My uncle is the second ranked Jet Ski racer in the country. Last year at regionals this kid who was very close with my uncle "accidently" t-boned him in one of the first races. Took him out for the day. That night the kid found a shop in the area, talked the owner into opening it for them to get repairs and didn't call and tell my Uncle. Even though my uncle was supposed to be "like a father" to this kid and he felt "so unbelivably terrible" about the "accident." That was late last summer. I was at this race, Tano was my Uncles pit crew, it was all good fun. Until the accident happened. Tano and I had left for a few hours to drive into New Orleans when it happened, I'm sorry I wasn't there. At the same time I'm glad I wasn't because they said it was so loud it sounded like a cannon going off and Steve disappeared in the wreckage for more than a few seconds.
At the following two races he was supposed to have a ride with this guy named Dean who sponsors "Deans Team" and both times, somehow, other rides stole his spot out from under him.
Steve number 707 on his small ski. Not sure from which race.
Now he's at Nationals in Nashville, and yesterday some kid goes flying airborn through the air, aiming for his body not for his ski, takes my uncle completley off his ski and Steve was just floating on the water. He had to be taken out on a board. He went back to the hotel and packed himself in ice and planned on going home, but realized he was going to be sorry if he didn't race today. Dean and some of the guys on the team patched his ski up and two of them literally had to put my uncle on his ski. Steve shoved a glove down into the throttle because he is so bruised and pained he didn't have the energy to hold it himself. He said he held on for dear life and he came in second. Steve is an amazing racer. Thing is he's been doing it for thirty years, hes 50. All the other kids in the races are average age, 23. They hate that he beats them and beats them.
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With Charlies dad, some racer I don't know, and Charles Ewen (the kid who took him out last year in Mississippi.)
So now we're thinking, these kind of coincidences dont just happen in professional races. We're not talking someones hobby, we're talking TV time and sponsors (Steve is sponsored by Jet Tribe) and big money. Its just too ironic that this shit is happening over and over to him. People are being paid to get him out of the races, someone wants him to lose his sponsor and Steve just wont quit. My uncle is a very very experienced man in every aspect of life. He's drank with Deniro on more than one occasion, worked out with Dwayne Johnson, had a very fucked up relationship with one of Tiger Woods ex's, thank GOD she left, she was a fucking nut! At one point she bruised her own face and said my uncle did it! My uncle is a fighter, hes a big muscular man who has the body of twenty five year old, but he is the FIRST person to knock a man out for hitting a woman. Trust me I know from experience.
With one of the race models. Haha, Uncle Steve is such a nerd.
Anyway, people are trying to get him to lose his sponsor or stop racing or something. I guess when they realized taking his ski out didn't work last year at regionals that they would have to take HIM out. Sadly for them, that didn't fucking work either! My mother just got off the phone with him, hes going down to the last moto of the race right now. I hope he's alright. Its going to take a fucking LOT to get him to quit I can promise you that. People are SHOCKED he managed to race yesterday, they thought he was dead when he was lying in the water like that.
Freestyle in CoaCoa Beach.
I can't wait for my uncle to meet my little one next summer. Steve lives in Orlando and we live in Baltimore. We get to as many races as we can but we can't make it to all of them, so usually hes there alone with the Jet Tribe shit. My uncle is a great man and its going to take so much to get him to quit. I can't wait to get out to another race and be there to support him.
Uncle Steve.
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