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Jonathan McCreary Interview: PWC Racing The AJSA Way

Following the American Jet Sport Association (AJSA) Southern Summer Series race weekend in Chattanooga on May 30 and June 1, The Watercraft Journal tracked down AJSA staffer and long-time PWC racer Jonathan McCreary to talk about the weekend’s competitions, and about AJSA’s approach to the sport of jet ski racing.

WCJ:This was the second weekend of AJSA’s 2025 season — how is the racing this year?

McCreary: This weekend was great, we love Chattanooga. Even though it’s early in the season, these guys (racers) are already setting the scene for who’s who and where the battles are going to be in the field, and this weekend’s racing certainly didn’t disappoint. We had battles going all day both days. 

WCJ: There is, of course, a lot that is familiar about PWC racing with AJSA, but there are some significant changes in the process, too. Can you talk about some of those?

McCreary: One of the big things for the American Jet Sport Association is trying to have a very cohesive flow throughout the day, where we have boats on the line, guys are stacked up, the races are going and we’re not here until 8 p.m. and you have racers that only get four laps in because we’re trying to get everything done. 

So, there’s a couple things they have incorporated — some of which other sanctioning bodies do and some that we are trying that are unique to AJSA. We’ve switched over to a light style starting system this year, which eliminates the need for resetting the band every time and having to have a dedicated operator down here to run things. 

Another thing that we’ve done is the skull and crossbones flag, where — if we have a jump start that’s not just a flagrant jump where you’ve got some guy that went six boat lengths ahead of everyone or something — if they just got a little bit of an advance on the start, instead of re-racking the whole field, and a lot of times you end up doing that two or three times, and that takes a lot of time, so instead of doing that, they will let the race go under green flag conditions and the people who jumped the start will get the skull and crossbones flag, which tells them they have to go hit the makeup buoy — which is a pretty big setback — it’s quiet the penalty, but it doesn’t penalize the rest of the line – it doesn’t penalize those who didn’t jump the start.

WCJ: So what happens if they don’t see that flag or they don’t take the makeup buoy?

McCreary: If they have to go take the penalty buoy — whether it’s because of a jump start, or a missed buoy or whatever, they will usually give them two or three laps (to see the flag and take the buoy) — they’ll blow the whistle and give them the flag and try to get their attention, but if they don’t take the buoy, they get penalized a lap, so that usually puts them at the back of the field. 

WCJ: Does strategy play a part in the races, or is it all about who can go the fastest?

McCreary: There is a lot more to jet ski racing than just getting your boat out there and running the lap. There is definitely a lot of strategy, especially in the ski division where stamina is an issue. A lot of guys will go out and they’ll pour everything into it right off the start, running right at 100%, and then as the race goes on, they start to get tired and they get a little slow. Then there are the racers that may go out and they’ll just fall in line and they’ll wait for the guys up front to start to get tired and then they’ll make their move. 

Particularly with the AJSA, we really try to have a lot of passing opportunities to make it interesting. This weekend, for example, we actually had three splits on the track so you basically felt like you had two lanes all the way around and you were never particularly stuck in someone’s pump wash unless you wanted to be.

WCJ: That’s another area of PWC racing that is maybe underpaid — putting together a race course is not just tossing a bunch of buoys on the water, right?

McCreary: No, that’s where people Like Brad Hill and others put a lot of work into the course. Jimmy Wilson has had some involvement in it, John Block has some involvement in it and heping AJSA set courses. There are a few things that AJSA is doing differently than everybody else. We don’t have these giant, expansive courses with the big long straightaways that converge into a split section. We’ve seen some races where that’s been a safety concern so one thing AJSA likes to do to keep the speeds in check is have the smaller, more technical, rider-focused racks that really pay to the guys who really practice the buoys — they’re not just on a fast boat that goes fast in a straight line – they’ve got to be able to ride, to race an AJSA track. 

WCJ: There always seems to be a lot of youth racers at AJSA races; what do you think is the attraction that is bringing so many young and new racers to the series?

McCreary: I think that maybe the AJSA has given some guys in the southeast an opportunity to have some true regional races and to come up through the ranks. To start in the juniors division and try and work their way up to the pros, which we’ve had some juniors do.. We really have a strong juniors program with the AJSA and have since the beginning. There are a lot of junior riders that are local to the hub of the AJSA and that just keeps expanding out. Kids will come to the races and see other kids racing and say “I can do that,” and they get a ski and the next thing you know, its gone from 6 racers on the line the first race to 8 or 10 on the line and it just keeps growing, and that’s what is going to foster the future of jet ski racing. Its not the old guys like me; I’m 40 and Ii’m doing the best I can to stay into racing, but eventually it’s time to pass the torch, and I feel really good about AJSA’s youth program. 

WCJ: What would you say to someone who is interested in trying out PWC racing?

McCreary: The best thing is to just come check it out. Even if you don’t have a ski, and you’ve just heard about it on the news or an advertisement. Just come out to a race and see the family atmosphere that AJSA has. It’s families here, and it’s a great place for kids to come and the parents and kids can spend the weekend together and the parents can cheer the kids on and the kids can compete with one another. I recommend following AJSA on social media, reaching out to any AJSA member, visiting the website and just come out and see what it’s all about.

The kids come through the pits all the time and it’s something that is so interesting – that dynamic where you’ve got the guys that have raced for 30 years with multiple world titles, and you’ve got them all the way down to 8-10 year olds who have maybe never even raced before and this is their first season. It’s all just a big family and the kids are running around the pits together playing, and for spectators and those who might be interested, you can get right up to where the racers are and watch from the shoreline – there are no fences, no gates, no expensive pit passes.

Jessica Waters
Jessica Waters
Editor – [email protected] Currently the Managing Editor of the Dalton Daily Citizen in Northwest Georgia, Jessica Waters is a photojournalist and reporter who has covered competition stock car racing, downhill skiing, motocross, horse racing and hydroplane races for more than 30 years, and added jet ski races and freestyle competitions in 2010, covering many competitions for local and national media outlets.

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