MACON, Ga. — Some folks would say it’s not a lake day without jet-skiing, so even if it’s not quite summer yet, it’s not stopping folks from hitting the water with their jet-skis this weekend.
The American Jet Sport Association is holding their first jet-ski competition of their summer series. Lake Tobesofkee is their first stop.
They’re expecting up to 100 professionals and amateur jet-skiers to enter the competition.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha was out by the water speaking to folks about the sport and how much fun they're having.
“The next couple of days, we are bringing high-octane jet-ski racing to Macon, Georgia,” says Paul Lehr.
Lehr is the jet ski competition’s technical director and a competitor.
He says the first day of the event is like the calm before the storm.
“Everybody gets here. We’re tuning skis, we’re having a practice session going on later this afternoon,” he explains.
Lehr has been jet skiing for over 30 years, winning national championships and professional titles.
He says he may be older, but his passion for the sport is as strong as ever.
“Everybody that’s here loves the water and loves these machines, I still backflip as high as these young guys,” Lehr laughs.
Teagan Hill has been competing for four years. The first time was in 2018 at the age of 11.
“I wasn’t the greatest, but that made me only want to just go home and work harder and get better,” he says.
He’s now a six-time national and four-time world champion amateur jet-skier, making him a professional at 15.
“I love seeing my name at the top," Hill said.
Bobby Cardone and his son, Giovanni, drove 500 miles from Florida.
Nothing compares going around a buoy at 60 miles an hour,” he says, “So when they said they had this place locked in for the first race, I decided that me and my little man would come represent and support.”
Cardone says folks are coming as far as New York and Michigan to compete.
He’s not quite a pro yet, but says he’ll put up a good fight.
“I feel like we have a good shot here. There’s a lot of good talent and we’ll just put our best in,” Cardone explains. “This is the first race of the year. We’ve had all winter down, we were working on this boat, getting it all put together, so we’ll see what happens.”
The races with pros and amateurs begins Saturday.
It’s an event the whole family can enjoy. They have food trucks and lots of entertainment.
This three-day event starts Friday, April 21, and runs through Sunday.
Tickets are $10 a day and you can buy them at Sandy Beach. Kids under 6 get in free.