Ever thought about getting out of that chair or dropping that prosthetic and having a boat pull you around the lake for a day of slaloming or jumping? More and more people this summer are doing just that by spending the day at a local water ski clinic to feel the spray and the rush of adaptive water skiing.   That’s right, water skiing.  Didn’t think it was possible?  Ye have little faith, my friend.  Just feel the pull of the boat, rise up, and off you go, whizzing and whirring by waving fans.  Water skiing for the Disabled has been around for about twenty years and it continues to grow in both popularity and innovation of ski design.  More than anything this summer, Life IS Full wants to get you wet!

History   Adaptive water skiing slalomed into existence in 1986 when the National Disabled Committee became established. The goal of the committee was to promote the advancement of ski competition and educational programs for skiers with a variety of disabilities, including people with visual impairments, leg and arm amputees, and quadriplegics and paraplegics.   The National Disabled Committee increased opportunities for water skiers with disabilities by creating and promoting ski clinics, innovative equipment, and skiing techniques.  Starting with USA-based ski competitions in Michigan, the organization gained national attention and attracted national competition by hosting a world-level water skiing tournament in Bridgewater in 1991.  Since then, the USA Disabled Water Ski Team has consistently established itself as a dominating force on the water, competing in slalom, tricks, and jumping events.    In 1994, the National Disabled Committee became a sport division of USA Water Ski- the Water Skiers with Disabilities Association (WSDA).

Categories / Divisions The original categories/divisions for water skiers with disabilities, as you can see, incorporated everyone interested in the sport: arm amputees (A); leg amputees (L & LP); paraplegics and quadriplegics (MP1, MP2 & MP3); visual impairments (V1, V2 & V3); the Deaf; les autres (the others). - The leg amputee category consisted of two divisions (with and without prosthesis) after the 1989 Trophy. - The paraplegics and quadriplegics category became three separate categories after the 1991 trophy, according to a classification system performed at each world competition.  The women were recombined at the World Tournament of 1995 due to a lack of participation, and then were separated again in 2000. - The category for people with visual impairments was divided into two separate categories, according to the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) classification system, which necessitates passports indicating status.  In 1994, it was combined back into one again. 1998 saw the IWSF Disabled Classification Committee take over the task of classifying its athletes using IBSA-like parameters.

- The category for the Deaf was eliminated after the 1989 Trophy due to a lack of participation. - Les autres, a ‘catch-all’ category for those who do not fit into the current framework, became a demonstration group in 1990. - The IWSF Disabled movement was determined to be for the physically disabled only in 1989. - A new category called A/L for those with significant arm and leg impairment, arm and leg amputation, and hemiplegia was trialed in the 1999 World Championships, held outside London.  This category would also include skiers with cerebral palsy and other disabilities who can ski upright for slalom. It received a second trial in 2001 at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia and was added as an official category for the 2003 Championships, but for men only. After the 2003 competition, this category was expanded to include women. - Also trialed was a new slalom event for the visually-impaired called audio slalom, which better simulates nondisabled slalom events.  It replaced the wake slalom in 2001.

Adaptive Water Ski Equipment Single-leg amputee and visually-impaired water skiers use the same equipment used by nondisabled skiers, the standard stand-up ski.  Skiers with visual impairments sometimes ski with a guide, or another person who gives them verbal cues.  Water skiers with mobility impairments or difficulty standing, such as people with quadriplegia or paraplegia, use what is called a sit ski. The sit ski made its way to the United States from Europe in the late Eighties.  Royce Andes, a barefoot skier, introduced the sit ski in the States after he became a high-level quadriplegic. There are five different styles of sit skis, each one suited for skiers with different abilities.  One sit ski is designed for high-level quadriplegics, another for beginning skiers, one for intermediate skiers, and another for advanced skiers, as well as a trick ski for advanced skiers.  According to Texas Adaptive Aquatics, it generally takes a brief period of time to teach someone to ski with a sit ski (about five minutes).  Safety, as always, should be the primary goal for anyone learning to ski.  And even if a person was a seasoned professional water skier before an injury, they should always attempt to learn with an expert on hand. As for the prices of the sit skis, they usually go for around $1,100, and used skis are difficult to find due to a high demand.

Here are a few of the sit skis on the market: Comp 1 Kanski ($1600) This is a redesigned version of the original Comp-1 designed by Quickie Design/Sunrise Medical. The ski is a good intermediate ski and can be used from beginner to competition level skiing. This ski comes with many inserts in the ski that allows for the adjustability to mount the cage and footplate in just the right spot. This makes the ski very useful for clinic use or to share with a friend. The Quickie Kanski sells for around $1600.  To locate the nearest Quickie retailer, go to: www.sunrisemedical.com. BMF (The “Bushy Ski”) (contact Spokes ‘n’ Motion for ski pricing) This ski is manufactured in Australia by Bushy Brown, who has been building race skis for more than 10 years. There are several sit skis available through BMF and imported by Spokes “n” Motion. Full details are available on its Web site at www.spokesnmotion.com Kierstead Skis ($700-$1595) The Kierstead Ski was developed through a joint effort with speed ski manufacturer Kierstead and several-time world champion and sit skier Ann O’Brine. The Kierstead Ski is similar to the Kanski Comp-1 in width, but is 3 inches longer and claims to be 7 pounds lighter. This is an intermediate to competition level ski. It is at home on the open water as well as the slalom course. The bevels on the ski are modified from traditional ski design and are said to give it superior edge changes and wake crossings. Kierstead Skis range in price from $700 for a ‘caged’ sit ski to about $1595 for a competition sit ski (ski only).  For more information, contact Kierstead at (321) 259-6737, by email at inhest@aol.com, or visit their website at http://kiersteadskis.com/index.html. For More Information: Visit these sites on the WWW to learn more about adaptive water skiing, to look for water skis to buy (new or used), and to meet people with disabilities who also like to ski! Texas Adaptive Aquatics: http://www.taasports.org/default.htm USA Water Ski: http://www.usawaterski.org/pages/divisions/WSDA/History.htm Adaptive Adventures: http://www.adaptiveadventures.org/sportsrec/waterski.html British Disabled Water Ski Association: http://www.zyworld.com/bdwsa/Home.htm WheelchairNet: http://www.wheelchairnet.org/WCN_Living/Docs/waterski.html

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