I believe it has to do with the cost of water skiing. Just rec skiing is expensive. To ski in tournaments cost even more. You have the cost of lake rental times, boat maintenance, you need gas to commute to practice, for the boat, and to/from tournaments and the entry fees. With gas prices the way the are, the younger generation can't afford it. They have college cost or are still paying off their college cost, they are newly married, have little kids. Also you need a boat. At this time in the job market, they are lucky to even find a good job. If they have a good job, you need years to build up sick days, so you can call in sick to ski. You need years at one company to build up paid vacation days. Etc........ . You also need to have good medical coverage too, skiing can cause trips to the Docs office, for x-rays, casts and crutches. Having enough MONEY is the key. I might mention too, if your married, a spouse that doesn't mind you gone skiing, even though there is more important chores to do.