Kneeboarding!

You're lying on the kneeboard with your elbow's in position, snuggly fit into the knee grooves of the board. The speed boat starts up and they take off. The slack in the string you are holding abruptly tightens and your arms strain to hold on. The first few moments are the worst. Struggling to keep the board from being washed away by the turbulent water, you shimmy up the device, sliding your knees into the spots your elbows had previously been. Now, if you feel steady enough, you can straighten your back and get into a kneeling position as shown in the picture and you are ready to ride out the waves.

Once you are up on your knees, it is best if you can get out the wake. (The wake, for those of you who don't know, is the turbulence left caused by something moving through the water. In this case, I am referring to the wake of the boat, or the white water and waves that come out from behind a speed boat while it's going.) The water should be crystal clear and it feels as if you are gliding over surface. Every now and then you will be forced to ride over some waves. The trick to staying on is that when you hit one, unlock your legs and get lower to the board. Move with the board, don't try and just wait for the wave to go by. Also, you can bring your arms and the rope closer to your body steadying yourself. Once it's over, straighten back up and prepare for the next onslaught.

If you're really daring, a few years ago I discovered that I could do a 360 behind the boat. Holding the rope as far over as you can with one hand, you then swing the board back and forth, creating momentum. Once you are ready, give the board a good push in one direction using your lower-body, and quickly reach behind your back grabbing rope out of your other hand. At this point you should be facing backwards in the water. If you are quick enough, once you grab onto the rope with your free hand, your body should pull the rest of you and the board back, so that you are again facing the proper way.

Kneeboarding is a fun water activity to do on a lake with a bunch of friends. It is similar to water skiing except that you are on your knees instead of your feet. In many regards it's a lot easier than skiing. For one thing you only have the one board to keep track of contrary to balancing out two skiis. One thing I will say though is that it is a lot more enjoyable to perform this on smooth water, away from other motorists, than it would be on choppy water. Being so close to the water on a kneeboard, you are able to feel every little wave and ripple on the water unlike with tubing or skiing. Still though, the feeling of surfing on the water is amazing. Everyone should get out there and try it!

I would give kneeboarding a rank of 7.