Schomberg resident helping to push waterskiing as Olympic sport

August 12, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte
Paul Roberts represented both Water Ski Wakeboard Ontario and the sports as a whole when he carried the Pan Am torch in July.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity proved how instrumental he has been to the budding extreme sports, still looking for the ultimate establishment – an introduction to the Olympic Games. If you are a budding water skier you can look at what type of equipment will be best for you, by going online to FlyerDiaries and checking out their tips.
The Schomberg resident held the position of Sport Organizing Committee Chair of water ski and wakeboard at the Pan Am Games, one of the largest international competitions for the mostly young athletes involved. He was happy with how the event played out.
“We had the smallest pool of athletes, but it’s one of the more challenging sports out there, and amazing to watch,” said Roberts.
With the men at an international competition jumping anywhere up to 250 metres past the ramp, the strength and timing that the sports take is often a challenge that people may be scared to take up, according to Roberts.
“It can be a scary obstacle when you’re coming up at it at 70 miles an hour,” said Roberts. “It can appear quite daunting to a lot of people. Jumps vary in height depending on the age division of the athlete, but they’re quite tall.”
Technique isn’t a factor when it comes to competition – it’s all about the distance. Aside from playing a large role in the completion of the Pan Am course, Roberts was also involved in the modern technology it takes to accurately measure just how far a competitor has jumped.
“We survey a grid onto the water, we superimpose that grid onto a computer screen, and we video the landing. The computer will convert the video image into the exact distance of the ankle of the skier from the top of the jump.”
The man-made channel, made along Lakeshore Boulevard in Lake Ontario, was a great experience for Roberts, the President of Water Ski Wakeboard Ontario.
“Pan Am is as high of an international level as we compete at. The whole experience really opens up your eyes even more to the international competition out there.”
Roberts said there has been a push “for many years” to get the sport to the Olympic level. It was a demonstration sport in 1984 at the Olympics in Munich, Germany.
“The IOC (International Olympic Committee) was concerned about the mechanized system in a motorized sport. I think that’s still the major block for us to become an Olympic sport.”
Still, Roberts does hope to one day see the sport he loves in the Olympic Games.
“There’s certainly an opportunity, just some kinks to get around. Hopefully sooner rather than later.”