Jet-Set

As technology has advanced, so has our capacity to use it. Our world is one of change and exchange, where concepts and ideas are swapped in great numbers and at great distances. People all over the world are quickly finding that they have more options available to them than just what is sitting outside their backdoors. Well, the world of athletics epitomizes this. In, for example, the relatively flat geography of Indiana, it is possible to not only be a jet ski racer, but to be one of the best jet ski racers around. Heritage Christian senior Ashley Bryant has proven it. Bryant rides a stand-up Kawasaki SXR800, and rides it well. She comes from a family of jet ski racers, so she's been captaining watercraft since well before she could drive. Bryant and her siblings all race in the stock class, which works out well as they spend a large amount of their leisure time practicing with each other at Morse Lake in Cicero. At 18, Ashley is still a young racer. Though she only has four years of experience as a competitor, she has twice finished in the top five at the Jet Ski World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Bryant has also spent many seasons on the softball diamond and on volleyball and basketball courts. Still, it is easy to see where she is the most comfortable. "I love being on the water," said Bryant. "It's so much different then any other sport I've ever tried. The wind whipping on your face and the feel of the water is great." For the past two years, Jet Ski racing has certainly been good to her. In October 2006, Bryant competed in the Jet Ski World Finals and finished fourth in a lengthy race. It was an historic moment for both Bryant and the race, as she made her first appearance as watercraft racers of all sorts celebrated the race's 25th anniversary. The event was a prestigious one, not only for watercraft enthusiasts, but for all non-mainstream athletes. In the past, the World Finals have seen contests and exhibitions staged by the most popular names of BMX racing, half-pipe skateboarding, and freestyle motocross. In all, the invitation-only event rounds up the top 750 personal watercraft racers from over 30 nations to compete in the sport's largest spectacle. "I raced against almost all boys (in the 2005 National Finals) and got creamed," Bryant explained. "So, I prayed a lot before the (2006 World) Finals because I was very, very nervous. But once I hit the water and really started racing, all that went away because it was so much fun to be out there." The fact that a course in the World Finals runs an average of two minutes and 40 seconds per lap and is approximately twice as long as one in the National Finals in Nashville, Tenn., makes her fourth place seem that much more impressive. This past year, Bryant came in fifth, securing the notion that her passion would be a good pursuit after high school. Her father, who started at the age of 17, just stopped racing only a few years ago. "I definitely want to keep (racing) after high school," said Bryant. "I don't know exactly how I'll do it, but I know that I want to." It is certainly possible to compete full-time as a professional racer, though going pro is not an easy task. In order to get to the World Finals, Bryant had to prove herself in both the Regional and National Finals. As there are 42 National Finals across the world, those who make it to the World Finals are the cream of the crop in personal watercraft racing. Bryant has raced alongside a girl who turned pro at the age of 16 and has competed against people much older than she is, so there is no finite timeline. Before she can attempt to be a full-time professional, though, she must first master her craft at her current level. Bryant has been strong in her region, Region 6, which consists of Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. She has also had solid showings at the National Finals, which pits her against a stiff field of a dozen or so of the best racers in the country. It was this race, though, in which Ashley suffered her most serious setback. Three years ago, Bryant slipped off the side of her jet ski and tore the ligaments in her right shoulder. Jet skis top out at about 62 miles per hour, a dangerous speed for a car crash, let alone to fall off a jet ski. The possibility of peril, though, has not dissuaded Ashley from her sport or her parents from supporting her. "I don't mind (the danger)," said Bryant with a laugh. "My dad's kind of a daredevil, so he's ok with it. My mom is usually the one praying through the whole race." Bryant still has three months to prepare for the 2008 World Finals, tentatively scheduled for October 4-12. If her father's longevity in the sport is any indication of Ashley's potential as a jet ski racer, her number of wins is going to far eclipse any negatives the waves might offer.