ANGEL Brennan’s heart races when she sits at the starting line of a jet sprint boating race.
The 15-year-old Jimboomba girl’s adrenalin-seeking nature is what propelled her team to second place during the 400 class jet sprint boats championship at Keith, South Australia on March 24.
“I love the adrenalin and the speed,” she said.
“When I’m sitting there at the start line and the boat is revving and ready to go, my heart just races.
“I just love seeing all the people cheering and watching how good we make those turns.”
Brennan performed her specialist role as a navigator and teamed up with driver Mark Garlic.
The duo completed 30 laps of the track and recorded a quickest lap time of 53.01 seconds.
Brennan said navigators had to be quick thinkers to succeed.
“You learn a lot of things when you are navigating – you learn your location on the track and timing and agility,” she said.
“You have to know where you are, know where you are heading and always be one step ahead of the next turn.”
Brennan has traveled across the country to compete at regular events including Griffith and South Australia.
Upcoming races include Temora (April 28) and Cabarita Beach (June 2-3).
She has received a number of accolades for placing in a range of boating competitions since 2017.
Looking ahead, Brennan said she would love to develop her driving skills.
“I’m looking forwards to being a driver – it would be really fun and great if I do. Hopefully I won’t crash,” she joked.
Jet sprint boating is a family affair, with Angel’s father, Shane introducing her to the sport.
“My dad started racing a little while ago and brought the whole family down and we all got into it,” Angel said.
“When I got old enough I went for a birthday lap and since then I can’t get out of that seat.”
Shane said navigating was often a thankless job.
“Angel’s job is to give directions to the driver on where they are going on the track, “ he said.
“Drivers will always put the blame on the (navigators) if they go the wrong way.”
Angel is also active in sports locally, including rugby league and taekwondo.
