RELATED:
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
IT'S showtime for Bendigo water ski aces Chelsea and Chloe Hall this week in New Zealand.
The 14-year-old twins are taking their repertoire of tricks to the IWWF Asian and Oceanian Water Ski and Wakeboard Championships in Auckland.
There they will compete in the show water skiing section.
The championships, which started last Monday and wind up on February 5, are the first water ski tournament in the world to encompass all five water skiing divisions.
These include tournament, barefoot, wakeboarding, racing and show.
The event, to be held on Lake Kereta and Lake Karapiro, will be the first step towards the national show ski championships in April for the bubbly year-9 students from Bendigo South East College.
Chloe and Chelsea have come a long way in a short time in water skiing.
The twins have only been practising their craft for about two years, but already built up an impressive list of accomplishments.
They finished finished first (Chelsea) and second (Chloe) in the sub-junior (under 14) section at last year's Australian Barefoot Championships in New South Wales.
But it's in the spectacular show skiing section, with its elaborate mix of pyramids, ski doubles and swivels, where the talented teenagers will look to make their mark in New Zealand.
By no means for the faint of heart, the girls admit they are hooked on the thrills and adventure of show skiing.
"It can be scary sometimes, especially when it's rough (on the water)," Chelsea said.
"And when you are climbing on people you don't really know, like in New Zealand, I'll be climbing on people who I don't know what their capabilities are.
"There's a technique you need to perfect to get to the top."
Chloe pointed to the close-knit bond between top-level skiers as one of the appeals of getting to compete at the championships.
"I just want to meet new people. I've never been to New Zealand or overseas for a water ski trip," she said.
Chloe and Chelsea will contest the national championships in Perth as part of the Southern Waters Ski Show Team.
In what promises to be a hectic first five months of the year, they are also preparing to compete in the state and national barefoot titles.
"We only have one about free weekend until May," Chelsea said.
Longer term, the girls hope to compete in the show ski world championships, which won’t be held until 2018 in Canada.
Chlose and Chelsea are funding their own way to New Zealand and have created a gofundme page.
People interested in helping the girls realise their dream of representing Australia can click here