RaceR’sedge

May 2016

The official Ski Racing Australia publication

Fast & PoweRFul Meet ellen Jones, the ski RaceR tuRned gyM athlete PRePaRing to take on the Fittest PeoPle on the Planet

a consistent dawn

A seAson of HigHligHts!

www.skiracing.com.au

Directors Deck..................................6

Around the Buoys............................8

Fast & Powerful - Ellen Jones.......10

A consistent dawn..........................14

5 Minutes With Mick.......................18

in this issue

in this issue MaJoR Races 2016/17

It is with the greatest regret that I ad-vise members that this will be my final column for Racer’s Edge.

While only last month I was reflecting on my first 12 months in the role, in the past few weeks I have been asked to take on another role that I unfortu-nately could not turn down, and there-fore will be departing Ski Racing Aus-tralia.

II would like to thank the SRA board, all of the state representatives, officials and most of all the members for their support over my time in the sport.

I have enjoyed my time in Ski Racing and have learned an extraordinary amount over the journey.

I sincerely hope that my efforts to help move the sport in the right direction are recognised as being beneficial. I am proud of what I have been able to achieve for the sport in my tenure as CEO.

The recent history of the sport has seen it go through a period of consolidation, something that has been openly discussed. There has been a cultural shift in ski racing and I am confident that it is on a new path to growth, and it is my hope that in time this will come to fruition. The focus on safety has produced results and the current trend shows very promising statistical results. This change will hopefully play a part in the insurance costs and ultimately, if it continues will hopefully lead to a reduction in competitor membership costs.

Ultimately the only way forward for our sport is to have everyone working together. If fractures ap-pear, and unsanctioned racing continues it is my view that it will be to the detriment of the sport and will lead to further demise.

Hopefully I have laid down the foundations for an upswing for the sport in Australia, and in the near future when I hand over the reigns to a new CEO I have no doubts our projects will continue to move forward.

Accordingly I am pleased to report that the McIntosh Project of research into helmet safety is pro-gressing well, with doctors working through, collating and analysing the sports injury data provided and have begun booking time in crash test facilities for the next stage of the project. Results from this should be available in the coming months.

Grant Cummin

6

diRectoRs deckA finAl column, but the work continues

Our Risk Review report is currently in the works and will provide us with a much-im-proved approach to risk management for the volunteers in the sport. We are also making progress with some level of control regarding speed progression systems for competitors, starting with the juniors, which is critical to our future.

In the short term the insurance renewal process, construction of budgets and membership renewal costs will be a high priority, no doubt the incoming CEO will be busy managing all of these projects with the board.

With my time at a close, I would again like to thank you for your support. I have enjoyed so many parts of the sport, but have mostly enjoyed working with, talking to and being involved with the peo-ple. I will be watching from afar with interest and wish you all the very best.

Safe Racing.

Grant Cummin- SRA CEO

7

“I have enjoyed my time in Ski Racing and have learned an extraordinary amount over the journey. ”

internAtionAl flAvour

Catalina is BACKThey call it the Worlds Greatest Ski Race and for 2016, the Catalina Ski Race will return to the shores of Long Beach, USA where a selection of the best skiers in the world will come together for a shot at the coveted title.

Rewind to 2015 and a trio of Aussies found themselves at the top of the tree at the end of the race, with Jake Tegart claiming victory, while Ben Gulley finished third and a plucky Jack Harrison was in fourth, the first of the intermediate men’s finishers.

There was a litany of other Australian finishers throughout the field, including two-time Sydney Bridge to Bridge winner Daniel Cotton who finished streets ahead of the veteran men’s field to win his race, Cooper Robertson won the junior boys, while in the women’s open race Ellen Jones finished an ago-nising 2.2 seconds behind Katelin Wendt of the USA.

This year the race will be held on Saturday July 16, with a handful of Aussies already having their name down to go, and no doubt hoping to produce more winning results in a race against some competitive Americans and other international competitors.

For those thinking of entering the Catalina for the first time, the Long Beach Boat and Ski Club are offering FREE entry to completely new teams, which are classified as: a driver, navigator, observer and skier who have never participated in the Catalina Ski Race.

The offer is only valid for teams who pre-register for the race.

Questions can be emailed to race.ski58@gmail.com

8

aRound the Buoys

IWWF Asia & Oceania Waterski and Wakeboard ChampionshipsThe next installment of the IWWF Asia and Oceania Waterski and Wakeboard Championships will be held in Auckland, New Zealand from January 30 to February 5 2017.

