Ray stokes was definitely the most inspirational person I have ever met. He was the best coach I ever had he thought me how to ski from starting on the bar on two skis tied together because I was so small I couldn't control the skis to teaching me my deep water starts and running into the slalom course and he always had smile on his face when teaching. Ray came over to goldenfalls every year since 1990 from Australia to do a course for a week in the summer and it was a week everybody in the club looked forward to. On the 19th of January 2011 ray was diagnosed with phantom melanoma cancer which was unfortunately incurable but when ray was diagnosed he was given only 90 days to live but he exceeded his life expectancy. Ray wasn't only a coach to some of the worlds top skiers Emma Sheers, June Fladborg and coached 5 national teams he also designed the brand of jump skis Stoke skis are the top of the range jump skis which made jumping longer distances very safe. Ray was very popular through out the world and when he was diagnosed the support he received was huge some examples of the support ray received was the annual Goldenfalls water ski grand prix was renamed to the ray stokes grand prix and all the skiers donated the prize money they won to ray. Another example was on rays caring bridge site over 30,000 people left messages for him and donated to the fund Ray set up to help his sons. Ray fought a long and tough battle which he unfortunately lost, there was a memorial for ray in Ireland when he passed away and the Irish federation president at the time Des Burke-Kennedy went over to Healesville, Victora in Australia to attend the funeral.
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