jumping about 2 pm and I’m the first jumper. Jumping is a very scary event, because of the high risk factor of getting killed if you fall just before the jump and smash you face into the hard surface of the jump.
Jump 1 – I travel 10.4 meters (more than my previous best) but I don’t hold on to the handle.
Jump 2 – I travel 10.6 meters, but again I can’t hold on to the handle.
Jump 3 – I notice that the rope is not tied to the right attachment point and it’s move to the higher level. I travel 10.8 meters, but I’m not able to hold on again…
Jump 4 – I travel 11.1 meters and I can’t hold on and the bad news is that I twist my knee on the landing and that’s the end of the day.
Bummer, I can’t jump anymore and I don’t know how bad the knee is and when I’ll be able to ski again. Now I need to drive six hours home …
But I did the best I could, but it was not good enough. Well at least I’ve qualified in one event for Worlds – Tricks at PGA May 3, 2008.
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