Wakeboarding

Wakeboarding is a water sport that involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. The rider is usually towed behind a motorboat. This sport, that appeared in the beginning of the eighties, has been inspired by surfing, water skiing and snowboarding.

To practice wakeboarding, a boat, a rope and a board are necessary. If the rider wants to do bigger jumps or tricks, he needs a tower. The waves created by the boat act like a ski jump for the surfer.Le wakeboard, Snow-fr.com, Not another snowboard community, 03/07/04, http://www.snow-fr.com/index.php?act=ShowDossiers&id=1040&idcat=30  Snow-fr.com

Timeline

In 1985, Tonny Finn, a surfer, marketed the "Skurfer". It was a board inspired by surfing and water skiing. The "Skurfer" was thick and it had an aileron at his back. Découvrir le Wake, AFW, 27/03/10, http://wakeboard.asso.fr/Pratique/Decouvrir/Historique.aspx 

In 1987, the "Skurfer" board was introduced in France by Maurice Lejeune.

In 1989, Jimmy Redmond founded the World Wakeboard Association (WWA).

In 1990, the first official competition was taking place in Orlando, Florida, United States, while the first wakeboard was marketing.

In 1993, the first world wakeboard championship was organised in United States by the WWA.

In 1994, the riders Gilles Becker, Franck Ropéro and Pierre Bergia established the ANW (Association Nationale de Wakeboard).

In 1995, it was the apparition of the "twin tips". The principle of this board has still used today. The "twin tips" has one or more ailerons in its back and its front.

In 2001, wakeboarding became a discipline in the Akita’s World Games of Japan.Wakeboard, Navigation Québec, 2010,  http://www.navigationquebec.com/wakeboard_fr.php 

In 2004, the first magazine dedicated to the wakeboard, Unleashed Wakeboard Magazine, was published in France.

Characteristics of equipment
Boat: The speed of the boat should be from 28 to 35 kilometers.
Boots: these have an important role, because they are responsible for the control and performance of the surfer. Also, they have to be as comfortable as possible.
Rope: The best length for the rope is between 16 and 24 meters.
Board: There are two different kinds of wakeboards; the "surf" or the "twin tips". The first one is an asymmetric board that is suitable for beginners. The "twin tips" board is more used than the type "surf" because it allows more difficult jumps. Normally, the size of the board is about 130-147 cm by 45 cm.

References

Other websites

Category:Water sports
Category:Board sports