21 Questions
Think you're 'in the know' when it comes to watersports? Test your knowledge with Boating World's Quiz.
by Sarah Pelot
1. What was the wakeboard first called?
A. Water Board
B. Ski Board
C. Surf Ski
D. Skurfer
2. In the slalom event
portion of three-event traditional waterskiing, how long can the rope be?
A. 55 feet
B. 65 feet
C. 75 feet
D. 85 feet
3. Which sport requires you to wear special shoes?
A. Kiteboarding
B. Wakeskating
C. Hydrofoiling
D. Wakeboarding
4. How much of
a breeze do you need to go kiteboarding?
A. 10 mph
B. 20 mph
C. 25 mph
D. 30 mph
5. What’s the proper stance when beginning to wakeboard?
A. Chest up, knees slightly bent, handle low on the
leading hip
B. Chest up, legs straight, handle at mid-chest level
C. Chest leaning forward, knees bent to mid-squat, handle down by the
knees
D. Whatever feels right — rider comfort is the key
6. What’s the basic tool needed to make barefoot waterskiing “equipment” repairs?
A. Thread
B. Super Glue
C. Tape
D. Staples
7. Which male and female were selected as USA Water Ski’s 2007 Male and Female Athletes of
the Year?
A. Jared Bohlen and Leah Ritchart
B. Keith St. Onge and Jody Sherwood
C. Freddy Krueger and Mandy Nightingale
D. Adam Errington and Dallas Friday
8. Which term describes a trick where while the kneeboarder is in mid-air, they release the
handle with both hands and place both hands simultaneously behind their head before regaining
control of the handle?
A. Wake Jump One
B. Floater
C. Handle Flip
D. Wake Floater
9. Which watersport has
been adapted so that physically disabled athletes can participate and compete?
A. Waterskiing
B. Wakeboarding
C. Barefooting
D. Kneeboarding
10. What wakeboarding term describes the position of a rider when they’re riding
backward?
A. Air Raley
B. Backside
C. Fakie
D. Tantrum
11. Water-ski racing athletes are the only ones who must wear protective head gear and
flotation devices during a competition.
A. True
B. False
12. Which water-ski team has won three National Championships in the past four
years?
A. Mad City
B. Wonder Lake
C. Rock Aqua Jays
D. Little Crow
13. Wakeskating has become more urbanized due to the advent of what kind of
technology?
A. Fin
B. Winch
C. Board
D. Shoes
14. Which of the following is NOT a mistake when crossing a wake when waterskiing or
wakeboarding?
A. Leaning back
B. Keeping your arms straight
C. Holding the handle in a high position
D. Leaning forward
15. Which of the following is the best place to go to learn kiteboarding?
A. Hawaii
B. South Florida
C. South Texas
D. Cape Hatteras, N.C.
16. When
towing riders, you do all of the following except:
A. Make gradual changes in direction
or speed
B. Use hand signals to let the
person behind the boat know your intentions
C. Insist no one get behind the boat
if they’re not wearing a PFD or have been drinking
D. Pay very careful attention to the
person behind the boat
17. In which sport is the equipment made up of three major assemblies?
A. Hydrofoiling
B. Kiteboarding
C. Wakeskating
D. Waterskiing
18. Each show skiing club in a competition is allowed how much time prior to the show
to set up?
A. 10 minutes
B. 20 minutes
C. 30 minutes
D. 1 hour
19. The competition format for wakeboarding is a subjectively judged free-riding
routine.
A. True
B. False
20. Which Florida theme park is known for its water-ski shows?
A. Busch Gardens
B. Walt Disney World
C. Cypress Gardens
D. Sea World
21. Who’s the most well-known barefoot skier?
A. Banana George
B. Dick Pope Jr.
C. A.G. Hancock
D. Kevin Towers
Answers
1. (D.) San Diego surfer Tony Finn began the wakeboard revolution when he developed the “
Skurfer” — a cross between a water ski and a surfboard — in 1985.
2. (C.) The rope can be up to 75 feet long. It’s shortened in pre-measured lengths after each
successful pass the slalom skier makes. The winner of a slalom competition is the athlete who
rounds the most buoys at the shortest line length.
3. (B.) Wakeskate
shoes are similar to skateboarding shoes, and some are even interchangeable. Most are designed with
quick-drying materials and special drainage channels.
4. (A.) A 10-mph breeze is enough to get you up and going on a kiteboard. Although whitecaps
are an indication that there’s good wind to kiteboard, it’s best to learn with a gentle breeze in
relatively calm conditions.
5. (A.) Riding stance is arguably the most important aspect of wakeboarding. Practicing on
dry land ahead of time will facilitate standing correctly on the water.
6. (B.) If a blister or cut opens on the bottom of an athlete’s foot, standard procedure is
to glue it shut so they can finish skiing, and deal with stitches later.
7. (C.)
