9781422280829

Andrew Luke

Andrew Luke

MASON CREST

Adventurous Outdoor Sports Series

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Andrew Luke

MASON CREST

MASON CREST 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, Pennsylvania 19008 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free)

Andrew Luke

Copyright © 2017 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-3709-0 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-3704-5 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-8082-9

Cover and Interior designed by Tara Raymo; www.creativelytara.com

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress

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Table of Contents

The World of Water Sports Canoeing and Kayaking

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8-11

White-Water Rafting

12-15 16-19 20-23 24-27 28-31 32-35 36-39 40-43

Waterskiing

Speedboat Racing

Sailing Surfing

Windsurfing

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving

Want to Participate?

Further Reading, Internet Resources Photo Credits, Video Credits, Author Bio

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45-46 47-48

Index

Key icons to look for: Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills.

Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis.

Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments and much more!

The World of Water Sports

6

People love to be near the water. It is no accident that waterfront property is more expensive than the same amount of property inland. The ocean-view room at a hotel is always going to cost more than the one across the hall, and that waterfront hotel is always going to cost more than the one across the street. There is just something about the water that is soothing and relaxing. Another aspect of being close to the water, however, is that it also puts us closer to one of our favorite playgrounds. From when we are very young, splashing and playing in the water is very entertaining, and the range of entertainment options available expands with age. Perhaps it starts with canoeing or kayaking, paddling gently on a lake as a kid, or even sailing with a parent or loved one. As kids get a little older and crave a little more speed, they might take up waterskiing or go snorkeling on a family vacation. As kids get more daring with age, sports like white-water rafting and surfing become more appealing. And of course, for the full-blown grown-up adrenaline junkie, racing powerboats at death-defying speeds is a popular option. Whether it involves being deep under the water, plowing through it, or barely skimming its surface, there is a wide range of activities that make up the exciting world of water sports.

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Canoeing and Kayaking

Paddlers are typically enclosed in the kayak from the waist down, so they are not thrown from the kayak if it overturns. Kayaks are designed to roll over easily if flipped.

capsized: turned over so that the bottom is on top. indigenous: produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment. technological: resulting from improvements in processes that increase productivity of machines and eliminates manual operations or operations done by older machines. Words to Understand

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Paddling across lakes and down rivers in canoes and kayaks is a centuries-old pursuit. Construction workers digging a highway in the Netherlands discovered what is believed to be the oldest known canoe. It dates back about 10,000 years. Similar discoveries have been made in Australia and throughout the Americas, from the Great Lakes region to the Amazon. Hollowing out a tree trunk and lining it with bark was the most natural way for indigenous people to solve the problem of crossing rivers and lakes.

Europeans learned this quickly as they explored North America from the 16th into the 19th century. They built and used canoes extensively for transportation of people and goods, some as big as 35 feet (11 meters) long. Kayaks were the canoes of the North. Lacking an abundance of wood like their native counterparts to the South, the Inuit developed a different design made with a whalebone frame with animals skins stretched over it. Rather than being open craft like canoes, kayaks were designed to be easily righted if flipped over as the paddler is enclosed in the kayak from the waist down so as not to be thrown if capsized . The sport versions of canoeing and kayaking naturally progressed as technological advancement led to power sources and boat designs that provided more efficient means of transportation, and paddling became recreational.

Competitive kayaking tests the paddler’s skill at maneuverability and control.

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Today, canoeing and kayaking are popular summertime activities on family vacations around the world. But paddle sports are also fiercely competitive, with both represented in the Summer Olympic Games. Canoeing and kayaking have been Olympic medal sports for men since 1936. Women’s kayaking events were added for the 1948 Olympics in London. Athletes compete in sprint events, which are timed tests of flat water paddling speed, and slalom events, which measure maneuverability and control skills in whitewater.

A canoe drifts on Lake Laberge in Yukon, Canada.

No country has won more Olympic canoe and kayak medals than Hungary. Sprint canoer Katalin Kovács leads Hungary’s medal count in the sport with eight of the 77 total medals it has won. Kovács won three gold and five silver medals over the span of four Olympic Games from 2000 to 2012. Proficient at singles, doubles, and fours, she also won 40 International Canoe Federation (ICF) World Championship gold medals, including 30 gold. She was back-to-back Hungarian Sportswoman of the Year in 2002 and 2003. Sidebar

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Text-Dependent Questions

Research Project

Create a timeline showing the history of the canoe in North America that highlights important moments where canoes played a significant role.

1. Approximately how old is the oldest known canoe? 2. What were the canoes from the North made of? 3. When did canoeing become a medal sport at the Olympics?

Educational Video

Scan here to watch a kayaking video.

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White-Water Rafting

A group led by a guide is white-water rafting on the Patate river, Ecuador.

advocacy: the act of pleading for, supporting, or recommending. packrafts: small, portable inflatable boats designed for use in all bodies of water, including technical whitewater and ocean bays and fjords. rapids: a part of a river where the current runs very swiftly. Words to Understand

12

River rafting requires an entirely different kind of vessel than canoeing or kayaking. Although it is possible to navigate river rapids in a kayak or even a specially designed white-water canoe, rafting is a popular group activity done using an inflatable raft from single rider packrafts to 10-foot (3 m) neoprene rafts that can hold up to a dozen rafters. In the United States, the advocacy group American Whitewater has worked since 1954 to “conserve and restore America’s whitewater resources and to enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely.” The organization has more than 100 paddling club affiliates across the country. American Whitewater works to protect waterways and provide access to them for its members. The organization also keeps a national database of white-water rivers and has developed a classification system that identifies the severity of the rapids that are found on each river. The United States has more than 100 white-water rafting rivers. The eastern part of the country generally has less water volume, so its rivers are considered to be more technical, meaning more precise paddling and attention to hazards are needed. In the West, rivers run at much

higher volumes. This results in bigger rapids, and therefore the West is where most of the country’s class V and VI rapids are found. The International Scale of River Difficulty (I is easy; VI is extreme) was developed to create a universal standard of comparison for rivers around the world. The scale is not designed to be rigid as the rivers they measure certainly are not. Time of year and water levels are just two examples of variables that may raise or lower the difficulty level of a river.

Class III and IV rapids can be found on Tennessee’s Ocoee River.

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This is an excerpt from the scale that is listed in Section VI of the Safety Code of American Whitewater: Sidebar Class I

waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure. Rapids that are at the lower or upper end of this difficulty range are designated “Class IV-” or “Class IV+,” respectively. Class V: Expert Extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids that expose a paddler to added risk. Drops may contain large, unavoidable waves and holes or steep, congested chutes with complex, demanding routes. Rapids may continue for long distances. Because of the large range of difficulty that exists beyond Class IV, Class 5 is an open-ended, multiple- level scale designated by class 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, and so on. Class VI: Extreme and Exploratory Rapids These runs have almost never been attempted and often exemplify the extremes of difficulty, unpredictability, and danger. The consequences of errors are very severe, and rescue may be impossible. For teams of experts only, at favorable water levels, after close personal inspection and taking all precautions. After a Class VI rapids has been run many times, its rating may be changed to an appropriate Class 5.x rating.

Fast-moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy. Class II: Novice Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels that are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured, and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed. Rapids that are at the upper end of this difficulty range are designated “Class II+.” Class III: Intermediate Rapids with moderate, irregular waves that may be difficult to avoid and can swamp an open canoe. Complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required. Scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. Rapids that are at the lower or upper end of this difficulty range are designated “Class III-” or “Class III+,” respectively. Class IV: Advanced Intense, powerful, but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water. Depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable

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