PLUS ‘Around the Buoys’ ‘Directors Deck’ ‘5 Minutes with Mick’ & Rodney Senior’s BIG fundraiser!

RaceR’s EdgE

edition #2 || septembeR 2015

New Format | More News | Still FREE!

supeRman RetuRnsmeRcFoRce F1

Rising

Memorial ClassicTed Hurley

Stopping Hell!

Who else can challenge the Superclass elite?

beRRi 140is go!

staRt planning, the

Stay updated aLL weekend

www.skiRacing.com.au

in this issue

directorS deckHawkesbury 120 CanCellation

around the BuoySnews From tHe states

Feature: Stopping heLLwHo Can winted Hurley?

5 MinuteS with Mickemma barnes

saFety & raCingagm

the Berri 140 iS onrandoM drug teSting

rodney Senior FundraiSer

Racer’s Edge | 2

majoR Races 2015/16

hawkeSBury 120 AUG 29-30

ted hurLey cLaSSic OCT 17-18

Berri 90 OCT 31-NOV 1

Barrie Beehag NOV 14

nSwwSF Bridge to Bridge 2 up NOV 7-8

Southern 80 FEB

roBinvaLe/euSton race MAR 12-13

MiLdura 100 MAR 25-27

Bridge 1 up MAy 1Racer’s Edge | 3

NEW SOUTH WALES New South Wales kicked off their point score on August 15-16, with teams from interstate attending for the first hit out of the year. In the unlimited 1UP race Hellrazor and Peter Procter took the win, however on the second day of competition it was Merc Force F1 who prevailed in the 2UP event as Jake Tegart and Kris Knights skied to victory by more than a minute. In the women’s open event 3 Carat proved unbeatable over the course of the weekend with junior world champion Ellen Jones winning the 1UP, before teaming with Adelaide Cox to win the wom-en’s 2UP event. The results of the NSW second series day were unavailable at the time of writing.

QUEENSLANDIn the sunshine state the year got off to a false start on the first series day, coming to a halt after

was looked after accordingly, the rest of the day’s racing was called off. So it was with much anticipation that Queensland had their second start on Sunday September 13 at Moogerah Dam, and with Massey on the road to recovery and also on the riverbank watching on, the racing went off without a glitch. In the open men’s it was Mick Kelly and Topshot who made a triumphant return to the water after a few months out injured, before he again stole the show in the two-up with Strike Force alongside Sean Gardener. For the women it was Emma Williams who set the pace in the second (first) point score of the sea-son, with the next day’s racing set to take place in December 6 at Big River, Grafton.

VICTORIAThe first day of racing saw a multitude of highlights, among which were the results of the unlimited inboard class with Elm Street winning the marathon six-lap race, followed by 99 Psycho Clowns and Entice U Rac-ing. Meanwhile in the unlimited outboard class the order came in the order of Velocity Racing, Melt Down and Chosen 1. A shout out also goes to Grace Savona who put in a strong performance in the Under 19’s category with her Boystress crew to lead home Tayla Stent and Race Marine by just under a minute. In the men’s Under 19 category, it was a close race between Psycho Clowns and Ballistic Still, with Top Gun F2 hot on their heels to finish third by a meagre two seconds. At the second point score 99 Psycho Clowns took the line from Sapphire and No Patience F1 in the unlimited inboard class, while Liquid Ice won the unlimited outboard from Mischief and Race Marine. In the U19’s it was Emma Barnes who claimed the win with Sapphire the female event, Alex Welch winning the male event with the Inspired crew.

Racer’s Edge | 4

around the BuoySNews from the states

It is the nature of the outdoor event busi-ness that the weath-er can play a major part in the success or otherwise of races. Whether it be extreme heat and code red conditions or more re-cently high rain fall and flooding, the postpone-ment and subsequent cancellation of any event is always a last

resort for all involved. The safety of competitors is paramount and the feed-back from members has been very supportive of the tough decision made by Ski Racing NSW to postpone the Hawkesbury 120.The organising committee and Ski Racing Australia worked together to present a number of alternative date options to the waterway regulators, but unfor-tunately the dates suitable for Ski Racing fell across weekends that were not suitable for the local author-ities and so the event had to be cancelled. We now look forward to the events return in 2016. You will have no doubt noticed the new format of the Racers Edge members’ email. The electronic mag-azine format has been well received, although we continue to work on improvements to the format and articles. We hope you enjoy the articles, photos and information we have planned.A key piece of the Ski Racing Australia strategy is the improvement of safety. The improved protection of skiers is a top priority and we have begun talking to universities to undertake research opportunities that should lead to the development of new safety equip-ment for skiers. As with all of these types of projects, the collation of data and testing takes time.

