Waterskiing.

Waterskiing. I INTRODUCTION Waterskiing, recreational and competitive sport, in which persons--either barefoot or mounted on special skis--are towed across the surface of the water by motorboats usually moving at speeds from 24 to more than 56 km/h (15 to more than 35 mph). Barefoot skiers compete at speeds up to 68 km/h (up to 43 mph), and speed skiers can achieve speeds surpassing 144 km/h (90 mph). The sport was invented in 1922 in the United States; its ruling body, the American Water Ski Association (AWSA), was founded in 1939, when the first national waterskiing tournament was held at Jones Beach State Park, Long Island, New York. Today there are many different forms of waterskiing; types recognized by the AWSA include traditional, kneeboard, barefoot, show, speed, disabled, and collegiate skiing. II EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUE Water skis are made of wood, plastic, or reinforced fiberglass. They are generally 1.7 to 1.8 m (5.5 to 6 ft) long and 15 cm (6 in) wide and are equipped with flexible foot bindings. Fins located on the underside of the skis promote stability and facilitate the execution of sharp turns. Kneeboards are shorter and broader. The towrope is 6 mm (0.25 in) in diameter and about 23 m (about 75 ft) long. Waterskiing runs usually begin with the participant crouched on skis and holding a towrope attached to a motorboat. As the boat accelerates, the skis begin to plane over the water and the skier stands upright; some skiers skim across the water on their bare feet. III SLALOM, JUMPING, AND TRICKS Competitive waterskiing is conducted under the supervision of judges who award points to the contestants. Skiers are rated from novice to master and compete in 22 divisions according to gender and age. The events in traditional waterskiing tournaments are slalom,jumping, and tricks. Kneeboard waterskiing includes slalom and tricks, while barefoot events are wake slalom, tricks, and jumping. In the slalom event, the towing boat speeds straight through a field of anchored buoys while the contestant, riding on a single ski or a kneeboard, pursues a zigzag course in and out of the buoys, swinging back and forth across the wake of the motorboat. Contestants who complete the course without falling or skipping a buoy are towed through the same course at successively higher speeds and shorter rope lengths until all but one contestant are eliminated. Contestants in barefoot wake slalom receive points based on the number of times they ski across the wake behind the boat. In the jumping event in traditional skiing the contestant, towed on a pair of wide skis at a speed that depends upon the particular age group, skis up a waxed, fiberglass surfaced ramp and leaps off the ramp for distance. The ramp is 4.3 m (14 ft) wide and measures 6.7 m (22 ft) long out of water; at its highest point it rises from 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 to 6 ft) above the water. To execute a jump the contestant swings about 12 m (about 40 ft) to one side of the wake of the towboat and ascends the ramp. Jumps made from a 2-m (6-ft) ramp at 56-km/h (35-mph) boatspeed have been measured at more than 61 m (200 ft). These distances have been achieved by using a double wake cut--that is, an approach whereby the skier crosses the wake of the towboat twice. Also known as a crack-the-whip maneuver, this approach enables jumpers to attain speeds in excess of 96 km/h (60 mph) as they reach the ramp. Jumps are judged on the basis of distance covered. The tricks event consists of a series of precise maneuvers on a single finless ski. The skier does as many tricks as can be performed within two 20-second passes through the course. The tricks are awarded points based on their difficulty, and the skier with the most points wins the event. Rules of the AWSA recognize 50 different tricks ranging from a simple one-ski sideslide (50 points) to a wake double flip (1000 points). Show skiing is a theatrical production on water with music, narration, and various costumed acts forming a theme. Acts range from ballet lines to 4-high, 16-person pyramids towed behind a single boat. IV TOURNAMENTS AND COMPETITIONS The AWSA has about 30,500 members with some 550 affiliated waterskiing clubs active across the United States. The AWSA sanctions more than 650 tournaments annually in the United States. The national championships for traditional, barefoot, disabled, show, and kneeboard skiing are held during August, and speed skiing and collegiate national championships are held in October. Internationally, tournaments are organized in more than 77 countries and are supervised by the International Water Ski Federation. A world tournament has been held every two years since 1949. As of 1993 the U.S. waterskiing team had won 21 of the 23 world championships held since 1949. Reviewed by: American Water Ski Association Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.