Wednesday 25 September 2013


There can be nothing more thrilling and exciting than gliding on rustling and undulating waves of water on two long wooden blocks. Sounds amazing, right? Well, it is nothing else than water skiing. Water skiing is a kind of extreme sport, where a person is pulled behind a motor boat or even a cable sky installation on a water body. The skis help the person to ski on the surface and balance while standing up straight while he or she holds a tow rope. Further, water skiing has always been a part of recreational boating. Interested in knowing when did it all start? Hang on, because we are going to travel back in time and check out the history of water skiing!

Initial Hiccups
Apparently, a patent for a water ski was given to a constructor in Sweden in 1841. However, there are doubts whether it was ever used. But the word water ski got an entry in encyclopedia Nordisk Familjebok in 1921.

Eureka
It was not before 1922 on June 28 when Ralph Samuelson hailing from Minnesota put forth a path breaking idea. He was just 18 and was of the view that if skiing was possible on snow, why not do it on water? To prove his point, Samuelson and his brother did this experiment on Lake Pepin in Lake City in Minnesota. Samuelson's brother towed him. Considering all this Samuelson can safely be called the father of water skiing.

The Tools
Needless to say, in 1920s and 1930s, the equipment was not very sophisticated. It was very basic. The initial experiments were done by Samuelson using staves of a barrel and lengths of wood. These were held together using leather strips and this ensemble formed the precursor to modern-day skis. Further, a window sash was used as a ski rope. It was after quite a few days of experimenting that the inventors of water skiing realized that leaning backwards and having ski tips up help in better balance and water skiing experience. Supposedly, Samuelson never patented what he invented. He was credited for the invention of the sport by the American Water Ski Association in 1966. Back to Samuelson, he made the first water ski jump with the help of a greased 4X16 feet ramp on July 8, 1925. In the same year, Fred Waller got the first patent for water skis called Dolphin Akwa Skees. Cut to 1970s, the skis started being made from fiberglass and after that, now they are made of composite material, including carbon fiber.

Trick Ski and Modern Times
Jack Anderson was the one who came up with the first trick ski. That was a shorter, finless, water ski. That was in 1940. But before that, in 1939, National Waterskiing Championship was organized at Jones Beach, Long Island, New York and from then on, there was no looking back for the sport. The popularity of water skiing increased and it was not long before it spread like a wildfire in Europe and North America. Water skiing got the status of an Olympic sport at the 1972 Summer Games in West Germany. After that, there was a string of tournaments and championships of water skiing. To start off, first National Show Ski Tournament was held in 1974, and then the first ever National Intercollegiate Water Ski Championships was held in 1979. A decade later, competition for people with special abilities was held.

The game has now reached such levels that there are around 650 water skiing clubs and there are approximately 11 million active participants in this game, in just USA. Now, show water skiing is also a major aspect of water skiing.

This is where I close the chapters of the history of water skiing! Have fun reading and doing it!

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