8 replies to this topic

[John Barresi]

Hi guys,

TK and I were just sitting around thinking back over the past season, musing on some of our favorite moments... It was a good year, we've seen (and helped make) lots of new, friendly fliers... We're absolutely looking forward to 2012!

So, we'd like to ask you:

1. What was your #1 favorite kite event in 2011?
2. Any special stories from your 2011 kiting journey?
3. What kite festivals would you like to attend in 2012?
4. Show us some of your best kiting photos from 2011 (post here)!

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My own...

#1 - It's a tie for me, and none are true "festivals" per se... The West Coast Rev Clinic (Mar '11) and Singapore Rev Clinic (Sep '11) were awesome, since I really enjoy meeting folks in a casual environment and watching the skill/information flow between everyone at a high rate - it's really the best buzz I've found as of late, other than team flying (of course)... Another favorite would have to be the NTUC Income Indoor Fiesta, just because it was such a difficult and COOL venue to do a street kiting performance.

#2 - Ha, the long house trip at the Borneo Intl Kite Festival... The iQuad team joined a bunch of international fliers to one home of the Iban, originally headhunters, they welcomed fliers with warmth and a beautiful cultural experience... That was great, but the part I'm getting to is where they had us put on some ceremonial garb (after quite a few drinks of their local jungle brew - rice wine called Tuak) and dance around a gift tree (small palm) with a sword, cutting goodies down from the branches... Well, we got pretty boisterous and ended up marching that tree all the way back to our room... Maybe you had to be there, but it's my #1 moment at the moment (SO MANY!), good times with my homies.

Funny link on this here - http://www.teamiquad...tures-in-borneo

#3 - I'd really love to see the the Gandia Rev Clinic in Spain, or the Thailand Kite Festival... Sadly, both are on the same dates.

#4 - TK takes all the photos around here, and I love all of hers.

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Ha, just going through that made me want to go fly... ROFL

So, how about your 2011?

[Mr. Robin McCracken]

Personally, having the honor of being Elected to the voluntary position of AKA Region 7 Director was my highlight of 2011.

JB You're doing a FANTASTIC job on this website. The AKA Board Of Directors, which includes me, have been working Diligently on what we can do to improve the AKA website. I think that promoting Kite Flying of all genres goes way beyond just the websites.

We all need to make 2012 a MASSIVE promotion year for kites! Everywhere, including Here. There should be WAY MORE activity on this Awesome website than there is! People need to be Flying Kites if they're not on Here!

[TAKAKO]

Hi there!
2011 was (I know 1.5month left.. ) awesome year!

1. What was your #1 favorite kite event in 2011?
NTUC INCOME Kite Festival Singapore!! (report in Kitelife issue 79)
It was awesome for everything!
Before I got there, I was really nervous. Street flying is very different from team flying, it's like a dancing on the stage alone, right?
It was very hard condition. heat, sweat, lots of turbulent wind....
10 days of show, 9 demos a day! Wow so many flights.
For the first 2 or 3 days, I was still nervous for every demo. But it became less.
And my technique was increasing. Wow #2!
JB said it increased about 400%!! Yeah!
Indeed, after that, I really enjoyed my demos.

Oh, I can't forget the incredible foods!!
Every food we ate was fantastic....ah, I want to go there right now! Wow #3!

And we met great friends there! Wow #4!
I miss you all!

2. Any special stories from your 2011 kiting journey?
Umm, everything special for me, it's difficult.....but at the Antelope Island (report in Kitelife issue 80), JB and me rid on the hot air balloon!
Woooooow! It's wonderful!
I think it's good to fly without kites sometimes. hehehe

3. What kite festivals would you like to attend in 2012?
Ummmmm, everywhere!!!! I want to say so, but ummmmm.......
I'd love to go to Europe! Spain, France, England, Italy....etc.
I want to see my friend Yasu from Red Bull Kiteforce, I haven't seen him for 2 years.

Oh! Oh! Of course!!! Japan too!

4. Show us some of your best kiting photos from 2011 (post here)!
Okie Dokie! Here they are!

[John Barresi]

Surely there must be some other good tales out there?

[--Pete]

I got to four kite fests this year after not having been to any for 20 years. I really enjoyed seeing the sky full of color again. (I also enjoyed meeting some of the people I only knew from online.)

[photomom]

Okay, here goes.

1. My favorite kiting event was our local kite festival in Atlantic Beach, NC. The weather was not the best (almost too much wind and the temps turned cold, for NC coast that is). I got to see and visit with a lot of my kiting friends that I only see once or twice a year. I flew in a lot of mass ascensions an even flew my quad line. But more about that later.

