The Wildcat Kite Crew: May 2007

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Rocky is Mad!!

Bottled Rage about to be unleashed in a blinding flash of total kiteboarding domination at PKRA event in Italy. Check out Rocky's profile page for full details of his results as of today. (Click on"ACE Rocky" link on right side of this page under 'The WKC Consulate 2007").
-Captain Greg'eh

Monday, May 28, 2007

Training Day in Marsala, Italy - Update from Rocky

Hi All
I had a good day training today. the wind was up and down and alot like Venezuela. You have to find the wind and then when yo do, its strong, then it drops you. I hope it becomes more steady for the comp. we had a small storm yesterday and it mesed up things. I was the first one out today and left around 3:30pm. we are eating with my host family tonight, so I know it will be good. Nothing else to report other than we are fine and I am ready to compete.
Later, Rocky
Also Julia (Rocky's mom) reports that, "the lovely lady of the house gave him this special necklace as a welcome gift - she loves Rocky because of his blonde hair and blue eyes...."
Some Photos of Rocky in Italy are below (scroll down).

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Update from ACE Chatwell

Rocky has arrived in Italy and sent this message this morning. Pump it and Chunk it Rocky!
"Hi All,
I arrived safe and all my gear showed up this time!!! YEA! We worked the checked gear bags ourself (did not check them all the way through this time). Two times losing gear is enough for me. I lost my gear in Caracas and in Paris, so this time, I decided to try something different. We picked up the bags up at each plane change and re-checked them every time. I know, I know a lot of work. Airline thought I was CRAZY It was alot of work, but all our bags showed up this time! so it was well worth it. I was so happy in Trapani when I saw all my gear!!!!
I am about to go and ride at the Red Spot - the location of the freestyle competition. The wind is good in the morning and afternnon, but shuts down in the night and the evenings are beautiful!! I will send pictures later as I am using the bed and breakfast computer. As soon as I can get the laptop going, will start using it. Needs to be charged.
I am staying at an authentic Sicilian home, and the lady of the house cooks me authenitic Sicilian Italian food! to die for! Everyone at the house speaks Italian, but we communicate somehow!
have a good day and will write more later
will talk to later,
Rocky"

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Joey72 Returns All hail Captain Joey!

The WKC is extremely pleased to announce the safe return of our bravest member of The Consulate - Captain Joey72. Joey was deployed overseas doing all kinds of top secret stuff and putting himself in harms way (literally) so that we Americans (and we Canadians) can sleep soundly knowing Joey and his brothers have got our backs! Joey is in Portland at the moment however he has yet to surface for more than a moment or two as he has about 8 months of "family time" to "make up". The WKC will tolerate this inconvenience for approximately another 24 hours at which point we will be kidnapping him for a night of excessive excessiveness, part of which I'm sure will include taking the Seaman's center by force. Welcome back Joey, you were missed.

Also ACE Chatwell departed today for the next PKRA event in Italy. He is armed and dangerous and sure to cause some more major upsets. He will be checking in when he can to give updates on his results which I will post here. Shock and Awe ACE, Shock and Awe....

The WKC.

Monday, May 7, 2007

7 hour Rockport session & Welcome Seekers Sean & Liam

Saturday proved to be another classic day at Rockport with the wind building throughout the afternoon and peaking at about 8pm. T-Todd, Jeremy, myself and two new Seekers rode all day. Howizard didn't make it out (again)-girly man. I actually wore holes in my hands. The new WKC Seekers are Sean (age 13) and Liam (age 10!!) McGinnis. Sean started the day as a "Rookair" and by the end of the day he was very close to a "Protege". He even stuck an F16 on his 4th attempt. Liam stayed bay side and shred solo all day. I saw him land one of his first 3ft jumps and ride away. He's definitely at Rookie level and I bet he's going to be promoted to Rookair the next time I see him. Unreal. These two brothers are going to be the poster boys of Rockport very soon. Welcome to the WKC Sean & Liam! (Photo's and Videos in the galleries by May 8th-am). Jeremy hucked and landed a kite loop as well and honed some of his landboarding skills, although he wussed out on jumping off a 2ft concrete pad -girly man. T-Todd and I did our thing. T-Todd has decided he's going to jump the island at the tree next time, so be sure to grill him about it so he doesn't wuss out. We ate a late dinner at Pinito's ? (pretty good chow) in Aransas Pass where I also did some horse riding (see pics). Great day all in all.
-Captain Greg'eh

