The Wildcat Kite Crew: May 2008

Monday, May 5, 2008

WKC - 1 Year Anniversary

The WKC blog is officially back for the 2008 season and its one year anniversary and its been REALLY good so far I'm sure you will agree. The North fronts are still coming late in the season so it hasn't been too hot and the wave riding at Port A has been off the hook. Everyone seems to have bought surfboards to get in on the action. ACE Chatwell is off to a great start in the PKRA this year with his latest 9th place finish in France. Have you seen him ride lately? Its insane. I just came back from wildcat where he rode 4 solid hours and hucked some HUGE kiteloop-slimchance -mobe17-whatevers to blind, while eating a sandwich, 50 feet off shore. They were so huge, his dad had a hard time keeping him in frame on the video camera. Awesome dude. Oh and if you haven't heard, Rocky had quite the experience on his way to Margarita, Venezuela for the next PKRA event. De-pressurized plane and emergency landings etc which is the 2nd time! Same thing happened last year! Anyway he missed the event but he can drop it so not such a big deal points wise but we are happy he made it back in one piece.
In other news, Howizard has launched www.kiteboarding.com so he's fixing to be extremely busy. Luckily he's got some help from Brent, Patrick, PJ. and Richard otherwise I don't think we would see him all summer. Also the City of Portland has moved the Violet Andrews Park (Wildcat) cleanup from priority number 26 or something to number 2 on their Sunset Lake Master Plan project so it looks like all our hard work is finally paying off.
We've got some new faces hanging out at Wildcat so I'm sure our membership will grow again this year. Young guns Protege Sean and Rookair Liam have been riding hard all winter and Sean is really charging to make it to Master rank early on this season so we will be keeping an eye on him. The WKC officially welcomes Protege Johnathan Beaty to the crew. He's been riding hard lately and I've personally noticed his kite is in the water a lot which means he is really pushing himself. We've all noticed how much better of a rider you've become in the last while. That's the way its done dude.

Protege Jonathan

Lastly, my camera had a swimming accident so I don't have much for pics at the moment but here's a few from a few weeks ago. Looking forward to a great summer with everyone! See you on the water.

Ben with a dirt mustache from motorcross.

My bro Keith at Sunset Lake.

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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

Monday, May 5, 2008

WKC - 1 Year Anniversary

WKC Creedo

WKC Mission

The WKC - What's in it for you?

Current WKC Seekers and Rank

The Pride of Portland - ACE Chatwell

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