I will keep you all up to date with the progress. Another area of interest to me is looking at the op-portunities for the sport to improve the experience of competitors and officials through the development and use of online learning management and assess-ment systems. Judges, Scrutineers, Driver education and testing can work well through an online hosted solution. A focus and investment in these types of technologies will start to bring ski racing up to the benchmark for the sports business.Members should keen an eye out for the Notice of AGM from SRA. This represents the beginning of the Annual General Meeting process. All members will receive the official notice and date of the AGM in the first week of October.Now we have hit September and the weather is on the improve racing will be on in earnest – I know you will enjoy the racing at the various point scores and series days across the states. I look forward to see-ing you all at the next major, the Ted Hurley Classic in Wentworth.

Grant Cummin - Ski Racing Australia CEO

Racer’s Edge | 5

directorS decksaFety, raCing & tHe agm

Forget the DC versus Marvel comic rivalry that has raged forever and day; on the third week-

end in October opposing team’s Superman and the Spiderman adorned Merc Force F1 will have the same objective - beat Hellrazor. From October 17-18 ski racing’s finest will descend on the town of Wentworth for the second running of the Ted Hurley Me-morial Classic, and with it will be the first true performance in-dicator for how the battle in superclass shapes up for the rest of the season. In 2014, Hellrazor stole the show at the first running of the Ted Hurley, beginning a run of dominance that saw them claim four river classic vic-tories for 2014/15, leading home Strike Force and sister team Merc Force, while Superman faltered at the final hurdle on the Darling River. With the Ted Hurley now the opening race of the season, there is no doubt Merc Force F1 will hope to better their string of podium results from last year with a win in Went-worth, especially with the experience of

Kris Knights skiing alongside 2015 Catalina

champion Jake Tegart. It will also be a return to

the event where defeat was snatched from the jaws of

victory for Superman’s Darren McGuire, who has done every-

thing he can to avoid simple mechanical failures such as the one that cruelled his chance at victo-

ry last year. “Last year was a hot 45 degree day, and because we have a black boat it must have been about 70 degrees on board and the circuit breaker in our fuel injection system couldn’t handle it,” McGuire said. “This year we have higher amp circuit breakers, so I would hope we can contest for the win, but who knows – last year proved that!

“With the Hawkesbury 120 being cancelled it will be hard to say where everyone is at, I couldn’t tell you if there was a favourite. However I have little doubt that Hellrazor will be strong, as will Merc Force F1 and Sapphire and don’t be surprised to see a few unlimited boats give superclass a run for their money!“We’ll have Daniel Cot-ton and Daniel Graziano on the skis again and it’s a course where the skiers can go right to the limit, thanks to the big long sweeping corners. If there is going to be a weak link in the team it

will most likely be the boat.”While the form guide may be non existent head-ing into the Ted Hurley, Hellrazor will no doubt be considered a favourite for victory, even if owner

stopping hellsupeRman & meRc FoRce F1 lead the chaRge!

There will be no shortage of strong challengers at the Ted Hurley

Racer’s Edge | 6

Ski racing has always been a big part of Mildura and Ted Hurley was a man who embodied ev-

erything that the sport was about, at a time when he and wife June were involved in the sport with their son Glynn and daughter Jenni. Aside from winning every race there was to win in the sport, Ted became an icon of the sport in his era as both a driver and the way he developed the future direction of where ski racing would go. Therefore when the Wentworth race was proposed as a classic it seemed logical to name it after Hur-ley, who passed away at the early age of 54 and was buried just a few kilometres away in Gol Gol. Although Ted may no longer be with us, June still lives in the area and the family have remained connected with the sport, with son-in-law Mark Johnson the Mildura Ski Club’s current treasurer while also being a racer, boat owner and driv-er. Following in their grandfather’s footsteps are Mark’s son Brad who is an observer, while young-est daughter Cody still skis.

