This weekend I end up 4th at the '' Mountain Bike Grand Prix of Geneva ''. The format of the event is a 3 hours relay (2 riders by team), and over 200 bikers. The atmosphere was amazing, the competition took place at the middle of Geneva old town, in a night session !

On my side I had good legs for the first 2 hours of the race and felt pretty good, but then for the last hours my back was killing me due to the repetition of the vertical steps we had to cross full on speed. (pretty crazy)

A massive Congratulation to my young team mate, the junior Yann Schnyder, great boy, 17 years old, and a promising swiss biker. Good luck to you for the rest of your season ! Pictures coming..

Now on twitter : SebDiPasqua

Just started my paragliding diploma with my friend and instructor Francois Boillat. www.leparapente.ch Awesome to get some air !

Press release : www.sebastiendipasqua.com a fait son premier grand vol et passera à la radio samedi 21 août à 11h30 pour parler de ski nautique ...http://www.boillat.com/leparapente/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=89&Itemid=2

''It is a hard step for many athletes, but from my point of view, I see it more as the end of a great adventure. I will always be thankful towards this sport that has brought so much to me.

The Doctors made me realize that if I do not impose myself some rest, I would jeopardise my chances of being healthy for the rest of my life; otherwise, by giving my knee some rest from all the hits taken by going over the ramp, that would help me recover 100%. From that moment on, my decision was then taken. Without any doubt, being healthy is a top priority for me, and I couldn’t  imagine my future without practicing some other recreational sports like snow skiing, mountain bike, paragliding and others...

Today I am relieved to be able to move on at the right time, and can’t wait to idealize new challenges for new horizons that are just the beginning of a new life for me.''

Complete World Ranking, slalom, tricks and jump at : http://www.iwsf.com/wrl_0410/

I completely went through my weekend in Louisianna after jumping only 204 feet (62,4m) and missing the Night Final. Too bad because the tournament was amazing. Congrats to Jay Bennett and his Team to put this great event together. Official scores at : http://www.lanightjam.com/ 

Combine the darkness of night, with the heat of fire, the intensity of extreme sports and the grooveof live music..and you have the LA Night Jam. LA Night Jam III presented by Mastercraft, now in its third edition is back in action and ready to rock greater Baton Rouge. This extreme sports competition combined with a family Louisiana festival is sure to be the most memorable night of the summer. An estimated 6,000 spectators will be present during the finals to see the top 6 women and top 8men jump death defying distances... at night.

After starting the season with some big jumps (68,2 meters) and feeling comfortable on my skis, I am having a hard time with the new boat we are using those last 2 tournaments. I feel like I am skiing well, but not going anywhere. On the second round today it feels a bit better, but still a way off what I wont to accomplish. I will keep working hard next week to get better and find some solutions. Here are the top 8 scores of the weekend :

1. Zack Worden (USA) 225 feet 68,5 meters
2. Jason Seels (GBR) 222 feet 67,7 meters
3. Rodrigo Miranda (CHI) 219 feet 66,7 meters
4. Ryan Dodd (CAN) 217 feet 66,20 meters
5. Aurelien Serrault (FR) 214 feet 65,10 meters
6. Sebastien Di Pasqua (SUI) 213 feet 65,00 meters
7. Igor Morosov (RUS) 207 feet 63,00 meters
8. Martin Bartalsky (SVK) 201 feet 61,20 meters

    NO COMMENT...

1. Freddy Krueger (USA) 236
2. Jason Seels (GBR) 235
3. Thomas Asher (GBR) 222
4. Scot Ellis (USA) 221
5. Aurelien Serrault (FR) 217
6. Sebastien Di Pasqua (SUI) 212   
7. Igor Morrosov (RUS) 211

Just wanted to give you a heads up that some skiers have launched an auction to benefit Kyle Eade after his severe jump crash this spring.  As most of you know Kiwi crashed in New Zeland in February and damaged the spinal chord in his neck.  Kiwi is working extremely hard to recover and is making positive progress.  If you go to www.KyleEade.com you can follow his progress as well as click on the "auction" button on the bottom left of the home page and help Kyle and his family. 
There are skis, wake boards, wetsuits, vests, helmets, ski school packages, pro skier days, a Disney Vacation, and even a 2011 Correct Craft 200 Open Bow!!!
Check it out and help the Eade family!
Thanks,
 

The Splash Eyed electronic system show me a 69,60 meters jump this morning, fun, fun, fun, love flying over lakes.

One more good tournament in Tampa this weekend, I jumped 67,2 meters which was the second longest jump of the weekend behind the British Champion Thomas Asher (GBR) with 67,90 meters. The conditions were very difficult, with some 25 mph gusty winds. I am pretty happy to have stuck with my game plan and to have skied as well given the conditions. I enjoyed the close battle with Tom, who's skiing very confidently at the moment after his recent second place at the Moomba Masters in Australia. Looking forward to have a couple of weeks without tournaments now ! Press release : Le Matin

http://archives.lematin.ch/LM/LMS/-/article-2010-04-2514/le-sauteur-de-la-societe-nautique-de-geneve-sebastien-di-pasqua-a-realise-un-nouveau-podium-ce-week

1. Sebastien DI PASQUA (SWI) 224 feet (68,20 meters)
2. Aurelien SERRAULT (FR) 219 feet (66,40 meters)
3. Scot ELLIS (USA) 216 feet (65,70 meters)

          video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKxADufcjN0

         Tribune de Geneve : http://archives.tdg.ch/TG/TG/-/article-2010-04-2325/sebastien-di-pasqua-se-trouve-sans-aucun-doute-sur-la-bonne-voie

