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Waterski Competitions: Slalom Course, Ski Jumping And Water Ski Tricks
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Published: October 30, 2006
In a normal water skiing competition there are three different events: slalom, tricks and jumping.
Slalom
A slalom competition only uses one water ski and consists of racing around six buoys. At the beginning of the competition, the water skier must pass through an entrance gate made up of two other buoys and must also pass through another exit gate at the end. Three parallel buoys are on each side of the boat which travels down the middle. Each contestant is given numerous passes until a failure occurs. On each pass the speed of the boat is increased from 43 to 46, 49, 52, 55 and 58 kilometers per hour. In a women's competition the maximum speed is 55 kilometers per hour. While the speed is increased, the tow line is also shortened in precise increments which are color coded on the tow line. The winner in this water skiing competition is the skier that can go around the most buoys with the shortest tow line.
Tricks
In this water skiing competition, each contestant is given two twenty second passes to perform the most skillful set of tricks possible. Each trick has an assigned point value, but like any other sport, new tricks are thought of all the time so judges must assign temporary point values. Some basic tricks are the spread eagle, daffy, cross, grab, backscratcher, twister, iron cross, 360, and back and front flips.
During a water skiing competition, contestants will generally use a unique and assorted variety of combinations.
Jumping
Each contestant is allowed three passes during a water skiing jumping competition. The ramp is usually 1.65 meters or 1.8 meters for men and 1.5 meters or 1.65 meters for women. The contestants have a choice of ramp size and are only judged on length of jump instead of ramp size. The boat is required to maintain a particular speed of 57 kilometers per hour for men and 54 kilometers per hour for women. Because the speed is so important, the boat timing is carefully monitored. The length jumped is measured by taking the distance between the water line below the center of the top edge of the ramp to the heels of the water skier after making an impression on the water. Only one out of the three passes may count. The winner is the contestant with the furthest jump.
There is a variation of water skiing jumping called water ski flying. It is very similar in rules although there are some minor modifications, like ramp size and angle degree to allow a further length–hence flying. Most competitions do not offer a water ski flying competition.
Overall
The last category in most water skiing competitions is the overall, which includes all of the contestant’s standings to figure out which skier was overall the best.
Some major water skiing competitions are the U.S. Open, Masters, U.S. Open Water Ski Championships, Water Ski World Championships, World and World Cup.
Regina Jaquess. 2006. 19 October 2006.
www.usawaterski.org/pages/bios/women/Bio.Jaquess Reg.html
US Olympic Team. 2004. 19 October 2006. www.usoc.org/73-4377.htm
Water skiing. 2006. 19 October 2006. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/water_skiing
Xtreme Sports. 2006. 19 October 2006. www.ccsknights.org/wmt/kstock/skitrick.htm
Slalom
A slalom competition only uses one water ski and consists of racing around six buoys. At the beginning of the competition, the water skier must pass through an entrance gate made up of two other buoys and must also pass through another exit gate at the end. Three parallel buoys are on each side of the boat which travels down the middle. Each contestant is given numerous passes until a failure occurs. On each pass the speed of the boat is increased from 43 to 46, 49, 52, 55 and 58 kilometers per hour. In a women's competition the maximum speed is 55 kilometers per hour. While the speed is increased, the tow line is also shortened in precise increments which are color coded on the tow line. The winner in this water skiing competition is the skier that can go around the most buoys with the shortest tow line.
Tricks
In this water skiing competition, each contestant is given two twenty second passes to perform the most skillful set of tricks possible. Each trick has an assigned point value, but like any other sport, new tricks are thought of all the time so judges must assign temporary point values. Some basic tricks are the spread eagle, daffy, cross, grab, backscratcher, twister, iron cross, 360, and back and front flips.
- Spread Eagle- The water skier spreads the skis and legs apart.
- Daffy- One ski is pointed up while the other ski is pointed down.
- Cross- The tips of the skis are crossed.
- Grab- This is accomplished by grabbing any part of the ski or boot.
- Backscratcher- While jumping, the skis are lifted backwards actually touching the back of the skier.
- Twister- The skis are turned in any direction 90 degrees.
- Iron Cross- A combination of a cross and backscratcher while grabbing in between the boots.
- 360- A complete turn of 360 degrees in midair.
During a water skiing competition, contestants will generally use a unique and assorted variety of combinations.
Jumping
Each contestant is allowed three passes during a water skiing jumping competition. The ramp is usually 1.65 meters or 1.8 meters for men and 1.5 meters or 1.65 meters for women. The contestants have a choice of ramp size and are only judged on length of jump instead of ramp size. The boat is required to maintain a particular speed of 57 kilometers per hour for men and 54 kilometers per hour for women. Because the speed is so important, the boat timing is carefully monitored. The length jumped is measured by taking the distance between the water line below the center of the top edge of the ramp to the heels of the water skier after making an impression on the water. Only one out of the three passes may count. The winner is the contestant with the furthest jump.
There is a variation of water skiing jumping called water ski flying. It is very similar in rules although there are some minor modifications, like ramp size and angle degree to allow a further length–hence flying. Most competitions do not offer a water ski flying competition.
Overall
The last category in most water skiing competitions is the overall, which includes all of the contestant’s standings to figure out which skier was overall the best.
Some major water skiing competitions are the U.S. Open, Masters, U.S. Open Water Ski Championships, Water Ski World Championships, World and World Cup.
Regina Jaquess. 2006. 19 October 2006.
www.usawaterski.org/pages/bios/women/Bio.Jaquess Reg.html
US Olympic Team. 2004. 19 October 2006. www.usoc.org/73-4377.htm
Water skiing. 2006. 19 October 2006. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/water_skiing
Xtreme Sports. 2006. 19 October 2006. www.ccsknights.org/wmt/kstock/skitrick.htm
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