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The Ohio University Water Ski Team
is primarily a club/social organization who competes in a relaxed, yet personally competitive, collegiate atmosphere. There is
NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY to join the Ohio University
Water Ski Team so, please, DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED
. The Team/Club is comprised of mostly recreational
skiers who have never, or just recently, entered the realm of competitive skiing.
The vast majority of skiers who join the Team have either just learned how to ski or
have never skied before. There are more advanced members on the Team who have
achieved a more advanced level of competitive skiing who are willing and able to help
you whenever you need it. Remember though, they were all, at one point, in your
shoes, so do not be intimidated. The main reasons to join the team is to meet
new and exciting people, and of course, to learn how to ski better.
We compete in the Midwest Collegiate Region which is composed of 21 teams from Ohio,
Indiana, Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Illinois. When we are not skiing (i.e.
The Winter Months) we are organizing events such as our annual Down-Hill Snow Ski Trip,
our annual Houseboat Trip to Dale Hollow, Spring Quarter Scavenger Hunt, and much more.
At tournaments, or in practice, the Ohio University Water Ski Team competes in the three
events of traditional water skiing which are: Slalom, Tricks, and Jump.
(Note: Recently, the National Collegiate Water Ski Association
(NCWSA) has allowed the substitution of traditional trick skis with wakeboards.)
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Slalom
In Slalom, the contestant negotiates a zig-zag course
of six bouys. As he/she cuts through the wakes of the course,(See visual to left) he/she accelerates
up to speeds more than twice the boat speed. After a complete full pass the boat
speed is increased by two mph unitl a maximum speed for the division of competition
is reached (36 mph for men and 34 mph for women.) Thereafter, the rope is shortened
in premeasured lenghts. The winner is the one who rounds the most bouys without
a miss or fall. The skiers do not miss until the rope is shorter than the distance
from the boat to the bouy and the skier must try to round the bouy by leaning over it
with his or her body.
Tricks
In Tricks, the contestant performs one, 20-second routine of Tricks that each have an
assigned point value. As the skier perfroms his/her run, he/she passes in front
of the judges on shore who watch and evaluate each trick as to whether or not it is
performed correctly. If it is not performed correctly, the skier does not receive
credit for that trick. Thus, the skier must not only execute the tricks quickly,
but also correctly. Some of the most difficult Tricks include wake flips, and
multiple turns performed with the tow rope attached to the contestant's foot.
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Jump
In Jump, the object is distance. Although there is a maximum boat speed for
each age division, the skier can increase his or her speed by "cracking the whip"
behind the boat. This allows jumpers to approach speeds of more than 60 mph
at the base of the jump ramp. Som men skiers in the Open Division competition jump
200 feet of more off a six-foot-high ramp. Women competitors are able to jump
more than 150 feet using a five-foot-high ramp.
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