Louisiana Vintage Riders Group
Louisiana Vintage Riders Group
By Christian Vega
We caught up with Christian Vega, the man behind the Louisiana Vintage Jetski Riders Group for a quick chat on how it all began and how you can get involved…
How did you get into the sport?
In 2017, I had a friend ask me to go ride his standup jetski and I was intrigued because I had never heard of such a thing at that point. After riding for only a few minutes, I was hooked and thought it was the absolute coolest thing. For me, it was much more fun than regular jetski‘s, because you are able to make quick turns, lean and have foot work involved. So, after that I went on a quest to find one of these rare 90's gems for myself, and after two years of searching, I finally found a 1995 square nose SuperJet. I came to an agreement with the seller, I woke up the next morning at around 4 am and made the 5 hour drive to Monroe, Louisiana. Once I got the ski, I immediately drove home, then put it in the water where I rode for the rest of the day. I was so ecstatic that I had finally scored a vintage jetski of my very own.
How was the Louisiana Jetski Riders Group created?
A few months after purchasing the ski this guy came up to me at my local boat launch as I was loading up for the day, and said; “hey you ride stand ups too?” This guy's name is David, and to this day is one of my very good friends. We started riding during Covid when everything was on lockdown. We figured "hey, this is social distancing right?", since we’re on our own separate watercraft in open water. We rode for several months together and decided to join a few facebook groups to find others like us. That summer, somebody made a post in one of the groups that said, “where are my Louisiana riders at?”, and I was ecstatic to see that there was more than just two of us. Once I commented on the post, someone else chimed in and then another, and it spread like wildfire. Dillon, one of the original group members said, “hey why don’t we make our own group chat so we can go ride together?", and the rest is history.
Who is in the group?
This is a tight niche of group riders from Southern Louisiana and surrounding areas that share enthusiasm and passion for these magnificent machines. We all help each other out in times of need. If somebody’s jetski breaks on the water, a group member will offer one of their spare skis for that rider or offer to help that person fix their ski. If a rider needs help wrenching to get on the water for that weekend, we help each other out. It’s an awesome community.
How can people get involved?
Anyone with a vintage style ski or stand up can join the group. However, we do allow admission to riders that may not currently have our style of jetski but are looking to purchase one in the future. This group is designed for people that are passionate about the sport and ride often. We are a very active group of people. We strive to continue to share enthusiasm for these jetskis, while also growing the group. We want to have more members, bigger events, and just spread the joy of the sport. If we can inspire others to get hooked in any way, we are all for it. You can find out more info by clicking this link.
What are your future plans for the group?
This year I’d really like to focus on growing the group and adding more sponsors so that we can have higher quality events.
Another thing I’d like to focus on is cleaning up our local community, specifically the Pontchartrain Beach area and other riding spots that we frequently visit. I want to volunteer my time to pick up trash and help clean up the landscape, to make it a more positive experience for everyone.
What You'll Need
