Water Skiing is an individual sport where participants ski on the surface of a body of water, while being pulled behind a motor boat.

Water skiing is a sport where an individual uses one or two skis and is pulled on a body of water using a tow rope attached to a motorboat or a cable ski installation. Skiers begin floating in the water with the tip of the skis pointing up and out of the water. As the craft accelerates, the skier can pull up and stand upright. There are a number of different activities that can be performed in water skiing including trick, show, and slalom skiing, as well as ski racing, and ski jump.

The goal of water skiing is to use a motorboat to pull an individual on skis across a body of water.

In competition, rules are determined by the event skiers are competing in.

According to the American Water Ski Association, water skiing began in 1922 when Ralph Samuelson used two boards as skis and a clothesline as a tow rope on Lake Pepin in Lake City, Minnesota. It remained a little known activity until Samuelson began taking his show throughout the United States. Although there has been some controversy as to who should be credited with inventing the sport, the American Water Ski Association officially gave the title to Samuelson in 1966.

Cable Ski Installation
Motorboat
Tow Rope
Water Skis

A spotter should always be used to ensure the safety of the skier. The spotter sits in the back of the boat and relays signals between the skier and driver, while also alerting the driver if the skier falls.

Training varies depending on the water skiing activity. The more challenging activities like ski jump and ski racing require more extensive training.

Bindings - used to attach the water skis to a skiers feet and are usually made of rubber or neoprene

Bridle - portion of the towrope that attaches to the water ski handle in a "Y" shape

Cable Ski Installation - mechanic construction that pulls skiers

Deep Water Start - when a boat pulls a water skier up out of the water while holding on to a towrope

Dock Start - when a water skier begins a run by first being pulled in the water by a boat while standing or sitting on a dock, or on shore

Flex - refers to the degree of stiffness in a water ski; the softer the flex, the tighter the ski will turn, and the more the ski will bend

Hydrofoil - device on which a seat is mounted on top; the rider sits on the seat with their feet resting on the front of the board while the board rises out of the water

Pass - a successful run by a water skier through a slalom course

Rocker - refers to the shaped different between the top tips of a water ski and the center of the bottom of the ski

Spotter - a designated person in the boat who is in charge of watching the water skier; the spotter is the communicator between the skier and the driver

Towrope - a rope that connects the water skier to the towboat

Wake - the "V" shaped water that trails behind a boat, created by the boat's forward motion

Wash - the broken water left behind a boat in motion

Wing - adjustable tab on the side of a slalom water ski fin used to slow down during turns

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_skiing
http://waterski.about.com/od/educationalterms/a/wski_terms.htm