BAREFOOTING WANTED: FEMALE BAREFOOTERS ANY AGE, BEGINNER TO ADVANCED by Laurie Bernstein, Canadian Barefoot Water Ski Champion Can you barefoot water ski long line ? If you can and you are female, then you should get yourself to a Canadian competition fast! In fact, a little training this summer and you can be a medal contender. There's a serious shortage of female barefoot skiers in Canada. At the Provincials and Easterns there were only four of us, and at the Nationals there were 7. This is pos- sibly due to females who have watched males competing flipping on their bare feet. Well, guess what .... I can't do that and neither can World Champion Jennifer Calleri so you don't need to! All it takes is a little training. Here are some ideas on how to get started. They worked for me! GET YOURSELF A COACH: This is especially important when you start learning tricks because it's better to ski with someone who knows what they are doing. Trust me! I spent forever trying to learn a tumble turn until a coach told me I was twisting the wrong way...ugh! There are some great coaches and competitive skiers right here in Ontario. You can contact the OWSA for references or speak to Jeff Mou- lton, President of Barefoot Canada who knows many other coaches in the area. Jeff also has his own ski school. Also, watch for Team USA members and World Champions who run clinics around Toronto. Last year Ron Scarpa appeared at Brock Cromwell's for a clinic and this sum- mer, Mike Seipel will visit McClintock's Ski School. However, if you can't use one of the experienced coaches, then ski with a friend who barefoots well and is cautious. You can also watch training videos put out by the best US coaches. Members can borrow them from the OWSA. PRACTICE: Time on the water is key to solid sk- iing and feeling stable out there. Last summer was the first time I spent more than one week a year on the water. I skied after work and Saturday mornings at first and built up to 3-4 times a week. Also, if you can get a dry suit, you can start early and you can ski until the snow falls (well, almost...I held on until mid to late October in 1993). GET TO THE COMPETITIONS: If you've never competed before, you'll be glad to know that while most competitors want to ski their personal best, every girl I have met at competitions has been super supportive. You'll need to contact the OWSA or read these magazines to find out the times and places once they are confirmed. Then you just show up! You register when you get there and just try your best. THREE EVENTS You can compete in one or all of three events. I've summarized each below, but complete rules are avail- able from the OWSA or Barefoot Canada. SLALOM: Starting outside the wake, you have 15 seconds to cross to the other side of the wake and back as many times as you can. Then you have a second 15 second run to cross backwards or try to improve your forwards pass. Even a 1/4 cross is enough to get points ! Most Canadian girls competing in 1993 could only cross a couple of times forward (3 to 4 max), and only Jennifer Boehm could cross backwards. TRICKS: Once again, you can combine your scores from two 15 second runs. You can repeat a trick, but it won't count for points. I think the most important trick is a tumble turn. A tumble turn is when you sit down and spin around either 180 or 360 degrees. Here's a tip : always keep the handle close to your hip area and move it from hip to hip to turn you around. Each of the four tumble turns is worth 70 points and a simple deep water start is worth 40, so with this trick alone you can get 320 points ! Of course you can even just stand up and get a 40 point score. Don't think you need to trick awesome points to compete. In 1993, only 3 girls could foot back- wards and Isabelle, the Girls National Champion (up to Age 17), tricked under 200 points. Other beginner tricks are necks and teeth and one foots. JUMP: If you are a beginner, my opinion is don't even think about it until you're solid on your feet. No girls jumped in the Nationals in 1993. You can't even try for a jump rating and compete until you have an open rating in tricks or slalom. GOOD LUCK ....... I HOPE TO SEE YOU ON THE WATER IN 1994 !