Krueger won his second career men’s world jumping title, and Night-ingale competed on two U.S.
water-ski teams, collecting four individual medals in the process.
8. (D.) The kneeboarder must attain lift off the wake, unlike the Floater, where they can
perform the trick while in regular kneeboard position.
9. (A.) Waterskiing tournaments offer slalom, tricks and jumping events for vision-impaired
individuals, multiplegics, leg amputees, arm ampu-tees, and athletes with both arm and leg
disabilities.
10. (C.) For example, a rider who normally rides with his right leg in front would ride the
fakie position with his left leg in front. It’s also known as a “switchstance” or “switch.”
11. (B.) Boat drivers and
observers must wear them as well, although only the competitors also wear neck braces and other
protective gear, which softens the blow of tremendous falls taken at high speeds.
12. (A.) The Mad
City Ski Team from Madison, Wis. — which has roughly 90 members — recently won its third National
Championship. Mad City had 238 skiing spots in the show, and only six falls. Answers B, C, and D
are the teams that came in second, third and fourth place, respectively.
13. (B.) The winch
is a mechanical device that holds a spool of rope and pulls the rope in at riding speed. This
invention has given wakeskaters the opportunity to ride in places never imagined possible, making
wakeskating more accessible.
14. (B.) Lots of people tend to fight the boat, pulling their arms in and trying to force
themselves across the wake. Keep your arms straight, and let the boat do the work. It’ll pull you
across the wake by itself if you let it.
15. (A., B., C. & D.) Actually, they’re all great locations for kiteboarding.
Essentially, any locale with consistent, steady side-onshore winds; large, open bodies of water;
and good launch areas is suitable for kiteboarding. But these areas are some of the most popular
and sought out by kiteboarders.
16. (D.) Although it’s important to keep an eye on the person behind the boat, you don’t want
to forget to watch where you’re going. This is why observers are important — the captain can pilot
the boat while the observer watches the person behind.
17. (A.) A
hydrofoil is constructed with a seat tower, which you sit on; a board, which your feet are attached
to with bindings; and a foil assembly, which holds the board and the seat tower.
18. (B.) When setup time begins, the entire cast — often as many as 70 people — has only 20
minutes to race about, placing thousands of dollars worth of equipment along the beach. At the
conclusion of each club’s show, they have a maximum
of only 10 minutes to break down and remove equipment.
19. (A.) Contestants may perform any maneuvers they choose in any order. Riders are
encouraged to perform at least five tricks per pass, and may not repeat any maneuvers. Judging is
based on difficulty, proficiency, intensity, creativity, fluidity, and the variety of moves
performed.
20. (C.) Florida’s first theme park — Cypress Gardens — opened on Jan. 2, 1936, in Winter
Haven as a botanical garden. It’s known as the “Water Ski Capital of the World” because many of the
sport’s landmark “firsts,” and more than 50 world records were broken there.
21. (A.) Legendary 93-year-old
George A. “Banana George” Blair is a champion barefoot waterskier and member of the American Water
Ski Educational Foundation’s Water Ski Hall of Fame. Since learning how to ski at age 46, he has
won many awards and holds numerous records, including several entries in the Guinness Book of World
Records.
If You Answered:
17-21 correct:
You spend so much time on the water, you're practically amphibious. Check your feet for
webbing.
13-16 correct:
You've mastered the Frontside 180, but you're not quite to the Tantrum.
9-12 correct:
You can carry a conversation with Zane Schwenk without looking too dumb.
5-8 correct:
You're at least somewhat educated about watersports, but you may not be ready to cross the
wake yet.
0-4 correct:
Watersports - what's that? Is that a sport you play in the water?
Bonus Questions:
22. USA Water Ski’s Water Ski National Championships has been held every year since 1939,
with the exception of what time period?
A. 1942-1945
B. 1950-1953
C. 1959-1975
D. 1990-1991
A. During World War II, from 1942-1945, the Championships were not held. Today, nearly 1,000
athletes compete in 31 divisions in the six-day tournament.
23. Waterskiing was invented in the United States in what year?
A. 1922
B. 1939
C. 1945
D. 1950
B. Minnesotan Ralph Samuelson built the first pair of skis and was towed on them behind an
outboard-powered boat in 1922. Waterskiing developed officially into a competitive sport in 1939.
24. What’s the age of the youngest and oldest competitors ever to ski at the Water Ski
National Championships?
A. 4 and 94 years old
B. 5 and 90 years old
C. 5 and 94 years old
D. 6 and 95 years old
C. At the Water Ski National Championships last August, Kristen Baldwin became the youngest
competitor ever at age 5, while Lucille Borgen became the oldest competitor at age 94.
25. Which of the following is an “Xtreme” sports term for “bad”?
A. Gnarly
B. Cooking Fish Sticks
C. Bacon
D. Yo Mad Phat
C. Lame, loopy, pearl jam, pack o' Newports, shady, trippin' are other terms that mean “bad.”