Archive for October, 2005
Tournament layout and equipment
The competition area requires a suitable waterway of about 55 by 175 yards. In most tournaments a slalom judging tower is erected, a braced structure supporting a platform with railings 20 feet or more above the water surface. Guide buoys painted fluorescent red or yellow are placed to mark the trick and jumping courses and the slalom run.
Both inboard and outboard craft are used in tournaments, and the tournament committee provides boats of each type
at the entrant’s choice. The regulations call for boats 17 to 20 feet in length with a beam of not less than 6 nor more than 8 feet, equipped with a towing pylon on the centerline of the boat between 3 and 5 feet above the water level. The boats are usually equipped with water-speed measuring devices and usually with two-way radios.
Contestants must provide their own skis which must be no more than 8 inches wide, and not less than 4 feet in length, except that in the junior division the ski length must not be less than 3 feet. Any type of binding may be used, and any type of fixed fin. With the bindings, fins, etc. installed, the ski must float.
Safety
The chief judge of every tournament appoints a safety director who is responsible for the safe condition of all equipment, facilities and operation of the tournament. He may take whatever action is necessary, including stopping the tournament whenever he observes a condition that he believes is unsafe. The flotation devices used by contestants must be approved by this official. Approved devices include life belts, life jackets, life vests and wet suits. For use under competitive conditions, this equipment must be smooth, soft and free from attachments or material likely to cause injury in a fall, and constructed and fastened to take the impact of a hard fall in the water. Also, it should float the skier, preferably head up. Approved life vests must be constructed so as to provide adequate protection from impact damage to the ribs and internal organs.
Boat speeds
In order to provide fair competition, the judges at tournaments follow extremely rigid rules for boat speeds. All speeds are “speeds over the bottom” with compensation made for any water currents in the skiing area. The tolerance allowed is only plus or minus one-half mph. During a meet, the judges use “actual time” tables to determine the average speeds in the slalom course. In the slalom, speeds range from 22 to 35 mph. In jumping, the maximum speeds are: men, 35 mph; women, senior women, senior men, boys and girls, 28 mph; and junior boys and girls, 26 mph.
In trick skiing, the contestant receives his choice of a constant speed throughout the course, except that where a backward start is used it must be at the beginning of the course and the boat must then accelerate to a constant speed. The second pass may be at a different constant speed. In the mixed-doubles event, the only speed restriction is the “safety” maximum which may be set by the safety director of the tournament.
Ski-Tournament Regulations
In recent years, water skiing competition has become an increasingly popular sport in the United States and other countries. Under regulations of the American Water Ski Association, tournaments are held on local, regional and national levels, and are followed by an annual world meet. In the United States, the regional tournaments are held on weekends, 2 to 6 weeks before the National Tournament, which is traditionally held on the weekend of the third full week in August. The major tournaments are held on an “open” basis with no distinction between amateurs and professionals, and the trophies offered are valued at thousands of dollars.
The major events in a tournament are jumping, slalom and trick riding, with a championship and succeeding places decided in each event. In team and “over-all” competition, the contestants are required to score points in each of the three major events.
Divisions
With persons of all ages participating in water-skiing, the competition is separated into 7 different age and sex groups:
Men : 17-34 years inclusive
Women : 17 years and over
Sr Men : 35 years and over
Boys : 13-16 years inclusive
Girls : 13-16 years inclusive
Jr Boys : 12 years and under
Jr Girls: 12 years and under
The applicable age is that of the contestant on the January 1st prior to the tournament. A senior women’s division may be included in a meet where the number of entries justify it, for women 30 years old and older, and then the regular women’s class is limited to the 17-29 age bracket.
Tournament entry requirements
All entrants in a sanctioned tournament must be AWSA members in good standing. In addition, they must be qualified in each event they enter. Qualification for a national tournament is generally acquired by placing in a regional meet; for a regional meet, by placing in a local meet, or by passing the qualification test before an AWSA-certified judge or instructor.
The third-class or lowest rating test, for example, requires the skier to perform the following: start from dry dock; put on skis and start in deep water; display competence in riding one ski; with two skis, cross both wakes and return to center; coast to stop without falling; demonstrate knowledge of skiing signals and safety rules.
The second-, first-class, expert and master examinations call for displaying increasing competence in slalom, jumping and trick riding.
Except in tournaments sanctioned as international tournaments, all entrants must be United States’ citizens or applicants for citizenship.
Slalom Skiing
Slalom-or one-ski skiing-offers greater freedom and more maneuverability than conventional water skiing. While it is possible to balance for a while on one standard ski, the slalom ski is specially made. It is longer than the standard water ski, has a larger fin and 2 foot bindings, one in the front and one in the rear. The rear binding has no heel support, so that the foot can slide in and out easily. The fin is usually made of stiff metal, and slalom skis are sometimes tapered at the ends.
