Racer’s Edge
October 2016
CHATTERBOX There’s an unheard challenge in ski racing, and it isn’t the skill needed to negotiate tight corners or the strengh for long straights.
It’s communication The official Ski Racing Australia publication
POSTPONED to April 29, 2017
In this issue
Directors Deck..................................6 Chatterbox.........................................8 Four Straight Ain’t Bad - Grafton Bridge to Bridge Review................12 5 Minutes with Mick........................17
Major Events 2016/17 AU G U S T
2 0 1 6
Hawkesbury 120, NSW.....................................August 27-28
O
2 0 1 6
c t o b e r
Grafton Bridge to Bridge, NSW...........................October 1-2 Murray Bridge 110, SA......................................CANCELLED
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o v e m b e r
2 0 1 6
Ted hurley Memorial Classic.............................POSTPONED Bridge to Bridge 2UP, NSW............................November 26-27
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2 0 1 7
a n u a r y
Australian Championships, NSW.......................January 11-15
F
e b r u a r y
2 0 1 7
Southern 80, VIC...........................................February 11-12
M
a r c h
2 0 1 7
Robinvale/Euston Ski Race, VIC...........................March 11-12
A
p r i l
2 0 1 7
Mildura 100, VIC................................................April 15-16 Barrie Beehag, VIC...................................................April 29
M
a y
2 0 1 7
Barry Carne Interstate Challenge, NSW..................May 13-14
Directors Deck Graffton success, AGM, Sydney Bridge to Bridge Grafton what a rural destination, and not a bad place for Ski Racers to go! I was fortunate to attend the Big River Ski club’s Grafton based ski race and was very impressed by the way the event was run and the spirit of the competitor’s across the weekend. Congratulations to Big River on delivering a great series of races in brilliant sunny conditions on that superb river waterway. During October (week commencing 17/10/2016) the SRA Annual General Meeting (AGM) was conducted and was attended by 18 members who attentively observed the proceedings, and eagerly participated in discussions on ski racing after the completion of the official agenda that had been set by the SRA board. It was great to observe the passion and genuine interest that exists among the members of this sport, and I would like to thank all the attendees for their time and effort in coming to the AGM. While there were amazing, historic bridges in Grafton, we now turn our attention to the ‘Bridge to Bridge’. A shortened name for a race known by all sorts of people, not just ski racers, which conjures up the image of ski racing on a Sydney river. I like Sydney and always have.
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The opportunity to go boating anywhere in Sydney has always impressed me and I trust even considering the tyranny of distance for interstaters, in a month where SRA has seen two great Classic races deferred, that it’s time to get out on the water and put aside reasons why competitors may not wish to attend. Whether it is the time, travel, costs or anything else that may prevent attendees, I encourage you all to give this race a genuine crack and give it the support it deserves. There are only so many classics in a season and I for one have not seen some of the more well-known ski race teams that appear on the SRA office wall at events as yet. So members, how about taking up the offer that the Sydney Bridge to Bridge Committee has sent out to extend the entry deadline to Friday October 28, and entering what is one of the preeminent ski races in the World, held in our own country. It is interesting to note the Bridge to Bridge organisers have invited expressions of interest for one-up competitors as well! As always, I like to leave you with a little slice of trivia and this month it is to do with the Sydney Bridge to Bridge. Below you will see the names of the inaugural winners from the race, held in 1961! After being held for 55 years, I would love to see as many people there as possible to enjoy this great water sports tradition! Wesley Lloyd, SRA CEO
Ever thought about giving Ski Racing a go? If that’s a YES Ski Racng Australia has several different types of
memberships!
From beginner to advanced, there is an option for you!
Call our membership team 03 9681 7058
email: memberships@skiracing.com.au
Let’s get you on the water!
CHATTERBOX There’s an unheard challenge in ski racing, and it isn’t the skill needed to negotiate tight corners or the strengh for long straights.
It’s communication High speeds, thundering engines and boats dancing across the top of the water – ski racing is a visually outstanding sport. It is one that defies belief of how fast a human can travel on a ski, while eliciting admiration for the craftsmanship of the boats used for competition. More often than not the challenge of the sport is considered to be the pressure for skiers to be the fastest through tight corners or the strongest on long straights that cause incredible fatigue. Often overlooked is the challenge of the communication, or lack thereof, between the driver and observer to their skiers. There’s nothing but silence, save for the thumping of an engine that packs more horsepower than 56 Melbourne Cup races combined. 8
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“I have always been competitive, and I have a reputation as a driver who can be trusted” - David Morabito get comfortable with the way I drive and know that I will respond to what they need.”
