John Barresi

May the force be with you Wen!

I'd try the Southern California AKA regional director for more info... Steve Bateman, can be reached here - region12 (at) aka.kite (dot) org He should have a good line on who's active and who's not.

The Desire flies in light wind... But, it doesn't do much else. I love my SUL Shiva... It'll fly in darn-near no wind, and is very precise... It's stability is definitely a plus.

Erg... Special request to our forum users! Anyone care to whip me up a little stick guy, riding a stick buggy? PNG (FireWorks) format is greatly preferred. Thanks in advance! I just spent an hour on it, and can't seem to get something that looks right.

WWJF bumpersticker is done... Working on a buggy one now, please be patient. http://www.cafepress.com/kitelife.66795823

Rob, how are things going with your Acrobatx? Also, if you're shopping for a good SUL... You might look into the SUL Jumping Jack Flash from Level One. Great flier, will do tricks without getting away from you. I know The Kite Shoppe carries it, not sure who else.

Ahahahahahaha! *gasp*

Depends on what you have in mind Penny... There are Kitengruven and Quadengruven bumperstickers, anything else you'd like to see?

Great news, not only has CafePress made a $5 flat shipping charge available to US residents, but you'll also be able to take $5 off any order of $20 or more for the next week! Just use the following coupon code: POLANDSALTS Once you've selected your items, you'll be prompted for the code within our checkout process. (You'll need to login with this email address to use the coupon.) Your "friendly" discount lasts until midnight on Jul 26, 2006. http://www.cafepress.com/kitelife Check out a few of our cool designs below.

We use what used to be called "Rev I SUL" handles, but are now shipped from Revolution as the standard handles for their 1.5 kites.

Aye, that's my sentiment TeeCee. A good fly is a good fly, hard to deny it when you see one.

You might also try doubling up the leading edges... I love a 3-wrap and 4-wrap leading edge, in the kite, side by side... Doesn't get too stiff for good control, but is much stronger.

There's a full list of past prizes and winners here... http://kitelifers.com/winners.htm

Thanks TeeCee, I'm in agreement. Those three examples are real fears, of things which aren't real... Except in rare cases, so infrequent as to not be worth chewing my lip over as a competitor. If you put in some reasonable thought about your music choices (language, context, opportunities)... You have nothing to fear, except fear itself. For goodness sake, have some fun!

Congrats Wen, way to go!

There's an article on untangling lines in one of the Volume 9 issues of Kite Lines... Great stuff. http://www.kitelife.com/kitelines

Again, I'm not debating the sentiment... Sorry to toot our horns here in the Northwest again, but the Northwest Sport Kite League has an annual meeting every January which is attended by a large majority of our pilots and judges... At this meeting, we play trick videos, talk about some of the new stuff that's happening, and how to recognize it. What you experiencing is a local issue, and needs to be addressed in a local fashion... Start with the Southern states, and do exactly what you're suggesting... Make it an early year "kite party" and meeting! Not so much... I also have been flying long enough to remember how when us Westies would go East, and have Olan Turner and his old school judges knock down anything that wasn't to a classical tune. I dunno, call me odd... I don't mind doing the time and not being a "complainer", because I've found the education sticks more when it's not a sore spot... Just like at work, demonstrate and fly so damn well that the boss (or judges) can't deny what is going on for long. You know I love ya TeeCee, so never question our level of discussion here... Your interest and attention to these things is appreciated, and felt. Have you been to any international events? All of Asia and South America is still in the major growth stages... As is much of Europe... France, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands are probably housing the largest percentage of good sport kite talent, per kiting head. Europe also has dedicated judges... The judges don't compete, and the competitors don't judge... They have many of the same complaints you are voicing, because the judges aren't always in touch with developments in the field... However, the fliers still dictate the judging standards... It just takes the "yearly roll", or assimilation, which takes time. It takes a few events, it takes patience and a good attitude... Otherwise, you'll burn out... I've seen it happen countless times. Those that have survived for 10-15+ years are those who just keep after it, keep redefining contemporary flight, and go out of their way to educate others without calling dirty foul.

Side note, looks like Ted Dougherty and Kite Innovations (formerly Quadrifoil) are coming out with a new line of power kites... Ted is a true kite veteran, I'm hoping to see good things.

Loft is one of my favorite brews... Call me a sucker for kites, go ahead.

Hrm, not sure what the problem is... Go ahead and change the time zone then, + or - and hour.

I understood nothing less... But, I also have some sense of the dissatisfaction you do share. What about what I had to say about educating the judges by way of workshops, etc... And about "training" the judges over the course of a season? What you have to remember is that we're dealing with hobby-oriented people for the most part... Not professionals per se. In my 16 years of flying, I've seen all kinds of innovations that people didn't understand... Slack line tricks aren't so unique in that regard. Giving them a list of tricks still won't help them recognize what's happening... You have to put in the selfless time, by way of educational programs before and after comps. I for one have been spending time with club members and workshops here in the Northwest, working towards that end... And increasing the overall skills of our fliers. I'd be curious to hear direct responses to the body of my first post.

I think submitting a trick list in AKA comps is energy better spent holding trick workshops, and educating the judges on what they see... Or, organizing group discussion and education at events. Most judges today know a hard trick when they see it... If indeed a flier considers this to be a problem, they might consider bringing it up at the pilots or pre-discipline meeting to briefly describe the 2-3 more obscure tricks. Bottom line (I know this young man)... Tricks are not the focal point. Learn what the judges are looking for, and fly within that range... I do everything from Comets to Wap Do Waps, multiple roll ups to Jacobs Ladders, and have never run into a problem with the judges scoring me well - because I also deliver precision, content and program, which is what 85% or more of the score sheet is for. AKA comp is not Tricks Party... That's why the latter was created. Pardon my reaction, but I'm tired of the occasional flier trying to validate their poor competition results by saying "the judges didn't understand"... Learn what they do understand, and if you fly a really great routine on the whole, even with an unknown trick or two, you'll do well. Sometimes it takes several competitions to educate the judges, and acclimate them to certain maneuvers or tricks... Key example... Years ago, I started doing a tip drag / axle / tip drag / axle / tip drag / tip stab... The first 3-4 events, they kept giving me deductions for hitting the ground! So what? After those initial events, they started to get it... I didn't complain, I just kept demonstrating the skill until it stuck.

I learned about 60% of the tricks I know from those tutorials... Good find Rob.

Already done. Yes Wen, better to send personal info like address via email or private message.

Ant man, there's a photo gallery here on the forum... You can add them through the "My Controls" link at the top of the page, or just click here and look for "Create Album". Regular users (such as yourself) can post up to 5MB... Paid subscribers can post up to 100MB of photos. The subscribers section (which is a separate area) hosts only exclusive high resolution Kitelife videos and photos which aren't available on the main site. If you're curious, some of the other forum members might be able to shed some light on the benefits of being a subscriber and supporting our site.