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There is a variety of adaptive ski equipment
available that allows individuals with physical disabilities
to enjoy the sport of waterskiing.
A single ski can be used for those who have
a single leg, or if they use a prosthetic “ski leg,”
they may be able to use two skis, or a single ski using both
legs. Individuals that are unable to stand will ski using
a “sit ski,” which comes in a variety of sizes
from wide, stable skis to narrow, competitive skis.
“Probably 80 percent of our students
use a sit-down water ski that was designed by Royce Andes,
one of our instructors,” says Lang-Ree. Andes, a quadriplegic
after a waterskiing accident, designed the Kan Ski Freedom,
a sit ski for people who are unable to ski standing up.
After the prototype for the Kan Ski Freedom
was built, Andes recruited Chico State wheelchair athletes
Bill Bowness and Steve Hornsey to try it out. Countless world
championships and world records later, Royce and Steve still
instruct adaptive water skiers in the DSUSAFW program. Bill
owns and operates Unlimited Skiing in Brandon, Miss., and
conducts traveling clinics across the nation and around the
world. He also wrote the manual on adaptive waterskiing for
the DSUSAFW program.
All sit-down skiers use a singlewide ski
to which a metal-framed cage is attached. The skier sits in
a canvas sling that can be adjusted up or down to change the
skier’s center of balance. Sit-down skiers in the program
use one of three Quickie KanSkis depending on their ability:
the Freedom model is the widest, heaviest, and most-stable
water ski; the Comp is a transitional ski used by more advanced
skiers; and the Super Comp is a competition slalom ski –
very narrow, tippy, and maneuverable.
“The majority of our students use
the Freedom model, often with a variety of additional equipment
designed to increase the ski’s stability in the water,”
Lang-Ree says.
Other equipment used by skiers includes:
Outriggers – stand-up water skis that
have been cut short and mounted to a steel frame. The frame
mounts between the cage and the ski and adds an impressive
amount of stability.
Quad-back – used when students do
not have the torso stability necessary to stay balanced in
the ski.
Delgar sling – used for students who
are unable to use one of their arms. It loops around the shoulder
of the student’s good arm, passes behind their back,
and hooks directly to the ski rope handle. In the event of
a fall, the end of the handle pops off, ensuring that the
student is not dragged due to a direct connection to the rope.For
those who are able to use regular water skis and stand to
ski, many start by using the Barefoot Boom, a long metal arm
that extends to the side of the boat. The Boom allows beginner-level
students to ski without having to first master the ski rope,
and the proximal position of the skier to the boat allows
a coach in the boat to give instruction while the student
skis.
As with beginner able-bodied stand-up skiers,
ski tip connectors can also be used to minimize side-to-side
movements.
All skiers, stand-up and sit-down alike,
rely on straight arms while skiing to reduce fatigue. However,
stand-up skiers lean back on the rope handle to maintain balance.
Sit-down skiers, conversely, “break” at the waist
and lean as far forward as possible. The sit ski and cage
are designed to maximize this position because many skiers
who use this type of equipment do not have the torso musculature
to lean back against the pull of the boat.
Many DS/USA chapters, and community organizations
offer lessons for newcomers. Check with your local chapter
for more information, or visit DS/USA’s Web site, www.dsusa.org.
The Water Skiers with Disabilities Association, a division
of USA Water Ski, also is an excellent resource at www.usawaterski.org.
Photos courtesy of Adaptive
Adventures
When it comes to waterskiing, Wyatt Hogue
of Chattanooga admittedly has some advantages. He lives in
a climate that provides a long, warm-weather season, he owns
his own boat, and he learned the sport when he was 15 –
and had the use of both of his biological arms. When a car
accident at age 22 resulted in an above-the-elbow amputation,
he had the same questions as almost every amputee –
‘will I be able to do what I did before?’
For Wyatt the answer was yes. Now 34, he
is frequently seen slalom skiing, wakeboarding, or hydrofoiling
behind his Supra Launch on the Chickamauga Reservoir. “I
would tell anyone ‘you can do it. It just takes a little
more patience,’” he said. “The key is you
have to want it.”
Post-amputation, Wyatt amazed his friends
when he began skiing again, including deepwater starts, instead
of dock starts. “Even though my friends told me I wouldn’t
be able to do it, I did,” he said. However, having only
one biological arm presented some challenges when trying to
maintain grip at the start of a run. “There’s
a tremendous amount of force at a deepwater start,”
Wyatt said. “Because of the force of the boat pulling
me out of the water, by the time I got up on the ski, I was
worn out.”
Wyatt figured there had to be another method
that would provide him the power to get waterborne without
as much stress on his arm, so he searched the Internet and
read about Tammy Allard, a right below-elbow amputee, and
a champion skier. Her record includes winning two gold medals
at the 2000 Nationals Disabled Water Ski Championships, two
gold medals at the 2001 Nationals, and 2003 National Slalom
Champion.
