Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta | Hometown boy Troy 'The Slugger' Snyder wins Hydro-X Challenge for mom

BRADENTON -- This one was for his mom.

Bradenton's Troy Snyder won the Hydro-X Challenge Runabout Class personal watercraft races Saturday at the 2015 Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta.

The victory for the two-time national and two-time world champion was special because it was the first one his mother, Claudette Schlonger, has witnessed in years.

And it's the first one since she was diagnosed with lymphoma six months ago.

"She just finished her first treatments with chemo," Snyder said. "... It means a lot to me because she doesn't get to travel to see me a lot."

Snyder's key to victory goes back to his nickname, "The Slugger."

While he wouldn't reveal the true nature of the nickname, Snyder said it goes back to his football playing days at Manatee High, where he helped win a state championship in 1989.

"I was a headhunter when I played football," Snyder said. "Not to say that guys are scared of me, but I'm feared. When I go into the first turn or we are going wide open into the first turn, if they look over and see me, most of those guys back out because they know I'm going to go through them. That's just the mentality, and I carry myself that way in events."

Snyder said the aggression and a lot of other football skills he learned are what he applies in racing personal watercraft.

He also said that the racing is intense. He goes at "max heart rate."

On Saturday, he claimed the Runabout Class title ahead of Orange Beach, Ala., native Chris Saxon. Snyder won both motos. The winner is determined by an average finish in the motos. Saxo was third in the first moto and second in the second.

In addition to winning the inaugural Bradenton Regatta championship, the race victory served as a bonus of doing it in front of his hometown.

"I've won two world titles, two national titles. I'd have to put this right up there with those," Snyder said.

Using a confident approach, Snyder delivered.

Sometimes, he said, he'll show up to local races with a practice boat.

But on Saturday, due to the personal nature of the race, Snyder used one of his best boats and drove it to the winner's circle.

"I knew (Friday), I was going to win," Snyder said. "It's kind of like when they talk about Tiger Woods when he used to get in the zone. When you get to that point, you just know you are going to win. It's hard to teach that. It's been instilled in me forever. I come from a winning town. We win in Bradenton. We don't lose in Bradenton. Since I grew up, we win. So everywhere I go, I go to win. I don't lose very often."

Despite the confident approach, Snyder also had to deal with the pressure of performing in front of several thousand people, especially a group of about 30 close friends who showed up to watch.

"I talked to my mechanic, because he's not from here ... and the boat wasn't running real well and I was kind of on him and he goes, 'Troy, it's just a local race,'" Snyder said. "I go, 'No, buddy. It's not a local race. You don't understand.' I said, 'I've got this whole town watching. We're coming here to win; we are not just going to practice. ... He saw all the people and he says, 'I didn't realize there were going to be that many people.' There literally were more people here than are at the world championships. That's why it's so big."

This story was originally published February 7, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Bradenton Area Riverwalk Regatta | Hometown boy Troy 'The Slugger' Snyder wins Hydro-X Challenge for mom."