Water Ski sponsorship revs up

Issued Friday, 2 March 2007

The 2007 World Disabled Water Ski Championships at Riverway are just over two months away. Event organisers have received a funding boost with the State Government’s decision to support the event with a $10,000 grant coming from the Department of Communities, Disabilities and Youth. Sponsorship packages for the event are still available with a number of local business and industry members already making contributions.

The event’s principal partner Thuringowa City Council has been joined by gold sponsors BHP Billiton, Correct Craft, Optus, Sunbus and the Townsville Airport in providing funding and support for this major community event.

Thuringowa MP, the Premier’s representative in North Queensland, Craig Wallace congratulated the Townsville Water Ski Club and Townsville Convention Bureau on landing the championships.
"Securing such a high profile sporting event is a coup for the club and will showcase our water ski facilities and scenic attractions to a national and international audience," Mr Wallace said.

"The Queensland Government is contributing $10,000 towards the staging of the championships and I encourage the local business community to get right behind them too, especially as the economy can’t help but benefit."

BHP Billiton is delighted to sponsor an international event of this calibre here in North Queensland. A BHP spokeswoman says BHP has major operations based in the region at Yabulu and Cannington and saw this as a chance to support the local community.

"We are pleased to be able to support this international event. The championships will attract worldwide attention and establish North Queensland as a destination for major sporting events in the future. An event like this has resounding positive impacts on the community, in particular for residents with a disability,' she said.

John Graham from Sunbus is proud to support the event and to showcase progress on greater accessibility throughout Townsville and Thuringowa, he sees this event as an extension of the company’s commitment on this front.

"Sunbus is committed to providing bus services that are accessible to all. To this end over 50% of our buses are fully accessible. Through participation on the Townsville Disability Advisory Committee and regular contact with groups representing people with disabilities we are able to continually change our services to meet their needs," Mr Graham said.

For information on sponsorship please call the event manager on 0411 593 877.

Local hopeful wins national selection

Issued Friday, 16 February 2007

The 2007 World Disabled Water Ski Championships are just 3 months away and local star Peter McClintock has been awarded selection in the Australian team for the event. Peter has been in intensive training since the event, to be held at Thuringowa’s Riverway was secured for the Twin Cities by his club, the Townsville Water Ski Club.

Former wheelchair tennis star Peter McClintock will be joining the Flying Kangaroos for the May event and has vowed to continue training in a bid to secure a podium finish at the event. So far more than 150 competitors and support personnel from 13 countries have registered for the event which will run from the 14th to the 20th of May.

" I’ve been training up to four times a week to win national selection and now I’ve secured that it’s a matter of looking forward to the opportunity to perform in front of a home crowd at Riverway. I’d love to take home a top three finish in any of the events I’ve entered so that will motivate me to keep on training," Mr McClintock said.

Mr McClintock’s selection will be officially announced on Monday February 19 when Australian Water ski and Wakeboard Federation Chief Executive Officer Noel Dix visits Townsville in preparation for the event.

" Peter has worked hard to earn selection in the national team and it’s pleasing to see his hard work pay off. We’re looking forward to presenting a top quality international event in North Queensland. Riverway is a world class competition venue and we’ve attracted entrants from all over the world," Mr Dix said.

Registrations are being received at a steady pace from international federations, with confirmations from Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland. It’s now sponsorship that event organisers including Townsville Waterski Club president and event organising committee member Scott Keevers is chasing to ensure the event is a raging success.

" We have all the ingredients for a spectacular International event with competitors set to stream into the region from all over the world. The Riverway venue is world class and this will be a great opportunity to showcase the North Queensland region and local businesses. We’re looking for key financial support from the local community and have some sponsorship packages still available for any business that would like to be a part of this international event," Mr Keevers said.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the event can contact the event manager on 0411 593 877.

Many hands make light work

Issued Monday, 27th November 2006

Organisers of the 2007 World Disabled Water Ski Championships being held at Riverway in May are hoping community involvement in the competition will shed light on the world of disabled sporting events. 80 competitors from 15 countries are expected churn up the Ross River in their bid for glory at the eighth world titles. The committee is calling for volunteers to help the competition run as smoothly as possible.

