RECORDS FALL AS BRIDGE-TO-BRIDGE PRODUCES THRILLS, SPILLS AND INSPIRATION
Bridge to Bridge Water Ski, November 24: AUSTRALIA'S toughest water skiers know to expect the unexpected when race morning dawns for the iconic Bridge To Bridge Water Ski Classic on Sydney's Hawkesbury River.
In fact, whether you're a skier, a driver, an observer, or a mechanic, the "Bathurst on water" Classic is the race everyone wants to win or just make it safely to the finish in your class.
The 49th running of the Feros Hotel Group sponsored Bridge To Bridge last weekend was certainly no different and has set the scene for the 12 month lead in to next year's "Golden Anniversary."
The 2010 Classic had it all and some, with the tens of thousands of spectators certainly getting their money's worth with plenty of thrills and some unfortunate spills along the way as they cheered on the 1500 competitors.
From eight-year-olds to 80-year-olds like "River Queen" Mary McMillan, who skied the race for the 49th time with 10-year-old great grandson Brock.
Travelling at speeds of 50mph "Queen Mary" set sail on her beloved single ski for the 112km journey that is not just an amazing feat but an inspiration.
"They won't let me travel too fast these days after I had a fall a couple of years ago but to ski with my great grandson again was wonderful - next year my great grand-daughter says she wants to do it with me," said Mary, Australia's first barefoot champion and without doubt the First Lady of Water Skiing in Australia.
There was further inspiration from Darren Osmotherly and Danny Cropper whose day started at 4am and was certainly all worthwhile as they travelled up and down the River twice after fog delayed the start of their opening record attempt.
They were chasing records and raising funds for their charity "Cure our Kids" - improving the quality of life for kids with cancer and their families.
Cropper is the skier they call "King of the River" and he certainly lived up to his reputation and he set the mood when he became the first man to ski the Classic twice in one day.
The 47-year-old has skied the Classic since 1972 and has won the race eight times outright and he holds the record for four consecutive wins in 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991, something which is unprecedented.
BRIDGE TO BRIDGE BACKWARDS
He accompanied cancer survivor and good friend Osmotherley's successful backwards skiing record attempt of 71 minutes for the 112km trek from Dangar Island to Windsor - taking 13 minutes off the 1987 race record of 84 minutes.
Cropper was Osmotherley's eyes and ears in one of the most bravest efforts of a non-stop day's action that is the Bridge To Bridge.
But Cropper admits there were times that only the fundraising efforts for the Cure Our Kids kept him going.
"I did say to myself at times on the second run - what am I doing? But skiing for charity kept me going," said Cropper.
"Around every bend there were hundreds of people cheering us on and that was wonderful, very encouraging."
The 6000 people, including Cure For Kids ambassador "Angry" Anderson, were at the finish at Windsor and cheered wildly as
Osmotherley's boat "Team Paradise" reached the final Bridge - sending shivers up the spines of everyone present.
"It was chilling stuff, amazing scenes and probably something we'll never see again," said "Team Paradise" spokesman David Jordan.
"To see the two boys coming into together and to know how much effort it took was very special indeed and the spectators certainly appreciated it."
But that was only the start of it.
Cropper, his arms like pieces of hardwood, then climbed aboard one of two waiting helicopters (complete with massage therapist) and headed back to the start line to do it all over again, this time skiing behind "Team Awesome" in the Eight Litre Class, which saw them start well after the gun but still finish in first place.
"Team Paradise" and Osmotherly were also airlifted back to the start by helicopter for his second trip down the famous River, this time behind the wheel of his own boat and came second in the Unlimited Outboard Class.
Australia's most accomplished water skiing enthusiasts were left to marvel at their feats as the pair wrote themselves into the Guinness Book of Records.
Osmotherly and his team did a wonderful job to raise awareness and funds for the cancer kids with his backward record and Cropper as the first man to ski back-to-back Classics and clock up over 224km.
STINGA'S FALL FROM GRACE IN TURBULENT WATERS
Spectators who lined the banks of the River witnessed some of the best endurance skiers and the fastest boats in the world.
They also saw one Australia's most experienced skiers taken to hospital after a spectacular fall.
When rival Super Class speed boat drivers Greg Houston and Mark Cranny push the limits out on the water they know that 
on race day anything can happen.
And when 18-time Australian champion and three-time Bridge-To-Bridge winner Grant Patterson cart-wheeled into the River from behind the Houston driven "Stinga" - any aspirations of a seventh Classic win were over.
It allowed Cranny, in top Victorian boat "Hellrazor", to cruise to a comfortable win - his third from eight starts and it ended Houston's six-year winning streak.
The pair were in the middle of a two-boat race with "Stinga's" new Force F21 boat chasing "Hellrazor" as they raced towards the River proper when Patterson went down.
It not only put an end to "Stinga's" chances of a seventh straight Super Class victory but also saw Patterson taken off to Westmead Hospital with two broken knuckles on his right hand, bruising to his lower back and a badly twisted angle.
"Luckily Patto is one of the toughest and one of the fittest skiers on the water," said one long-time Bridge-to-Bridge observer.
But it left a nasty feeling around the Team Stinga Racing group.
"It is a pretty sombre mood around here this morning," said Houston.
"We have never had a skier fall in my time of driving this race - and to have Grant taken off to hospital really put a dampener on the weekend, particularly after we had launched the new boat and won Saturday's Shoot Out.
"I think Grant must have hit some turbulent water where the rivers flowed together as we were chasing Hellrazor.
"It was an out-going tide and with the other river coming at a different angle, it churned the water up.
"My observer was quick to raise the alarm and we swept back and picked Grant up and took him off to hospital."
CRANNY'S CRYSTAL BALL A HELLRAZOR
Cranny knows better than most that the River can toss up the unexpected and in an interview before the big race he had this to say.
"You never know what to expect from the Sydney Bridge,' Cranny said.
"'Things can change so dramatically in such a short period of time. Glass smooth water can be rough with up to a metre of chop in a matter of minutes. Every year it's different, so it's difficult to know what to expect."
And when told that "Stinga" were no longer in hot pursuit, Cranny was quick to say he hoped everything was OK as he headed towards Windsor and the finish Bridge.
"We had put ourselves in a winning position from the start but you never wish ill of any of your competitors," said Cranny.
"People make a big thing of the Victoria v NSW rivalry but what it does is bring out the best in both of us. We both want to win."
The pride of Victoria has won five Southern 80 titles on the Murray and to claim another Bridge To Bridge will only make Houston and his team just that much more hungrier for next year - and a little slice of Classic history.
Rest assured there will be plenty more thrills and spills in the lead up to the 2011 Bridge To Bridge Classic - the 50th 
Anniversary of the great race.
But for now the Super Class bragging rights remain with Cranny and his "Hellrazor" crew and anynone who witnessed Danny Cropper's efforts will agree he deserves his crown as "King of the River."
Darren Osmotherly's backward journey to raise much needed funds for kids with cancer is certainly something he can personally attest to as a lifesaving cause.
And when they start talking about the 50th Anniversary of this great race, there will of course be something about Mary, as Super Gran attempts to ski herself into the record books...again.
Compiled by Hanson Media Group on behalf of NSW Water Ski Federation.
