Jodi's Blog

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Global Invitational 2011

A brand new venue for the 2001 Global Invitational in Grand Rapids Michigan, Millennium Park a $5,000.000 county park in the heart of Grand Rapids is an awesome venue for the worlds best Waterski athletes to compete!

The amazingly styled and build park with great water area fir kids and a 800 foot long shallow beach area that allows the locals to bath on the baking hot day's of the Michigan summer!

The crowed standing with batted breath when young sensation and Mid West skier Nate Smith was on the water!

69 Slam is breaking out soon in the US when our online store goes live in a few weeks from now!
Jodi's Ski Shop on Jodisskiskool.com

Nate Smith placing 3rd after skiing very consistent all weekend and setting the highest score of the tournament in the first round of 5.5@41off.
Enjoying the moment with him Mim Dad & Sister

Thomas Degasberi takes the Title, Will Asher takes 2nd and Nate finishes 3rd fir his second straight podium in back to back events!!

2011 On Location Tour Continues

Location:On Location Tour Continues

Friday, July 22, 2011

Nate Smith Rock's the pro slalom world in 2011

Right, I need to bring this in to the mix before we get to far ahead of ourselves!

After leaving Columbus Indiana, we head up the Indianapolis to meet up with Nate Smith for a day of training!!

Nate's wall of success!!! He has had a great deal of it already and only 20 years of age!!

Nate's mom made up this magazine front cover when Nate was one year old, his parents knew he was going to be a World Champion one day!!

Nate Smith hanging out in his 69 Slam Squares Shorts on Champion Lake!! This kid is the future of slalom skiing and will be kicking butt in the course for many years to come!!

2011 On Location Tour Continues

Location:2011 On Location Tour Continues

Show skiing, Clinics and Pro Tournament

White Birch Lodge on Elk Lake, this place Rock's, they have a Ski Show every Thursday fir 9 weeks throughout the summer months! A great time hanging out with Norm DeDecker and family, they have been going to White Birch Lodge fir their annual family vacation fir the past 47 Years! That is amazing!

All the college kids who work there for the summer and the kids from the Ski Camp catching a group shot on the Beach at White Birch Lodge!

Head back down to Grand Rapids to train one last set on the buoys before competing in the Global Invitational, not sure open water sets will cut it!

Taking my last set before Global at Summerwood in Hudsonville, Michigan

Jerry Brauwer was so excited to finally have the Global come together at Millennium Park in Grand Rapids, this site is amazing for a pro tournament!!

Jodi's Ski Shop at the Global Invitational, our Online store will go live on August 1st

69 Slam Spring Summer 2011 collection was on show at Global, the best selling item from this summer collection will be available online in our store in two weeks from now!

Check out Vivo Resorts in Puerto Escondido Mexico, this place is amazing and you won't believe how good the skiing, food and accommodation is in this place!!
If you like 85 degrees year round, then this is your place to hang out with the Pro's on the water!

2011 On Location Tour Continues

Location:2011 On Location Tour Continues

Our first On Location Tour clinic of 2011, St Mary's Ohio with the Dammeyer family, Kyle, Kevin & Kristen all skied great!

Silent Shores only 10 minutes from the Dammeyer's,

We moved on to Saw Mill Lake in Columbus Indiana, We had 5 great days of training here ahead of the Global Invitational in Grand Rapids Michigan. This lake is beautiful, thanks for a great BDay celebration on the 4th July Philippa and Rick!

Silver Lake up in Travers City in Northern Michigan, Bart Colin you are the best brother! Thanks again for the loan of your sick MasterCraft 197 WTT!

Norm DeDecker invited the On Location Tour Team up to Elk Lake to White Birch Lodge for the weekly ski show, it was a pleasure to be asked to join the ski show that day!!

Next stop will be the Global Invitational, ask you might of guessed we are a little behind with the blog but we will be caught up by the time the weekend is out!

Friday, July 1, 2011

2011 On Location Tour

We finally left Cory's on Saturday evening to go meet Adler at his Saw Mill out in the back and beyond. Earlier that day we were in the local Ace Hardware store picking up a fitting for a leaking pipe we had on the Rig, Matt spotted some photographs on the wall of some amazing Cypress plank cut from very large trees. After asking the clerk for a contact number and calling we left a message not really expecting a call back on the Saturday! The owner Adler called back around 5.00pm and we arranged to meet at 7.30 on site at the address he gave me which appeared to be on our way North! So off we went on another adventure!

After driving into the back and beyond woods a good ways off the highway, we arrived at Adler's home and he took us back to the saw mill! Adlee started telling us about how he pulls the Cypress trees up from the riverbed and they date back to the first cut back in the 1870's and the tree go back 1000 years! They are even older than Christopher Columbus!

Adler and Matt shooting the breeze about the very old Cypress, these trees are very old and very Cool!

A bunch of the trees cut into planks and ready for tables and bar tops, I am going to have one of these built into my new beach bar at the Skool!

The conversation got onto the RV on the water skiing and it turns out that Adler was a slalom skier back in the day! So after heading back to his house, Adler went to the basement and pulled out the old O'Brien combo's and said I'm going to donate these skis to the cause! They were gladly received and will for sure get displayed on my new beach bar and dock!

Adler washing the many years of dust of his still of fun!

Adler couldn't believe it when I put my Strada in his hand!

2011 On Location Tour

Location:Heading North to the Mid West

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

2011 On Location Tour

Well it's that time again when pwe take the Skool on the road and travel the US from coast to coast! This year also for the first time, we have kept the Skool open for 3 weeks of Kids Camp! Nicola & Logan Haun have been teaching a great bunch of local kids from Orlando, who are getting ready for Florida State Championships being held in 10 days from now at Marbury!

Nicola & Logan taking care of Kids Camp 2011

Mat Page & I have departed Orlando North and just spent 2 great days at Cory Pickos's Ski Skool, you are most likely asking yourself why are they at Cory's!

Well, apart from Cory and I going back a long way in sport having competed at many tournaments together, I had planned some time in to meet up with Thibaut Dailand to shoot some 69 Slam Underwear & Swimwear pictures and video for the website and Surf Expo coming up in September, unfortunately Thibaut found out that he was no longer qualified for the World Championships coming up in Russia because of some new scores coming in and he needed to fly back to France to qualify this past weekend, of course he forgot to call or email and tell me he would no longer be there!!!

Nit to worry, Cory and Rose are great people and very welcoming to all and we hung out and had a great time catching up on ski school and tournament stories from Years past!!!
Many years past!!!

Matt Page resting after the big Bus pack up for the summer Tour

Cory & Rose Pickos hanging out at The Red Bar in Destin near Pensacola FL

We also had a fantastic night and Dinner at Louis Louis Bar & Restaurant also owned by Ole & Kyle who training at Cory's with their 4 children. Ole is originally from Belgium and opened The Red Bar 16 years ago and now it's known as one of the best watering wholes in Destin! We went on Saturday for a late lunch to The Red Bar following a great night at Louis Louis, I can tell you it took most of the morning to feel right after drinking the famous Corita's named after Cory Pickos. This guy has big friends in great places in , if you have not been to Destin to and skied at Cory's or eaten at Louis Louis and drank at The Red Bar, then you should definitely put this destination on your list!!!

Adam Pickos, Kara McIntyre And the South American crew hanging out at the Lake! There is some talent at Cory's I can tell you!