Volunteers will have the opportunity to help the Twin Cities stage a genuinely international event. Competitors for the championships are expected to jet in from all over the world.

The behind the scenes work for the titles has begun – and there are plenty of opportunities for the twin cities community to get involved. The organising committee is seeking volunteers to start immediately or during competition, and sponsorship packages for the event are still available.

Brooke Stockham, Para-Olympian Swimmer and Ambassador for the 2007 World Disabled Water Ski Championships urges members of the community to get behind the event.

"It’s a really good opportunity for the people of Townsville and Thuringowa to get involved in a sporting event of this caliber, we have people from 15 nations coming in to compete in the World Championships in Townsville. This is a unique opportunity for the community to get involved in an event like this – and to see in the work that goes in behind the scenes in a disabled sporting event," she said.

"Volunteers are a huge part of major sporting events – there are so many different areas that are part of these competitions that can’t run without volunteers. An event like this can’t happen without volunteers, they make a real difference."

Organising committee chairman Peter McClintock said the excitement is starting to build ahead of next year’s championships.

"We’re getting strong interest in the competition from skiers and sponsors alike. We’ve secured two cutting edge ski boats for the championships, and we’d expect to see world class performances from all the great athletes who come up here for the titles," he said.

Peter’s qualification campaign continues next month when he takes part in the Australian championships. He’s hopeful of securing his place in the team to take part in the competition in his hometown. In the mean time he’s putting finishing touches on the plans for the competition with the rest of the committee.

"There’s a lot to organise ahead of the championships. The course at Riverway has to be prepared with markers for the Slalom, Tricks, and Jump events. A variety of ramps, markers and buoys will be brought in and installed to ensure the venue meets international competition standard. We’d love to see the Twin Cities community embrace this event by giving us a helping hand – and then by lining the river in support when the event begins," he said.

Anybody interested in assisting with the event either in the planning phase or during the event can sign up to volunteer at Willows Shoppingtown, Saturday 9 - Sunday 10 December.

Ghee whiz for ski wiz

Issued Monday, 30 October 2006

Crowds are expected to line the banks at Thuringowa Riverway as the Ross River transforms into a world class water ski venue ahead of the 8th World Disabled Water Ski Championships in May next year. Preparation for the event, to be based at Thuringowa’s Riverway is well underway with local skiers involved in an intense regime of training and competition ahead of the championships.

More than 80 competitors from 15 countries will enter across five categories including Sit Skiers, Single Leg Amputees, Skiers with an Arm Disability, Vision Impaired Skiers, and Arm/Leg Impairment Skiers. As the event hub, Riverway will become a hive of activity with spectators making a bee line to the site to take in what will be an inspiring spectacle.

The prospect of performing aerial twists and turns in front of a home town audience has local competitor, and organising committee chairman Peter McClintock buzzing as he prepares for next year’s competition. Peter is North Queensland through and through, growing up in Cardwell and finishing school in Townsville. When a 1997 motorbike accident left the diesel fitter wheelchair bound he looked for an avenue to keep active. He tried his hand at wheelchair tennis where he experienced some success, making the nation’s top five, before turning to the challenge of waterskiing.

"I was looking for a change. I’d been competing on the wheelchair tennis circuit for about five years. I’d been travelling the circuit at my own expense until I secured sponsorship, and I have a young family so I was looking for something closer to home. I went to a water ski come and try day with the sporting wheelies and really enjoyed it. Once I heard the World Championships were coming to Townsville I was hooked," he said.

Peter has to qualify for the national team before he can compete in the World Championships. The prospect of competing at home is the dangling carrot motivating him in his bid for selection. His training schedule sees him hit the water for two hours, three or four times a week. Peter’s dedication saw this regime continue through winter’s windy, rainy days despite the chill. He has balanced his skiing with regular weight training in the gym and a week long training camp in Brisbane.

