Scrooge 720 - Freestyle Instruction
Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2004 1:56 pm
Scrooge 720 instructions
The 720 works best in gusty, overpowering conditions, but with luck can be accomplished in almost any wind. The Scrooge 720 begins like a normal jibe, but setup is critical to the execution of the move. As you unhook, take your eyes off the water ahead of you and look down to ensure the harness hook is actually clear. Place your front hand a little further back than usual towards the harness lines, in order to take advantage of the surge of power the rig will generate shortly. Take the backfoot out of the footstrap and place it on the leeward rail just in front of the strap. Begin to transfer weight to the inside of the turn and bank into a curve. This completes the setup and enters the first rotation of this move. IMPORTANT: your front arm should be well bent, legs and ankles nearly straight and your back bent at the waist in imitation of ‘leaning forward’. Look down at your feet to ensure that they are still there. At this point, as you look down, you may discover you have ‘hooked in’ again. Feel free to panic, as this assists the move. Your posture will also sink the tail of the board, allowing a rapid reduction in speed. This in turn will increase the apparent wind and your sail should ‘load up’ rapidly, and you should be lifted smoothly off your feet, exiting the remaining footstrap without noticing. The rig should twist to the front and you should be flung forward and around to the inside of your originally planned turn. If you are hooked in, this happens almost automatically, but an unhooked swing can be accomplished with a normal “death grip” on the booms. If you are firmly gripping the boom, you should be able to keep some distance between the boom and your incisors. Unhook from under the sail if necessary and duck to find some air. Breathing is essential to complete the move. Surface, gasp, and spit and rinse several times if you lost your grip and ‘kissed the boom’. Swim the mast to the tail of the board. This completes the first rotation of the 720.
To begin the second rotation, grip the boom well back from the mast and lift straight up hard to clear the sail. HATE really helps!!! If the lift is vigorous, the sail should immediately develop lots of power. The clew should dig into the water. Resist the sideways pull as hard as you can, and really fight to pull the booms pull to leeward at this point. You should be lifted straight up and rotate very very quickly over and around the board. The board can often be inverted during this part of the move for extra flash. Right the board and swim the mast to the tail of the board.
Congratulations! You have just completed the Scrooge 720! You are well on your way to other Freestyle moves! It is easy to extend your skills to the Scrooge 1080 by repeating the set of instructions for the second half of the move.
PS I regularly demonstrate this sequence whenever the wind gets over 20 knots, so watch me carefully, internalise the moves, and then get out on the water and practice!
I'm sure that there is a parallel move to this for kiters, please post your ideas.
The 720 works best in gusty, overpowering conditions, but with luck can be accomplished in almost any wind. The Scrooge 720 begins like a normal jibe, but setup is critical to the execution of the move. As you unhook, take your eyes off the water ahead of you and look down to ensure the harness hook is actually clear. Place your front hand a little further back than usual towards the harness lines, in order to take advantage of the surge of power the rig will generate shortly. Take the backfoot out of the footstrap and place it on the leeward rail just in front of the strap. Begin to transfer weight to the inside of the turn and bank into a curve. This completes the setup and enters the first rotation of this move. IMPORTANT: your front arm should be well bent, legs and ankles nearly straight and your back bent at the waist in imitation of ‘leaning forward’. Look down at your feet to ensure that they are still there. At this point, as you look down, you may discover you have ‘hooked in’ again. Feel free to panic, as this assists the move. Your posture will also sink the tail of the board, allowing a rapid reduction in speed. This in turn will increase the apparent wind and your sail should ‘load up’ rapidly, and you should be lifted smoothly off your feet, exiting the remaining footstrap without noticing. The rig should twist to the front and you should be flung forward and around to the inside of your originally planned turn. If you are hooked in, this happens almost automatically, but an unhooked swing can be accomplished with a normal “death grip” on the booms. If you are firmly gripping the boom, you should be able to keep some distance between the boom and your incisors. Unhook from under the sail if necessary and duck to find some air. Breathing is essential to complete the move. Surface, gasp, and spit and rinse several times if you lost your grip and ‘kissed the boom’. Swim the mast to the tail of the board. This completes the first rotation of the 720.
To begin the second rotation, grip the boom well back from the mast and lift straight up hard to clear the sail. HATE really helps!!! If the lift is vigorous, the sail should immediately develop lots of power. The clew should dig into the water. Resist the sideways pull as hard as you can, and really fight to pull the booms pull to leeward at this point. You should be lifted straight up and rotate very very quickly over and around the board. The board can often be inverted during this part of the move for extra flash. Right the board and swim the mast to the tail of the board.
Congratulations! You have just completed the Scrooge 720! You are well on your way to other Freestyle moves! It is easy to extend your skills to the Scrooge 1080 by repeating the set of instructions for the second half of the move.
PS I regularly demonstrate this sequence whenever the wind gets over 20 knots, so watch me carefully, internalise the moves, and then get out on the water and practice!
I'm sure that there is a parallel move to this for kiters, please post your ideas.
