Where I live the biggest barrier to the sport is access to a site let alone access to a slalom course or jump. It's a difficult sport to practice. It takes effort - I have to hitch up the boat drag it 30 min to the ramp and back again - if I want to do that mid week it doesn't leave a lot of time between work and needing to get home by dark. It's a massive effort. And I'm one of the lucky ones with access reasonably close and a boat.
Boat costs are barrier to a point, but you could find older cheaper options if you had access to a site.