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

An inertial measurement unit (IMU) is the type of transducer that could be implementedto provide this type of quantitative data. The basic theory and applications ofaccelerometers and gyroscopes date back several years in literature. Advancements intechnology have allowed both types of transducers to decrease in size while being moreaccurate and robust. This has significantly increased the types of applications that IMUscan be used for. Furthermore, the development of IMUs, which combine accelerometers,gyroscopes and magnetometers, has improved the quantitative analysis of highly dynamicsports. Water skiing is an example of a highly dynamic sport that has not received thesame type of attention in research literature. This is most likely due to the manychallenges that present themselves with respect to the natural environment of waterskiing.One author was able to collect skier velocity and rope load during different water skiingactivities for a group of intermediate skiers [ Runciman, 2011]. Another, published adescription and applications of instrumentation that could be used to collect a variety ofperformance parameters. However, they were unable to support their work with anyexperimental data [Macken, 1997].The purpose of this study was to fill the void in literature and provide quantitative datafor advanced slalom skiers, while implementing a controlled environment to improve thequality of data, from Runciman (2011). This article will provide details of themethodology that was used to collect and analyse the experimental data. Details will be84