SKIMMING THE SURFACE A WATER-SKIING LESSON ON THE MOHAWK RIVER GETS A BIG THUMBS-UP.(PREVIEW)

Byline: KRISTI L. GUSTAFSON STAFF WRITER

The last time I went water-skiing, I was 13 and feared nothing.

A decade later, plunked in the Mohawk River, gripping a tow rope and waiting for the first lurch of a high-powered speed boat, I feared nothing ... except the inevitable wedgy.

This, however, was an improvement over my deeper worry -- that my swimsuit would be yanked off if I fell in the water the wrong way. Friends of both genders swear this has happened to them. I had only two-piece bathing suits, so it had seemed like a justifiable fear. (``Just go out and buy a regular bathing suit -- I can't listen to you anymore,'' advised one unsympathetic editor.)

So I bought a one-piece, and headed to Scotia.

On the banks: Although water-skiing is one of the more expensive participation sports, it doesn't lack in popularity. The USA Water Ski Association boasts that roughly 11 million Americans have tried the sport. If you lack a …