By Staff
waterhead.com
October 3, 2011

Tow Sports Can Be Loads of Fun, But Remember - Safety First

Water skiing is one of a few water sports which incorporate the assistance of a motorized boat. It was invented in 1922 by a man using two boards as skis and a clothesline to tow him. The point of the sport is to stay above the water while achieving high speeds. Water skiing is also a form of recreation and entertainment.

When Ralph Samuelson invented the sport in the 1920's, it began largely as a private amusement. It took him a long time to experiment with different possibilities and determine how to stay above the water. Once he discovered how to do that, his brother was able to haul him by boat at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. Samuelson continued to innovate and create new versions of this fledgling sport. In 1925 he performed the first-known ski jump on a 4-foot by 16-foot ramp that he had greased by hand. He spent the next fifteen years traveling around the United States and showing off his newly created sport. During the course of his touring, he invented another version of water skiing. After donning water skis he hooked himself up a flying boat and held on until he reached a speed of 80 miles per hour and became the first speed skier.

The equipment used in the first days of water skiing was quite primitive. Samuelson initially used barrel staves as skis. He bound his feet to them with leather straps. Later he experimented with snow skis before designing and fashioning his own from raw lumber. However, a man named Fred Waller was the first to patent water skis because Samuelson never patented any of the equipment that he invented.

Since that time a few different techniques and styles have developed in the sport of water skiing. Starting remains generally the same between versions of the sport. The skier crouches in the water in what is known as a deep water start.

The driver of the boat accelerates until the skier is pulled up to the surface. Usually a third person, known as the spotter, is located in the boat. He or she communicates with the skier via hand signals to determine if everything is in order.

After this the sport can vary depending on the speeds reached, the length of the rope and the type of ski used. Show skiing is a type of gymnastic water skiing which displays the skier's acrobatic feats on the water. Slalom water skiing allows the skier only one large ski as he or she races through an obstacle course.

Ski jumping permits two skis and incorporates the use of a ramp that is usually about five or six feet tall. Professional ski jumpers have been known to travel as far as 250 feet through the air to a successful landing after hitting the ramp at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour. Ski racing focuses purely on speed as competitors race around a set course on the water, sometimes skiing in pairs.