Above - Captain Joey, "Personally, I prefer RPG's. Saves time cooking the little buggers."
It seems like shortly after my last post the wind packed up and left town and left us with this waterskiing weather, and I don't own a boat. Hurricane Ike was pretty exciting wasn't it? Some people were obviously more concerned than others. Personally I was pretty prepared. Ike hammered Turks and Caicos about a week before it hit Galveston and I went through that over the phone with Kadri who was stuck there on the island. Its a really eerie feeling knowing something like that is coming for someone you care about and knowing there is nothing you can do about it. The strangest part is we could actually talk on the phone while the hurricane was pummeling the island and it was crystal clear reception. Anyway she came through unscathed but the roof came off her house and wrecked a lot of stuff. So when Ike started to head our way I was already expecting the worst. But, we dodged a bullet...again. I have a crazy imagination and a fascination with dooms day type scenarios like Armagedon, The Terminator, The Day After Tomorrow, I am Legend, Independence Day, and V etc. Subconsciously I was hoping to see people slugging it out at Lowes over the last generator or some guy selling the plywood that he just stole out of the back of someone elses truck, on a street corner for $100 a sheet to an angry mob. In my mind, the tension increases until one guy snaps and knocks out the profiteer and then all hell breaks loose. But I didn't see anything like that happen. Did you? The chillaxed attitude of the people in the bay area seemed to prevail and everyone seemed to be pretty patient.
Ike also made me think for the first time in my life, that it might be a good idea to own a gun. Captain Joey's gun above seemed like a good size. However, I dismissed it as a paranoid line of thinking and unnecessary but the thought did cross my mind. Like I said, too many movies. Plus being Canadian, I can't buy one here anyway.
Beyond that, things have been pretty mellow. Ace Delegarza and his hot wife Erica are now proud parents of a little boy "Kai" (spelling?) So congrats go out to them! He'll probably be riding at say, age 5? Master Patrick, Captain T-Todd and I are off to Peru in about 10 days in search of the perfect wave. Should be a great adventure. Since the wind seems pretty hit and miss lately I think I'll start texting everyone when its rideable to get everyone together. Well that's it. If anyone has any pics they want to post or stories to tell, fire them over and I'll post them. Here a shot of Captain Joey who recently shipped out to somewhere far away that he isn't permitted to disclose. Photo of him and his girls made the papers. Watch your back bro. Oh and Howizard and I had an awesome flight the other day over to Ben's house and back. Not the smartest idea during dove season mind you.
Later,
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
Above - Captain Joey, "Personally, I prefer RPG's. Saves time cooking the little buggers."
