Three Britons will be on the starting dock for the Moomba Masters, one of the world’s classic annual water ski competitions. It takes place on the Yarra River in the heart of the Australian city of Melbourne later this week.

The Moomba Masters is the traditional season opener for the world’s best water skiers who will be looking for a good start to what will be a busy competitive summer and autumn which includes the bi-annual Open World Championships in the USA in October.

Slalom specialist and 2017 World Champion, Freddie Winter (33), from Wandsworth in London, won silver in the men’s slalom at Moomba last year and is a strong contender for a podium again in 2023.

He is in a men’s field stacked with many of the best slalom skiers who have travelled from across the globe to take on the notoriously tricky waters of the Yarra.

They include Rob Hazelwood (23), from Lincoln. Last season Hazelwood concentrated largely on slalom but at Moomba he competes in all three events – slalom, tricks and jump.

He is a good bet for a medal in the Overall, which takes into account the combined scores in the three events. He won Overall silver at Moomba in 2020.

The third Briton is the sole woman in the team. Sanchia Outram (25), from Worksop in Nottinghamshire competes in women’s slalom.

The Moomba Masters is part of the Moomba Festival which draws tens of thousands of people to the riverfront over 5 days.

The spectators will witness extreme sport at its best. As well as the normal daytime events, there will be a series of night jump competitions taking place in the dark every evening.

The Moomba Festival takes place from 9th to 13th March 2023. The first two days are dedicated to junior skiers. The British athletes will be in action on the water from Saturday 11th March.

GB ATHLETES

Freddie Winter (Slalom) was born in Tooting in south London and lives in Florida, USA. He studied business management at the University of London’s Royal Holloway College in Egham, Surrey, and has an MBA from the University of Louisiana. He trains at Oxford Water Ski Club, and in Florida and Greece.

Rob Hazelwood (Slalom, Tricks, Jump) comes from Lincoln but spends much of the year training in warmer climes. He is a member of the famous Hazelwood water skiing dynasty and the nephew of the 1977 Overall World Champion, Mike Hazelwood. Rob trains at the family site, Hazelwood Ski World in Lincoln, as well as in Florida and Chile.

Sanchia Outram (Slalom) is a regular in the GB Team but missed out on the last World Championships in 2021 after suffering a serious knee injury. She comes from Worksop in Nottinghamshire and trains at Hazelwood Ski World in Lincoln and in New Zealand.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

For more information contact: Jane Peel, Head of Communications at British Water Ski & Wakeboard, on 07802 496927 or email jane@bwsf.co.uk

Photos can be downloaded via the link below. Please credit the photographer where shown.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wf0rcrzscq7mpbe/AACH-LLmvMsckJSC5aJRmr18a?dl=0

Moomba will be livestreamed at www.moombamasters.com.au where you can also find more information about the event.

Scores can be followed live at http://www.iwwfed-ea.org

Jumping

Water ski jumping is a spectacular high-adrenaline event which involves skiing over a ramp at speeds of up to 70mph, taking off and landing on the water to ski away. There are no style points. All that matters is the distance achieved.

Slalom

The boat travels at a constant speed in a straight line down the middle of the slalom course. At elite level the speed is 58kph (36mph) for men and 55kph (34mph) for women. The skier, on a single ski, has to go through the entrance gates - a pair of buoys in the middle of the course - then virage from side to side across the boat wakes, successfully rounding six turn buoys before going through the exit gates.

Each successful pass results in the rope being shortened, making it increasingly difficult to reach the turn buoys. Eventually, the rope length becomes less than the distance from the boat to the turn buoys. The winner is the skier who completes the most turn buoys at the shortest rope length.

Tricks

The skier is given two 20-second passes to complete as many different tricks as possible. These can vary from a simple 180 turn to a somersault with a twist. There are also ‘toehold’ tricks where the skier holds the rope with one foot. Each trick is worth a given number of points according to difficulty. Points are awarded only if the tricks are deemed to have been successfully performed.

British Water Ski & Wakeboard is the sport’s governing body and a non-profit making membership organisation. All its income is invested in developing and protecting water skiing and wakeboarding across the UK from the grassroots to our top athletes.

British Water Ski & Wakeboard is the sport’s governing body and a non-profit making membership organisation. All its income is invested in developing and protecting water skiing and wakeboarding across the UK from the grassroots to our top athletes.

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