There will be five disciplines contested, including: Tournament, wakeboard, barefoot, ski racing and show skiing.

Due to the unique format of the tournament, competition will be held at two different venues:

Lake Kerata: A natural sand dune lake 50 minutes drive from the Auckland CBD and one hour from Auckland International Airport. Tournament and barefoot waterskiing events will be held here.

Lake Karapiro: Considered the capital of New Zealand water skiing, there are three clubs based here. Located in the Waikato region, it is two hours from Auckland CBD and one hour, 45 minutes from Auckland International Airport. Wakeboarding, ski racing and show skiing will be held here. Competition will be in front of the Don Rowlands Centre.

9

As far as Australia’s female water skiers go, Ellen Jones is among the best. The Hawkesbury local is the reigning junior world champion and if you ask anyone on the riverbanks they will tell you just how talented the 17-year-old is.

For the most part it isn’t talent that has put Jones at the top of the pile. That’s not to say she doesn’t have it in spades, but to pin her success on talent alone is an injus-tice to the time and determination that this focused and competitive young woman puts into the sport. It’s this attitude that now has her succeeding in a sport other than

10

Fast & PoweRFul while Most know ellen Jones as an extReMely Fast wateR skieR, she’s aBout to eMBaRk on a tRiP to the usa to PRove heR stRength as an all-Round athlete.

11

The reports on Jones’ success at the Southern 80, Robinvale-Euston race and Mildura 100 alongside the experienced Chelsea Blight and their Merc Force F1 team are well documented, but it is her lesser known success in the gym that has Jones ranked among the top 10 17-years female CrossFit competitors in the world and will see her travel to the CrossFit Games in July.

For the uninitiated, the CrossFit Games are pro-moted as the ‘world’s premier test to find the Fit-test in EarthTM’. It’s an intense competition that is based on functional movements of ‘moving large loads, long distances, quickly’. Essentially it tests the fittest athletes from a range of sports, pitting them against each other in a competition that is as much designed for the competitor, as it is the spectator. It’s the contest that will pitch Jones against nine others in her age group as they seek to be crowned the fittest of the fit, the fittest in the world.

Jones never set out to become a CrossFit champ. All she hoped for was a method to stay fit for the ski racing season, but then her compet-itive spirit took over.

“I started CrossFit for a bit of fun, my boyfriend Jesse is into it and he would do their workouts on a Saturday at the gym, so I just joined in,” Jones said.

“The idea behind the CrossFit workouts is that they run a five-week workout competition where

they release a new workout each week for that period and then you complete it and enter your scores online. This makes up the first stage of the competition.

“My only goal was to train for ski racing, but be-cause I was doing it with Jesse I thought I may as well enter my scores and by week three I was going alright, and then I got competitive. Sud-denly I was in the top 10 in the world, and now I am off to America to compete at the games!”

For those that know Jones, her competitive streak won’t be a revelation. In fact, when the last minute opportunity came for her to ski along-side Blight for the 2015/16 season it was a match made in heaven, both skiers doggedly deter-mined to be the best.

“I usually ski with 3 Carat but we couldn’t find a partner for this year, so I had to look for other options and Chelsea was also looking for a skier, and she wanted to stay with her team, so I went there,” she said.

“I used to ski with those guys when I was 13, so I knew most of them and they are easy to get along with. It was also good skiing with Appsy (observer Christian Apps), he gives you the calls before you need them. I was comfortable skiing with him because Chelsea was, and I trusted her judgment.

“Chelsea is really fun to ski with, she is very invit

Jones & Blight (L-R): In action at the Southern 80; post race in Robinvale; Before the dash in Mildura

12

ing and is pretty competitive, lucky I am too! But it’s more than that, she pushes me harder than I think I can go and it has helped improve my skills.

“I think what also helped me settle into the team was having Jake Tegart also there as he was ski-ing behind Merc Force [The team’s Superclass entry]. Jake trains with Jesse and I in the gym, so it was good to have a familiar face with us.”

Ironically, it is her attempts to stay fit for ski racing that put Jones on the right trajectory to succeed in CrossFit, and the latter keeping her in shape helped her to be race ready for the river classics.

Jones isn’t the first athlete to try and juggle two competitive sporting pursuits. In Australia the most high profile case is that of international cricket superstar Elyse Perry, who famously came to a crossroads in her professional career when she needed to decide whether she would pursue a career in cricket or football, both of which she was in the Australian teams for.

