Andy Mapple Congratulations on another World Championships win! Q You have by far, more ski in the water than any other pro-skier. How do you do this? A This comes from a combination of my setup and style. I like to ride the front of the ski into the turn, and like my setup of my ski that if I need to release from the handle early that I keep my momentum going. I am a believer of the more ski that is in the water at all times then the more powerful I will be against the boat. Q What do you feel is the most important thing to ski great? A I do not think that there is one thing that makes a great skier. All aspects have to work, mental, setup, style. If you have a couple of them working you can overcome the other for a short while, but they all need work. Q Do you feel that the ski is important? A Yes, I feel the ski is very important. Q How important? A Well, I do not really know how to rate it. All skiers ski differently so they will all have different setups, and I think certain types of style will rely more on the ski setup. I do not believe that there is a ski that does it all though, but I still keep trying to find it. Q How often do you test equipment? A All the time. Q How often are you testing new technique? A I really have not tested too much on technique. I feel I know what I want to do, and usually work on trying to make that more consistent. I feel we all have a different style and so long as the basics are correct then you can progress with it. Q I see you down here in West Palm Beach in the middle of the winter, skiing on the coldest days and skiing great for that matter. How often do you ski? A I try to take off at least 3 months completely. I ski allot with my friends Rocky and Laura Pasqua at Miami Ski Club and sometimes in the winter when the weather is bad in Orlando I will run down to West Palm for the day. Usually this more in February time when I am trying to get ready for Moomba at the beginning of March. During the season it will depend on how I am skiing and what is coming up. Sometimes I may only ski a couple of times a week, and have been known to have four a day, just depends. Q You are in incredible physical shape. How do you train? A I like to be active. I feel better when I am doing something, but I do not have a strict way. I like to do what I feel like doing whether it is the gym, bike, running whatever. As I get older I am learning how to listen to my body more and be more productive. Q Do you have a physical trainer? A I have worked with a trainer, but I can never keep a schedule, so I end up doing most of it myself. I can stay pretty motivated! Q How important do you feel mental conditioning is? A Very important! There are a lot of distractions out there, even in practice and especially in difficult conditions. Q Do you have a sports psychologist that you work with? A No. Deena was very strong mentally, and skiing with her taught me a lot. Q Your family must give you great support and determination. How important do you feel a stable, loving home environment is? A God has not only blessed me with skiing, but with an awesome family. They give me tremendous support and encouragement. It does not matter how I ski, because I know when I go home they still love me for who I am. Q Being that you are quite obviously the best slalom skier in the world, have you given any consideration to retiring? If so, when? A I never thought I would be skiing this long. I still love to ski and compete, so long as I can stay competitive then I will ski. Q I see a lot of confusion about the Perfect Pass Switch. What is the benefit of the switch? A The benefit of the switch helps me get free of the boat coming into the pre turn, thus allowing me to rotate better out of the buoy. Q I hear rumors that you set the PX at 5. What do you set it at and why? A I feel 5 works well for me. If I go higher then I tend to get a loose line at the end of the turn from getting too free and losing the tension of the pull. Q On our Nautique, I can really feel the Perfect Pass gassing me on the gates which throws me into number 1 with excess speed. I've had Eric Horton from Perfect Pass set it up but it still is too strong, unlike most other boats. I have a similar problem like this on a friend's boat. What can be done on these boats to prevent this from happening? A I like the speed through the gates. I think you need this at short rope lengths to get up on the side of the boat to make a tight turn. I think the other boats you are talking about enter the course at a higher speed and let the skier take the speed off. This at short rope lengths I feel is harder to be consistent at the gate because there is more zing into #one, thus making the timing more critical. A boat that feels like it gives you more speed through the gates can work to your benefit if you keep the direction off the second wake. It will only hurt you if you are trying to judge the speed at one ball instead of developing the speed and creating space for yourself to set up the turn. Q Suppose I get one of these boats in competition. What can I ask the driver to do that they will be allowed to do? A The gate software for the 6.3 chip has been changed and more refined. I think you will like what you feel. The power