One of the hardest steps in learning to ski is getting started for the first time. The beginner is generally nervous and has butterflies in his stomach, but once this fear has been overcome and he is finally up on the skis, he will find that the riding is easy, and with practice he can become proficient in other phases of Water Skiing.

Water Skiing can be enjoyed by people from seven to seventy and if you can swim you can ski! Although Water Skiing appears difficult, once the fundamentals have been mastered the skier will find that just riding behind the boat is comparatively easy. In skiing you may take only as much of it as pleases you, since you can always come to a stop by letting go of the taw-rope attached to the boat. Doctors praise Water Skiing as a healthy sport; as the skier pulls the rope and pushes with his feet the muscles of the legs and arms are strengthened and exercised, and so generally improve the physique. There is no heavy taxation on the heart, since the boat supplies the continuous flow of energy as it pulls you along.

Water Skiing is a new sport, so as a result it challenges each enthusiast to be something of a pioneer, expressing himself in a novel and untried sport. As a new phase of skiing is learnt, the thrill of accomplishment is briefly savored, and after a while the skier starts to wonder what else he can learn, by then there is no stopping him now! Skiing has become an obsession, and what a pleasant one!

Some people are inclined to think that Water Skiing is dangerous, but as far as I know there has never been a serious accident directly attributed to Water Skiing. Accidents do occur, but these are generally due to carelessness or inexperience and sometimes the skier is a little too keen to get to the dock while moving too fast after letting go of the tow-line; this is the best way to collect scratches and a few splinters.

When you first get up on two skis you will feel as free as a bird and very few thrills can compare with that of gliding over the smooth water with the wind rushing past you and the spray flashing off the skis.

One of the hardest steps in learning to ski is getting started for the first time. The beginner is generally nervous and has butterflies in his stomach, but once this fear has been overcome and he is finally up on the skis, he will find that the riding is easy, and with practice he can become proficient even in advanced phases of Water Skiing.

An average ski ride for the beginner should not last for more than five minutes, as he easily tires and he is probably using muscles that have been out of action for some time and it is wise to be cautious in the beginning stages of skiing.

The best method of teaching a beginner is to instruct the skier on dry land in the fundamentals of the position to be used once he enters the water for his first attempt.

The skier is given the tow-line with a handle attached, and from a knees bent position whilst sitting on the ground is then shown how to stand up, keeping his arms straight and not pulling on the tow-rope, but allowing the boat to draw him out of the water to correct his skiing position. Once this balance is gained the next step is to start viraging by pulling on the handle of the rope and turning the skis from side to side and keeping the legs together and the skis parallel. This will teach you how to turn whenever you wish and then you will be able to cross the wake of the boat and ski behind the boat in an S position. This is the first big thrill in skiing: when you cross to the outside of the wake and ski in calm water, the noise of the boat's engine vanishes and it is altogether a new sensation.