"I’m really working for the chance to perform in front of a home crowd which is great motivation. We go down to the river every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons for training, and then on most Sundays. It’s always great to sit up there in the one, two or three on the podium, but having only been in the sport for 8 months making the National team is my real goal and anything else is a bonus."

His campaign to qualify has been fully supported by the Townsville Water Ski Club. The club has supplied Peter with its club boat and driver, club secretary Brad Mann to assist with training sessions. The Townsville Water Ski Club is the local host for the World Championships.

Peter believes the benefits of hosting the event will reach all levels of the local community with particular benefits for members of the disabled community seeking new opportunities.

Peter believes the benefits of hosting the event will reach all levels of the local community with particular benefits for members of the disabled community seeking new opportunities.

"This event is about more than competitors getting results. It’s about raising awareness in the community. The skiers in the championships are going to be pulling off some amazing moves. The competition showcases people with abilities, not people with disabilities. It’s also going to raise awareness amongst the local disabled community about the options that are out there," he said.

"From an organiser’s perspective, I’d really like it to be a successful Championship. We’ve got a good team of experienced people working together on the event. This is a World Championship – we’re not just presenting Townsville and Thuringowa to a group of people from around the state – we’re on an international stage. We’re really trying to put on a great event and we want to secure support from a bunch of local businesses," he said.

Peter will be conducting a demonstration during the launch of the World Disabled Water Ski Championships at Riverway, 10am, Tuesday October 31.

Preparations Ramp up for World Championships

Issued Wednesday, 25th October 2006

North Queensland’s claim to be one of Australia’s best regional venues for sporting events will be tested when the World Disabled Water Ski Championships hit the Ross River in May 2007. The countdown to the event, supported by the Thuringowa City Council has begun, with the official launch to be held at the Riverway outdoor amphitheatre at 10am on Tuesday, October 31.

Skiers from 15 countries will attend the world championships bringing friends and family to the region for a tournament sure to be filled with daring aerial manoeuvres and feats of athletic prowess. The logistics of bringing these athletes into the region for the world championships stretches further than simply accommodating the skiers and their entourage.

The event site at Thuringowa’s Riverway will need to be prepared for the competition with courses marked for the Slalom, Tricks, and Jump events. A variety of ramps, markers and buoys will be brought in and installed to ensure the venue meets international competition standard. Event organisers are confident our facilities are capable of putting on a world class show.

Townsville Water Ski club President, Scott Keevers says the event will raise the profile of water skiing in the region for both able bodied and disabled participants.

"Hosting a World Championship will give water skiing in the Twin Cities a boost. It’s a great chance to profile the excitement involved in the sport for locals. Water skiing is a sport that is accessible for all – and we’d really like this competition to reflect that," he said.

The Championships will also establish Townsville as a destination for major water ski competitions.

"This event will demonstrate our capacity to act as a venue for major water ski events. The athletes we bring in are capable of performing at a standard similar to their able bodied counterparts so the infrastructure and support required should position us as a recognised event destination," Mr Keevers said.

"This is an opportunity for Townsville to put on a world class international event which will have a long lasting impact for the region. The infrastructure we’ll develop including ski ramps, course maps, and other event structures will be used in years to come. The knowledge and experience gained through the staging of this competition will also be of great benefit in the future."

Townsville Enterprise Convention Bureau Manager, Dawn Combs is excited about the potential benefits this event will bring to the region.

"Events like the World Disabled Water Ski Championships are great for the local community. Major sporting and cultural events also bring people into the region. Visitors who come to North Queensland for events use their trips as a chance to experience our hospitality and lifestyle. They’ll hopefully go home as ambassadors for the region potentially bringing their friends and relatives up to holiday here," she said.

The 2007 World Disabled Water Ski Championships were secured for the region by the Townsville Water Ski Club and the Townsville Enterprise Convention Bureau. The event has received strong support from local media organisations and Thuringowa City Council. Further sponsorship packages for the event are available – interested parties should contact the event management office on 4721 4222 or alternatively visit the event website at www.townsvillewaterskiclub.com/world.