Skiers shine on Kalgan

Albany Water Ski Club held its annual Lower Great Southern Water Ski tournament on the weekend with 17 skiers hitting the waters of Kalgan River to compete in slalom and trick competitions. The two-day event was round three of the WA State Series, as skiers came from Albany along with Donnybrook, Bunbury, Rockingham and Perth. Veteran Graham Budd, who is over 80, was there in action and has hit the water in all 52 tournaments since it started while competitors as young as nine also made their presence felt. Former Australian champion and ex-local resident Steven Moss was a major highlight on the water along with other A-grade skiers Damon Nottle and Jake Dowling. Albany Water Ski Commodore Dave McCracken said the weekend ran smoothly. “The weekend was a great success and the skiers enjoyed a great relaxed weekend, with great weather and water conditions,” he said. “Albany has always been great for water conditions due to its location and protection from the winds. “The competition from the top-level skiers was fierce, each skier had to perform at their best. “This was throughout all the grades, with a lot of great performances.” McCracken said there was plenty of positive feedback. “New skiers that hadn’t skied in Albany before, found the site great,” he said. “There was a number of personal best performances from a number of skiers.” Official results from the tournament will be released in the next week.