Gates???

Question
I have never read anything on how you change your pullout or turn in to compensate for a shorter rope length....or do you change?  I usually pull out on seeing #5 and turn in at the tip of the boat through the gates. I am just starting to ski at 28 off and have been told to turn in slow and dont pull hard till the gates or I'll have too much speed and this results in terrible slack coming around the ball.
Thanks for your reply in advance!
Patrick Walsh from Oregon.

Answer
Patrick,
 You are right that starting hard will make you too fast at one ball.  An easy way to help this is to maintain your speed when you pull out.  I feel that your width is important, but even more so is that you turn in for your gate as you are going about the same speed as the boat.  If you are going too fast you will have slack, too slo you can't create any angle.  So either adjust where you pull out or your intensity, whichever you are most comfortable with, so that when it is time to turn in you are going the same speed as the boat.  That way you can make a nice smooth turn in, creat a lot of angle, and be nice and slow at one ball.  Hope this helps fix your ones.  April Coble Eller