Rookair Liam (11) - unhooked!
Its about this time of year that I start to take the awesome conditions in Corpus Christi for granted. It seems like the wind has been blowing forever. The water is actually hot, so cold is now a concept or rather a distant memory of my years as a Canadian eskimo. I have to remind myself that it isn't like this all year round and that there are times in the "winter" that I might not ride for weeks. Stop and smell the roses so to speak. But now with Dolly on top of us, and all the rain she will bring, I suspect the wind will be light for a while after she passes. Tuesday saw quite a turnout at Port A for some wave riding. Every surfer from town appeared to be out as well as a good bunch of kiteboarders. I think its fair to say a great time was had by all. Captain T-Todd gets the quote of the day in commenting on how sand sticks to a wet kite. The conversation went something like this.
Captain T-Todd "awwww man... this kite looks like one of those donuts."
Captain Greg'eh "what?...donuts?"
T-Todd "Yah....what do you call those donuts they put powder on?"
Greg'eh "umm....powdered donuts?"
T-Todd " yah...thats it."
Maybe you had to be there, or maybe its just my sense of humor, but it was hilarious at the time.
Protege Sean - air-dismount-one-foot-pit-stop-transition
The scene at Wildcat has been consistant over the past month. Everyone is riding a lot, Protege's throwing some new moves, and Captain T-Todd's hammomck has made for some great chillaxing under the sun shade. ACE Howizard was out on sunday looking like he was having a ball. He's always fun to watch. P.J. and Jonathan have been throwing tricks to blind and Sean is working on slims and Liam is throwing unhooked Raleys (he's 11). Captain T-Todds, new residence just a few blocks from the park makes it even easier for him to ride even more, which is already a lot. Master Patrick shows up regularly after work to get some turns in. Ben's farmer duties are slowing down and his foot is better I believe so he is back on the water too after he chunked it jumping over one of the piers. I suffered some major whiplash landing blind at about mach 1 and then eating it. I think the back of my head actually hit my butt. Anyway after a month its finally starting to feel better.
Protege Jonathan chunking it
Well that's it I guess. These pics are from the last couple of weeks thanks to my brother's sweet camera. (Rookair Keith below) Had a great time with you and the fam Bra, come back to visit soon or better yet, just move here already.
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
Rookair Liam (11) - unhooked! 
