SA ski racing titles cut short after accident in Queensland
An event held at Murray Bridge’s Sturt Reserve over the weekend has had a day of competition cancelled following a tragic accident interstate.
A state ski racing championship at Murray Bridge’s Sturt Reserve last weekend has been put to an early end due to an incident at a Queensland tournament.
A high-speed boat crash reportedly resulted in the death of 49-year-old Amy Hockley, a mother of four.
Ms Hockley had been competing in the Ski Racing Australia Queensland state titles on the Clarence River at Seelands, in New South Wales.
The competition, which had been set to be held over two consecutive days, was cancelled on the first afternoon of racing.
Ski Racing Australia released a statement on Saturday advising that the South Australian and Queensland state titles would not continue.
“The board need to continually assess what is the best interests of the sport, short and long term, therefore this decision is made to ensure that we continue to evaluate all the safety aspects of our sport to protect our members and in respect to those families involved,” it said.
Graeme Stegmeyer, chair of Ski Racing South Australia and race director, said the committee had been keen to keep racing but ultimately the decision was made by Ski Racing Australia to cancel.
“It was perfect water conditions and the biggest amount of entries and boats attending for years,” he said.
A total of 11 out of 21 events were completed before the cancellation was announced.
There would be no more racing until further notice and nothing could now be done until next year, Mr Stegmeyer said.
“Ski Racing Australia has a safety committee … decisions can’t be made until the coroner has established the cause of death,” he said.
“We have to see what the changes are going to be before continuing to race.”
The extreme sport was high-risk and required all participants to sign waivers, he said.
The reported accident in NSW was the third ski racing fatality in five months, following the deaths of Mathew Arnall and Luke Wentworth on the River Murray earlier this year.
Stories create community. Help Murray Bridge News tell our community’s stories by subscribing today.