With the Coomealla Memorial Sporting Club taking up naming rights sponsorship of the

Ted Hurley Memorial Classic in 2015, both organ-isations will be working together to provide the ultimate fan experience. Beginning on Friday October 16, the top 30 boats competing over the weekend will be on show for the public at the club, allowing everyone to get up close to the boats, and chat to the teams that are competing over the weekend. There will also be a VIP marquee on the riverbank as well as live entertainment and food vendors, making the second running of this event more than just a ski race, it’s a great weekend out for the whole family!

make a weekend oF it!

Mark Cranny was quick to downplay his crew’s chances at the race that kick started their run of victories last season. “There hasn’t been much racing this year and we’ve had a bit of a spell with races being can-celled, so I expect that will be reflected in the times, although I still expect it to be a tight week-end,” Cranny said. “If it’s all going well we should go alright, but you never know. Superman, Merc Force F1, Wild Thing and Sapphire Racing will all be up there and it will be a long weekend of intense racing with both the 1UP and 2UP races making it a tough first river race for the year. “We won’t be competing with last year’s results on our mind. We’ll have Peter Procter and Jason Walmsley back on board skiing and they will be focusing on this year’s job alone, just like the rest of the team.” With the competitors at the top end of town ready to make a splash, Mildura Ski Club President Geoff Thomson said that the event has a strong competitor focus and hoped that there would be plenty of entries for the season opener. “We’re a competitor oriented race and we had great feedback from our 92 competitors last year, so we want big numbers across all classes,” Thomson said. “With this being the first Ski Racing Australia event for the season, it definitely adds to the intrigue of the event and we are hoping that competitors get their entries together and join us again this year. “The beauty of this race is that it takes place at a wide part of the river, so there is no advantage to locals, there are no hard turns and it’s a popular course. At the end of the day, it will come down to the team working well together and the skiers staying upright.” The Ted Hurley Classic takes place on the week-end of October 17-18 and is hosted in Wentworth by the Mildura Ski Club.

“It wIll bE a long wEEkEnd of IntEnsE racIng!” - maRk cRanny

why the ted huRley?

Racer’s Edge | 7

1UP, 2UP, why don’t we have both? The Ted Hurley has a unique qualifying system that ensures the main event on the Sunday isn’t the only spectacle across the weekend.

The main event will see competitors contest a 1UP event on the Saturday with two skiers sharing the rac-ing. The first will race from Wentworth the Mildura, while the second will handle the return leg, with the combined times seeding the starting order for Sunday’s 2UP race. While that may seem like a big effort just to do the seeding, the winners of the 1UP event in each class will receive awards ahead of the Sunday showdown. While skiers will be tested on their ability in both 1UP and 2UP, the racing also uniquely cuts through two major rivers with the event starting on the Darling River. Competitors will race 1.5km from Wentworth to the Murray Darling Junction before hooking left and hitting the gas up the Murray River to Apex Park in Mildura, which is the turnaround point. For those on the riverbanks watching on, Apex Park is in the heart of Mildura and will provide a unique viewing opportunity, as will the start finish line. For those hoping to mix with competitors post race, make your way to Wentworth Junction to join the main area where the ski boats will be on display.

Dates: October 17-18Saturday Format Qualifying: 2x 1UP races, skiers swap between each legSeeding: Combined 1UP times determines seeding for Sunday’s raceSunday FormatMain Event: 1x 2UP race, winner claims the Ted Hurley Memorial Classic title!

ted huRley memoRial classic Fast Facts:

unique FoRmat a cRowd FavouRite

Racer’s Edge | 8

Racer’s Edge | 9

unique FoRmat a cRowd FavouRite

In the recent weeks, Ski Racing Australia (SRA) has taken the initiative to appoint a new partner to provide random drug testing at SRA events for the 2015/16 season, and would like to welcome aboard

