Water skiing is the propulsion of a person across water on a ski, or skis, wider than those used for skiing on snow, by means of a rope (23 metres or 75 foot long) attached to a speed boat.
The first person known to have "danced on water" on a wooden plank was Eliseo of Tarentum in the 14th century.
18-year-old Ralph Samuelson pioneered the sport as it is known today on June 28, 1922 in Lake City, Minnesota. An expert aquaplane (standing on a board while being pulled by a powerboat), he had put on his skis while riding his aquaplane on Lake Pepin and had cast off, one foot at time, until he was planning on the two boards. Samuelson actually skied for several yards before he fell.
Samuelson experimented with different positions on the skis for several days until on July 2, 1922 he discovered that leaning backwards in the water with ski tips up and poking out of the water at the tip was the optimal method. His older brother Ben towed him and they reached a speed of 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph).
Samuelson spent 15 years performing shows and teaching water skiing to people in the United States but never patented his water skis.
The first patent for water skis was issued to Fred Waller, of Huntington, New York, on October 27, 1925, for skis he developed independently of Samuelson's and marketed as "Dolphin Akwa-Skees." Waller's inventive genius also gave the world the Cinerama.
Waller's water skis were made out of kiln-dried mahogany as were some boats at the time. They were twice the length of the snow ski, and the tips of each ski were linked with a bridle (to keep the two ropes apart) which in turn was attached by a single line to the launch. The rider balanced himself by means of two ropes joined to the bow-end of each ski.
Waller eventually discarded his original water skis and evolved a type more or less identical with the modern Free Tow Boards. Its advantage was that the skis were no longer pulled directly by the boat. The rider himself held the tow-rope while his feet were secured to the skis by shoe-like bindings.
For years, Waller was credited as the inventor of the sport. But, clippings in Samuelson's scrapbook and on file with the Minnesota Historical Society were beyond dispute, and in February 1966 the American Water Ski Association officially recognized Samuelson as the first recorded water skier in history. Samuelson was also named as the first ski racer, slalom skier, and the first organizer of a water ski show.
Dick Pope Sr, creator of Florida Cypress Gardens became interested in water skiing during the 1920s, while working with his brother promoting and selling speed boats in Florida. He introduced jumping into the sport when he made the first leap from a low slanted ramp off Miami Beach in 1928. Referring to it in his book on Water Skiing he wrote: "Sometimes the first person to do something sets off a reaction that reverberates through the world. My 'first' did just that . . . The record I set was 25 feet as I soared through the air thinking I would never come down."
In 1939 the American Water Ski Association (AWSA) was organized by Dan B. Hains, and the first National Water Ski Championships were held at Jones Beach, on Long Island the same year.
The governing body for all towed water sports, The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) was founded in Geneva in 1946. It has 91 affiliated member federations worldwide.
The National Water Ski Championships were broadcast on national television for the first time at Callaway Gardens, Georgia, in 1962.
There are water ski participants worldwide. In the United States alone, there are approximately 11 million water skiers while Australia boasts 1.3 million water skiers.
In the United States, there are over 900 sanctioned water ski competitions each summer. Orlando, Florida is considered to be the competitive 3-event water skiing capital of the world. Competitions are for overall performances, slalom , tricks, and jumping.
Sources Waterskihalloffame, Thoughtco, Europress Encyclopedia, Hutchinson Encyclopedia,
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The first person known to have "danced on water" on a wooden plank was Eliseo of Tarentum in the 14th century.
18-year-old Ralph Samuelson pioneered the sport as it is known today on June 28, 1922 in Lake City, Minnesota. An expert aquaplane (standing on a board while being pulled by a powerboat), he had put on his skis while riding his aquaplane on Lake Pepin and had cast off, one foot at time, until he was planning on the two boards. Samuelson actually skied for several yards before he fell.
Samuelson experimented with different positions on the skis for several days until on July 2, 1922 he discovered that leaning backwards in the water with ski tips up and poking out of the water at the tip was the optimal method. His older brother Ben towed him and they reached a speed of 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph).
Samuelson spent 15 years performing shows and teaching water skiing to people in the United States but never patented his water skis.
The first patent for water skis was issued to Fred Waller, of Huntington, New York, on October 27, 1925, for skis he developed independently of Samuelson's and marketed as "Dolphin Akwa-Skees." Waller's inventive genius also gave the world the Cinerama.
Waller's water skis were made out of kiln-dried mahogany as were some boats at the time. They were twice the length of the snow ski, and the tips of each ski were linked with a bridle (to keep the two ropes apart) which in turn was attached by a single line to the launch. The rider balanced himself by means of two ropes joined to the bow-end of each ski.
Waller eventually discarded his original water skis and evolved a type more or less identical with the modern Free Tow Boards. Its advantage was that the skis were no longer pulled directly by the boat. The rider himself held the tow-rope while his feet were secured to the skis by shoe-like bindings.
For years, Waller was credited as the inventor of the sport. But, clippings in Samuelson's scrapbook and on file with the Minnesota Historical Society were beyond dispute, and in February 1966 the American Water Ski Association officially recognized Samuelson as the first recorded water skier in history. Samuelson was also named as the first ski racer, slalom skier, and the first organizer of a water ski show.
Dick Pope Sr, creator of Florida Cypress Gardens became interested in water skiing during the 1920s, while working with his brother promoting and selling speed boats in Florida. He introduced jumping into the sport when he made the first leap from a low slanted ramp off Miami Beach in 1928. Referring to it in his book on Water Skiing he wrote: "Sometimes the first person to do something sets off a reaction that reverberates through the world. My 'first' did just that . . . The record I set was 25 feet as I soared through the air thinking I would never come down."
In 1939 the American Water Ski Association (AWSA) was organized by Dan B. Hains, and the first National Water Ski Championships were held at Jones Beach, on Long Island the same year.
The governing body for all towed water sports, The International Waterski & Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) was founded in Geneva in 1946. It has 91 affiliated member federations worldwide.
The National Water Ski Championships were broadcast on national television for the first time at Callaway Gardens, Georgia, in 1962.
There are water ski participants worldwide. In the United States alone, there are approximately 11 million water skiers while Australia boasts 1.3 million water skiers.
In the United States, there are over 900 sanctioned water ski competitions each summer. Orlando, Florida is considered to be the competitive 3-event water skiing capital of the world. Competitions are for overall performances, slalom , tricks, and jumping.
Sources Waterskihalloffame, Thoughtco, Europress Encyclopedia, Hutchinson Encyclopedia,
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