With a three-month summer vacation just around the corner, most energetic students are doing away with their monotonous schedules and doing their own thing. More students than ever are heading for the lakes in search of a “tropical” tan along with bunches of outdoor fun. An American favorite is the splashy sport of water skiing. If you have never indulged in the sport of water skiing, it is not at all difficult to learn. In fact, for a little money and desire, water skiing can be a very easy sport to master.
After having access to a boat, the skier must obtain skis. Skis can be bought according to weight and height in almost any sporting goods shop. The two most popular brands are Western Wood and Dick Polk. These are priced from $59.95 to $135. The ski boat should be equipped with a rearview mirror no smaller than four inches in measurement from top to bottom or across from one side to the other. Before actually getting into the water, the skier should be wearing a Coast Guard-approved life jacket or a personal flotation device. Although skiers over 12 are not required by law to wear life jackets, a Coast Guard-approved device must be carried in the ski boat for each passenger. O’Brian, Connelly, and Jobe are the popular name-brand tow ropes. These cost from $6 to $27.50. This is a must on the skier’s equipment list.
With a boat, skies, a life jacket, a mirror and a tow rope, the skier only needs an experienced boat driver. When choosing a boat driver, a skier should pick one with common sense. Although usually overlooked, the driver is a key factor to a good skier. Whatever the age of the beginner, he will find the easiest place to ski is directly behind the boat, inside the wake. Before long, a skier will be jumping the wake, skiing slalom, and wondering how he ever thought the sport was difficult. Austin skiers are mostly found at surrounding lakes, such as Decker, Austin and Travis. These places, charging only a small entrance fee, if any, give the frequent skier a break in the cost of his sport.
McCallum has its share of water skiers. Rene LeBlanc, for instance, has been skiing for 12 years. Rene’s uncle was responsible for introducing this sport to Rene. Now, pleased with the sport, Rene has all his own equipment and skies quite often. According to Rene, it is a safe sport if safety precautions are obeyed and the skier realizes his capabilities. Some Mac backers, however, have either tried water skiing once or never indulged in the sport at all. Their reasons for this range from not having the proper equipment to not knowing how to swim.
This article was published in The Shield on May 23, 1980.
