Water Ski Trends in Elite Water Skiing (Top 20), from 1998 to 2023

[Luzz]

Back at it Ballers!

Previous editions of this posting can be found here and here.

The DATA is now updated with the October 2023 publication of the world rankings, with more numbers than the graphs below showcase.

Would love to hear everyone's thoughts and speculations over the trends and changes

[BKistler]

Interesting. What stands out is Women’s Tricks. 

[03RLXi]

What stands out to me is for most plots there's fairly linear improvement. Result of improved equipment, knowledge, technique, coaching, repetition, training, attitude etc.

But not women's jump. Why? Perhaps the depth of field is not so great so the push to improve is not so high as other events?  

[Cooper_Trelawney]

I'm curious to know the depth of the fields in 98 compared to today.  Like, were the fields more tightly competitive then or now?  I know in the past decade, the jump records have been held by only 2 men and 1 woman.  It seems like there used to be more variety in some events as to who could set and hold the WR.  I think tricks is like that currently with about 3-4 women and 4-5 guys who can trade podium spots any given Sunday.

[Intheday]

Tricks are hard, jumping is smaller ground again and hard.  
 

The very best slalom skiers have been in a world of their own

 

 

 

[chrislandy]

The womens jump is interesting, since 2013 even with the WR increasing slightly, the top 5 average has plateaued and the mean & btm 5 average has reduced significantly 

[Jody_Seal]

yes very interesting with the womens jump. 98-early 2000's some women were ski flying and learning how to go farther. along with the increased ramp height for regulation jumping these women set the stage for the big goal of 200' however along those years there was a push to adopt the longer ski fly ramp for all divisions, it was safer to some degree and allowed for longer jumps in general yet the old men of the day said no and petitioned no on the adoption of the longer ski fly ramp.

one only has to look at the knee braces on the womens jump dock now a day's. one will under stand why women's 5 and a half jump is in a downward trend. I believe if the adoption of the ski fly longer style ramp injuries to then knees may well have been reduced.

when my daughter was a G-3/4 the field of girls was deep in the US. especially in the southern region. 4 or 5 girls that could jump in excess of 125' as well as a few that were near the 150' range. virtually none of those girls who would be late womens 2 or early 3 are skiing today let alone jumping.. Why is that??