Saturday, May 5, 2007

jellyfish suxx really bad

Taught at wildcat today for 3 hours and recieved about 100 jelly fish stings to my legs. It appears the jellyfish are cycling through our little piece of heaven.Just thought i would give the crew a heads up on fist aid treatment.First the do's (do rinse with salt water; do scrape the tintacules off with a credit card;use vinegar to reverse the toxic effect of the stingers (urine actually works well at neutralizing the toxins no joke) Now the dont's(don't rinse with fresh water this activates the stingers; don'trub with sand or scratch this only causes tissue damage and makes the pain last longer). Also be advised that repeated exposures may result in nausea vomiting,muscle spasms, diff breathing and in rare cases irregular heart beats. Also be advised that spring and fall are stingray periods and if you are stung get to hot water fast and seek medical treatment at er as these stings are very painful and can get very infected.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Rocky takes 4th place in Austria

Rocky had a great comp in Austria on day one, destroying his competition and climbing all the way to 4th in the mens singles elimination side. The double elimination didn't happen due to weather. Sick riding Rocky!

"Round two of the men's singles held the first big upset of the day when Rocky Chatwell (Crazyfly, US) took out crowd favorite and current World No. 4 Alvaro Onieva (Best, Spain). Even though Alvaro had the spectacular come back in Venezuela to wind up second, Rocky got in the ring today and took on the world, on his way into the top rankings. He passed Onieva with a smoother style and lower kite in 14m conditions, landing a front mobe, KGB, regular and switched mobe, and a big kiteloop slim against Onieva. "

Read more at "http://www.kiteblogs.com/component/option,com_jd-wp/"

His live results are at http://www.extremeelements.com/live_results/results.php?TNID02=25&TYPE04=SINGLE&SEX01=M
Way to represent dude!! See you soon!
The WKC

The WKC - What's in it for you?

Welcome new Seekers. If you have been given WKC Hardware and a WKC Rank then congratulations, you are a cool person and we like you. We also hope you enjoy being part of the WKC and the associated benefits. The benefits of being a WKC include:

Camaraderie: Always having someone to go ride with, both at Wildcat and other spots like group downwinders at the beach or a night session at Rockport. This camaraderie goes beyond kiteboarding as well. If we are doing something else fun we will likely call you to join in, or if need help with something else in life, ask us, we are a very dynamic bunch with a lot of connections, knowledge, experience, and access to material things. We have gear connections, travel connections, real estate connections, job connections etc. We also have access to boats, motorcycles, trucks, heavy equipment and even a plane! As a WKC member all you need to do is ask.

More Access to Gear: We encourage sharing within the WKC so if you are new to the sport and you are short on gear, or you want to try someone's board/kite or test something new that is out, we can usually provide. Trying different gear will make you a better rider and you will also figure out quickly what works best for you.

Accelerated Learning: You will learn faster as a WKC member, about both gear and riding. This is part of the reason why we have a ranking system and corresponding awards (dog tags hardware) for achieving different levels of skill. It is an incentive/reward system that is fun and helps prevent you from stagnating at a certain skill level. Feel free to ask for tips on gear and riding from other WKC riders, especially the Consulate (T-Todd, Howizard, Greg'eh, Patrick, Rocky). We will give you pointers that will make you better, faster and we can also make sure you are on the right gear at the right price.

A Unified Voice: As a WKC member you will be respected by the community as an ambassador of the sport, parks and community. As our numbers grow, we will have more and more of a voice with The City of Portland, The City of Rockport, The City of Corpus Christi and the kiteboarding community as a whole. This will help ensure that we will always have great spots to ride at and community support when we need it for WKC events. We already have a great relationship with the City of Portland and it should only get better as we become more involved in the community. There is strength in numbers.

As new Seekers of the WKC certain things are expected of you (things you are probably already doing otherwise you wouldn't be a WKC Seeker). Basically it comes down to The WKC Creedo of: Ride, Respect & Represent.

The WKC Creedo means:

1) Ride - Get out of bed and shred - when we call you to go ride, or do anything for that matter, do your best to show up or help out - its not just about kiteboarding, its about being a good friend.

2) Respect - Respect other riders, the beaches and the public. Be respectful to other riders on an off the water, pick up trash even if it’s not yours, ride safely when non kiters and kids are around.