Compare the limited communication in ski racing, which relies on skiers and observers messaging each other through various hand signals, to other forms of motorsport, where competitors rely on radio chatter, and you quickly see how archaic this sport is in this regard. Each season there are a handful of teams that will come together weeks, sometimes days in advance of an event. The ability for competitors to build relationships and trust with each other in order to effectively communicate is quite incredible. One man in particular who has nailed down how important it is to quickly build 10
trust with his teammates is David Morabito, who has been chipping away in outboard classes since the turn of the millennium, the year 2000. Over the years he has had numerous people join his crew, and he has learned that above all else, everything that makes a crew fast stems from strong relationships. “This sport is built on trust and friendships,” says Morabito with sincere conviction. “The driver has to trust the observer, they need a strong relationship and then from there you need your skiers to believe that you will deliver what they need. I always try and make sure that my team
With plenty of experience, Morabito understands what he does and doesn’t like in both a boat and his teammates, his current team, named 2 Ironic, only joined forces in the weeks before the first river classic of the season. “My current team only came together weeks before the Hawkesbury 120, I had to turn to Facebook to put it out there that I was looking for a crew,” he said. “I have always been competitive, and I have a reputation as a driver who can be trusted “Soon after I placed the ad on social media for the upcoming season Daniel Rigg got in contact with me and wanted to race. Then his wife Jessica said she was keen to observe. Not long after Clinton Brown came out of retirement and wanted to join in.
“The only plan we made was to do the first race together and then reassess. But it was clear from the outset that we were very happy.” Those that know Morabito know that the Sydneysider, who devotes six days a week to his own business, also loves a yarn. He’s a self-proclaimed chatterbox, and says that is the key to how his current team pushed to the front of their class from day one. “Jess likes communication, like I do,” Morabito says. “We will spend 80 per cent of the race talking. I will tell her what boats are coming up and what side we will pass them, and she is diligent in the information she gives me. With her in the observers seat I feel like I can see what is behind me, and it just works. “I know that I can drive faster than my skiers can go, so for me it is really important to have an observer on the ball. “Before the Hawkesbury 120 I took Jess out in the boat with me and we spent time cruising up and down the river to get comfortable. “Then at the first race I just drove to the conditions, and let our skiers make the call. Even if it meant slowing down when I didn’t think we needed to. But
because Jess was so good at communicating with me, the skiers quickly learned that they would always get what they wanted and that is how you build trust.” “When we win it makes everyone happy, but you don’t need to win to build trust, that comes from responding to what the team needs…no matter how much I might protest. “You are more competitive when you have trust.” In essence, ski racing is almost a sport that can live by the motto of ‘no radio, no worries’. Up and down the riverbank, no matter what the event, each team has their own coping mechanism of how to send messages between skiers and the observer and driver. There isn’t a textbook method; it’s a case of each team doing what works for them. Communication may be an unseen challenge of ski racing, an element that gets lost somewhere in the whitewash of the speed and brutal physicality that keeps the crowds on the edge of their seats. But in the heat of the moment, Morabito’s first step is to make sure there he has plenty of chat with his observer and that his skiers have trust in his ability. 11
FOUR
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R STRAIGHT AIN’T BAD
Four Grafton Bridge to Bridge wins in a row. It was an unprecedented achievement until Sunday October 2, 2016 when the Superman team of Darren McGuire (driver) Brett Armstrong (observer), Daniel Cotton and Daniel Graziano (skiers) stormed over the line in 36 minutes and 23 seconds to cement their dominance on the event. Grafton produced a near-perfect weekend for the 2016 running of the Bridge to Bridge, and despite a slight dip in numbers compared to previous years, those that did attend truly put on a thrilling show for the residents of the friendly northern NSW township.
