The Wildcat Kite Crew: November 2008

Monday, November 24, 2008

Turkeys & Miss Teen Texas

Sarah Chatwell

Well November is quickly coming to an end and Thanksgiving and holiday cheer are fast approaching. Interestingly, its also time for the Miss Texas Teen USA Pageant. As a Canadian, I didn't see very much in the way of pageants as they appear to be more of an American tradition however in my home town of The Pas, Manitoba Canada there was one very coveted pageant that took place each year in February. Every teenage girl in town longed to be crowned "The Trappers Festival Fur Queen". Suffice to say it is an animal rights activist's worst nightmare. I'm not sure exactly how the judging took place but they always had very luxurious fur coats on and a smile that could melt the ice off your mukluks. Anyway, Rocky's little sister Sarah Chatwell was crowned "Miss Coastal Bend" this past year and will be competing in Miss Texas Teen on Nov 30th in Houston. Sarah hangs around Wildcat from time to time and was a big supporter of Rocky in his rise to kiteboarding stardom and now its her turn for a shot at the title in her own arena. I'd venture to say the competition is equally fierce.

When you get back Sarah I think its about time you try a kite on for size! You might have to trade your tiara in for a helmet though. Best of luck to you Sarah.

Mom was especially determined to have left-overs last year.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Danish & Duffy in Miami

Happy Hallowed Eve everyone, I hope y'all got some good tricks in and stomached some treats. Mike and Duffy are getting settled in the Miami and sent this little update. Really quite scary how some beaches can take the fun out of kiteboarding with a bunch of rules. I guess in high population areas with a lot of kiters and general public, its necessary. Anyway, great to hear from you guys. Send some kiting pics when you get a chance!

“Well Duffy and I have been in Miami for a little over a month now and living here is pretty great if you don’t mind the traffic, the South Americans, Cubans, and the cost of groceries. Seriously, it is amazing how much you have right at your fingertips when you live in this big city and how often you are pretty sure you are no longer in America. Anyway, life here is really fun, Duffy is running the sailing program at Coral Reef Yacht Club and she can ride her beach bike to work most days.

I just started flying again after my ACL surgery in May. It is much nicer to go to work knowing you can blow off paperwork for the day and take a plane sightseeing around the Keys for the afternoon… oh wait, I mean protecting America. And now, a note about kiteboarding… I just started riding again less than a month ago and there are pretty much two places to ride within ten minutes of our house (both are regarded as the best in Miami). The first place is Matheson state park which is a pretty nice spot. It is a parking lot launch, the water is about waist deep all around, and the riding area is about the size of Wildcat. On a good day that place will get 30 riders easy. Riders here are definitely Recreational level and they make the Wildcat Kite Crew look like pros. I joked with Duffy that these guys (and a couple of girls) are afraid to get there kites wet, and with a few exceptions, their riding style is more kite-sailing then kite-boarding. The other place to ride is Crandon State Park. I haven’t ridden there yet and here is why: http://www.miamikiteboarding.com/CrandonParkKitesurfingrules.htm Actually I just went out there to check it out, it is a really nice place to ride. Butter flat on the inside, neat waves on the outside, clean wind… sounds like wildcat… Generally there are no waves here and because of that I am about to go crazy.

If it looks like breeze (maybe once a week at best) I try and drive to work (vice ride my bike a couple of the miles are through a bit of a tough part of town) and catch a session off North Miami Beach on the way home. The scene there is a little less Latin (at least one conversation is in English), and the guys seem pretty typical FLA. I hope to get up to Jupiter in the next month and maybe get some time in the waves and check out the scene there. So with all the lack of wind, this is a sick place to ride bikes and we have a great ride from our house out to Key Biscayne, so life isn’t all bad. The sailboat racing season also gets busy here in the winter, so we are looking forward to that. But all in all, we miss Texas.

Cheers,

Mike & Duffy”

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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, November 24, 2008

Turkeys & Miss Teen Texas

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Danish & Duffy in Miami

WKC Creedo

WKC Mission

The WKC - What's in it for you?

Current WKC Seekers and Rank

The Pride of Portland - ACE Chatwell

Visitors