water-skiing
By David Robertshaw
There was nothing remarkable in Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota, in 1922. And there wasn’t anything extraordinary either when 18 year old Ralph Samuelson, after several attempts to invent a water-based sport, was stowed while in a barrel staves by his brother, on June 28, 1922. For the lad, perhaps, and his brother during this period, the event is nothing more than what it was then: fooling around.
But in the annals of sports history, this is the period when a very popular sports today, water skiing, was born. When Samuelson’s first attempt to come up with a feasible sport failed, he tried to ski for several stretches before falling into the water. He used snow skis on this while a motor boat was dragging him.
The earliest attempt
A year after his first attempt, Samuelson purchased a board and with it, a leather strap.
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Samuelson finally succeeded during this time, particularly after several attempts to lean backwards while in the water and slant the ski tips in an upward position.
When Samuelson toured the whole of Minnesota, showing sports enthusiasts his newly invented water skiing prowess, it immediately caught on.
Some sports authorities propose that Samuelson was inspired by the theory that if skis can be used in snow, then they can be used in water. But whether this is true or not, whether the then very young Samuelson was a sports theorist or more of a Newton accidentally discovering the law of gravity, does not matter anymore.
Today, water skiing is a popular sport in many countries, from North America to Europe, and from Africa to Asia. As long as there is a reasonably wide expanse of water protected by strong wave motions, the sport will thrive. Lakes, Lagoons, rivers and made-made bodies of water are all potential water skiing venues.
Water skiing today
Today, water ski enthusiasts usually start learning to use skis using both feet. As they progressed, they start to put on one ski, placing the remaining foot behind the other, just like what we see in movies. For beginners on two skis, they are pulled along by a motorboat with a speed of around 25 to 35 kilometers per hour. More advanced players on the other hand are pulled at around 40 and 55 kilometers per hour.
As the skier is being pulled along by a boat, the individual can control his or her direction by balancing on the ski. Just like any other sport where confidence is very important, the performance of the player tends to improve in the long run. Cliche-ic as it may sound, practice makes perfect.
The skis used to be of wood materials but current concerns for security pushed the construction of modern skis using fiberglass composites. Compared with downhill snow skis, water skis are of the same length, but a bit wider. Water skis also have rubber, which necessary for more securely placed feet.
The future of waterskiing
Water skiing is evolving. There is now a variation of the sport that is more popularly known as barefoot skiing. It is water skiing sans the skis. On this one, the boat is needed to tow the skier at a high speed. This particular type of skiing is usually done at a speed of 60 up to 100 kilometers an hour.
There is now also what others call as wakeboarding, wakeskating, hydrofoiling, trick skiing and ski jumping. All of them have had their origin from water skiing.
David Robertshaw is a professional writer and has written on various subjects across the internet. His writing work includes articles and books on topics such as technology, travel, health, releationships and internet marketing. He also has a Travel Blog which can be found at http://travel.newsreviewsandtips.com
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