Extreme Watersports

The invention of ESPN’s X-Games in the mid 90’s started the craze of extreme sports that has taken the world by storm. These extreme sports have offered youth the chance to participate in more than just the traditional sports that many of us grew up with. Boaters and water skiers have been pushing the edge of the envelope of extreme sports for years and even decades before the X-Games. In coastal areas like Florida and California, people have been barefoot Water Skiing and Water Ski Racing since the 1940s.

Water skiers have continued create new forms of extreme skiing like ski jumping, slalom skiing and knee boarding. Probably one of the most popular extreme water sports, wakeboarding was created in 1985 when a surfer in San Diego decided to create a board that was cross between a surf board and a water ski called the “Skurfer.” And the rest is history.

Since the X-Games there have been several new inventions in extreme water sports. Some of these like wake surfing and hydro foiling, assume the same amount risk as previous inventions. But some, like teak surfing and kite tubing, are very dangerous and are illegal in many states, including Ohio.

The great thing about many of these water sports is that they have supporting organizations that serve many populations. In competition, there are both male and female divisions, with divisions for boys and girls starting under the age of 9. There are even events for disabled skiers.

On a busy summer weekend in Ohio, it is rare not to find someone water-skiing or wake boarding on your local lake. In fact, Ohio has over 30 private lakes and ski clubs along with thousands of acres of public waterways to get your fix of extreme water sports.

See Related Links to learn more about these water sports.

Photos for this topic are courtesy of Kevin Klosterman (trick skiing) and USA Water Ski (wake boarding).