The start in slalom skiing is practically the same as in a two-ski start, but it calls for a bit more skill. For one thing, in a water start the starting pull will be much greater, because there is less of a planing surface on the one ski and there is more water pressure against the body of the skier. It takes a little more co-ordination to climb up on the water with one ski than with 2. Most slalom skiers prefer to get off from a standing start, and this is the practice in most competition, where the take-off is usually from the edge of a sandy beach. In a slalom start it is important to keep the weight slightly to the rear to prevent the toe of the ski from responding to the first force of the boat’s pull by digging in and throwing the skier forward.
Most slalom skiers use the double-handled tow rope in preference to the single handle bar.
Some skiers find it easier to start with one standard ski and one slalom ski. They kick off the regular ski when they are in skiing position, and drag the toes of their free foot in the water lightly to get balance before placing the second foot in the rear binding.
The technique in turning is also slightly different with the slalom ski. As you lean in the direction you want to go,
you also push the back of your ski around by shifting more weight to the rear foot. On a turn, lean back against the pull of the tow rope, since the deeper fin prevents skidding. One of the advantages of slalom skiing is that on a slalom turn the skier can travel about a third faster than the speed of the boat which is towing him.
The Slalom Course
The competitive aspect of slalom skiing is the slalom course. Basically it resembles the slalom in snow skiing and the slalom boat races downriver. The regulation 315-yard course consists of 6 buoys and 2 gates, each of which must be passed twice. The course actually requires an unobstructed space of about 600 yards in length. The buoys and gates are 45 yards apart, and the gates 4 yards wide. The boat follows
a straight course, a sharp circle and return, and the skier must turn around the outside of the buoys and pass through the gates, swinging about 25 yards from side to side as he passes the buoys. A course can be set up by using beach balls, basketball liners or folded up inner tubes, anchored to hold them in position.
Saucer Riding
The new and popular sport of saucer riding offers many of the thrills of water skiing, but at lower speed and with the advantage of more stunts than are possible on conventional skis. The saucer is a circular piece of marine plywood, approximately 40 inches in diameter and about one-quarter to one-half inch thick. It is usually brightly painted, both to
protect it from water softening and to add a touch of color to the pastime.
Since the saucer has a comparatively large planing surface, it is towed at relatively low speeds compared to water skiing. This makes it possible to enjoy “saucering” behind a boat with a 5 -horsepower motor, and a 10 horsepower can provide all the necessary momentum for “trick” saucering. To ride a saucer, the standard 75-foot ski tow is used, but the boat speed should be held to about 10 or 12 miles an hour. At higher speeds the saucer begins to flutter, making control extremely difficult.
The Start
To get up on a saucer, you may start from either a prone or kneeling position, remaining back just far enough to keep the leading edge of the saucer from dipping in the water. Then, moving slowly and carefully-the balance on the saucer is tricky-bring up first one knee and then the other until you are balanced on the balls of your feet in a crouching position. Finally, stand with feet slightly apart as in a good water-skiing position.
The saucer may also be started from a dock. Sit on the edge of the dock with your feet on the saucer about 18 inches apart. Lean back before the rope becomes taut, and try to get the saucer moving when the boat jerks you forward. The boat should be moving at a good speed as it pulls you from the dock. Keep a low crouch, back and arms straight, and the front of the saucer well out of the water. Although there are no bindings on the saucer, it is not difficult to keep your feet planted firmly on it. The pressure of the water pushes the saucer up against your feet, and if you keep your balance it is no harder to maneuver on a saucer than on water skis. To maneuver the saucer, shift your weight and lean in the direction you want to go. To steer left, lean left; to steer right, lean right.
One of the simpler applause-provoking stunts on the saucer is the turn-around. To do it, start with a turn. Continue applying turning pressure by leaning away from the towing boat. When you reach a backward position, change hands on the handle. Then continue your turn by pulling yourself around from back to front. Your feet stay put in one position on the saucer during this maneuver. The average skier will do better by staying within the wake of the boat when he is riding a saucer. Even experts have trouble trying to cross the wake of an inboard. It is possible to cross the wake of an outboard during a moderate-speed turn, but care must be observed to keep the leading edge of the saucer from digging into the water.
Despite the tight balance required for saucering, many of
The Skier’s Salute: One ski raised out of the water and held vertically is the traditional salute. Here, a skier is raising the right ski to position.
the more practiced experts can perform handstands on the disk, put down chairs and sit on them, even ride them in pairs, or form a pyramid atop a saucer.
The Skier’s Salute
One of the first tricks practiced by many skiers as soon as they graduate from the novice class is the skier’s salute. Start this by lifting one ski slightly out of the water. Be sure to keep the tip up. Hold the ski out of the water until you get the feel of riding on one ski, then lift the out-of-water ski about a foot above the water. When you feel confident, raise the ski to a vertical position in front of you, holding the handle in the opposite hand and swinging the free hand back behind you for balance. Most water skiers find it easier to raise the right foot into the salute position by using the right hand for balance. Try the salute when riding in the center of the wake at first.
