Jetskiing: From 'unco' to podium finishes

Brodie Murrell with his haul of trophies from the season. Photo / Paul Taylor

To use Hawke's Bay jetskier Brodie Murrell's own words, he was "a little bit unco-ordinated" when he first took up the sport.

His mother Lara agreed.

"When I first watched him he was real unco. But the difference after a couple of sessions was huge," she said as her son gave a nod of approval.

The 15-year-old St John's College year 11 student's improvement during his first season in the sport has been phenomenal. He finished the season with 13 trophies including one for a second placing in the novice poleski section of the Christchurch-hosted nationals last month, another for the overall Tour 750cc class on the North Island Tour and another for the Novice class on the same tour.

"It got to the stage where Dad [Ross Murrell] stopped entering competitions because he got sick of me beating him. Towards the end of the season I kept hearing many of my Hawke's Bay Jetski Club clubmates tell me how much they now regretted giving me all those head starts at the start of the season," Murrell explained.

Murrell became his club's top B grade rider and top rider in the 750cc class.

"Jetskiing is the safest and cheapest form of motorsport available. Everybody helps one another ... it's my only sport now," he said.

Murrell is full of praise for the regular advice he has been given from his club's most successful rider on the international scene, Pete Smith, Auckland-based former Hawke's Bay rider Richard Webb and Aucklander Tayne Lemon who also boasts world championship experience.

While at the nationals the Clive teenager spent a couple of hours with Austrian world champion Kevin Reiter.

"He told me I was doing well and encouraged me to keep progressing how I was which was great," Murrell said.

His second placing in the novice poleski class at nationals qualified Murrell to run in the stock class. He injured his calf in the first race when he was hit by another rider and had to sit out the rest of the day's racing while awaiting a medical clearance.

The following day he recorded two sevenths and a ninth placing in a 16-strong class where the top five riders are regular world championship competitors in the United States. At last weekend's final round of the North Island tour Murrell also competed in the open class and finished fourth.

He had two trips to Christchurch during the season. The first one was for the South Island champs where he finished third in the novice poleski class.

"Now that I will be in the A grade ranks next season I'll be aiming for a top three finish at North Island level and a top five ranking at the national champs. The long-term goal is international competition in Australia and Thailand," Murrell said.

To help him achieve these goals Murrell will stick to his off water training schedule during the winter which involved up to 30km of road running each week and plenty of cardio work.

In addition to this schedule he does his best to keep up with his academic commitments so he will be able to pursue a career as a refrigeration engineer when he leaves school.

Murrell has already learned he will need a good job to help fund his jetskiing trips.