Definition.
Riding on an extra wide board shaped ski, in the kneeling position, while being pulled by a boat. (Also Known As: Hydrosliding.)
Kneeboarding can be traced back 35 years to Southern California, where surfboard enthusiasts experimented with their homemade "knee" and "belly" boards behind boats.
Rapid development.
Surfers in other parts of the country soon caught on to the new concept of what was then known as "surf-skiing." As early as 1965, a Wake Board was developed and during the late 1960s and early 1970s, several California companies worked on a “knee” board, specifically designed for towing behind a boat.
How things have changed.
The first kneeboards were heavier and more cumbersome than those available today They resembled large teardrops, with flat bottoms, thin knee straps and slippery rubber knee pads. Today, the shape has changed. The bottom is contoured to provide better performance, the knee strap is broad which helps to hold the skier on the board and the pads are resilient, to protect the knees from injury.
A relatively new sport.
Kneeboards are now produced by many of the world’s top water-ski manufacturers and come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes with boards for all levels of expertise. Kneeboarding as a competitive activity is a relatively new sport, having developed only within the past 17 years.
(http://www.ewatersports.co.uk/html/kneeboards.html)