While Jones isn’t facing a career defining de-cision like Perry had to, she is playing a similar juggling game to what Perry was in the early stages of her career, albeit with two sports that are complimentary of each other.

“I was already doing a lot of gym work because you need to be strong for ski racing, and Cross-

Fit was great for general fitness and keeping things like my knees and back strong. Skiing can be jarring on your body,” Jones said.

“However during that initial five-week challenge for CrossFit there was a bit of juggling to do. I had the Robinvale and Mildura races on, so I would get the CrossFit workout when it was released at 12pm on a Friday afternoon and head straight to the gym to post a score. Then I would drive to the race, ski and come home and then re-do the workout on the Monday to try and better my score.

“Now with the CrossFit Games coming up I need to keep training hard five to six times a week and try and include a bit more recovery time now that skiing is done for the season. I’m in the top 10, but only just so I need a good preparation.”

Just like with her skiing, Jones is doing every-thing she can to be as best prepared for the big show in the USA when she will go up against her contemporaries for the CrossFit title. It’s a chal-lenge that would daunt some, but for Jones she is going in with relaxed expectations.

“I just need to train hard and see what happens in the USA,” she said.

With the determination that Jones possesses, don’t be surprised when the “I’ll see what hap-pens” turns into a desire to win, fuelled by a near-on unrivalled competitive drive.

Jones & Blight (L-R): In action at the Southern 80; post race in Robinvale; Before the dash in Mildura

13

a consistent dawn

Consistency, it’s the difference be-tween a good shootout and a great weekend, a season with a highlight or a highlight season. Every competitor wants to look back on a consistently strong season…and so too do the ski racing judges.

15

It’s a seemingly a tired old story thanking volun-teers, but it is one that will never lose its signifi-cance for those that put their hand up to try and improve the quality of the sport.

The judges will never be the most popular peo-ple at a ski racing event, but like the competitors they are driven by their love for the sport. For Jan Thurgar, whether she be at her regular work or a ski racing event, a simple thank you can make a day worthwhile.

“I’m a teacher by profession and I find that a sim-ple thanks and an acknowledgement and smile

goes a long way,” Thurgar said.

“I guess it’s an acknowledgement that you’re not on a power trip, and having people come up and say thanks, it really makes the judges feel good – especially at events that have been really hard.

“When someone comes in to check on how the judges, or any volunteers, are going it makes it worthwhile to be involved in the sport. It’s kind, considerate and appreciative.”

Say no more.

There’s no questioning that the bane of any ath-lete, coach or team’s existence is an inconsistent application of the rules. Be it NRL, AFL, football codes, car racing or ski racing from time to the judges will be put in the spotlight as they attempt to solve a conflict and apply the rules as they see fit.

However as is the case in sport universally, there will always be one party more aggrieved than another, one party who wants to appeal a de-cision and more often than not, butt heads with the person that makes the decision…enter the judges. In ski racing, they’re volunteers, and it’s a thankless job.

Like them or not, judges make the ski racing world go round just as much as the competitors. Without them there would be no one to help con-duct a race weekend. They’re an essential as-set week in, week out and as the curtain closes on the 2015/16 season, there are moves being made to encourage members to join the judging ranks, and helping lead the charge is the well regarded Jan Thurgar.

“There’s a lot of progress being made in judging and we are actively encouraging people to join,” Thurgar said.

“We all love this sport, and some of the people that are involved in judging are part of teams and others aren’t, but we all share that same passion.

“I think one of the key things about being a judge is recognizing that it can be intrusive of your life. If you’re a chief judge there is a big commitment, but you always try and be respectful of the time that people say they can commit to you. If they can do one session, try not to push for more if you want them to come back.

“We’re a sport that relies on people’s enthusiasm for it, and some people love spending all day on the water, and others like to help out where they can and also compete and chat with friends and family throughout the day as well.”

While Thurger is upfront about the realities of judging, she is equally proactive in making it easier to join the judging fraternity, while also being mindful of helping to provide the tools that current and prospective judges need at their disposal to ensure that the judging standard is consistent across all events

“One of the things we are working hard at is getting young people to join, and part of that is running an online trial for accreditation testing.

16

thanking those in a thankless Position

You get the best view in the house

The rulebook is becom-ing more specific and that

helps judges

New judges: Sign them up and get them on the water,

they won’t look back

RaceSafe H20: It’s made a significant difference & will

continue to assist

Travel: There will be inter-national opportunities in

2016/17

When that is rolled out it will mean that we have a more accessible accreditation process.

