Water skiing
Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires sufficient area on a stretch of water, one or two skis, a tow boat with tow rope, two or three people (depending on local boating laws),[1] and a personal flotation device. In addition, the skier must have adequate upper and lower body strength, muscular endurance, and good balance.
This article is about water-borne skiing. For skiing on snow, see Skiing. For the airline with the callsign, see Trans States Airlines. For other uses, see Skiing (disambiguation).Highest governing body
1922, United States
No
No
Aquatic
Water skis, motorboat, towline
Body of water
No
There are water ski participants around the world, in Asia and Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.[2] In the United States alone, there are approximately 11 million water skiers and over 900 sanctioned water ski competitions every year.[3] Australia boasts 1.3 million water skiers.[4]
There are many options for recreational or competitive water skiers. These include speed skiing, trick skiing, show skiing, slaloming, jumping, barefoot skiing and wakeski. Similar, related sports are wakeboarding, kneeboarding,[5] discing, tubing, and sit-down hydrofoil.
Safety measures[edit]
As water skiing is a potentially dangerous sport, safety is important.
There should be a 200 feet (61 m) wide skiing space and the water should be at least 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) deep. The towboat should stay at least 100 feet (30 m) from docks, swim areas, and the shore, and other boats should steer clear of skiers by at least 100 feet.[15] Without proper space and visibility skiing can be extremely dangerous. Skiers should wear a life jacket regardless of swimming ability.[13] Specially-designed life jackets or ski vests allow movement needed for the sport while still providing floatation for a downed or injured skier.[19] The most common water ski injuries involve the lower legs, such as the knee, because a fall at high speed can create irregular angles of collision between the skier's body and the water surface. Another common cause of injury is colliding with objects on or near the water, like docks.[13]
The tow boat must contain at least two people: a driver and an observer.[13] In most locales, the observer will need to be at least 12 years of age. The driver maintains a steady course, free of obstacles to the skier. The observer continually observes the skier, relays the condition of the skier to the boat driver, and if necessary, raises the "skier down" warning flag, as required, when a skier is in the water, returning to the boat, or in some localities, the entire time the skier is out of the boat.[20][21] The skier and observer should agree on a set of standard hand-signals for easy communication: stop, speed up, turn, I'm OK, skier in the water, etc.[13][22]
Disciplines[edit]
3-event tournament water skiing[edit]
In the United States, there are over 900 sanctioned water ski competitions each summer.[3] Orlando, Florida is considered to be the competitive 3-event waterskiing capital of the world.[31] Competitive water skiing consists of three events: slalom, jump, and trick.[3][32]
Criticism[edit]
While water skiing is very popular, it is not universally liked. The fast, powerful boats create noise,[37] cause waves which can cause beach erosion, and sometimes hit swimmers, other boats, or marine life. People operating boats may drink alcohol, which increases the chance of accidents. Water skiing is also criticized for air pollution from the boats' engines, and the unnecessary use of fuel (usually gasoline) and the consequent impact to climate change.