application is more progressive. Q When you ski, what do you concentrate on? A I think I am very much a feel skier, so my concentration focuses much on what I am feeling at that particular time. How my ski is sitting in the water can tell me where I need to work. Q When you ski, you never break at the waist. Why? A I am a believer in staying very much even on both feet as much as possible, and working the line from the boat. The pull on the line can give me an indication as to where I am, so from there I can control the turn and not panic at the buoy. I break at the waist when I get impatient. Q When you ski, when do you start your turn? A Where I start really varies, but I do know that I want to finish the turn at the buoy. Q What are some of your keys for a great gate? A Be aggressive. Make as much space as you can before the buoy. Q What is the most important thing for you to do to run 41 off? A My direction off the buoy. Even if the line is not there if I have the direction I can still have a chance. Q As the line gets shorter, do you think the buoy gets closer to the middle of the turn rather than at the end? A I keep trying to keep it at the end. It does not always happen but I believe that is where it needs to be. Q What changes in technology do you feel will enhance slalom skiing. A I think we are going to see totally different ski shapes. Graphite's etc are all great and have helped tremendously. The speeds we are going and the space we have, the skis are not the most efficient. Q What changes in technique do you feel will take slalom to the next level? A I feel we are going to see skiers learning how to carry more speed through the turns, so the timing is not as critical, therefore skis will have to accommodate this. Q What do you see as the greatest flaws of most aspiring skiers? A Trying to copy, instead of focusing on themselves. Q Do you think a standardized training or coaching program would benefit the sport? A No, I think it is too individual. This where a good coach can pick out the different points of each skier and build on that. Q Do you have a heater in your boat? A Yes, my number one option! Great for when you have just skied and are in the boat pulling you ski partner. Q How do you cope with cold conditions? A I hate it, and do not do very good with it. I just have to make sure I am warm before I go and my sets are much more spread out. Q You have skied at most competition ski sites all over the world. When you would come to Boynton Beach and ski with us prior to our tournaments, you would try many different skis up to and thru the competition. Do you have different skis for different lakes or conditions? A No. If we had the opportunity to practice on the sites we ski at then I probably would have different skis. Sometimes if we go back to a site I may use a certain ski or type of setup. Q Do you set up your equipment differently at different sites? A Sometimes if I have had experience there, or did like what I felt in an earlier round. Q Do you feel that different sites ski differently? A Yes, no question. Q How do you compensate for the differences? A It is really adjustments to my style as I go. It is what I feel and how hard I feel I can push. Q What is the most important consideration when choosing a ski's rocker? Flex? Fin? Wing? Bindings? Fin, wing and binding settings? A Rocker and flex go so much hand in hand and vary with each type of ski. The flatter the rocker I feel the ski will need to be softer, otherwise as the rope shortens the ski will have a tendency to want to lift too much. A ski with more rocker on the other hand can be stiffer because it fits more on the natural curve of the turn. The fin and wing are so much determined by how the skier rides the ski and can fine tune the ski to their own style. Bindings are a combination of comfort and control. How much discomfort can you stand? I do think that it is more important for the bottom of the foot to be stable than too much lateral control. It is no good having lateral support if you foot is lifting from the ski in the binding. Q Why do you ski for Correct Craft? A I have practiced behind a Correct Craft for over twenty years, even before I skied for them. The pull from the boat is the most consistent, which from my point of view is extremely important for my training. I feel in wind situations the boat has far less of a different feel to it up wind, down wind than other boats. Q Do you have a computer or paper program for analyzing your skiing? A No never have, although sometimes I wish I did. Q Do you watch yourself on video and if so, how often? A Very rarely. I usually have a better picture of my skiing in my mind than I do when I see it on video. I am too critical of myself on video. Q Do you feel it's important to get coaching? A Yes. Coaching can save so much time. I do think it is important though to be able to learn how with the help of a coach, coach yourself, because in the course you need to be your own coach. (Sounds like a tongue twister that) Q Who would you say was critical to helping you develop your unique style and give you the confidence to follow your own path? A Liz Allen and Paul Seaton. Thank You Andy! Thanks to schnitzskis for allowing us to use the interview.