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On isporty - Sport of the Day in January 2007

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Wakeboarding

Posted Jan 25th 2007, 4:39pm by Daniel Collett

Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding the wake of a speed boat on a single board. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques. Before it was called wakeboarding it was called skurfing (ski + surfing).

As in water skiing, the rider is towed behind a boat, or a cable skiing setup, but typically at slower speeds (16 - 23mph). Beginners start at slower speeds such as 18mph with shorter ropes(45 - 50 ft). More experienced wakeboarders use faster speeds such as 22.5 - 24 mph (speed changes can affect wake shapes drastically), but use 60 feet or longer ropes. Instead of using skis, the rider rides a single board, known as a wakeboard, with stationary non-release bindings for each foot, standing sideways as on a snowboard or skateboard.

The boards, which can float, are typically 120 - 147cm long, depending on the weight of the rider, and up to 45cm wide (shorter and wider than snowboards). Unlike snowboards, whose edges taper in towards the center, the edges of a wakeboard are widest in the middle of the board, with a 15 - 25cm taper. When viewed from the side, a wakeboard has a concave shape; this is known as its "rocker." A board with a continuous rocker has a constant curve to it, and a board with a staged rocker (e.g. "three stage rocker") is made up of two or more straight sections at different angles that approximate a curve.


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This sport is hot! it is the water equivalent of snow boarding: slightly edgy, young people pursue it with music blasting out of specially mounted speakers pointing back toward the skier from the boat. Like snow boarding, tricks abound and learning hurts. so that keeps most of the old people away. check out some of the videos of this sport through iSporty's video link, which we are told is coming very soon. As for pursuing the sport, let the ice melt first, and take off.

Posted Jan 27th 2007, 11:08pm by Ed McKinley


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Bungee Jumping

Posted Jan 12th 2007, 5:46pm by Daniel Collett

Would you jump? Could you jump? Have you jumped?

Bungee jumping (or bungy jumping) is an activity in which a person jumps off from a high place (generally of several hundred meters/feet) with one end of an elastic cord attached to his/her body or ankles and the other end tied to the jumping-off point. When the person jumps, the cord will stretch to take up the energy of the fall, then the jumper will fly upwards as the cord snaps back. The jumper oscillates up and down until the initial energy of the jump is dissipated.


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This is another good sport to highlight. It's kind of limited, though. I guess you can get creative and graceful, but the main point is the adrenalin rush. You know it is a serious sport when they video-tape you confirming that you have read and understand the risks you are undertaking....

Posted Jan 27th 2007, 11:15pm by Ed McKinley


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