• Invitational Cash Prize Open Men Jump Tournament
• Location British Garden (Part of the Geneva Summer Festival)
• Schedule 31 of july : 12:30pm preliminary / 6:30pm Final (top8)
• Come and see the top 10 best jumpers in the World perform and battle for their pay check !
• More infos on : http://www.ballofspray.com/ and www.skifly.com

http://www.tdg.ch/actu/sports/sebastien-di-pasqua-reve-saut-siecle-2010-04-08

After a break of 2 weeks off waters in Geneva, I am back under the Florida sunshine. The cold winter is finally over, we are having some perfect conditions to train, warm weather and glass calm lake. My first week of training in Florida has been very positive, I have been testing some new type of foot bed for my Wiley's bindings and they seam very good, more precise, and easier to control my skis. We also are lucky enough at Ski Fluid and Sport to be able to train with the Splash Eye. (Electronic system which measures exactly and instantly how far we jump) It is a great tool to train with, as we can know right away if what we are working on, is really working! Our new Nautique 200 has also arrived, click on the boat and check it out :

 

L’évolution actuelle du sport d’élite amène de nouvelles contraintes dans la vie quotidienne des athlètes. La carrière d’un sportif de haut niveau étant par définition courte, il est important de bien gérer celle-ci ! Pour accompagner la progression et permettre la réussite sportive et extra-sportive de l’athlète, il convient désormais de faire appel à des professionnels habilités à répondre à leurs besoins de façon individuelle.... suite sur www.ckfd.ch 

http://www.moombamasters.com.au/home.htm

We can't complain having a slow ramp, we had ice on the jump this morning....cold winter in Florida.

Please keep our good friend and training partner Kyle Eade (NZL), in your thoughts. He took a bad jump crash 2 days ago and broke his back as well as severing a nerve in his spine. As of now, he is moving one arm fully and the other a bit. He does not have feeling in his legs as of now, but we are all hopeful. We're behind you Kiwi!

Donation on skifly paypal or on this link : This shirt is a tribute to Kyle Eade, "Kiwi" and his family. All proceeds from this shirt will go directly to Kyle and his family to help with his recovery.
Thank you for your support! http://413sga.com/cgi-php/store.php?search=yes&detail=yes&category=1&subcat=4&item_no=Kyle_Kiwi_Eade

Kyle Eade up dates : Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We've created it to keep friends and family updated about our loved one. Get started by reading the introduction to our website. Visit often to read the latest journal entries, visit the photo gallery, and write us a note in our guestbook. 
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kyleeade/ 

Did I say something weird...No one saw that coming, right ? To all the people who were constantly <preoccupied> on my future and who have been asking, year after year the same question over and over. '' Seb what are you going to do when you are done with skiing ? because, you know, its something you really need to think of ''. Blablabla. To make a long story short, I will always remember that one day, when this lady asked me that magic question again, and I answer her that I was going to do some XXX movies, lol. You should of see her face, it was pretty funny!

Anyway, I start studying at the University of Dijon in France end of 2009. We find a schedule agreement with the school, as I still want to ski at 100% a couple of more years. So during the off season and when we are slow in tournaments, I valid some semesters. Then the school will deduct them to me, in this way, the day I decide to register the entire program, I already had moved forward some. I also have time in Florida to study on my side. To be honest, it is not easy to go back to classes after so many years off, but I am motivated and happy to balance my life between travelling around the world, competing and at the same time do something a bit more intellectual.

Enough school talk, now lets come back to the real life, skiing ! I had my first 2 sets of the year yesterday with my coach the canadian Matt Rini. It was fun to see him again. The weather is pretty crappy in Florida, rain, 8 degrees...but its not a big deal for a swiss boy. After the snow, I am happy to be on the water. 
I had a pretty good feeling on my sticks, considering it was the first day. I guess snow skiing a ton all winter and been training hard with Xavier Jolis my personal trainer, is paying off. We see, I still have a long way to go and some work to do before to jump far, but as for now, I feel strong as a rock.

I just resigned my new contract for the 2010 season with Louis Muskens manager of Correct Craft Switzerland. We have been working together sinces years now, and once again, I proud to ski and to be on the team of the most prestigious waterski and wakeboard boat company. http://www.correctcraft.ch/
Nautique history :  '' Since day one, Nautique has been passionate about building the highest quality boats available. 85 years later, that same passion and dedication is still ever present in each and every Nautique. We invite you to discover the true dedication and difference of the manufacturer that has stood the test of time and is still set apart from all the rest.''  http://www.nautiques.com/ (click on picture to enlarge)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2QFz6c0jrk

Unfortunately the 72nd Christmas Cup of Geneva didn't happen. Due to a strong wind the lake was extremely rolly.  For some safety reasons, the organizers took the decision to cancel the event. Of course we were all disappointed, but with our group of 15 friends we decided to go swim anyway...We all drink some lake water a couple of times, it was snowing, the lake temp was 6 degrees, but we had as always a lot of fun ! Check out the interview on Leman Bleu and the press release by Enguerran Robert
http://www.lemanbleu.ch/leman_bleu_archive_flv.php?new=true&p_emi=13&filename=naxoo/2009/12/11/7587-sport_11-12-2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=292s4OU3Yhk

Here are the 2 reasons why waterski jumping can be dangerous..! Our '' little '' friend looks fully ready to jump this morning when we arrived to Lake Grew in Orlando, Florida...(click on the picture to enlarge)

http://www.lemanbleu.ch/leman_bleu_archive_flv.php?new=true&filename=naxoo/2009/9/14/3154-sport_14-09-2009