Biomechanical P ... Slalom Water Skiing R1.pdf - Atrium - University ...

deep water start a good performance is easily quantified by successfully getting up out ofthe water and to do this in the most energy efficient way would be to minimize the ropeload required. While skiing a slalom course, one measure of performance would be howmany turns the skier was successful in completing it on the outside of the buoy. Theparameters that would have an effect on success rate in the slalom course are velocity,rope load, acceleration and ski orientation.Product development within the water skiing industry is mainly driven by the desire toincrease performance. For beginners, this could be as simple as designing a product thatis more stable for them to use and easier to learn the basic skills. For intermediate skiers,this could include designing a product that allowed them to best transition into slalomskiing and learning how make a good slalom cut. Finally for advanced skiers, it wouldinclude designing a ski that allowed them to maximize their performance during theadvanced slalom skiing activities previously described.Over the past 30 years, water ski manufacturers have increased ski design performancethrough basic ski shape modifications and the use of different manufacturing materials.However, the design of slalom skis has not progressed at a rate that would be expectedgiven the level of recreational and competitive participation. Furthermore, the industryhas received little attention in research literature.5