The final of three WaterX events was hosted at Lake Bowers within Vance Creek Park in Elma, Washington. The events – sponsored by Skat-Trak, Jettrim, and JetRenu was attended by riders and their families from all over, as far as Arizona and Canada comprising 44 racers in total with 17 different class heats.
Event staff Blake Corning, Monte Hughes, John Dewar, Matt Rennie, Surie Hughes, and Dan Lindgren worked as a team each day to ensure that safety was first and that the event flowed as consistent of the nearby Vance Creek.
Arriving Saturday morning at the venue parking area, we could feel the excitement in the air; riders, friends, and family were transferring gear from camping spots and trailers to the beach area. Many riders were inspecting their machines and turning a wrench when needed. Weather forecast was for sun and mid-80’s for Saturday and possible 90+ on Sunday. If you have an idea of where Elma is you will appreciate how awesome the weekend weather was.
The riders meeting was very informative, giving the needed details of the heat events, course specific rules, and a course demonstration was ridden by event staff allowing all riders to see the course. We liked the way each class of riders was given their own “tour”. The course was laid out nicely and was billed as a “fast” track. It proved for great racing
This great event hosted 17 separate class heats including, Beginner Ski, Novice Ski Limited, Runabouts, Woman’s Ski Limited and Pro-Am GP. Heats started straight away, there was little down time in between. Each rider should be commended for being attentive to the calls for staging and not allowing time to slip away.
Both Saturday and Sunday racing was intense! Typical of a flat water course, the start was critical, there were very few red flags to restart. As the riders blasted the throttle lever and raced to the first buoy, the riders took great care in positioning as not to create an unsafe first turn. Many looked over the shoulder, finding out where they were in the crowd. Washington State has an awesome group of riders, all are dedicated to the sport and are great ambassadors to promote it. If your looking for a great time, seek out WaterX!
