Nottle pays tribute to late mentor
When Damon Nottle won the WA Men’s Open Slalom Water Ski Title in March, he knew late mentor and friend Frank Bonney was watching from above.
The Port Kennedy father has been training at Bonney’s Water Ski Park in Baldivis for eight years, and was introduced to competition skiing by the facility’s founder.
Mr Bonney, a seven-time WA and eight-time Australian slalom champion, died in 2012.
“Frank watched me ski and said he could turn me into a champion,” Mr Nottle said.
“I was really proud to win the State title, I would have loved him to have been here to see that.”
Mr Nottle recently returned from the 2014 Australian Water Ski Championships in Darwin with a fourth place and an invitation to the over-35 Men’s World Ski Championships in Florida in October.
He is one of eight Australians heading to the event.
Mr Nottle said he caught the waterskiing bug as a young man growing up in Harvey.
“It’s a bit like golf, it’s something you’ll never master,” he said.
“You keep coming back, it’s addictive.
“I’ll never give it up.
“There’s one guy that comes here who is 76.
“I’d like to think I could ski when I’m 76.” Waterskiing has become a family affair, with partner Leanne Galambosi and son Byron Nottle, 10, also taking to the water.
Byron has held the State under-10 water ski champion title for three years.
He also recently came fourth at the national championships.
Ms Galambosi said she has photographs of three-year-old Byron skiing with his dad while wearing floaties.
“I like being out on the water,” Byron said.
“There’s been times when I’ve been a bit scared.
“I’ve had a few crashes and winded myself.
“But I love it, I would be disappointed if I couldn’t do it anymore.”
Mr Nottle said Byron’s confidence on the water had returned.
“With any sport there is an element of risk,” he said.
“We think with trick and slalom it’s manageable.
“There’s probably more risks in jumps, which Byron has not done yet.
“It’s just like anything, if you use the correct technique and have been taught right from the start, it’s safe.”
The family trains at Bonney’s several times a week and the cooler temperatures have not kept them from the water.
“We don’t stop training in winter,” Mr Nottle said.
“We don’t need to train but we just love it.
“It’s not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.”
