Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What kind of disabilities can people have and still water-ski?
A.TAA can water-ski anyone with a physical or mental disability, from high level quadriplegic to a one leg amputee. We have taught thousands of disabled people throughout the country to ski and have never found anyone we could not get skiing.
Q. How long has this sport been in the United States?
A. The sit ski was brought over from Europe in the early 80's and was re-modified in 87/88 by Royce Andes, a barefoot skier that became a high level quadriplegic after a ski accident.
Q. What kind of equipment is used for disabled water-skiing?
A. TAA (Texas Adaptive Aquatics) uses 5 different styles of sit skis, one for very high level quadriplegics, one for beginner skiers, one for intermediate skiers, one for advanced skiers for competition and a trick ski also for advanced skiers.
Q. How long will it take you to teach someone with a disability to water-ski?
A. We can teach someone to ski in about 5 minutes. We go through the safety signs, then we put them into the water, sometimes we have a side skier next to them to assist in keeping them steady and from falling. We also have a deep-water starter to drag with them so the skiers can get their balance for about 20 feet then they let go.
Q. How safe is it to water-ski?
A. I have been teaching the disabled to water-ski for 14 years now; we have had one broken leg and a few bumps and bruises. Our ski clinics are very safe, but any sport could be dangerous. You just have to follow safety procedures.
Q. What kind of training do the volunteers go through?
A. Our volunteers go through training all year long. A new volunteer will go through about 20 hours of training before they are allowed to coach or assist anyone. We do not have a big turnover on volunteers so they have hundreds of hours of training.
Q. Where can someone buy this equipment and how much does it cost?
A. We sell new and used sit skis and the 'Jimski' for high-level quadriplegics. The average cost for a sit ski is about $1,100.00 and the 'Jimski' for around $1,600.00. Used ones are hard to find due to demand.