Ten fun facts about Wakeboarding

Fact 1
It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques.

Fact 2
The rider is usually towed behind a motorboat, depending on the board size, rider's weight, type of tricks, and rider's comfort speed.

Fact 3
Wakeboarding is organized by the International Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (IWWF) founded in 1946 (renamed from International Waterski Federation in 2009) and the World Wakeboard Association (WWA) founded in 1989.

Fact 4
The term “wakeboarding” was coined by Paul Fraser (Vancouver, Canada), along with his brother Murray and a pro snowboarder they sponsored.

Fact 5
The First World Skiboard Championships was held on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, on the Wailua River.

Fact 6
Wakeboarding is practiced by both men and women at the competitive level, but they compete in separate categories.

Fact 7
The IWWF has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee as an official partner since 1967.

Fact 8
Wakeboarding has been part of the World Games since 2005, in the trend sports category.

Fact 9
The WWA sanctions over 400 days of wakeboarding, wakeskating and wakesurfing events each year.

Fact 10
Wakeboarding, which was originally called skurfing, arose in the late 1980s after the advent of skiboarding (now snowboarding).

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Snowboarding

is a winter sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow while standing on a board attached to a rider's feet, using a special boot set onto a mounted binding.