Water skiing is a sport that was first introduced in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson. Wherever appropriate conditions exist, one will find activities involving water skiing. All that is needed is an expanse of water that is not affected by the movement of water. Sheltered bays, rivers and lakes qualify. Skis are made of wood or fiberglass composites. Skiing is a recreational sport and has become a very competitive one, too. There are many variants of this sport. The popular ones would include Wakeboarding, which combines waterskiing and surfing, and Slalom, which is skiing with one ski. An interesting variation in this is skiing barefoot, which, as the name suggests, is skiing without skis. Kneeboarding, hydrofoiling, trick skiing and ski jumping are some of the other variations. As with all sports, water skiing comes with its own rules, regulations and dangers. One has to be properly trained by professionals, and it is important to know all the technical aspects of water skiing. Facilities that are made available for this sport should ensure that the expanse of water designated for this is enough to safely allow two or more skiers at one time. There should be a minimum of 6 feet of debris-free water for the boats. Weather conditions have to be taken into consideration as well as proper clothing in cooler climes. Some safety points have to be adhered to at any given time: the skier must wear a life jacket, there must be an observer on the boat besides the driver, keep a look out for physical structures, never ski under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and memorize certain hand signals common to all skiers for effective communication with the driver. Go with the right techniques, the right knowledge and a clear sense of the dos and don?ts, and one guarantee is that this sport will never fail to thrill. |
