LEVI Kelly is a 13-year-old professional water skier with a world of potential in front of him. It’s why his mentor and coach, Cole Kalkbrenner, says a broken leg won’t keep him down and out.
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On November 9, Levi was undertaking a normal training session when he had a fall and sustained the injury.
The current Australian junior masters champion was preparing for the world championships in Spain in August 2018 and if all goes to plan will still be able to compete.
“He had a pretty hard crash, and he couldn’t make it from the lake to the office, so we had to call the ambulance. It was very unfortunate, and he’s very devastated,” Klakbrenner said.
“It was a tough week because we were talking about Australian records, and now we’re talking about recovery.
“He can’t rush back. We will get him to where he needs to be. He doesn’t realise it’s just a blimp on the radar, but this is everything to him.
“He had a tournament coming up as well, so it’s a bummer. It’s a dangerous, extreme sport and he’s been working really hard.”
Kalkbrenner said Levi understands it will be a tougher road for him now, but there’s still a chance he can head overseas to continue his dream run in August.
“He knows has to do everything right in recovery. There was no surgery, which is a positive,” he said.
“We’re hoping he can make it back by the end of February so he can get a month of skiing before the national champs in March.”
Levi currently holds the highest jump score, but he needs a decent trick score to be selected for Australia in August. If he does, he would be the youngest member of the team.
“A high trick score should mean he’ll be alright for Aussie selection. He’ll get in as an independent no matter what,” Kalkbrenner said.
“In 2018, the worlds will be all about experience. In 2020, that will be his year to go for gold medals.
“He deserves to compete at that level whether he gets selected in the Australian team or individually, I know that in 10 months from now he’ll be back to being the best jumper in the Aussie team.”
In October, Kalkbrenner told the Port News how mentally strong the young star was.
“The mental preparation on and off the water is what Levi does better than any 13-year-old kid in the world,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s skiing against me, or playing against me in ping pong, he hates to lose and that’s the driving force behind him.”
It’s that driving force that Kalkbrenner hopes catapults Levi through this set back.
Matt Attard
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
I was raised in Port Macquarie and consider myself a true Port local. I'm a die-hard rugby league fan and don't mind taking a photo or two. I'd love to hear from you, so please contact me at any time.