“Drug Free in Sport” to assist with the safety of our sport. The Mildura based company have experience providing random drug testing for mining companies in Broken Hill and throughout central Australia, and are beginning to branch into sports and festivals, beginning with SRA. The association between Drugs Free in Sport and SRA is a good fit, with the former being a local com-pany that has the ability to travel to all events to provide their expertise. For ski racing, this initiative has come about following the results of the member’s survey, and sees SRA respond to those results to ensure that the safest environment is being provided to all competitors. The focus of the testing is about picking up on any possible impairment during competition. SRA looked at a number of testing models in other sports to assist in the development of the policy and procedures now in place. For those that require prescription medications the testing policy allows you to provide an exemption letter from a medical practitioner to avoid a suspension, should medications trigger a positive result. While we aren’t able to tell you which events they will be attending (and defeat the purpose of it being a random test), members should familiarise themselves with the SRA Illicit Drugs in Sport (Safety Testing) Policy, which can be found on the website HERE.

new Sra drug teSting partner

• A new format that provides more water time – and the chance to reset overnight and challenge for victory on day two

• It’s going to be the show that stops the town – local support, great vantage points and a town that embraces ski racing, what more could you want?

• It’s now the second classic of the year, and a chance for victory at a major event• It’s the last big hit out before the internationally acclaimed Bridge to Bridge and a chance to race

against the best in the lead up to that. • Outstanding facilities – there’ll be no congestion for competitors, spectators are in for a treat, and you

can stay just minutes away from the racetrack!

beRRi 1 40 is go!

5 Reasons why you need to attend

“we decided to give the Race a bit oF a FaceliFt and cReate a FoRmat that we think will be Really appealing FoR competitoRs”

- gRaeme stegmeyeR

Racer’s Edge | 10

Racer’s Edge | 11

While most of us will be there for the skiing, Berri is something of a mecca for lovers of

food, wine and adventure on the mighty Murray River! Berri is surrounded by 3000 hectares of irrigat-ed vineyards and orchards and the Berri Es-tates Winery has been a mainstay of the town’s existence since 1918. Over time the town has developed an assortment of innovative boutique wineries and wine producers and you can meet the award winning winemakers. For the foodies, the Riverland Farmers Market is a must see event and is on every Saturday morning with fresh fruit, vegies and plenty of foods from countries around the world on show. If the markets aren’t your thing, make sure you check out the café scene and enjoy tasting the fine foods produced by the region’s local ingre-dients. And finally if you’re not racing behind a boat at the Berri 140, you can still find your own ad-venture canoeing down creeks, there’s popular bush walks and for those after a bit more adren-aline, try the BMS Tour’s Air Boat Ride that will see you zip along the Murray through inacces-sible backwaters.

exploRe beRRi!

Racer’s Edge | 12

On the day the Ted Hurley Memorial Classic kicks into action, Ski Racing Victoria competitor Rodney Senior will be some 470km away and there won’t be a boat or ski in sight for the

veteran racer. It’s not that he wouldn’t love to be there; rather it’s the important business of raising money to fight breast and children’s cancer on the Tour de Fight BACC (Breast And Children’s Cancer) that will see Senior trade his ski’s for cleats and his horsepower for pedal power, as he cycles some 1120 kilometres in a seven day Victorian odyssey. For Senior, the fundraiser is as much about helping out as it is supporting an event that personal-ly strikes a chord, with his partner Karen having battled with breast cancer in the past few years. With this year’s ride on the horizon, Senior said his preparations were going well. “I’ve completed more than 1500km on the bike since June, and I’m just making sure that I have done enough riding to ensure that I feel good throughout the whole seven days of riding, where we will average about 160km a day,” Senior said. “I first became involved two years ago when the ride went from Adelaide to Shepparton and we

covered 935km. Back then we only really had to ride the Ad-elaide hills and a second day climbing the hills from Ballarat to Daylesford. This time the course will include a lot more climbing.Senior will be riding alongside friend Graeme Weatherly, whom he met at the Shep-parton United Football Club in the 1980’s, and said that this whole event was the idea of Weatherly and son-in-law Dale Osborne. Graeme lost both his wife and daughter to cancer.

