Port Charlotte 11-year-old finishes third in Jet Ski race at Bradenton Area River Regatta

PALMETTO -- Even out on the water, hundreds of feet away from spectators, Haden Skellett stands out on his Jet Ski. In his bright orange wetsuit, the Port Charlotte resident rides a slower craft than anyone else in the field and rides with more caution.

The 11-year-old is out of place racing against adults, some with more than 25 years of experience. But at Saturday's Bradenton Area River Regatta, Skellett finished third.

"It puts all the adults in check," said Chris Skellett, Haden's father. "It's pretty funny."

Haden Skellet raced at the inaugural River Regatta in 2015 and finished in the middle of the pack. At the time, he lacked almost any sort of experience. The 2015 regatta was only the second competitive race he ran.

Almost a year to the day later, the younger Skellett brought a full summer's worth of experience to Bradenton and Palmetto. He knew what to expect out of the Manatee River course and knew how to deal with its consistent chop.

Skellett knew the rough waters were something he could take advantage of. As an 11-year-old, endurance isn't an issue. He could pace himself on the course and make a move late when the older competitors wore down.

"It gets rough," said Broc Harris, who finished first. "It makes it hard to ride for sure."

For Skellett, that difficulty for others is an advantage. His father said he is continually surprised by his son's caution and maturity as a rider and said when he pairs his mental acumen with his endurance he becomes a threat on a course like Saturday's.

Even though he has just over a year of experience as a competitive watercraft racer, he has nine years of experience at extreme sports. He began riding four-wheelers at age 2 and started racing competitively at 4. Soon he added dirt bikes, which fostered his patience as a racer.

A little more than a year ago, he started to get bored with his bikes and four-wheelers. He casually began riding a stand-up jet ski and raced for the first time last year.

"It's for real men," Bradenton racer John Havell said with a grin.

Skellett mainly races in a junior class with racers aged 10-12. He won a title last year in Naples and finished 10th at a national championship in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., after breaking down. He finished in the middle of the pack at last year's River Regatta and quickly made an adjustment to his new sport.

"It's easier," the younger Skellett said. "You're in the water, so you can cut better."

Now he makes adjustments like a seasoned veteran. The only racers he finished behind Saturday were the defending champion and Kirk Britto, a Bradenton resident who has raced for more than 25 years.

He was still at a disadvantage because of his 60-pound frame and his smaller craft -- juniors use two-cylinder engines as opposed to the professionals' three-cylinder engines -- but he found ways to use his size to his advantage.

"It's unbelievable. He did really good," Chris Skellett said. "He's got a lot of stamina because he's 11 years old, so he kind of took advantage of that at the end of the race, but that's part of racing."

David Wilson, Herald sports writer, can be contacted at 941-745-7057 or on Twitter@DBWilson2.

This story was originally published February 6, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Port Charlotte 11-year-old finishes third in Jet Ski race at Bradenton Area River Regatta ."