While Superman stole the show, the headlines and the local TV news for a fourth consecutive year, the event produced a plethora of storylines that were remarkable no matter what class or level of experience. It was also a weekend when fallen skier Jared ‘Jed’ Coey, who lost his life in a ski racing accident 12 months prior, was remembered. During a poignant memorial held prior to Sunday’s main event, Jed’s Top Gun crew and wife Kelly idled onto the start line to spread some of his ashes and honour his life. 13
The day commenced with a memorial for fallen skier Jared ‘Jed’ Coey
It was both a moving moment, and a timely reminder for everyone to ensure that the first objective is always to have a safe race. On the water, the weekend began on the afternoon of Saturday October 1 with ‘The Championship’, a new and exciting event reserved for outboard boats. The format was simple; each crew would race two laps around ‘Susan Island’ twice, with one skier completing the first two laps, the second skier finishing the race. The combined times would determine the winner of the event. There was also an under 10’s event run on day one, as the future stars of the sport got on their skis and showed their talent in breezy conditions. Taking out the junior class was the Tuff N Ruff team, who led home a field who’s skiing ability truly denied their years. Despite the talent in the under 10’s, onlookers were primarily entertained by the thrilling action in The Championship, which was a three-horse race from the outset as 2 Ironic, Showbiz and Breaking Bad recorded fast times in the first leg. Of those three it was 2 Ironic who were the team to beat after blitzing the field to the tune of 30 seconds. 14
There was plenty of good form as skiers came across the line at the end of a tough race at the Grafton Bridge to Bridge!
Heartbreakingly, their great work in the opening leg was mitigated at the start of the second thanks to a botched start courtesy of traffic on the river. They would end up in third place. Meanwhile it was consistency from the Showbiz team that handed them the win, while Breaking Bad came home in second place, much to the delight of a team who had simply been focused on finishing at the beginning of the day. You can read more about The Championship event by clicking this link. Come Sunday’s main event there were just two things that you could bank on – Superman being fast and 2 Ironic getting even following a tough break on day one of racing. As it happened, both proved to be true. In the Superclass race Superman used their supreme speed and fitness to skip away from their closest challenger, Merc Force. However their lead didn’t come as easy as they hoped as the Queensland based Merc Force got the better start and held the lead in the opening few kilometres of the race. 15
Inevitably though, it was the experience of Superman at one of the most demanding events on the Ski Racing Australia calendar that saw them take the ascendancy and put themselves in prime position for victory. Unfortunately for Merc Force, despite some good speed, they were unable to reel in the perennial Grafton victors. Instead they needed to turn their focus to laying down a fast time to fend off Stinga who had done their own thing to finish a relatively close third.
Team Breaking Bad ahead of The Championship
There were other strong finishes throughout the field as 2 Ironic turned their disappointment of not winning The Championship into a resounding class victory in MOC, while Showbiz continued their winning form from the opening day to take the title in the F2 Outboard class. In the Unlimited Inboard race it was the experience of Ian Tricker that put TR Racing across the line first, followed home by locals Burnin, led by Travis Stone.
Nash Robertson & father David prepare for The Championship
Other results of note were No Fear winning the Under 200hp Outboard class, while Running Riot took the title in Unlimited Outboard, both competitors raced on both Saturday and Sunday. In total 51 teams made the start of the race in what was a welcome return to he main SRA calendar.
Sunday boat line up in Grafton
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5 Minutes With Mick!
Brendan Dipple is part of ski racing royalty. The Dipple family are known world wide for their skill and commitment to racing. They have endured the highest highs and the lowest lows, leaving Brendan with a wealth of knowledge and some hard hitting opinions on the sport we love. Whilst I’ve spent numerous 5 mins with Brendo discussing this type of stuff, this is the first time we’ve written down our discussions.
Meet Mick kelly A world champion observer, former winner of the Southern 80, top racer, menter to newcomers - at time outspoken (but always with good intentions) - mick’s always up for 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 famous, 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! 6
Name: Brendan Dipple Age: 49 Years skiing: 2-handed 11 years, 1-handed intermittently since Years racing: 20 racing 40 talking about it Favourite skier: Depends on where you’re skiing. Can’t answer you mate, there’s a few on the short list though. Ladies: Bronwyn Wright, Leanne Brown, and the modern version of Leanne Campbell Men: My Dad, Donkey and Bretto Dipple in their days, Bertels, Geoff Hardaker, Mawer, Picko, Walmsley and the young Troy Penny. I enjoyed watching Stout, he showed great technique with speed. And you Mick. You make me smile, too cruisy like Bretto. Favourite team: Philosophically, the team that behaves like a team. Hard but fair and cares for each other and for fellow competitors. Who I respected: 1970’s: Assassin: Catania and Hardakers, Firebird: Ray Wheeler era Louise J: Griffo was a pioneer. Didn’t 17
always do that well but the man just gave and gave and had a great team as a result 1980’s: Status: Frank and Errol did a lot for team play although the judges seem to favour them a little ;) Rock Solid: Webby was spot on in his team approach.
a common goal. MK: But isn’t racing about winning? How do you combine that never say die attitude and win at all costs hunger and offset that with common sense?