Ski racing victoria MeMBer rodney Senior SwapS horSepower For pedaL power in FundraiSer

The Tour de Fight BACC team during the 2013 edition of the fundrasier

Racer’s Edge | 13

“Graeme lost his wife Jan to breast cancer in 2012 and his daughter Rebecca to a T-Cell Lymphoma in October 1993, so when I saw an article about his mission to raise money via Tour de Fight BACC it resonated with me and I told Karen that I wanted to be involved,” he said. “Every rider on the tour makes a pledge to raise at least $2000.00 and two years ago we raised more than $125,000.00, so this year we would like to get to the $150,000.00 mark! “I’ve had support from local businesses al-ready, and also plenty of members from Ski Racing Victoria who have added more than $1500.00 already which is great. It shows what a big family the ski racing community is.” Coincidentally, 54-year-old Senior has discov-ered the importance of training for ski racing through his participation in Tour de Fight BACC. He had considered retirement from the sport after struggling at the tail end of the field in the 50+ Veterans category at point score events last season, however two wins from two starts this season has him thinking otherwise.“It looks like I will need to continue riding the bike after the tour,” he said.

how you can donateFor thoSe wiShing to heLp Senior in hiS FundraiSing eFFortS, viSit the tour de Fight Bacc weBSite (here) & check out ‘rodney’S Story’ - you can donate onLine!

iMportantLy, every donation countS, whether it Be SMaLL or Large! Rodney Senior

It’s a long, but fulfilling road on Tour de Fight BACC

NAME: Emma BarnesAGE: 16LIVES: EchucaTEAM: Sapphire (Point Scoers) and Avengers (Rivers)YEARS SKIING: 11YEARS RACING: 8

MK: Was last year the culmination of a lot of hard work?EB: Absolutely, it took a lot of hard work but I enjoyed every moment of it. Nothing comes easy.MK: How long had you worked towards that peak?EB: It took around 12-15 months of preparation, which included cardio training by swimming, working on my strength in the gym, with general social skiing mixed in there too.MK: Time to rest on your laurels? Or is there bigger fish to fry?EB: I’m off to a bit of a slow start this season, courtesy of a broken wrist from a motorbike accident. But once that’s healed up, yes I do have bigger fish to fry!

Mick Kelly: You’ve had an amazing last season, including second place at the World Champion-ships in Wellington, and being named the Victo-rian Female Skier of the Year, it must be fair to say you’re pretty stoked with this! I’m not cer-tain, but did you also win every classic in your age too?Emma Barnes: Yes, I’m very stoked with the out-come of the worlds and being named Female Skier Of The Year! The classics were great; Alyssa and I broke the records at Hawkesbury 120, Sydney Bridge to Bridge and Southern 80. We didn’t win all the classics though, as we didn’t do Robinvale and Mildura because they were scheduled too close to worlds. However the result that I am most proud of is the Southern 80. It’s my hometown event and is right behind Sapphire.

Racer’s Edge | 14

Meet Mick Kelly.

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

In each edition of The Racers Edge Mick puts one of our members in the spot-light. You don’t have to be famous, nor a winner. But you do have to be committed and love our sport...that’s what turns Mick on.

Sit down, have a breather and spend 5 minutes with MICK

emma barnes

5 MinuteS with Mick!

MICK

MK: As a younger skier, do you feel the weight of expectation in as far as challenging the older, more experienced skiers for victories? Or are you more focused on your age group results?EB: I haven’t put any expectations on myself; I just go out and do my best, no matter whom my oppo-nent is.MK: Victoria has always been fairly strong in terms of women skiers, who do you look up to?EB: There would be a few that I think are great, but the one I look up to the most is Maddi Boyer.MK: Has that changed now with the Skier of the Year trophy? Are they now looking up to you?EB: I don’t know about that one, but I still have a lot of hard work ahead of me and a lot to learn.MK: Skiing is an individual sport, but one in which you can learn so much from so many people along the way – what’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given?EB: A lot of people have been great so far but I guess the one that sticks out all the time is from dad. Every time I race dad always tells me to work hard and concentrate.Mk: Who are your toughest competitors?EB: I don’t take any competitor for granted.MK: Do you prefer the classic type races, or the circuit style?EB: I enjoy the river races but I still prefer the circuit races.MK: What does the 2015/16 season hold for Emma BarnesEB: My aim this season is to keep learning and improving.MK: Anyone you’d like to thank?EB: There are so many, but I would particularly like to thank Mum, Dad, Billy, the Branson and Cuff families, Gavin & Lloyd Woolman, Aiden Cuff, Maddi Boyer, Tim Pickford, Fitmob Echuca and Aim Autographics.

Racer’s Edge | 15

Edition #2 || September 2015

www.skiRacing.com.au

RaceR’s EdgE