Longwarry local tops Southern 80 event
Fifteen- year-old Longwarry slalom skier Tiarnee Browney has returned from the annual Southern 80 competition a winner, taking out the 60 mile an hour event.
A perfect start was key to her victory, winning the event with a time of 10:52 to finish nine seconds ahead of her nearest rival.
Tiarnee, who only began skiing three years ago when she was 12, said she found a passion for the sport after seeing her family participate.
“My stepdad started racing and I kind of just got into it and wanted to do it,” she said. “I had to learn how to slalom ski first then I’ve just gone on from there.”
Her stepdad, Leigh McDonald, also known as ‘JB’ said that despite a few issues with the boat leading up to the race, they were able to recover on the day of the competition.
“The first race was a bit hard to get to, we did an engine in the boat about 10 days before the event, so we were going up and down to Cobram where the engine builder was. Then on the Thursday before we hit a log during a run and damaged the bottom, so we spent another two days fixing that as well,” he said.
The team, made up of four members, persevered and when Tiarnee nailed her start, Leigh thought they may be in with a chance. As Tiarnee and her team crossed the line, the data showed they were sitting in third position, before refreshing to show them in first after the final competitor finished.
“I was a bit shocked that we won, I actually didn’t think it was right. I didn’t think we were a chance because we had all the boat drama, but when JB said we were first, I didn’t believe it at all,” she laughed.
The team was seeded 18th in the competition, meaning they had to take off behind the rest of the field, leaving them at the mercy of the wake left by the previous competitors, making the victory all the sweeter.
Tiarnee also competed in the Southern 80 competition the next day, but at the 20km mark lost her handle on the rope and slipped off behind the boat, ending her event.
Despite her crash on the Sunday, Tiarnee said she was incredibly happy with the weekend’s results.
“I think just being able to win with the team and seeing the atmosphere, it was great. Being able to do it with JB my stepdad was great too,” she said.
Leigh added that he was incredibly proud of Tiarnee’s efforts.
“Incredibly proud yes, it’s a challenge to stay focused for the race and she did that really well,” he said.
It was Leigh’s first year as the driver for the Sawdust team, after previously spending the past eight years behind the boat as a skier. He said the switch was a little different, but he enjoyed the challenge.
“You sort of have to be the ring leader and the team captain to make sure everyone is working well together, so it’s a bit different being in control of the boat, I used to just shut up and hold on,” he laughed.
With Tiarnee’s victory under her belt, she has turned her attention to the next event in Robinvale, where she is confident the team can again match it with the rest of the competition.
“Now we know we are in the mix, we want to aim to win as many races as possible going forward, then next year I hope to complete the Southern 80,” she said.
Tiarnee also hopes to then compete in another event across the Easter weekend where she will ski a total of 100km.
The Robinvale event will be taking place on March 7 and 8.