Roobarb

It is with great sadness that I share that after decades flying kites (or "fishing for angels" like he would say) our dear friend Manuel "Lito" Mercado (known as "chiringaloco" on the forums), passed away on Saturday, January 20. Lito was a competitive flyer in the 90's and was sponsored by kitemakers like Reed Richards, Guildworks, TC Ultra and others. He was a member of the original Kiteman Productions crew that flew at Epcot and Disney. He was one of the best kitefliers that I've ever known. He was based in Orlando, FL. We will always remember his smile and the joy he brought to all around him. Lito is now flying with the angels. Buen viento mi carido amigo!

The Hydra by Paul DeBakker or even JB's Kymera (both produced by ITW) are great alternative competition kites.

I'm familiar with many of the used kite sites, but they are severely lacking in terms of single-line show kites. Is anyone familiar with a similar marketplace for large show kites (PL Inflatables, Suttons, etc.) Thanks!

It was great seeing forum friends both new and old at TI... If I didn't see you, don't worry, there is always next year! If you are on Facebook, make sure you shoot me a friend request (if we aren't friends yet), and also take a look at the photos I posted on the AKA Region 4 Facebook : http://ow.ly/sLfRH

I'll be there on Saturday morning (kiter time) ... I'll be wearing a big red shirt that says, "Ask me about the AKA"... so if you see me wandering around, stop me and say Hi!

Properly chastised, and sig changed.

"Following the successful revival of the competition in 2010, TISKC has reclaimed its prominence as one of the premier sport kite events of the year. Competitors from up and down the East Coast will gather at Treasure Island, FL during the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend January 18th-19th 2014, for two days of excellent competition with plenty of time to socialize on one of the best kite flying beaches in the country. This year, TISKC is presented by Windworks." Just to wet your appetite, here is a video I did back in 2009... Enjoy: See you there!

This event was so successful during the summer, that they decided to do one in the Fall. They are planning to give away over 700 kids kite kits over the weekend. Kite Stop will have a tent to sell kites if you don't have one, and Kiting Tampa Bay and the Central Florida Kite Club will be out with their big kites and ground displays. And who knows who else will show up. Please let any of your friends, family and any one else that might want to experience a really cool kite event in Central Florida.

Hi Scott, I'd prefer individual videos, that way I can mix them together with other kite flyers.... The goal is to be able to quickly show a wide range of kite flyers from different locations, genders, and ages. Technically, I can probably slice up one video, but it's much harder.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to introduce you to a kite community project I've been working on. Through this community project, our hope is to receive hundreds of kite videos of people proclaiming that they fly kites. We will then stitch together these videos to make a promotional video that can then be distributed to generate a renewed interest in kiting and show the diverse and unique personalities that are involved. (here is an example of the type of videos we'd like to receive : http://iflykites.com/what-to-film/) Please take a look at the website (http://iflykites.com), and consider sending in a video clip to help support the project. Proclaim to the world, "I Fly Kites!"

I think the most essential "tricks" to learn is actually the "Side Slide" and "Stall" in the middle of the window... You may have already progressed through this part, but its essential for ANY advanced trick in my opinion. Once you can master a side slide across the window, you are ready to start doing other tricks. Of course, this is all just my opinion, so take it as such.

Ok, I'll try:

Hi everyone, I just posted a video I did of the Treasure Island Kite Festival 2009. It has some shots of our very own John Barresi and a few others as they entertained the crowd. You can check it out

I've posted some pictures of from the Treasure Island Fest that was held last week (Jan 17-18, 2009) on my Facebook site... Feel free to take a look and become a fan. http://www.facebook.com:80/pages/KiteStop/34766789893