BD: Racing is about what you want it to be about. I’m not about to argue that my sense of success is somehow better than another’s. I just say that we’ve all seen enough champions pass now to help 1990’s: motivate a rethink about what cost the win may have. In my opinion, the best No brainer, Robbos! outcome is to get from one end of your Can’t really say much about this century. sporting life to the other with maximum I haven’t been watching closely enough although I think you could see the value of success and minimum attrition. I know I’m splitting hairs a bit but it’s fairly simple, Damo in Cranny’s setup. A fairly reliable when a crew forces an action on other team from what I saw competitors, or their own crew, which (I’m sure we can just put down any team puts them in imminent danger, it could be I’m in for this one! Hahahaha) a result of two things: A misjudgement, You and I need a boat Mick or a deliberate action. Crews that consistently find themselves in these situations Gday brendan! Now mate, we’ve spent aren’t victims of circumstance, they are a lot more time than five minutes talking deliberately creating the situation to serracing in the past, so I’m not quite sure vice an outcome. ‘It worked last time and how to start, but let’s give it a crack! nobody got hurt, we’ll use it again!’ The big issue is it takes a big membership Mick Kelly: We’re both adamant about base to have sufficient facility to police racing for the right reasons, particularly when it comes to risk management. What this sort of safety. are your thoughts on intrinsic risk manMK: Safety is a massive issue in racing. agement by the individual? Again, we’ve spent hours on this, so not sure which point to begin from. As someBrendan Dipple: Teacher vs Farmer, one that’s seen the consequences first I had to look up intrinsic. Not sure how hand, where does the sport start? Or is it to answer this one mate but I’ll say that doing enough? it’s vitally important to understand yourself and your limitations ie be self aware. When you take steps to improve your per- BD: I’ve pained over this subject for 20 years now, I started feeling conflicted in formance, do it with people you trust, for the right reasons, that are relevant to your the early 90’s and have felt like a black sheep ever since. I have been developing outcome. This should include your own safety, if it doesn’t, ask yourself why. Fur- my thoughts on this ever since and all I’ve thermore if personal safety isn’t as bigger got is this. priority as winning, or a record, or how It’s a risky sport! cool the party will be, or whatever, it’s likely the rest of your team feel the same. Is that really what you want? There’s a big Could it be made safer and still maintain difference between common interest and the potential for exploration, which is the 18
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part that keeps most of us engaged? I believe so. The question is, do current competitors really want that? You can’t stop people being people. If you put boundaries around behaviour there is a certain percentage that’ll pick up and go base jumping or black racing or whatever. You can manage your own commitment, behaviour etc. to the race environment however; you can’t do a thing about circumstances that may be thrust upon you in that environment. If you choose to be in a sport that doesn’t discourage dangerous behaviour then the risk you’ve taken is significantly amplified. Look at what F1, Moto GP and the Supercar series have done to address safety. The Whincup incident at Bathurst a clear example of behaviour that needs discouraging. I can appreciate his ability but I don’t like his approach. I feel he’s an egotist, and a bully when he’s not where he thinks he should be. And I see it again and again from him, Marquez in his early days in Moto GP, Vettel a few years ago in F1 and more recently Kvyat although he seems to have backed off. Conversely I really like Van Gisbergen whom I think can drive, and is a hard arse, but rarely compromises his fellow players (ballsy going with Supercars mate). We’re all grownups. Anyone that’s read this far will see it through mate. So in essence what I’m saying is that you don’t want the Whincups of this world to miss out on racing you just want rules there that support everyone in meeting the outcome of maximum success with minimum attrition. Your choices need to be made well ahead of time. Risk management is best applied then, as it’s hard to do much once the flag has dropped. I haven’t been in touch enough to know what’s happening now, but I think people must be getting tired of seeing good people pass. To an extent I believe there will al-
Brendan Dipple
ways be attrition, it’s normal. However, if people want that to change the extent of that reality they can make it happen. It may result in some current members leaving the sport. Conversely, you never know, it might attract others. So where do you start? I think the first hurdle is for the members to decide on what sort of sport they want. No holes barred, balls out, anything goes approach or a more refined version that discourages high risk behaviours. From there an understanding and intellectualising of high risk behaviours. I’ll be honest and say that whilst I see the potential for improvement all the time, I don’t think more speed is improvement until the broader issues I raised are addressed. I think there needs to be a cultural shift to move on from where it is. MK: We’ve started pretty heavy - lets lighten it up. Best race related story you’ve been involved with? 19
BD: I can tell you about a litany of stuff I did as a skier, driver, observer and adventures with the fantastic people I grew up with in the sport, but the greatest moment of my racing life was being a yobbo on the beach, watching my brother win the Worlds in Italy. Of course I would love to have been on the water with him, but it wouldn’t have changed the outcome. The Broughtons did a wonderful job. The process we went through to build him into that was so hard in so many ways but such an engaging challenge too. We had so much support in making it happen too. It gave me chills of pride for 11 years afterward until Ian’s passing, since then it gives me tears too. But it’s all part of it. I haven’t really lightened it up have I?
