Who wants to see freestyle as a competitive class again?

ther will be if we want, just need to get people commited to attending. Dave put on a bit of a show last year at lunch time i think . All we need is poeple and ther will be a class.

Sounds like it could be some fun. It would be awesome to have a v wake contest.............

Maybe I'll have to dust off the ski and get back into some flatwater freestyle riding! As Whale said above I did a bit of a "demo" (more like falling off with a bit of style) at the Nats a couple of years ago and there was a bit of interest then - even hardcore riders like to see what can be done on a ski apart from going fast in a straight line!

When I first started riding freestyle was pretty big - it was just after Jeff Kantz came up with the barrel roll & Rick Roy took it to the next level - 1997. There were freestyle competitions at every North Island round - flatwater and surf and there were some good riders - Pete Smith springs to mind plus a few others whose names I can't remember. When it came to the Nationals only about 7 of us turned up but there was really only one guy to beat at the time anyway - Andy Poleman - he had held the title for 3 years. Don't know what happened to him after that comp though..

It would be good to see freestyle at the Nationals again - racing bores the crap out of me but I'd go to watch freestyle!

I took the ski out for my first ride in 6 months the other day (for those of you that don't know me my ski's been out of action after I trashed it over rotating a barrel roll in the surf last year). My first flat water barrel roll wasn't bad - at least I managed to get right around and ride off without getting my head wet Busted all my old tricks for about 15 minutes then got bored with the ski and gave it to a mate to ride.

I've only ridden 4 times in the last year but now that it's going again I might see some of you guys in the surf (if there's not enough wind to go kiteboarding..)

Dave

Last competitive event was at the 2000 nationals in Queenstown where I was first and Pete Smith was second. This makes me the reining champ, 8 years later!! Since then it has drifted off into the odd demo. I'm South Island based and we had a good core of guys who could throw a ski round. I don't think it would take much to get it going again. I am now too broken down to compete but would be willing to assist with admin/organising if required. You surf guys remember that surf comps are a natural extension from flat water. Do both!!

no! haha. I grew up around the motoX scene so to me riding flatwater is like riding a bike around on a flat paddock. sure you can do wheelies and stoppies and even learn to ride the thing backwards but at the end of the day its crap compared to tearing around a motoX track with big jumps etc.

Yeah Freestyle used to be held in both flat water and the surf - back then I mainly worked on flat water moves so it was good to see the guys that could ride in the surf.

Mansoda, I heard that the conditions for freestyle were crap that year in Queenstown - shallow and choppy and that you guys had to go a long way out to do it? Matt Kneesch had the title at the time and didn't compete in Queenstown - I had it the year before that but didn't try to defend it which bummed Matt out :lol: Where's Pete Smith these days? Maybe there should be a Veterans Freestyle comp! Someone must know where Andy Poleman is too..

Terrible conditions. It was held in frankton bay which is so shallow. The judges went out on a boat and we had to do our routines about 500m off the shore. Bad for the spectators.
The choppyness was quite good at times as we could get a bit of lift from it. I still hit the bottom on one sub and brought up gravel on the nose of the ski sio it still wasn't deep.
I've got no idea where the others are now. I'm down in Invercargill and don't really attend many events now. I do remember Andy doing a demo on Mountain Dew on the edge. never forgotten that for some reason. As i said I am a South island guy so kind of missed the pleasure of seeing those guys in action. Best thing i ever did was travel to Havasu and watched the pro's not compete but practise. Tripple flatwater barrel role anyone?
As for the veteran idea I'm still only 28 so have a bit of time up my sleeve untill I can burglar a class.

Dave what did you used to race back then
What class ??

Hey waxhead - I only "raced" one season as a novice. A bad back and riding an sxi when everyone else was on Superjets combined to make racing not much fun! My back would be killing me after the practice lap and when it came to racing as soon as my ski got a hint of someone else's wake it would start chine walking like crazy!! :evil:

Mansoda, I remember the Mountain Dew on the edge clip too - Andy did a nose stab and I thought it was awesome :lol: I competed against him twice - once in Orewa in big surf and the other time at the Nationals in Chch. I came second at Orewa - my ski got rolled in the surf just before my run and I ended up with no steering because the cable got jammed full of sand! Try doing freestyle in the surf with NO steering! - I had to get off and turn the ski around at the end of each move!! haha. So second wasn't too bad. Even if I'd had steering Andy would still have won - he was going big!

I met Rick Roy, Marc Sickerling,"Fuji san" and Lenzi when I went to Havasu in '01 - that was the year Lenzi won. It was great yacking to Sickerling because I'd copied a move of his which I still haven't seen anyone else do and it probably helped me win the NZ title, plus Rick Roy was still the man then! (but not competing anymore).

Yeah the things those guys can do on a ski is unreal but I bet if we had skis like Malones and Lenzis we'd all give the flatwater backflip a go!

Geez all this talking about skis is just about making me want to dust the old girl off and fire her up!

ok
thats the years i was racing in new zealand
I was just wondering as you and i may have raced each other



this was my old race ski

I did freestyle at tuaku?? once but wasnt a practiced routine

Lacy you softcock, I caught up with a few old faces on the wekend including Pete Smith, man he is looking old!!

Well he is getting old now
He was getting old when i was racing
but he could still pedal a ski pretty well

Does the Pete smith you are talking about work as a manager at bunnings warehouse? (My manager is called pete smith, he is probly 50-60ish, probly not the same guy but thought i would ask)

He used to live in napier
So unless he has changed locations i would say not

No. He is still in Napier, he was with Aaron Waitai who says he still has not painted his hull after having to repair it after I put a hole in it while we were racing more than a few years ago, Aahh now that was some good times, rubbin's racing as we use to say. Wasn't no rubbin in Rotorua on the weekend just boring ass shit racing.

aquaholic who are you ??
i mean whats your name
I am wondering if i used to race against you as well

Aquaholic doesn't have a real name, hes like the Batman of jetsking. Probably should be Alcoholic after the weekends efforts, think he may have got crossed off a few peoples christmas card lists!!!!

Yep he always caused a stir. I remember his ban the couch speach at a surf round at the mount in 03 he da man!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did you go to the nats DJ I was going to call in but ran out of time. suppose there where 13 year old kids winning super stock ski, That makes me feel old!

Yea was at the nats on sat and sun. Few of the south Island kids were ripping up. Young 14 year old from Aussie came over and would be lucky if he weighed 30kg!!! Made me look huge. Think he may have got 2nd in ski stock.
The 4 strokes were flying but incredibly unreliable. Had 4 blow up in one race alone.

Was actually good to just be watching for a change, left midday sunday. Got bored!!!!

A lot of money to go super fast for half a race!