This is a guest post by one of our community members. The author’s views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of inMotion Kitesurfing.

With the increase in water pollution around the world it’s hard not to think about where you next want to kiteboard…

Everyday countless articles are posted about the Fukushima disaster, plastic killing marine life and the devastation of coral reefs which are easy to read, feel angry about and then to move on from. If you don’t play and/or work in the ocean it’s easy to forget, but for some of us it hits deep. What can we do? The problems are too big to solve, but yet our livelihoods are slowly being destroyed.  

My own experience with water pollution might come as a surprise, but I guarantee I’m not the only person who has had to deal with these situations. All over the world it is happening daily and by the time you are finished reading this article you might think twice about your next kiteboarding holiday destination.

Let’s start back in 2009 when I moved to Nicaragua. I went to set up a kite school based out of San Juan Del Sur with the Surf Ranch boys. They had this big idea to set up an action sports resort where you could rock climb, skateboard, paintball, kitesurf & surf. I loved the concept right from the start and was excited to be part of the team. When I arrived in Nicaragua and met the boys I was shocked to find out the ranch was not built yet and there was nothing more than paint-balling set up!

I’m not sure what felt worse…. my foolishness for jumping on a plane so quick or the fact I was now stuck somewhere new and dangerous with no job, very little money and only survival in mind. I was stressed to say the least!

After some time and a lot of socializing I found a guy named David who owned a surf shop in town. He said he had some old kite gear in storage that he wasn’t using and I was welcome to work with him in the shop. Dave literally saved my ass because by this point I was completely out of money. Within about a month I had a couple of lessons booked and ended up finding the perfect location on Lake Nicaragua to teach from. The Barrios family owned a large piece of land right next to the Costa Rica border where they also had a wind farm. Their private beach on the lake was large and clear, making for a beautiful spot to kite from. I developed a wonderful relationship with the family and to this day we stay in touch. Everything was coming along nicely with my kite school until I started getting eye infections every time I went in the water. I’ve never been prone to this sort of thing, so I began to look into why it was happening.

What I discovered is not as shocking as it is disturbing. None of the cities or villages in Nicaragua have sewage treatment plants. They pump the sewage directly into the lake, and for a population of nearly 6 million people, this is just downright gross! Upon finding this out, I sent emails to different government officials addressing this issue. The only reply I received was from one of the officials who wanted to learn to kiteboard and he was asking about lessons. We got talking via LinkedIn about the lake pollution and he told me there were no plans in place to treat sewage in the near future. After hearing this I decided it was not worth risking my health, so I packed up and looked for a new place to set up.

2010, and the Yucatan, Mexico, was my new home. Miles and miles of untouched beaches and year round wind… a kiteboarding paradise. I had never heard of Merida before I moved there and when my cousin offered me a place to stay I was excited about the new adventure. Shortly after I got there I researched the local kitesurfing community and discovered there was a competition being held the following week. I messaged each one of the people attending the event explaining I was a kiteboarder new to the area. I was welcomed to the competition and I ended up making really good friends with some of the local riders who supported me in setting up the first official kite school in the area. It was a bit of a slow start but soon I was so busy teaching locals from Merida I could hardly keep up. Eventually I began receiving more and more clients from abroad and realized there was a distinct lack of places for them to stay and be comfortable in while traveling. My next step… rent a luxury villa on the beach from which to run my school and accommodation for traveling kiters. Between the local clients and my all-inclusive packages my school was doing well. Then people started getting sick.

At first I thought it was just a serious flu going around but in time I began to see the correlation between the amount of time people spent in the water and when they got sick. Clients who booked rooms in my villa were leaving early, my students were too sick to finish their lessons and I was losing too much money to continue. Finally after seeing an Angelfish dead on the beach with bulging eyes, my partner Nick began researching the water quality in the area and stumbled upon some unbelievable reports right on our kite spot via Google Earth.

The report was longer than many others we found describing the hypoxic and eutrophic conditions. Eventually we found multiple articles talking about two things, one the sewage being dumped directly in the sea from many local businesses and two, the oil leak Pemex had not fixed on the pier. Apparently the local gas company had a small leak on a pipe leading out along the four mile long pier in the centre of Progreso. The amount of money they were losing from the leaking oil was not as much as the cost to repair the leak properly, so after a couple of years the water became toxic. In fact Pemex’s checkered history with oil spills started as far back as 1979 with the Ixtoc I oil spill. An area which used to be rich in sea grass feeding populations of manatees was dead. The pods of dolphins no longer passed by in the mornings and tropical fish were washing up with eyeballs popping out of their heads. Time to leave…. Again!

Closing down two schools I put my heart and soul into setting up was difficult to swallow. The thing that makes me upset more than anything is the reason it happened. I am still constantly being asked by people about traveling to Nicaragua or the Yucatan for kiteboarding and although both places are great for their own reasons I would use caution when riding there, especially in Nicaragua. My reasons for closing down my schools may come as a surprise to you, but with the clean water situation becoming such a big problem, I feel it’s my duty to tell the truth.

The reality is, picking up garbage here and there is great, but the bigger problems seem beyond our control. It’s sad…

When looking for the best spot to learn or improve your kiting, I recommend taking a look at the area on Google Earth. Zoom in and you will see if they have any toxic reports wherever you see a fish bones on the map.

Currently Nick and I are based on Barbados, available privately. It’s where we believe the water will stay clean and blue for the longest.

If you’ve had any similar experiences with water pollution at the spots you kiteboard at, please let us know in the comments below. We need to expose these issues and create awareness. We’d also love to hear your ideas on what we as kiteboarders can do to make a difference.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

PS: If you are as worried about our kite spots as we are, please help us spread the word by liking and sharing this article.

How Water Pollution Killed Two Kiteboarding Schools was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

The inaugural wave riding event at One Eye, Mauritius in 2011 simply blew our minds, and had us and many of our readers glued to our computer screens watching the live broadcasts! We could barely contain ourselves as we reported the results to our readers at the end of each day. Stunning images and videos of the world’s best kitesurfers riding massive clean waves… mostly strapless… made building our unique all-in-one competition reports a truly enjoyable task.  

And it didn’t end there… Over the past two years we’ve seen thrilling KSP action in Hawaii, Mauritius, