Water ski and Wakeboard

(seulement disponible en anglais présentement)

(Source: http://www.waterski-wakeboard.ca)

Water Skiing and Wakeboarding are both sports that people with any disability can participate in. Adaptive equipment is used to help people with a disability enjoy and advance their Water Ski and Wakeboarding skills. Everyone is “ski-able” and every person has a right to participate in sport and pursue excellence.

Participants compete in men and women divisions for blind persons, multiplegics and leg and arm amputees. Adapted tournaments include the same events as Water Skiing - Slalom, Tricks and Jump. Audio Slalom has recently been added to the events list.

Audio Slalom is an event similar to slalom that was designed for blind or vision impaired athletes. The difference is that the skier turns at the sound of a tone rather than turning around a buoy. The Audio Slalom Signal Generator (ASSG) produces the tone. The ASSG measures the angle of the rope in relation to the boat path and sounds a tone when the skier has pulled far enough to the outside to simulate a turn around a buoy.

Blind athletes use the same equipment as non-disabled athletes, except another water skier is beside them to serve as a guide. Multiplegic athletes use sit skis, where they are seated on a ski that is wider than that of a regular slalom ski. Leg and arm amputees use the same equipment as in water skiing and have the option of skiing with or without a prosthesis.

SkiAbility is a program designed to be inclusive to all members of the disabled community whether physically or intellectually disabled. Across Canada, athletes participate and compete in Wakeboarding, Barefoot and all forms of classic Water Skiing with visual impairments and leg and/or arm amputations in addition to sit skiers.

CLASSIFICATION

Recreationally, any one with a disability can participate in adaptive Water Skiing and Wakeboarding. Disabilities include visual impairment, cerebral palsy, amputee, spinal cord injury, spina bifida, and les autres (e.g. multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, polio).

To be involved in competitive Water Skiing and Wakeboarding, classifications are determined based upon sport- specific tests and muscle-function examination rather than a medical diagnosis. There is a minimum disability clause for National and International competitions. Within the visual impairment category, seated and standing super-classes, each athlete is assigned a classification factor based upon the extent they can use specific parts of their body such as arms, legs, trunk or sight.

The classification categories are as follows:

A - Arm amputees
L - Leg amputees without prosthesis
LP - Leg amputees with prosthesis
A/L - Significant arm and leg impairment, arm and leg amputation, hemiplegia, cerebral palsy and other disabilities/conditions where skiers are able to ski upright for slalom.
M - Quadriplegic, paraplegic and double leg amputees
M1 - Athletes unable to utilize the majority of their trunk musculature and rise from their knees without arm support. They lack full use of their upper extremities. Typically, they do not have adequate grip strength and may utilize their forearms or wrists to hold the handle. This division is comprised mostly of quadriplegics.
M2 - Athletes able to use their upper trunk muscles and raise their body partially from their knees in the skiing position. Typically, they have full use of their upper extremities. This division is comprised mostly of paraplegics, with breaks above T-10 that have poor balance.
M3 - Athletes with good use of the majority of their trunk muscles, possibly including abdominals. Typically, they are able to raise their trunk from their knees in the skiing position and have full use of their upper extremities. This division is comprised mainly of double leg amputees and paraplegics with complete breaks lower than T-12.
V - Blind and Vision Impaired
V1 - No light perception at all in either eye, up to light perception but inability to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction. V1 skiers are required to ski wearing "black out" goggles.
V2 - From ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 2/60 and/or a visual field of less than five degrees.
V3 - From a visual acuity of 2/60 up to a visual acuity of 6/60 and/or a visual field of more than 5 degrees and less than 20 degrees. Skiers classified as V2 and V3 will always ski in one single category named V2/3.

HISTORY

Recreationally, adaptive Water Skiing started as early as the 1970's as a cottage industry. By 1987, there was an enough of a global presence to host the first international competition. In 1987, the first World Trophy was held in England, with officials from Europe, Africa, the Middle Eastern Region and the Pan Am region. There were 40 contestants from 7 countries that participated in the event. As there was a lack of participation in the event, it was called a World Trophy instead of a World Championship. There were two other World Trophy events held in 1989 and 1991.

By this time an IWSF Disabled Commission had been established, but the IWSF was pushing to move towards council status. This status was finally achieved in 1992 by means of increased participation and the establishment of standard rules.

With the ever-growing popularity of adaptive Water Skiing, 1993 marked the first year for the World Championships, held in Roquebrune, France. There were at least three officials from each Region as per the new rules and a record 84 participants from 15 countries. The USA won the team title ahead of Great Britain and Australia.

Presently the World Championships take place bi-annually. Adaptive Water Skiing has also spread into Canada with 2004 marking the first ever Canadian National Adaptive Championship, held in Montreal, Quebec.

Source: Waterski and Wakeboard Canada

For more information:
International Governing Body
International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF)
http://www.waterski-wakeboard.ca/adapted_e.php?p=adapted_whatis_e

National Governing Body
Water Ski and Wakeboard Canada
http://www.waterski-wakeboard.ca