Water skiing is safer with a helmet and a flotation (floating) vest
Water skiing is a water sport with a lot of adrenaline. This sport requires a motor boat with a driver, water skis and a tow rope. It is recommended to wear a helmet and a flotation (floating) vest for better safety.
The first water skiing is most often associated with the natives of Malaysia (who enjoyed the waves while standing or lying on the boards). 1922 Ralf Samuelson performed the first water skiing in Lake City (the American state of Minnesota) – according to some statements by the author of the history of the sport. Samuelson stood on two planks and tied himself to the moving boat with a rope. His brother Ben was driving the boat. This action by Samuelson went largely unnoticed. So Samuelson promoted the new sport throughout the rest of the United States. Some authors state that the first water skier was Fred Valer, who also patented the first water skis. His skis were twice as wide as snow skis. The name of the skis was “Dolphin Aqua Ski”. Norwegian skier Peterson was the first in Europe to water ski on the Cote d’Azur.
In 1929, the first water skiing club was founded in the United States. In 1936, the first competition was held. In the first competition, J. Anderson performs acrobatic figures on one or two skis and one-meter jumps. In 1939, water skiers were already jumping up to 10 meters. In 1939, the American Water Ski Association was founded, and soon the European Union, and in 1946 the World Union (Union Internationale de Ski Nautique) was founded. In 1947, the European Water Skiing Championship was held, and then the European Championship.
Today, water skiing is a sport that is practiced on 5 continents, there are more than 3 million officially registered competitors as well as a large number of recreational players. Attractive sports are skiing behind a speedboat (when the skier is connected by a cable to the vessel), slalom skiing (passage between obstacles), as well as jumping. A skier can fly more than 70 meters when the speedboat brings him to the ramp at high speed.
The tow rope or cable is the connection between the water skier and the boat. It is usually between 18 meters and 23 meters long. It is made of non-stretchable floating material (which does not absorb water and cannot be tangled). One end of the cable is hooked to the boat and the other has a handle that the skier holds on to.
Water skiing starts in deeper water when the skier signals the driver to start
The boat gradually accelerates, which gives the skier the ability to straighten up on his skis. The skier’s speed is between 22 and 58 km/hr. The highest speeds are achieved in slalom races, as the skier develops a speed of over 200 km/h. Slalom water skiing is performed on only one specially designed ski on which the skier stands with both feet.
At least 2 skiers, observers and speedboat drivers participate in water skiing races. All participants start the race from the water and according to the exactly determined path. The winner is the skier who reaches the finish line in the shortest time. Skiers sometimes perform exciting exhibitions on the water for the sake of the audience (the most famous are the so-called ski pyramids on the water, jumps and somersaults).
Slalom is monoskiing and the water courses are marked with fixed floats 11.5 meters to the left and right of the speedboat’s central path. A successful passage through the track is when the skier goes around each of the floats, which are 2.1 meters apart. The cable is shortened after each successful pass. Based on the speed of the boat, the length of the cable and the number of floats passed, the final result is calculated.
Jumping is considered an extreme water skiing discipline. They are performed with two skis, a protective helmet and a protective suit. The starting float is 210 meters away from the ramp, the height of which is 1.5 m and 1.8 m, while the speedboat moves at a speed between 48 km/h and 57 km/h. A jump is scored if the water skier goes over the ramp and lands on the water without falling after flying.
Water skiing is an exciting and somewhat dangerous sport. That is why beginners are recommended to ski on a ski-lift because it is less demanding and much safer than skiing behind a speedboat in motion. Skiing on a ski-lift does not require skiers to enter deep water, but they need to be adjusted to slide on the surface of the water. Skiing is recommended if the water is calm and without waves (because the waves can cause an inexperienced skier to lose control and fall into the water, which can cause serious physical injuries).
Water skis can be recreational, trick, slalom and jump skis – depending on driving styles. They are equipped with rubber bindings that match the size of the skier’s feet. They have curved tips thanks to which the force of buoyancy is created. They have stabilizers on the tails for easier maintenance of the desired direction.
Bruno Riksen (German inventor) tried water skiing in the Netherlands in the middle of the last century. Riksen was enthusiastic about the sport but disturbed by the crowds at the water skiing school. Riksen then invented the so-called “skiing machine” in Germany, which was put into operation for the first time on a German lake in 1962. The magazine of the World Water Skiing Union published a positive review of the machine skiing machines. The magazine points out that the device allows up to 10 skiers to ski at the same time, even without a boat. In 1976, Mr. Bruno Riksen received recognition for his work. In 1985, the International Federation for Water Skiing founded the Wire Skiing Council. This is how the fourth discipline of water skiing was born and recognized.
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Water-Ski
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Water-Ski/For-Officials/American-Water-Ski-Association
https://www.britannica.com/topic/World-Water-Ski-Union
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
I DIDN’T HAVE A HELMET—BUT TRIED TWICE WITHOUT PROPER BALANCE…!
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