The Water Ski School Experience: By Jim Banting The province of Ontario offers the unique opportunity of literally hundreds of lakes, ponds and rivers to water-ski on during those 'never long enough' summer months in Canada. I have logged over 3000 hours of pulling water-skiers on these beautiful lakes over the past 12 summers. I could not even begin to count the numerous cheers and victory smiles of water-skiers who have learned something new whether it be a two-ski deep water start or to barefoot backwards for the first time. In my teaching experience there are always the nearby weekend warriors who pull out the ski belt (which are illegal), the wooden skis and the elastic band for a rope in efforts to teach their friends and family to water-ski. After about thirty minutes, I would glance over again to see the same person flailing around becoming tired, cold, frustrated and finally giving up never to try water-skiing again. Or the same cottagers always getting up and dropping a ski year after year, never progressing to the one-ski deep water start. The ski school environment is the ultimate place to learn and improve upon the fundamentals of water- skiing. The number one reason to visit a ski school is safety. Every summer people hear about one or two water sport accidents that caused severe injury or worse. The sport of water-skiing is only as safe as the participants (ie driver, spotter and skier) and the equipment, ski schools provide the best of both worlds. Just as a carpenter needs a sharp saw, the proper equipment (and maintenance) is an important part of water-skiing. Instructors are a valuable resource when it comes to questions regarding equipment. They will likely know all the latest 'hot' water-skiing equipment and at the same time be able to recommend equipment that is appropriate for the student's skill level. Many ski schools sell off their equipment each year which may be a more economical way to acquire your water-ski equipment. The Ontario Water Ski Instructors Course (OWSIC) is a pre-requisite for working as an instructor in Ontario. The OWISC has developed into a comprehensive week that provides instructors with all the teaching skills, coaching techniques and safety concerns that one could ever come across in the sport of water-skiing. The instructors are trained to provide a verbal description accompanied by dry-land training before putting on the life jacket and heading out on the water to learn something new. On the water, instructors will provide the right amount of insightful feedback to correct body positions and keep students on the right track. The instructors from the OWISC are extremely well prepared (thanks to the hard work of Phil Harding and Katie Mills and many others) to provide students with the instruction to get up on the water or learn something new quickly and safely. The learning at a ski school goes far beyond merely acquiring the specific skills to drop a ski or to do a 180 on trick skis. Ski schools are habit forming, the more times you are exposed to these habits the more they will become a part of your water-skiing arsenal. Boat driving plays a critical role in water-skiing, especially while learning. Learning the driving techniques for a manoeuvre can be extremely important when you head back to your own boat to practise your new skills. Safety habits are another good point you will pick-up at a ski school, such as always turning off the motor when a skier is entering or exiting the boat. Or notice the boat patterns the ski school instructors drive, it is always a set pattern such as a rounded rectangle or a straight line with a key-hole turn around and compare that to the weekend warriors driving anywhere and everywhere. Ski school habits, like driving sensible boat patterns, improves the enjoyment of the sport not only for yourself but for everyone on the lake. Since ski schools are habit forming, it is advisable to learn something new at a ski school before you develop a bad habit. Like any bad habit they are difficult to break and hinder progression to new higher levels. As with any sport, water-skiing is based on fundamental principles like body position. For most of us, one of the exciting aspects of water-skiing is that there is always something else to learn or something new to try. Starting a water-skiing career with a strong foundation will pave the way to learning new and exciting skills. Get your foundation at a ski school, you will only be glad you did later on. Ski school instructors tend to be the most enthusiastic people towards the sport of water-skiing you could ever want to meet. If intimidation has been the only thing stopping you from taking a lesson at a ski school think again. The enthusiasm for the sport of water-skiing is highly contagious regardless of skill level. Instructors, if they are worth their salt (and most are), remember that they once had to learn the skill their student is trying to learn and are just as excited as the student when a new skill is learned. A trip to your local ski school will always leave you excited and bitten by the water-skiing bug for the rest of the season. Ski schools are the best place to get the scoop on the local water-ski scene. Where students and instructors often shoot the breeze about their worst wipe-outs, new skills they are learning or information on up coming events like ski shows and tournaments. Water ski schools offer a safe and efficient means of learning something new in the sport of water-skiing. A visit to a local ski school can help you with everything from getting up on skis for the first time to climbing out of that mid-July rut. The skills and habits you learn at a ski school can save you weeks of frustration and anguish and maybe even a season ending injury. Without a doubt, spending some time at one of the many ski schools throughout Ontario and Canada is the best investment one could make in the pursuit of the sport that thrills so many people.