“Hit It!” This past weekend the big and the little took to the water, dragging their parents and friends with them. Boat after boat criss-crossed lakes throughout cottage country, pulling and sometimes dragging water skiers and wanna-be skiers. With the spotter yelling words of encouragement, some made it up out of the water, while others - submarined.

Getting up on water skis is no easy feat, especially if you’re a beginner. Fortunately for little kids, their skis have been modified to help with the whole process. Shorter, wider and with two bars, one in the front to keep the skis from crossing, and one in the back to keep them from separating, they stand a much better chance of making it up (pictured above). They also come with two handles - one for the skier and one for the spotter.

Newer skis come with training DVDs, and as six-year-old, Jarred told me, “I watched the video and learned how to do it.” It must work because he made it up on his first try. Kid’s skis retail for approx. $250 and can be found at any boating store or marina. For the older crowd, sorry, there are no trainers - but go back and check out “Brand New Boards” blog.

But regardless of age, there are a couple of things to keep in mind when starting out with a beginner:

• Make sure they are dressed appropriate - little kids get cold fast, they are also nervous - so if they have a wet-suit make sure their wearing it.

• If at first you don’t succeed - stop after a couple of tries - take a break and try again. It’s hard work and newbies tire quickly. We will try starting a skier off the dock and in the water, but in the water seems to work the best.

• Good idea to have someone in the water with the skier - calm them down, fetch the rope, turn them over if they turtle.

If all else fails, there is always water-ski camp. If you live on Vancouver Island, WSWBC Water Ski Training Camp has an upcoming camp from August 25 - 28. This four day camp costs $500 and is coached by Clint Baikie. For more information go to Waterski and Wakeboard British Columbia.

For all those folks how tried and failed this weekend, don’t be discouraged. Watch the DVD and get back out there, as the 4-H motto goes, “Learn to do by doing.”

PS - it’s always a good thing to help chip in and pay for gas, new skiers go through a lot of fuel.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 7th, 2007 at 6:58 pm and is filed under Toys. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.