Wakeboarding is a surface Watersport. It was created from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. Before it was called wakeboarding it was called skurfing (skate + surfing). As in water skiing, the rider is towed behind a boat, or a cable skiing setup, but typically at slower speeds (16 - 23mph). Beginnners start at slower speeds such as 18mph with shorter ropes(60 - 65 ft). More experienced wakeboarders use faster speeds such as 25mph, but use longer ropes up to 80 ft long.''' Instead of using skis, the rider rides a single board, known as a wakeboard, with stationary non-release bindings for each foot, standing sideways as on a snowboard or skateboard. The boards, which can float, are typically 120 - 147cm long, depending on weight, and up to 45cm wide (shorter and wider than snowboards). Unlike snowboards, which are concave, they are convex (tips 15 - 25cm).

Wakeboarding

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Boats

A wakeboarding boat is similar to a water ski boat except that the rope is normally mounted on a tower about 2 metres above the water line and the boat is also weighted and trimmed, with strategically placed large water ballasts tanks, to give a larger wake. The wake is used as hits or ramps would be in other boardsports. Steering the board by a combination of direction and cutting the edges into the water, the rider can move outside of the wake, then cut rapidly in toward the wake, hitting it and launching himself into the air. Heading towards the wake chest facing the boat is known as heelside cutting; approaching from the other direction with chest facing away from the boat is known as toeside cutting.

Language

As with many freestyle sports such as snowboarding and surfing, there is almost a separate language of terms to describe various tricks ( Tantrum, Elephant, Backroll, 5, 7, 9, 10). Tricks can be performed from either heelside or toeside cuts, for example a toeside 360 is approaching the wake toeside followed by a 360 spin in the air.

More on [ Wakeboarding ]

USA Water Ski

World Cup Event Set For This Weekend
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:20:00 -0500
The final IWWF Water Ski World Cup event of 2009 will take place Saturday and Sunday in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Men's and women's slalom, tricks and jumping are on the schedule. The event will be available via live Webcast.
Masters' Qualifications Criteria Released
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:52:18 -0500
The qualifications criteria for the water ski portions of the 51st 
Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament and the 18th Junior Masters Water Ski & Wakeboard Tournament have been released.
2009 Coaches Of The Year Selected
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:14:49 -0500
Brenda Baldwin (Windermere, Fla.), Terry Goodman (Bellingham, Wash.) and Jeff Surdej (Wilmington, Ill.) have been selected USA Water Ski's 2009 Coaches of the Year. Baldwin was named National Coach of the Year; Goodman was named Developmental Coach of the Year; and Surdej was named Volunteer Coach of the Year. All three coaches, who were selected by members of USA Water Ski's Awards Committee, are now eligible to receive the United States Olympic Committee's Coach of the Year awards in their respective categories.    
Executive Director's Report, Nov. 2
Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:05:59 -0500
Executive Director's Report, week of Nov. 2.
Berdnikova Sets Pending World Record
Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:31:27 -0500
Belarus' Natalia Berdnikova set a pending women's world tricks record of 9,080 points on Sunday at the Fluid Season Finale at Lake Grew in Polk City, Fla.
Athletes Of The Month Selected
Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:48:38 -0500
USA Water Ski has selected Zack Worden (Deltona, Fla.) and Caroline Hensley (Hixson, Tenn.) as its Male and Female Athletes of the Month, respectively, for October. The U.S. Under 21 Water Ski Team was selected team of the month. Worden, Hensley and the U.S. Under 21 Water Ski Team are now eligible for the United States Olympic Committee's Athlete and Team of the Month honors.

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