Records tumbled as world-class water skiing competitors showcased their skills at the Isis Ski Gardens on the weekend.
About 50 competitors ranging from the Gold Coast to Rockhampton contested the three-day Southern Region L Class event at the North Isis venue.
Hosted by Waterski Bundaberg, the event featured slalom, trick and jump competition with many of Queensland’s best exponents in each category in action.
The venue continued to be a happy hunting ground for Brisbane’s Scott Wintle who, competing in the MP3 division, smashed his own Australian record in the jump, recording a 20.1 metre effort.
Scott, an adaptive water skier who is confined to a wheelchair on land after being involved in a motorcycle accident in Switzerland in 1996, had set his previous Australian record of 19.9m at the same venue in 2019.
The record is pending but it’s expected to obtain the necessary certification.
Had the effort been recorded in R class competition, requiring the presence of a second judge, it would have qualified as a world record.
Other world class performers in action included Jacinta Carroll of the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane pair Lucas Cornale and Kirsty Appleton.
Jacinta, a world record holder in the jump, unleashed an impressive jump of 54.5 metres to stun the local onlookers.
However, it was not enough for her to maintain her international No.1 ranking, slipping to No.2 despite still holding the world record.
Lucas also has a pending record, setting a new Queensland under-17 boys mark in the slalom despite only having recently moved up from under-14 competition and Kirsty is world under-14 girls No.1.
Waterski Bundaberg president Steve Alcorn said the Central Queensland competitors were not in the same league as their southern counterparts, but all had enjoyed competing at the Isis Ski Gardens venue.
“It was a very good weekend, and everything went well,” Steve said.
“We had more skiers than we normally have for this event and this is one of only a few sites in Queensland at which we can hold this level of competition.
“At the moment, it’s one of only two of those sites that has enough water for jump competition.”
A total of three rounds of slalom, two rounds of trick and another two rounds of jump competition were hosted over the three days.
Anyone interested in learning more about water skiing, including competition, is invited to Waterski Bundaberg’s Come and Try Day at the Isis Ski Gardens on February 6.
For more information about the Come and Try day, visit the Waterski Bundaberg Facebook page.
