The daughter of parents who were water skiers and who operate a swimming pool business, she competed in the sport from the age of 13.
[9] She secured qualification to the 2009 Waterski Racing World Championships in Belgium at the national selection rounds in Lake Charm.
Teelow prepared for the competition by broadening her experience on rough waters with ski sessions in Botany Bay and Port Jackson.
In September 2013, she won the Formula 2 category of that year's World Waterski Racing Championships in the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands.
[15][16] Soon after the race had commenced,[3] which was held on calm waters and with a negated wind, Teelow passed under the Hawkesbury River railway bridge at around 75 to 85 miles per hour (121 to 137 km/h) before her driver slowed and an observer raised his left arm to inform her of incoming minor waves.
Teelow hit the first wave without incident until her ski was observed to launch airborne ahead of her approximately 2.7 km (1.7 mi) into the race.
[16][17] A subsequent limited autopsy determined Teelow died from an atlanto-occipital dislocation that caused blunt force head and neck injuries due to her striking water at high speed.
[1] The New South Wales deputy state coroner Teresa O'Sullivan recommended Ski Racing Australia develop technical specifications for ski helmets and flotation devices to suit water skiers and inspect and secure safety equipment before the start of races.