2. The special story was about my quad line flying. I started considering quad line when I saw the Vamp Devil in photos from the KTAI. I just had to have one. Got the black now with the red wings in the first shipment to our kite shop. Began to teach myself quad line flying in the spring. Got lots of attention on the beach. And some more Vamp Devils were sold. Talk began n the summer about a group fly of Vamp Devils at the kite festival. I got this wild idea about flying the Vamp Devil to music dressed as Dracula (black cape, red shirt, black pants, vampire teeth). Worked on it this fall. Bear in mind, I'm not the best flyer so the routine was an easy one. Got up the courage and gas the emcee my CD and got ready to perform. The CD wouldn't play on the sound system so I ended up flying randomly in costume. Didn't crash, thank goodness. Will probably try again next year.
Note: Our local festival is the last weekend in October so the Halloween/Dracula theme went over pretty well.

3. Of course our own in October, 2012.
The Blue Ridge Kite Festival in Salem, VA in April, 2012
The Mile High Kite Fly at Beech Mountain, NC on Labor Day, 2012
The ODSKC in June, 2012 at Richmond, VA
The OBSKC at Nags Head, NC in October, 2012
And I'm considering the Kitemaker's Retreat in Maryland in February, 2012 (I may not be good enough to keep up with everyone)
I think that's plenty.

4. I post a few photos to my blog (which is way behind right now) and to Kites Unlimited & BirdStuff, etc. on Facebook (that's our local kite shop).

kjm

[stroke survivor]

!. - Favorite event - WSIKF!!! So many firsts for me!! Flying in a grid, indoor demos, long straight line group flying!! Met so many people that I've only communicated with through the forums!! Days of FLYING!!! Trying other peoples' gear (Thanks to JB, Alden, Rich, and Melanie), just in general hanging out with so many like-minded people!! Never heard a discouraging word from anyone, it was a giant free for all, people joined in anywhere and everywhere, and never discouraged to fly with others!!

PS: A special shout out to Bart for sharing a room and making this event possible financially!


2. - Special time - 2nd day of the informal clinic in Portland (held down on a beach in Seaside OR)!! 1st time flying in a longer line than 2-3 others!! Scared Sh--less!! Worried about everything! What happened - NOTHING!! Why was I so worried? Surrounded by fliers that were sooo much better than I, how I could screw it up, now seems stupid!! But that experience made the things that I tried at WSLKF so much easier!!

2a. - Indoor demo at WSIKF!! Another nervous moment!! Went in and found musical demos were already in motion, no free time to fly!! Asked about what was going on, and found out the only way to fly was to demo!! No music, no routine, no preparation, not even a warm up!! Talked it over with Bob (announcer), and we picked some music!! Can't even tell you what it was, so nervous ( some Beatle's song is all I remember)!! Set up and when my name was called, just let it happen!! Talk about "soul flying"!! So much fun, I did it the next night!! Applause is addicting!! That 1st night there were maybe 50 or so spectators, the 2nd was 150? Even more pressure to not screw it up!! More choosing music with the desk, settled on a song, and again when it was my turn, just flew what I felt!! People gave me a huge round of applause when it was over, (I made it through, not knowing it was such a long song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"), and I don't think my feet hit the ground for days after!! Major afterglow!!

PS: What made this so special was that I'd really only been flying an indoor Rev for less than 6 months!! John's and Watty's tutorials, along with finding a consistent place to fly, helped me so much and gave me the courage to try something out of my comfort zone!! SALUTE To You Both!!


3. - Next - Well that's a loaded question!! If money wasn't an issue, I'd go to every festival I could!! Looking at this forum, the Rev forum, and FB, there's just so much happening all over the world!! Reality is, most of the ones I went to this year! Maybe one more, depending on timing and funds! Then again, maybe I'll figure out a way to stowaway in iQuad's baggage and show up in some strange place!! Or maybe I'll hit the lottery....! Or maybe someone will invent a transporter....! Or.....!

4. - Sorry I don't do pics very well, my vision doesn't work well with cameras!! One of the aftermaths of my stroke!! But I do enjoy seeing everyone's pics that are posted!!!

[hitchhik]

For John and Takako!

May 2012 be filled with many smiles like these:

IMGP3092

Album: 2011 AKA Convention

Uploaded 02 Jan 2012 - 13:54

(during AKA Grand Nationals Wildwood, NJ 2011-10-01)

[John Barresi]

Awesome, thank you Marko!!

Hope to see you again soon.