Wyatt contacted Tammy for advice, and she
told him about the Delgar Sling. The Delgar Sling is a harness
device with a strap that connects from the shoulder and hooks
to the ski rope handle. It compensates for the uneven pull
of the rope otherwise experienced by someone using only one
arm.
Tammy was so enthusiastic about the benefits
of using the Delgar Sling, she insisted on sending one to
Wyatt.
“I can’t talk about waterskiing
without talking about Tammy,” Wyatt said. “She
is absolutely awesome. I’ve been using the sling for
about eight years and it relieves the pressure I would have
on my left arm. Without the Delgar Sling, it would be very,
very difficult to ski.”
Wyatt advises that if anyone wants to experience
the thrill and fun of any sport, they shouldn’t let
an amputation, or other physical challenge stand in the way.
“As an amputee, you can do anything, just in a slightly
different way,” he said.
Wyatt does not use a prosthesis when engaging
in water sports, but for everyday activities he was recently
fitted by his prosthetist at Fillauer Companies, Inc., (Chattanooga)
with a new product – the Utah Hybrid arm. Wyatt was
among the first amputees in the nation selected to field test
the arm developed by Motion Control, Inc., a Fillauer company.
He accompanied Harold Hume Sears, president of Motion Control,
Inc., to the Annual Academy Meeting and Scientific Symposium
held in Chicago in early March. There, Wyatt spoke to practitioners
about the benefit of the arm, and its ease of use compared
to a conventional body-powered arm. “After 12 years,
using a body-powered arm takes its toll,” he said. “The
new Hybrid Arm is lighter, and provides a lot more speed of
movement.”
Besides water sports, Wyatt enjoys snow
skiing, running, biking, golfing, piloting Cessnas, dirt bike
riding, and cruising on his Harley Fat Boy. “Getting
back on my Harley was my number one concern after my accident,”
he said. “I wanted to ride my motorcycle again, but
I wasn’t sure I could do it with one hand.” Wyatt
solved the problem by modifying his motorcycle so that he
can gas it with his foot. He also rides a modified dirt bike
with a quick release handlebar attachment, a device designed
especially for one-armed cyclists created by motorcycle hall
of famer Mert Lawwill.
His seemingly endless reserve of energy
propels him through his workday, too. He is a salesman for
the family business, Adams Lithographing Company, and frequently
puts in 10-hour days. He also is the proud father of two children,
ages 4 and newborn.
“My goal is to do a triathlon but
now with two kids, it’s getting hard to devote the time
to training,” he said. “I try to swim or work
out at least once a day, but on the weekends it’s more
important to spend time with my kids,” he said.
Photos courtesy of Adams Lithographing
Company
 Bill
Bowness, former Paralympian, multichampion and gold medalist
in both disabled waterskiing and disabled snow skiing, recently
completed an adaptive coaching manual that will help coaches
and trainers learn how to teach individuals with disabilities
to ski. The manual is designed to assist learn-to-ski programs
develop their instructors, and to improve the quality and
consistency of adaptive water ski instruction.
USA Water Ski, the National Governing
Board of all towed water sports, introduced a Coaching Development
Program in 1991 to provide a structure for the certification
of water ski instructors and coaches through a three-step
process, or three levels, of education, participation, and
evaluation. Bill explained that coaches for adaptive skiing,
should be equally trained and qualified, and that is why he
developed the adaptive manual.
According to Bill, for someone to
become a Level 1 Adaptive Coach, he would need to complete
the USA-WS Level 1 certification prior to, or, concurrently
with the Adaptive Level 1 certification. Level 1 is targeted
to the entry-level instructor and covers beginner to introduction-to-competitive
skiing, and introduction to kneeboarding, wakeboarding, and
barefooting. All levels of certification are obtained by completing
participation requirements and passing an evaluation.
The adaptive manual can be obtained
through USA Water Ski, 863-324-4341. For more information
about waterskiing with a disability, visit their Web site
at www.usawaterski.org.
Bill Bowness is a member of the Board
of Directors of the Water Skiers with Disabilities Association,
a division of USA Water Ski. He is a former member of the
US Disabled Water Ski Team and three-time world record holder
in slalom, and a single world record holder in the jump event.
He is a nine time individual World Champion in slalom, trick,
and jump. He was the 2001 and 2002 Overall National Champion
in Altamonte Springs, Fla., at the US Disabled National Water
Ski Championships.
Bill and his wife, Denise, teach adaptive
water and snow skiing throughout the year. Waterskiing instruction
is during the summer months at their business, Unlimited Skiing,
at Brooks Lake, Brandon, Miss. Their winter months are spent
in Truckee, Calif., where they both work at Tahoe Adaptive
Ski School, teaching snow skiing. Their Web site is www.unlimitedskiing.com.
The site for Tahoe Adaptive Sports is www.dsusafw.org.
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