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Wind Surfing
Jet Skiing
Water Skiiing
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This sport is a combination of Sailing and Surfing using a variety of speed and acrobatic techniques. Since this sport is so weather-dependent, sailboarders must be able to identify different wind and wave movements.
There are 3 main types of competition, all of which are races using buoys; long distance or slalom, wave and freestyle, and regulated Olympic races. Speed races are less common.
Equipment
In 1980, equipment changes gave rise to a shorter and more controllable board coined the ‘funboard’ - making the sport accessible to wider participation. The first competitions took place in the 1970s and Sailboarding became an Olympic sport for men in 1984 in Los Angeles and for women in 1992 in Barcelona.
The 3 types of sailboards are:
Slalom boards, made for speed and the capability of planning.
Olympic boards, being long, thick and made for use in widely-varying wind conditions.
Wave boards, being strong, light, short and easy-to-handle. Wave boards are particularly manoeuvrable and controllable in high winds.
History
Two Americans patented this relatively modern sport in 1968, although others claimed to have done so previously. |
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