Lee Stone is a man with the freestyle world at his feet, and who is now getting the recognition he deserves. Tom Isitt reports.

Here’s a top-tip: don’t Google ‘Lee Stone’ on your office computer. Instead of getting info about the four-times World Freestyle Champion you are more likely to come up with listings for Lee Stone, star of Maximum Thrust 3, Tatooed & Tight, and around 1100 other movies of an adult nature. I know this because my 13 year-old son, excited that his dad had spent the day photographing a four-times World Champion Jet Skier, went on the internet to find out more (note to self: must tighten up Parental Controls on kids‚ computer).

Lee Stone, the freestyler, has achieved quite a lot in his modest 19 years on this planet. Although he has only been skiing competitively for six years, in that time he has won the World Championship four times, he's won the European title three times, and he‚s won the British title three times (not to mention titles in Russia and Austria). Yep, our Lee is a well-travelled young man, and the scary thing is that he‚s only 19 he could be doing this for at least another decade, possibly two! He is seriously handy when it comes to grabbing big air on a stand-up.

To read more check out the July/August issue of Jet Skier & PW or subscribe here

Line One Distributor’s MD, Jez Crook, was a stand-up racer in the eighties and nineties. Having reached the grand old age of 45 he realised that all that leg-trailing may have taken its toll on his hip. 
He tells us just how easy it is to get fixed.....

When you get to 45 you expect to have the odd ache and pain here and there but when I started to get a really painful dull ache in my hip I thought here we go….arthritis, just what I need. So first port of call was my local GP, after checking me out she came up with a handful of possibilities of what it could be but wasn’t 100% sure, so she referred me to a hip specialist in Oxford by the name of Duncan Whitwell. Firstly I had to have a normal X-ray, which didn’t show anything and then an MRI scan, which indicated I had an acute tear of the labrum. The labrum is a type of cartilage that surrounds the socket of ball-and-socket joints. The labrum forms a ring around the edge of the bony socket of the joint. It helps to provide stability to the joint by deepening the socket, yet unlike bone, it also allows flexibility and motion.

To read more check out the July/August issue of Jet Skier & PW or subscribe here

Across the country, threats of slipway closures and restrictions have been met by determined groups of personal watercraft owners out to show authorities that managing their waters is a far more beneficial way of dealing with concerns. Working with the local councils and interested parties these organised groups or clubs have gone on to transform opinions by communicating a clearer understanding of personal watercraft with their professional approach. Far from the proposed restrictions, the clubs, run by jetskiers for jetskiers have gained assistance and support and are now considered an integral part of the seaside community. Jetman went to find out.

The Solent Skiers Association (SSA) is one of the oldest and largest of the many Personal Watercraft Clubs that have sprung up across the UK. Formed in 2002 to protect the interests of PWC users launching from the Daedalus Slipway at Lee-on-the-Solent. The Hampshire group promote the responsible use of PWC and jet-skis by sharing knowledge and advice with its members, providing a focal point for like-minded jet-ski enthusiasts and above all encouraging safe fun on the Solent.
Affiliated to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and supported by the Personal Watercraft Partnership (PWP) the club runs a voluntary service of water sports patrollers on behalf of Gosport and Fareham Borough Councils and has gained recognition and support from the MCA (Coastguard), Hampshire Marine Police, the Queens Harbour Master (QHM) in Portsmouth and lifeboat rescue services.

To read more check out the July/August issue of Jet Skier & PW or subscribe here

Anya Colley seven times jet ski World Champion and the current IJSBA Expert Ski Limited and Amateur Open Ski World Champion has just received her new look jet ski with thanks to graphic sponsor Ski Pimp.

I chose the Union Jack theme for my jet ski as I compete all over the world – sometimes I am the only rider representing GB for example when I competed in Russia, UIM Ladies European Championship and the Kings Cup in Thailand I wasn’t just the only girl I was the only jet skier from GB. Often there is only a couple of riders representing GB like last year at the Night race in Morocco and the UIM in Corsica when there was just myself and James Bushell from GB, so I am proud to fly the Union Jack, proud to represent GB and I ride it for all the excellent jet ski riders that we have in GB that are unable to make the racing venues so far afield in this great sport. It was great at this year's World Finals in the USA knowing that I had helped team GB bring the nations trophy home to GB – how proud. But of course my new union jack jet ski had to have a little bit of my own twist to it – a touch of pink (in this male dominated sport) of course!
I am known as ‘the pink lady’. I like to promote Girl Power as much as I can and show the girls out there that we can have great fun on jet skis and achieve great results at the same time. I was the first girl to represent GB in juniors in Europe, I was the first girl to take the top girl junior award at the World Finals in Arizona in 2005, and I was the first girl to ever win the IJSBA Junior World Title, the Amateur Ski Open and the Expert Ski Limited World Titles to name but a few of my Girl Power achievements!

To read more check out the July/August issue of Jet Skier & PW or subscribe here