“It’s hoped that the move to an online system will also open the door for a judging forum to be cre-ated so that certain aspects of the sport can be discussed. This encourages peer learning and helps everyone to be on the same page.

“We’re also at a point in time now where the rulebook is eliminating a lot of the grey areas that once existed, and competitors prefer that. Even so, this sport still heavily relies on reports, and unless a report is handed to the chief judge, they won’t be able to rule on anything. This is a major factor towards ensuring consistency.

“At the end of the day, consistency is: A clear rule book, clearly defined penalties and pro-cedures and eyes on the course matched with consistent training.”

Inevitably it is hoped that everything Thurgar and the team at SRA is working towards will be a means to not only have an equal application of the rules at each event, but also ensure that there is consistent application no matter what state or type of event is being conducted.

Racesafe will continue to be an invaluable tool for judges

Future goals: New judges learning from experienced mentors

17

Judging: the Best PaRts

Meet Mick Kelly.

A world champion observer, former win-ner of the Southern 80, top racer, mentor to newcomers - at times outspoken (but always with the best intentions) - Mick’s always up for a chat!

In each edition of Racer’s Edge, Mick puts one of our members under the spotlight for an in-depth chat. They’re not always fa-mous, nor prolific winners, but each person is committed and loves the sport...that’s what turns Mick on.

Sit down, have a breather and spend 5 Minutes with MICK!

Name: Chelsea Blight Age: 30Years skiing: 25Years racing: 22Team: Nipple, Pigs Arsenal and Merc Force F1Favourite Race: Diamond Race, Belgium Mick Kelly: Let’s start with a hell of a 2015-16 season, undefeated at the three Victorian Classics; you’ve got to be pretty stoked with that?

Chelsea Blight: It’s all about the team effort and skiing with the superstar herself, Ellen Jones with Trent [Driv-er Trent Souwer] and Appsy [observer Christian Apps] in the boat was the team for success.

MK: It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve been successful in Victoria though. How have team changes effected your year?

CB: I have had a few good years in the Victorian Rivers. Kylee Jones and I behind Revival in 2012 won Open Women and Social Women in all three Victorian Rivers and that was an awesome season but this year we pulled the team together only four weeks before the Southern 80, so it was good to have the right people to pull it off.

MK: You’ve done quite a lot (and are quick!) on a social ski. Do you like getting on the silly sticks still, or is it something you’ve grown out of?

18

5 Minutes with Mick!

CB: I do love getting back on the silly stick that’s for sure, I come from a Marathon background when I was younger and I still do 1up races on it at the Vic-torian point scores. It’s just too hard doing it at the riv-ers too when I’m committed to a team who put lots of time, money and effort into racing, and we have to do the dash course on the Saturday as well. I would hate to let my team down cause I pull up sore from social. MK: Do you think being fast on a social ski trans-lates well onto a rail? Does it work the other way round as well?

CB: I guess this would depend on your personal stance. I ski totally different on a rail compared to a social and most people do. There are people who ski quicker on social skies than rails too so it’s up to the individual. The theory of wanting to go fast, being competitive and having a crack would definitely re-late to both classes. MK: Just how clean is the boat when Trenno [Trent Souwer] is finished with it?

CB: Trent has the most severe case of OCD I have ever seen! I will place my ski bag nicely in the van in a spare spot and he will move it within 15 seconds…haha! Both Merc Force boats are always immaculate that’s for sure. MK: You’ve been at the forefront of women’s racing for almost as long as I can remember – and I’m pretty old – what keeps you at the top?

CB: Well that’s nice of you to say that. It’s just want-ing to be competitive I guess and I keep my train-ing up. I work by the theory that if I am going to do anything in life then I will put 100% into it, there is no point half doing things. MK: How is it with all these young chicks coming through? Is it hard to keep up or what?

CB: Very hard. Skiing with Ellen this year was a reali-ty check when she was half my age exactly, my body doesn’t recover as well as when I was 15.

MK: I say that the fitness and training regime that some of the younger girls are showing up to rac-ing with is almost cheating! Do you find yourself having to work harder now to remain competitive?

CB: Yes, it’s crazy how fit all the young skiers are these days, I definitely have to put in the hard yards to stay with the pack that’s for sure.

MK: You play a bit of netball in the ‘offseason’ – do you hate your body that much or what?

