The Slalom course is of course, based on a measurement of time and distance and thus, to Progress, an improvement in "Time Management skills" (which we all refer to as "Technique) is madated.    The more efficient the technique, the more effective ones Time Management skills have become... 

I am amazed at how small the margin of elapsed time is between steps in tow speeds. i.e. the total difference of "actual time" in the course between 36 mph and 34 mph is only .87 seconds! (not even 1 full second) and between 36 mph and 30 mph there is amazingly only 2.95 seconds! (astonishingly, @ 30mph, that's only about a half second difference in time per buoy!) So, For anyone trying to hit their max. speed, I would think the time reference might sound less intimidating then the Big 2 mph jumps in speed...This seems like a mathematical angle to highlight the importance of ones  technique, while also shedding some light on the subtle differences in the Time table between tow speeds... 

Bumping up the speed is not only a sign of Progression, it is also monumental occasion and cause for celebration. But it can also needlessly get inside of ones head. Probably because 2 mph sounds like a huge mountain to climb. Though this can be challenging, it doesn't neccessarily have to be intimidating... I can't help but think that, if for example, someone was running -15/32 mph consistently and confidently -Not scrapping their way through!!! (and "if" we could take the skiers self imposed limiting mind out of the equation) There is literally no reason why this same person couldn't just about as easily run -15/34 mph!  As it is only about .15 of a second per buoy quicker!

My rationale is this; with identical rope length, the same skier and the same boat,  the time differential between say, 34mph and 32mph is only .98 of a second. That's about 1 second spread out over the entire length of the course. If you divide that .98  by the 6.5 pulls (including the turn in and the 1/2 pull to the exit gate) the skier has only .15 of a second "per pull" Less time buoy to buoy @ 34 mph then the skier had @ 32 mph! (Hopefully with all things being equal, the ski's performance would even be enhanced from the added 1.9 mph of boat speed.)  The end result is the same, but in terms of progression, The encouraging thing is; one only has to improve their Time management skills by about 15/100's of a second per buoy! -To me, that's beginning to sound less like a mountain and a little more like a Mole hill!

"The end justifies the means," so as the line gets shorter, the need for better Time management  (technique)  is further exploited. At any length rope or speed, there is still 154 ft. diagonally between buoy's. Therefore, It would stand to reason that the "Pull "  is where the most time could be made up (or banked) and that the turns are more of a great opportunity to not give up too much speed while more importantly, setting ones self up mechanically for great acceleration and another efficient "Time Saving" pull. Therefore, with the possible compounded effect of a ragged corner that spills over into poor body position at the hook up and then further into the pull,  it would stand to reason that inefficiency in the pre-turns and turns is easily where a skier could potentially give back (or lose) the most time. Practice alone can sometimes further ingrain any inefficiencies.   Only good quality virtual or hands on coaching will accurately identify our individual sticking points and prescribe the proper antidote...   But, knowing that the margin for success is less then a 1/4 of a second between buoy's, could open up a whole new avenue of progression in the minds of many skiers and help to make that next mile stone or "mph stone" seem a little more do-able...

Below is the perfect elapsed time through the course for the corresponding mph's. The difference listed, is the extra amount of time difference from 36 mph. The Diff. per pull is the amount of time management improvement needed per pull to move to 36 mph...

Boat speed            Actual time                    difference /seconds                    Diff. per pull (6.5)
MPH                     SECONDS

36                         16.08                             * * *                                         * * *

34                         16.95                            +0.87                                        +.13

32                         17.93                            +1.85                                        +.28

30                         19,03                            +2.95                                        +.45

Note:. If good technique is not sacrificed or otherwise compromised, the benefit of  added mph will by default also help to shorten the skiers elapsed time.)