3) Represent the WKC - be a cool person, help others out, thank those that help you and give back to the WKC. As a new member it is expected that some day you may become a member of the Consulate as a Master, Captain, or ACE. This means that as a WKC Seeker that you are being "observed" to see if you truly want to be a part of the WKC and believe in its Mission and Creedo. The easiest way to show that do want to be a part of the WKC is to simply observe the Creedo, so commit it to memory or tattoo it somewhere! Examples of showing your commitment are: Showing up for WKC events, coming up with new ideas/events/pranks for the WKC, wearing your WKC gear, helping out other WKC riders, giving when not asked to give (snacks, drinks etc), offering to pay for your WKC gear, sharing your knowledge and connections and most importantly being about fun. Basically you are role models for future Seekers, so be a good example and when you are a WKC veteran, new Seekers will look up to you for advice and help, and thank you in return. Pump it and chunk it. - The Consulate

Current WKC Seekers and Rank

Jonathan Beaty - "Protege", Local - Rockport, May 2nd, 2008
Sean McGinnis - "Protege", Local - Rockport, June 30th, 2007 ("Rookair" May 5th, 2007)
Stefanie Douglass - "Rookair", Local - Corpus Christi, Sept, 2007 ("Tenderfoot" July 17th, 2007)
Jeremy Hintz - "Rookair", Local - Portland
Josh McClain - "Rookair", Local - Corpus Christi, July 9th, 2007
John James (J.J) - "Rookair", Ghostrider - Houston
Keith Despins - "Rookair", Ghostrider - Canada
Liam McGinnis - "Rookair", Local - Rockport, Aug 20th, 2007 ("Rookie" July 17th 2007, "Tenderfoot" May 5th, 2007, )
Brent Reagan - "Rookie", Local - Portland, July 17th, 2007 ("Tenderfoot" June 24th, 2007)
Mark McGinnis - "Rookie", Local - Rockport Aug 21, 2007 ("Tenderfoot" June 30th, 2007)
Chantal Archambault - "Rookie", Ghostrider - Montreal, Canada . June 8th, 2008

WKC Rider Ranks and Skill Levels - 1 to 6

Riders of levels 1-3 are collectively referred to as "Seekers" and are respected as applicants to the WKC. Vetran local riders of levels 5-6 are collectively referred to as "The Consulate" .

Level 1 “Tenderfoot”

Rider is able to stay up for 3 or more long reaches ( 500 ft or more in both directions, on the same day). Rider is awarded “Tenderfoot” pendant and is respected as an applicant or “Seeker” of the WKC.

Level 2 “Rookie”

Rider demonstrates A strong ability to stay upwind in normal conditions. Rider is awarded “Rookie” pendant. $10 donation is encouraged at this level to pay for their hardware.

Level 3 “Rookair”

Rider demonstrates safe and cotrolled riding skills and has the ability to intentionally get air (minimum of 5ft) and land with speed and with the kite forward. Rider is awarded “Rookair” pendant. A $15 donation is encouraged at this level.

Level 4 “Protégé”

Rider lands 15 foot airs with speed and control and is skilled in three basic tricks (ex. Back roll, front roll, 360 air transition, grab). Induction ritual is performed and Protégé” hardware (dog tag) is awarded. The rider is now a junior member of the WKC. A $20 donation is encouraged at this level.

Level 5 - “Master” & “Captain” - both of equal rank.

“Master” - Rider demonstrates skills in 5 or more different advanced tricks (examples: un-hooked powered tricks, kite loop tricks, board offs, waveriding, handle passes, rails, riding blind, big airs +20 feet) and is comfortable riding at all locations in fairly extreme conditions. Rider is awarded Masters pendant.

“Captain” - Rider demonstrates the same skill level of a Master and is typically local to Portland. Captains are passionate about supporting and advancing the Wildcat Kite Crew and its objectives. They provide direction and assistance to Seekers and also oversee the ranking and induction rituals. They are keepers of the Hardware and WKC gear (hats, stickers, shirts etc) and also maintain the WKC website. The Rank of Captain means an automatic induction into the Consulate and therefore, Captains are selected carefully by the existing Consulate. Captains are all awarded personalized Consulate Hardware.

Level 6 “ACE”

A.C.E. - Actively Competing Expert - Top riders of the Wildcat Kite Crew. Rider is actively participating in multiple comps (3 or more per year). (Recently retired competitors are grandfathered). ACE's are automatically inducted into the WKC Consulate and are awarded personalized Consulate Hardware.

Note: Kiteboarding skills alone will not guarantee a rider membership or promotion within the WKC. Certain other qualities deemed desireable by The Consulate are also required. Out of town WKC riders are referred to as "Ghostriders".
Sometimes a rider will be given a "WKC Cool Guy" or "Cool Girl" pendant as an indication that they are being considered for WKC membership and that their rank will be assigned shortly.

The Wildcat Kite Crew