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WATERSKI MagazineJodi Fisher teamed up with Sammy Duvall in late October when he formed Jodi's Ski Skool at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Fisher says after watching development take over the site he used to train on with Andy Mapple, joining Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre seemed like too good prospect to miss. “I was just looking for an opportunity that would guarantee a man made lake with great conditions that would always be great conditions,” he says.
The school operates under the Duvall umbrella and offers private coaching in every variety from trick skiing to wakeboarding. “I have a three event background, he says, “so if somebody wants to ride a wakeboard or barefoot, I'll accommodate that.” But with a glassy lake tucked away behind the Caribbean Beach Resort that's reserved exclusively for a slalom course, it's hard to resist a set with Fisher. So when WaterSki Magazine art director Rob Stave recently had a chance to visit the new school he was sure to get some one-on-one course time with the slalom specialist.
Walking up to the site, he says, Jodi's Ski Skool looks like any other resort locale. But hop onboard his MasterCraft X7 and Fisher shuttles you through the clusters of rented powerboats to a small lake where only he and his students are allowed. There, Fisher tailors each set to the skier-considering everything from how long he has to coach him to what he hopes to accomplish in the lesson.
“He's technical, but not too technical,” Stave says. “He narrows it down to one thing and doesn't give you too much to think about.” Fisher's coaching style is, in a word, straightforward. He avoids metaphors and sticks to what is literally going on in your skiing. If your shoulders aren't facing forward, for example, he explains exactly what that affects later on in your turns and specifically how to remedy it.
But Fisher anticipates more than just a change in how his students ski. He's also hoping the location of the school at one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world will fuel interest in higher end slalom skiing. “I think it's going to expose the sport to a wide range of people he says,” he says. “I'm really excited and ready to make a go of it.”
For more information about Jodi's Ski Skool visit jodisskiskool.com or contact Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre.
