Brrrr… Are we happy to be coming out of Winter or what? As I’m gearing up for 2009, it dawns on me that this coming April will mark eleven years in publication for Kitelife, which to the best of my knowledge, roughly ties us with American Kite Magazine for the third longest running kite publication in North American history, behind Kite Lines (over 30 years) and the AKA’s Kiting magazine… Couple our 11 years with the SKQ and Kite Lines archives found in the downloads section of our forums, this gives us over forty years of top quality kite articles, event reports, articles, interviews and plans!
I often think of my old friend Mike Gillard, who founded Kitelife in April of 1998… His vision and eye for content helped to set a standard for kiting online, and I’d like to think he’d be tickled to see where we’ve gone with things since I got involved with Kitelife in the Fall of 2003. Tip ‘o the hat to you, old buddy, surely you’ve got to be grinning on high!
Things seem to be a little quieter than they were this time last year, giving me the impression that many of the events and regular travelers are recouping after a busy 2008, and the upcoming Presidential change, along with all of the social and economical changes that will bring… Ebb and flow, ebb and flow… I for one am filled with hope, and greatly looking forward to what the next four years has to bring for the USA, and the changes we’ll see in kiting during that time.
In 2008 I kept up a grueling travel schedule, attending over 30 events as an individual and with iQuad. This year, I’m looking forward to more time in the actual office, dedicating more solid time to some of the projects I’ve had to put on back burner for a while… Converting Kitelife issues 4-35 into this new format so they’re again available, beefing up our video downloads section with more performances and medleys, creating a series of Revolution video tutorials, as well as keeping up with our bi-monthly issues.
To all of you who take the time to write with kind words, contribute material for the magazine, interact on the forums, thank you from the bottom of my heart… And to all you fliers, thank you as well, for doing what you do… It may come off as corny, but I’m extremely proud to be part of such a unique and warm community, I think we (as a group) have a very positive impact.
Cordially yours,
John Barresi
Editor/Publisher
Kitelife Magazine
Next Prize Drawing to be held soon!