The thrill and joy of slalom water skiing can be well worth the extra challenge.

As winter turns to spring and summer, thrill seekers around the country put away their snow skis and grab their water skis, looking forward to fearlessly gliding across the surface of lakes and rivers while tethered to powerful speedboats. If you've experienced the excitement and joy of waterskiing on two skis, then perhaps it's time to take the next step and do it on one. This is called slalom water skiing, and it can be as fun as it is challenging to master.

Texan Jason Davenport has lived most of his life on or near a lake, and has been water skiing since he was ten years old. A fan of skiing, slalom skiing and wakeboarding, he gives us the following tips for getting started on just one ski:

• One ski, two boots. In slaloming you have one ski that is fitted with two boots, one in the front and one in the back. Your stronger foot, the one you would normally use to kick a ball, goes in the back boot in order to give you more control.

• Getting up. Once you're in the water and are ready to be pulled up, give the boat driver the thumbs up while keeping your knees bent and your arms out in front. When you feel the boat start to pull, slowly stand up while keeping your weight on the back foot. Expect this to be a lot more difficult than getting up on two skis.

• Cut and jump. Once you feel comfortable on the slalom ski, you can learn to cut and jump. Just lean to the right or left to turn, and you can jump in and out of the boat's wake using your legs as shock absorbers as you go over. Water skiing is a wonderful way to enjoy a great day outdoors, and slalom skiing adds an extra level of thrill to the experience.

Aquaskier.com
www.aquaskier.com

USA Waterski
usawaterski.org/index1.html

International Water Ski Federation
www.iwsf.com

Waterski Magazine Online
www.waterskimag.com