Ok, so I finally have a few days breathing room. The last two months have quite possibly been the most fun, exciting and busy time of my life so I haven't been posting. So what's new? Well I guess it started around the time of the Surf Expo in Florida. Howizard, T-Todd and I met up with Hunter & Gustav in Orlando and had an absolute blast. Still needing pics from this event from Gus but its suffice to say we had a lot of fun. T-Todd and I continued our tradition of pushing eachother into random hedges/trees when one least expects it. I have some serious scars. Who knew pain could be so funny. Turks & Caicos trip was next for the CrazyFly Catalogue / 2008 products shoot. Rocky, T-Todd, Howizard and I met up with the Slovakians (CrazyFly owners) along with Hunter and Gus again. I can't actually imagine having more fun in 10 days. It was a ridiculously good time. I'll be posting pics and videos from these trips over the next few days.
WKC Creedo
- Ride – get out of bed and shred.
- Respect – fellow riders, the public, and the beaches.
- Represent - the WKC & ride hard wherever you are.
WKC Mission
It is the mission of the WKC to bring together veteran and aspiring riders from all around the Corpus Christi Bay area in order to build camaraderie, provide equipment and accelerate the learning of sick, professional level kiteboarding skills in an exciting, hilarious and rewarding environment.
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
Ok, so I finally have a few days breathing room. The last two months have quite possibly been the most fun, exciting and busy time of my life so I haven't been posting. So what's new? Well I guess it started around the time of the Surf Expo in Florida. Howizard, T-Todd and I met up with Hunter & Gustav in Orlando and had an absolute blast. Still needing pics from this event from Gus but its suffice to say we had a lot of fun. T-Todd and I continued our tradition of pushing eachother into random hedges/trees when one least expects it. I have some serious scars. Who knew pain could be so funny. Turks & Caicos trip was next for the CrazyFly Catalogue / 2008 products shoot. Rocky, T-Todd, Howizard and I met up with the Slovakians (CrazyFly owners) along with Hunter and Gus again. I can't actually imagine having more fun in 10 days. It was a ridiculously good time. I'll be posting pics and videos from these trips over the next few days.
As for the WKC, I think its fair to say it was a great first year. We saw a lot of riders join in to the WKC mission and also saw some dramatic improvements in riding. Some examples: - just yesterday I saw Jonathan execute a sweet kiteloop. The Mcginnis family flew up the ranks and Stefanie is now jumping too although I heard she went to the mall instead of riding yesterday when it was warm and blowing 25. I guess she's set on taking 1st, & 2nd place in the "Lamest excuse not to ride" contest. Be sure to ask her what she bought at the mall. It better be good. We've had people donate gear (Prokitesurf, Deiter & Barbara) and contribute to fundraising for Rocky. Speaking of - ACE Chatwell made it to every stop on the tour and finished 9th overall which is nothing short of unbelievable. We actually don't have anyone in the "Tenderfoot" rank anymore so keep your eyes peeled for new recruits - especially kids for next year.
As for the community as a whole we have joined and formed a local kiteboarding association to give us a voice when it comes to dealing with the city and general public. Nils has started a racing series which I hope continues. (I was away on a cruise for this last one so I didn't get notice). Some bad news - Julian broke his leg, and apparently his friends laughed at him. Funny story actually - I heard it today - they meant well. I hope you get well soon and are back on the water for spring. Sounds like his wetsuit did a lot in preventing even more serious consequences like bleeding to death. Scary stuff but sounds like he will recover fine.
I know people are still out riding occasionally with the recent wind and north fronts. If you have any stories or pics to contribute, fire them over and I'll post them. It would be great to hear what everyones winter riding experience is like. We tend to get a little isolated until spring. The WKC will kick off the 2008 season in the end of April / early May. I'm sure we'll plan a party or gathering of some kind. Until then get out of bed and shred when you can. I'll still be posting here from time to time. Check out the videos below. Pump it & Chunk it!
