The annual Jet Around Cayman jet-ski showdown featured 21 riders this year, with only one female competitor, who described her experience as “nerve-racking”.
Lysenia Elliott, 21, did a standout job representing women at this year’s event, placing 12th out of the 21 riders in her first ever jet-ski competition. Elliott completed the race in approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
This year’s competition was initially scheduled for Easter Monday, 21 April. Due to unsafe weather, however, it was rescheduled to Sunday, 27 April.
For the event, all riders race around Grand Cayman, with the start and end mark at Seven Mile Beach, in hopes of securing a portion of the $25,000 in cash and prizes.
Elliott told the Compass that she was extremely nervous during the competition and added that the ocean conditions on the day of were “no joke”.
“It was rough almost the entire way around the island, with waves so big they were towering over me while I was sitting on the ski. At one point, I even got thrown off. It was definitely way tougher and more exhausting than I expected,” she said.
She admitted that her intense nerves made her question following through with the race.
“After getting a bit of exposure outside the reef and having my family’s support [prior to competition day], I started to feel more confident as race day got closer,” she said.
Despite the ocean conditions, Elliott said, “I totally enjoyed the adrenaline rush. The water is also my sacred place, so in the end, I just felt at peace.”
With the extra pressure of being the only female competitor, she said her main goal was to just finish the race.
“That alone would’ve made me and my family proud. We’ll worry about placement next year,” she said.
Since 2021, Elliott has been involved with jet skiing and often took jet-ski trips to Rum Point with friends and her brothers. She also attended numerous jet-ski races in Cayman over the years, which sparked her desire to race one day.
Elliott’s brother, Brandon Elliott, also competed in Jet Around Cayman this year and raced to 5th place.
She said he has been one of her biggest motivators for getting involved in the sport competitively. Even with her initial self-doubt, her brother and family have been her anchoring support and were a big factor in her decision to participate in this year’s Jet Around Cayman.
She hopes that her accomplishment will encourage more women to get involved in the sport.
“There’s very little female representation in the sport. Over the past four years of watching races, I’ve only seen two women compete. I truly believe more women belong out there on the course, and I hope my journey inspires others to take that first step and get involved,” Elliott said.
One change she would love to see is more female classes in jet-ski competitions as well as more prizes available for female competitors.
Moving forward, she aims to spend more time on improving her performance by riding and hitting the gym to build her endurance for future races.
Caymanian rider Joshua Watler took this year’s title, followed by Tory Snyder of the United States in second place and Anthony Radetic of the United States in third place.