peace with my perspectives, I’m a terribly complicated creature. Thus I wasn’t in the right brain space to be effective as a team member. Happily the experience and the support and respect I received from everyone, including yourself during that period, helped me find the answers I needed. So I’m back to the time and money problem. Once I’ve solved that I’m there, although I’d suggest with a little less zeal than my younger self. MK: You were the brains behind a (in my opinion) very successful observers forum and junior development program that ran in Queensland. How many hours went into that?
BD: Heaps. It takes a while to intellectualise your thoughts to a point where you can deliver them as training. Especially when you don’t do it for a job. Lucky I BD: Yeah! I filled my membership out, had you to chew things over with. I recompleted the tests, and didn’t follow ally enjoyed revisiting the sport. I tried a through on 3 occasions since 2010. It few things that I wouldn’t have done as takes a long time to completely step down a young man. I always felt I only half arfrom something so entrenched in me. I sed that stuff. I couldn’t give it the comcould write a book about it. Probably the mitment I wanted to. I hope people got most boring book of all time. something from it because I never did round the whole thing off. MK: It certainly wouldn’t be Harry Potter! MK: I know I felt we got close, and got BD: No I don’t suppose, but like Harry I some amazing response from some peoconquered my Voldemort. ple, but did you get what you were looking for out of it? MK: So why didn’t you? Time? Or was there more to it? BD: Yes and no. I needed to address some issues that were bothering me, I did BD: I’d love to be out there playing howthat through the course of all those disever life has me heavily committed in cussions. I still believe in the observers’ other areas. Time and money are in short forum that we tried to get rolling. It never supply, and the industry I chose to work went where I wanted it to and I couldn’t in demands 100% attention. There was find the energy to push the case for it. more to it. I came back to find my mojo, Although I’ll bet at some point we are pullI had to face a few things to find some ing those notes out of the filing. MK: We almost got you back into the fold racing after a long retirement. It’s hard to let go of hey?
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Junior development is a no brainer, adult competitors should make that a priority of their sporting life.
can only be one outcome. Let’s say I’m spending a fortune! Well we really didn’t find the light hearted side of me on this topic hey! Maybe he’s stuck somewhere on the water in history, I really would like to have followed but I truly believe there are better times through on a few individuals a little more. ahead, if there’s some minor changes Maybe get out there on the water for a made. I recognise that’s a huge chalwhile. lenge. But you know what happens if you use yesterday’s solutions to fix tomorrow’s MK: Should the sport look at some type of problems. compulsory education in this field do you think? BD: I think so, but the broader direction of the sport is a priority in my mind, the rest is rudimentary. Education may make up for the gaps in policing.
K C I M
MK: You were there - your take on modern racing compared to Ye olde? BD: Pre late 80’s: much different, it was such a young sport back then, it was broader in its thinking and application. Post late 80’s: Same same, we started the sport on it’s current focus and values in the late 80’s. Obviously it’s faster now, with less on the water training. The fact most skiers have access to fast boats that finish races must be a completely liberating concept as a skier. That wasn’t the case when I was skiing. Although it concerns me how easy it is to ski well beyond your skill level as a result of having access to such good equipment compared to my day. MK: Lastly, you’re a farmer - what do you do with all the money you make?? Those plants just grow out of the ground!!! Surely you’re making a fortune!!!? BD: Mick, I learnt my business skills from superclass boat owners. The only way I could feel a bit at home when I left ski racing, was to get into something with the same re-investment program. Farming is just like owning a superclass boat. There 21
October 2016
Racer’s Edge