How Much Do You Know About Water Skiing? A Quiz

Do you understand how the basic water skiing equipment works as well as the fundamentals of the sport of water skiing? Take the following “True or False” quiz and find out. At least you stand a 50-50 chance of being right.

(1) The skier shouts, “In gear!” when he is ready to begin skiing.
Answer: False. The skier shouts, “Hit it!” when he is ready to begin skiing. The signal “In gear!” is used to communicate to the operator of the boat to take up the tow rope before beginning skiing.

(2) The ski boat features an outboard motor to produce minimal quaking on the water so the skier can move fast.
Answer: False. Water ski boats are manufactured with inboard motors for the above reason.

(3) Before beginning skiing, you should check that the water is free from debris or obstructions and that the depth is at least three to four feet.
Answer: False. The water should be free of obstructions and be at least six to seven feet deep so the skis of the skier won’t shuffle along the bottom when the skier is starting on the course.

(4) Water skiing without the benefit of skis is called barefooting.
True. Without the use of any type of skis or this piece of equipment for water skiing, a skilled skier is assisted in barefoot skiing by the use of a barefoot boom which is a lengthy aluminum pole extending from the center of the ski boat.

(5) A skier who gives the thumbs down signal while water skiing is indicating to the operator to go back to the starting point.
Answer: False. The thumbs down signal means to slow down. Alternatively, the thumbs up signal means to speed up.

(6) Slalom skiing uses one ski and enables to skier to make wider turns.
Answer: False. Although slalom skiing does use one ski, the ski is designed so the skier can make sharper turns at greater speeds.

(7) Jump skis are light weight and made of a high strength composite material so they can be used to jump off ramps for a minimum amount of impact.
Answer: True. These skis assist a skier in jumping well over 200 feet!

(8) During exhibition skiing, trick skiers are allowed 30 seconds to perform as many tricks as they can and are allowed two runs.
Answer: False. The allotted time is 20 seconds for two runs.

(9) Usually, three people are the minimum number of participants involved in water skiing. They include the skier, the driver and observer.
Answer: True: All three participants play a key role while skiing. The observer, especially, is instrumental to the sport as he is the intermediary between the driver and skier so communication is clearly relayed.

10) Some water skiing equipment supplies provide ropes with split ends so two water skiers can be pulled at the same time.
Answer: True. Ropes are made for this purpose.

How’d you do? Did you “speed” through the quiz? You can gain a lot more information about water skis by searching the Internet. Many retailers can assist you in finding the right equipment for water skiing and give you additional information on the sport itself.