Tournament shortline rope lengths

[Fam-man]

How are the rope lengths decided? There seems to be reasonable decreasing increments down to 41 off. 38 to 39.5 = 1.5

39.5 to 41 = 1.5

 

After 41 the next increment is 2 feet shorter at 43. Why not stick with the 1.5 foot increments?

[MISkier]

If you look at the metric lengths of the rope, it looks more consistent. I believe 39, 41, and 43 are all separated by half a meter. The English equivalent in feet is approximate and not actual. The metric measurement is actual.

[Edbrazil]

Starting with "35 off":

12.00m, 11.25m, 10.75m, 10.25m, 9.75m, and then fantasy lengths of 9.50, 9.25, etc.

Deltas: .75m, .50m, .50m, .50m, then .25 on...

 

At one time, especially for Pro events, I was proposing that the lengths be based on course

width. At that time, 11.50m was a pass that tended to separate out the winners. Compared

to that, you might have +1 meter, minus .5 meter, etc. Idea never really took off, along with

a Buoy Zero idea to replace the endgate.

[LeonL]

Ah, the approximate feet vs. the actual metric length conundrum.

[TallSkinnyGuy]

Did the metric focus happen when the U.S. was attempting to go metric back in the '80s or is there some European country that has more influence than the U.S. on the sport of waterskiing? Probably better just to ask: what is the reason for the metric focus?

[gsm_peter]

The sport was defined in Europe.

Hence the metric meter measurements and also boatspeed in km/h.

Mph is also rounded values.

 

[Horton]

@gsm_peter The sport was defined in Europe.?

 

[Fam-man]

Suddenly the Americans are in a tough spot. Admit the metric system is better and that's why the sport is based in metric or admit they didn't define the sport.

As a Canadian I will sit back and watch, eventually siding with the winning team.

[Drago]

I believe it was part of the Olympic push

[TallSkinnyGuy]

Who doesn't admit the metric system is better? I thought everyone knew metric was better, but found it too hard to switch from a legacy system. Regardless, I am quite curious to know why slalom skiing is metric based.

[9400]

This would be where Ed Brazil tells us when and how it went from imperial to metric, I'm pretty sure it started in feet and went to metric to adapt for international competition. The metric system is pretty user friendly for water skiing.

[MISkier]

I think the AWSA existed before the IWSF (now the IWWF). IWSF was formed in 1955. I can show a copy of a booklet we received with a 1954 Evinrude that has an AWSA membership application in the back. In fact, the book itself talked about slalom courses, jump, etc.

[liquid d]

We have everything else; ya gotta throw 'em a bone once in a while....

[LeonL]

Whatchutalkinbout Willis (@gsm_peter) indeed?? Defined the sport. I guess I'm dumbfounded.

[MISkier]

Here are some of the pages from that 1954 Evinrude book, including a slalom course layout of 315 yards and a history of the AWSA and tournaments going back to 1939. I haven't seen any European or Canadian literature on the subject yet that shows a sports discipline originating or any organized competition occurring earlier than 1939.

 

 

 

 

[MISkier]

Here is some additional history on water skiing and organized competition.

 

http://www.usawaterskifoundation.org/#!history-of-water-skiing/c1rp6

 

Regarding the invention of water skiing, there has been some discussion about some French snow skiers adapting their skills to water in 1926 or so, but that would be 4 years after Ralph Samuelson.

[Than_Bogan]

Paint it black and that '54 ski looks a lot like my Denali!

 

Guessing it doesn't quite ski like it...

[MISkier]

@Than_Bogan, the first time I slalomed was on a jump ski from the 50s, which were incredibly similar to those slalom skis. It was 72" long with no back toe piece. Just put foot flat on the back. This was when I was 9 in 1974, behind a 25 HP Sea Bee motor (made by Goodyear).

[wilecoyote]

Here's an interesting question, how many of you skied with those double handles? I did. I was probably 10 or 11 years old, and that would have been 1975 behind an Evinrude. Interesting that the gates were so far back in the 1954 course.

[MISkier]

I used the double handles for a few years. I also used the "life belt", which was not a vest but just a flotation ring around your middle.

[VONMAN]

Yes, the good old days. Going out the front only to have your feet floating with your "life belt".

[ALPJr]

We started with double handles and a belt in 73 / 74 on Cypress Gardens Bronco Combos behind a 13' Boston Whaler with a 20hp Johnson.

[Edbrazil]

Long endgates were around a long time after 1954. The 1964 Nationals still had them. The

change happened not long after that, maybe 2-3 years.

[thager]

@Edbrazil I thought the change over was about 1972-1974ish. I know it was before I graduated high school. When we made the change to one of our three courses that metric one was a bear to ski!!!

[Horton]

@Edbrazil I thought Horton Lake was originally Imperial and then Metric in about 72. Thought you did the survey. I may have still been crapping in diapers at the time.

[ALPJr]

@Edbrazil did you set up Spencer's course in Owego? I think that was one of the first man mades in the east.

[MISkier]

Well, we've talked about a lot of great stuff on this thread, but did we settle the question of whether the USA invented and organized the sport of water skiing or not?

 

@Fam-man and @gsm_peter, did you get your questions answered?

 

My summary is this:

 

1. Water skiing first invented/discovered in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson in Minnesota.

2. Water skiing first organized as a competitive sport in 1939 by the AWSA.

3. Official slalom course layouts in many evolutions (e.g. 315 yards) and in English/Imperial measurement units originally.

4. Official measurements for speed, rope, distance, course layout changed to metric for Olympic consideration reasons.

[Fam-man]

@MISkier My question was answered with the first reply, was a smack your forhead "duh" moment as soon as metric length was mentioned.

 

I've enjoyed the ensuing discussion.

[gsm_peter]

I have seen some things described slightly different but I do not have references so End of discussion from my side.

 

Note. not related to the discussion above!!

It would be interesting if someone with more knowledge than me could create a more detailed history tread about how the slalom course evolved over time over the world (year and changes).