CB: Yes, I do enjoy netball in the off season, mainly for the social side but we were fortunate to win the A-Grade premiership last season so that was one to remember. But you’re right, my body hates me as it gets no rest. Netball is not good on the knees that’s for sure.

MK: How does the competitiveness of netball compare to ski racing?

CB: The team environment of Netball and Skiing are similar, both sports take a team effort and both involve continual team improvement and team bond-ing. I guess if you are a competitive person it doesn’t matter what you do in sport or your career, you always want to strive to be your best. My aggression from competitive water skiing does show on the net-ball court unfortunately. MK: You’ve shown you’re competitive in rivers, and you’ve also taken it to the world stage – how do you keep yourself on top of what is now almost two complete disciplines?

CB: Rivers are easy to prepare for as we have plen-ty of rivers to train on down here in country Victoria, however worlds on the other hand was more time commitment than I ever expected. Living in Mildura it would be safe to say I spent most weekends on a plane or in a car driving six hours to the bay to prac-tice.

MK: Which do you prefer – rough or smooth? (Wa-ter conditions!)

CB: Rough for sure. I love the challenge of rough water and the concentration required. MK: You’ve got a pretty serious job when you’re not away racing – do you flick a switch to turn on the ‘professional’ come Monday morning?

CB: That’s exactly what happens, off go the thongs and weekend voice and on go the high heels and professional voice…split personality to be exact!

MK: What are the most important things you look for in a team?

CB: Trust, energy, commitment and good times. There is never a dull moment in our team and plenty of laughing.

MK: I’ve long been a believer in ‘the team that plays together stays together’ (but not in a weird way….) – and it also brings results. Is it feeling comfortable with your team that pushes you all to your best, or is it a trust thing?

CB: I 100% agree with ‘a team that plays together stays together’ and I believe a close team not only feel comfortable with each other but also build trust through the close relationship and comfort. I will only ski with people I trust and am familiar with these days, I’m too old to put my rope on just any boat.

MK: History has shown a team can be fast without being tight knit. In your opinion, is it more impres-sive or less impressive to be producing results whilst getting your ring pulled? Does it show how good a skier the person is – or does it show a mis

19

placed faith in ability and the ‘wrong’ attitude-towards racing?

CB: This comes down to the individual and their mindset I guess. I myself would not enjoy getting my ‘ring pulled’ to achieve results however I am someone who likes skiing inside my comfort zone. I believe it is the wrong attitude towards racing, a team should know each other’s ability to achieve outstanding results and I personally don’t think a new team should be pushing to the limits unless they have put the training in outside of racing together to know how each other work. I believe it is the wrong attitude towards racing to throw a team together then push to the limits that’s for sure.

MK: You’ve been big in ‘giving back to the sport’ in terms of committees and junior development – what do you get out of that? Surely it’d be easier to just concentrate on your racing…

CB: It would be a lot easier to just race but racing doesn’t happen without volunteers and for the 10 years I was a junior and teenager I watched so many people put so much into the sport to keep it going and I just wanted to give back a little myself. Junior development is my passion as when I was young some of my best memories were junior development days with Danny Cropper and Kevin Boylan. Plus the kids are the future, they are the key to having a successful sport moving forward. MK: Who have you looked up to growing up in the sport

CB: The Dominguez Family, Leanne Brown, Leanne Hickey (Campbell), Joanne Hamilton and Dean Han-kel.

MK: Could you kick all their asses now or what?

CB: I wish I could… unfortunately not!However Kylee Jones and I did beat Leanne and Joanne’s Mildura 100 Race Record from 1992 behind Hellbent in 2014.

MK: Where to for ski racing from here? What are you expecting for 2017?

CB: That’s a hard one to answer. I was looking to go to the European’s in August until they were cancelled, so Seattle may be on the cards depending on my career commitments I guess!

MK: To make the ultimate ski racer, which at-tributes from which skiers would you take – or would it just be you??

CB: For rough water conditions I would want to take all Wayne Mawer attributes, he is phenomenal. For smooth water I would want to take some from Peter Proctor, Jason Walmsley, Jamie Oliver and Chris Gelle, they are the river skiers that have always got the job done.

20

MICK

21

Follow us on social Media

www.FaceBook.coM/skiRacingaus

www.twitteR.coM/aus_ski_Racing

www.instagRaM.coM/aus_ski_Racing

May 2016

RaceR’sedge