What
Is Adaptive Water Skiing?
Adapted
is simply water skiing for athletes with a disability. Participants compete in
men and women divisions for blind persons, multiplegics and leg and arm
amputees. Adapted tournaments include the same events as water skiing - slalom,
tricks and jump. Audio slalom has recently been added to the events list.
Audio
Slalom was designed for blind or vision impaired athletes, it is an event
similar to slalom. The difference is that the skier turns at the sound of a
tone rather than turning around a buoy. The Audio Slalom Signal Generator
(ASSG) produces the tone. The ASSG measures the angle of the rope in relation
to the boat path and sounds a tone when the skier has pulled far enough to the
outside to simulate a turn around a buoy.
Blind
athletes use the same equipment as non-disabled athletes, except another water
skier is beside them to serve as a guide. Multiplegic athletes use sit skis,
where they are seated on a ski that is wider than that of a regular slalom ski.
Leg and arm amputees use the same equipment as in water skiing and have the
option of skiing with or without a prosthesis.
The
categories are as follows:
- A Arm
amputees
- L Leg
amputees without prosthesis
- LP Leg
amputees with prosthesis
- A/L Significant
arm and leg impairment, arm and leg amputation, hemiplegia, cerebral palsy
and other disabilities/conditions where skiers are able to ski upright for
slalom.
- M Quadriplegic, paraplegic and double leg amputees
- M1 Athletes unable to utilize the majority of their trunk musculature and
rise from their knees without arm support. They lack full use of their
upper extremities. Typically, they do not have adequate grip strength and
may utilize their forearms or wrists to hold the handle. This division is
comprised mostly of quadriplegics.
- M2 Athletes able to use their upper trunk muscles and raise their body
partially from their knees in the skiing position. Typically, they have
full use of their upper extremities. This division is comprised mostly of
paraplegics, with breaks above T-10 that have poor balance.
- M3 Athletes with good use of the majority of their trunk muscles, possibly
including abdominals. Typically, they are able to raise their trunk from
their knees in the skiing position and have full use of their upper
extremities. This division is comprised mainly of double leg amputees and
paraplegics with complete breaks lower than T-12.
- V Blind
and vision Impaired
- V1 No
light perception at all in either eye, up to light perception but inability
to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction. V1
skiers are required to ski wearing "black out" goggles.
- V2 From
ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to a visual acuity of 2/60
and/or a visual field of less than five degrees.
- V3 From
a visual acuity of 2/60 up to a visual acuity of 6/60 and/or a visual
field of more than 5 degrees and less than 20 degrees. Skiers classified
as V2 and V3 will always ski in one single category named V2/3.
WSWO
School member, SkiAbility Algoma, located in Sault Ste.
Marie,
Link: SkiAbility Algoma Video
