By RUSSELL BENNETT
DYNAMIC Pakenham waterskiing teenage brothers Jack and Bailey Christie will be hoping the tide never turns on their results at the highest levels of their sport.
Having already been named in a preliminary squad to compete at the 2016 Junior World Championships, the past few months have yielded more outstanding results for the pair, who are constantly striving for glory on the state, national and international stages.
And local Pakenham businesses are starting to take notice, with Voyage Fitness providing crucial sponsorship for the boys.
Jack is believed to be the youngest competitor to take part in all three events at the prestigious Moomba competition on the Yarra River.
And skiing the treacherous water at 58 kilometres per hour isn’t exactly for the faint-hearted.
“It’s not built for skiing at all,” Jack said.
“The walls are straight up and down, so when the waves hit them they just bounce back.”
Moomba has a number of aspects to it that no other ski site does – instead of being purpose-built for record-breaking attempts, the Yarra has both current and tide to worry about.
Between the first and last skiier of a round, skiiers can go from having no tide change to the river flowing.
And Jack, who’s just turned 15, finished fourth overall – up against world class competitors from the United States, Chile and South Africa.
Bailey, meanwhile, also competed at Moomba and the 13-year-old continues to take on a range of his brother’s records – and beat them. He also won the trick event at the national titles and came second overall.
The brothers were both featured in the July/August edition of Waterski magazine – the sports pre-eminent publication in Australia.
They’ve both been picked for the next Aussie Kiwi tournament – where 24 skiiers in Australia are picked and will head to New Zealand in early February.
What an amazing journey for a pair of Beaconhills College students. Incredibly, it’s one that’s only going to continue to reach even more exciting heights.
With waterskiing being such an expensive sport to compete in at the highest level, the Christies are always on the lookout for more sponsors. Any local businesses interested should call Josie on 0417 807 060.
