A father mentors a champion, a champion mentors the next wave, and a young driver proves she belongs at the top. The story behind the Skeptic M-13, Tiny Dancer, and the M-18 "Wait What?" — 40 points and one garage apart.
Just off the dock at Jersey Shore Boat Racing, there’s a quiet war being waged between two teammates, one garage, and a 40-point gap. At the top of the JSBR High Points Championship sits Stephen Girone behind the wheel of the Skeptic M-13 — a MiniBoat he both drives and maintains himself, race after race, week after week. But the most fascinating story isn’t at the top of the board. It’s the one chasing it.
Stephen didn’t get to where he is by accident. He was mentored by his father, Tom Girone, who campaigns his own MiniBoat, fittingly named "Tiny Dancer," and lines up against his son in the MiniBoat Adult Class every weekend.
It’s the kind of dynamic that makes race-day talk write itself: a father and son in the same class, trading lanes and bragging rights race after race. And the Skeptic’s success carries Tom’s fingerprints — on the wrench, in the cockpit, and in the standards he helped build into the driver Stephen is today.
Then there’s the one turning heads up and down the shoreline: Avarie Megee. In her MiniBoat (under 18) entry, the M-18 "Wait What?", Avarie sits just 40 points behind Stephen in the overall championship — and she’s running the Skeptic number for number.
Both boats come out of the same shop, both crews work side by side, and every weekend the two run deck to deck. The racing is so tight, so evenly matched, that more than a few fans have caught themselves forgetting that Stephen and Avarie aren’t actually campaigning in the same class. They look that much like a head-to-head duel.
For a younger racer to hang stride for stride with the class leader — to hold that pace through an entire championship season — is no small thing. It’s the kind of performance that signals the next generation has already arrived.
As the season rolls on, the numbers say one thing: the Skeptic M-13 leads, and the M-18 "Wait What?" is closing. But the real headline at Jersey Shore is the crew they’re built from — a father mentoring a champion, a champion mentoring the next wave, and a young driver proving she belongs in the conversation at the top.
Deck to deck, 40 points and one garage apart. Keep an eye on both boats this season.
