Freddy Krueger won the Mastercraft London Night Jump for the second consecutive year on Aug. 21 at Liquid Leisure in Datchet, England. Krueger jumped 218 feet/66.5 meters to narrowly defeat Ryan Dodd, who jumped 218 feet/66.3 meters, for the title. Jason Seels finished third with a jump of 213 feet, and Zack Worden placed fifth with a 208-foot effort.

Whether you call it toeside, frontside or offside, this type of turn feels less natural than the turn on the other side of the course. But it doesn’t have to feel so strange. In this water ski how to, find out three keys to balancing your offside turn.

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Will Asher | Photo: Bill Doster

While today’s ski boats might be easier to drive, you can’t rely solely on fancy gear. In this water ski how to, learn how to drive a ski boat like a pro by following 10 tips from tournament drivers Tommy Harrington, Jeff Gilbert, Gordon West and Chris Eller to enhance your skills behind the wheel.

1. Start by sanding the ski with different degrees of sandpaper grit. Begin with an 80-grit, then move up to a 120-grit and end with a 220-grit. If this is a ski you will continue to use, make sure you don’t sand to the point that the contours are affected.
2. If your ski is cracked or severely distressed, apply a coat of marine-grade epoxy, such as West System Epoxy.
3. After applying the epoxy, sand the ski again with the 120- or 220-grit sandpaper.
4. Because epoxies don’t hold up to sunlight, you must coat the ski with a spar, or marine, polyurethane/varnish. Minwax varnish comes in easy-to-use spray cans that get the job done fast. Apply three coats of varnish and, after the recommended drying time, sand in between each coat with 320-grit Between Coats Sandpaper. (It’s usually OK to skip sanding after applying the last coat of varnish as long as you have a relatively dust-free environment.)
5. Wipe the ski off with a tack cloth saturated in Mineral Spirits and vacuum your work area in between sandings to avoid getting bumps in the varnish. If bumps do appear, apply a coat of 4/0 steel wool followed by some paste wax, which will bring back the sheen.
6. To maintain your newly refurbished ski, apply a fresh coat of varnish and slightly sand once a year.

Brooks Wilson

Time Your Attack

 Losing your body position at the second wake is a major cause of slack rope in the turn. If your upper body breaks forward, your arms come away from your sides and you end up screaming into the turn. To avoid this breakdown, ensure you have fully completed your turn before you begin to load the rope. Ski all the way back to the handle and allow the load on the rope to build naturally and progressively.

June Fladborg on her way to 57.4m pending world record at the Cray Valley Pro Jump 2010, Hazelwoods Ski World

The 18th Junior Masters Tournament saw the setting of not one, not two, but three course records. America’s Erika Lang sealed the deal in Junior Women’s Trick with 1,820 points, Czech Republic’s Martin Kolman blew up Junior Men’s Trick with 10,210 points and Aussie Jacinta Carroll rocked Junior Women’s Jump with a high-flying 153-foot boost. Even though Junior Men’s Jump winner Daniel Efverstrom of Sweden and Junior Men’s Slalom champ Sacha Descuns of France didn’t set any records, they came damn close. Efverstrom’s 183-foot punt was a mere 60 inches shy of the record, while Descuns’ 1.5 at 39 off was only a half-buoy short. In light of this year’s epic Junior’s results, pro skiing’s future looks brighter than ever. For further proof, check out what some of the sport’s top coaches have to say about these young guns.