Waterskiing is a popular summer sport, satisfying people of all ages. As a novice, you may feel intimidated or have second thoughts about where to begin. Follow these pointers by William Schoellkopf, avid outdoors man, to make the most of your experience:
- Get in the water, slip on your skis, and tighten them as much as you can. You’ll normally lose one or both of them when you crash, even if they are tight, but you don’t want one to slip off as you’re skiing on the water.
- Have the driver tighten the slack out of the rope. The less slack there is, the easier it will be for you to get up. Once you grab hold of the rope, he can give the boat just a tiny bit of gas and then stop it again, and it will slowly pull you along and get the slack out.
- Once the slack is out of the rope, bend your legs at the knee, crossing the top of your skis a tad to help you keep them together. This is the key to helping you get up.
- Put the rope in between the skis and hold it right in front of your chest. You should be almost in a little ball, resting your butt on the end of your ski on the water if you can.
- Once you are in the water, with your knees bent, skis together, and rope between them and held in front of your chest, relax! This cannot be stressed enough as it plays a big part in getting up.
- Stand up slowly and gradually! Don’t fight the pull of the rope and the water. Rather, go with it.
- Once you are up, use the rope to stay up. You can pull it up above your head or down low to help balance the slack. This will help you stay up as the driver is slowing down.
Waterskiing is a blast once you figure it out! Just stay patient and don’t give up. It might take a few tries before you get it, but you will eventually. It’s worth the effort.