Water ski jump team
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The jump team is one of the most exciting parts of a water ski show for the audience to watch and for the skiers to participate in. The jump team usual consists of men who are most likely the best skiers on the ski team. The basis for this is because ski jumping is a very technical and physically demanding act. It takes a lot of athleticism and strength. Jumping skis are usually long and thick to withhold the biggest jumps and pressure. The bindings on a jump ski are super tight and hard to get on as well as off. A ski jump is six feet tall and close to ten feet in length. The best ski jumps around today are made with a fiberglass top as to reduce friction between the skis and the jump. It’s very important for the jump to be wet and slick as well to prevent injury and maximize consistency of the jump. There are two kinds of jumping, distance jumping and trick jumping.
The point of distance jumping is to maximize the distance the skier flies off of the ramp. The ultimate technique for ski jumping and taking full advantage of the speed behind a jump is to do a double wake cut. A double wake cut is starting out on the opposite side of the jump all the way outside the wake of the boat and cutting as hard as you possibly can and launching off the ramp at very high speeds. The skier should remember to keep his weight on the balls of his feet and his knees over his toes. The handle should be at his side being held tight with as much strength as possible. After launching off the jump the skier needs to let go with his left hand and keep his right hand with the handle still close to his hip. What is extremely important for the skier to do when in the air is to focus on the horizon ahead and not on the water below, otherwise there is a good chance he will rotate forward and land on his face or worse. But beware, falling from ski jumping is not a lot of fun, there is a lot of pain involved with a high speed distance jump fall. The skier is traveling very fast and hitting the water from a very high height. Also understand that double wake cuts and even single wake cuts are not for beginners. It takes years of practice to be safe and perfect a double wake cut in the ramp. So skiers should jump at their own risk.
Trick jumping is a completely different kind of jumping where the point is to do tricks off of the ramp instead of going for distance. Great jumpers can do 360’s, front flips, gainers, slalom gainers, and a lot else. One key to trick jumping is taking a single wake cut from the near side wake from the boat and cutting hard into the ramp to gain speed into the ramp which will translate into height and hang time. It’s also important to pop off the top of the ramp to gain time in the air in order to complete the trick. The crowd at a ski show loves this act because of the high flying daredevil tricks performed. In a ski show there are up to five jumpers going at the same time. And with the extra dangers from adding skiers or performing more risky tricks. It is imperative that all the jumpers wear helmets to protect their head. Safety is always the first concern in a ski show.
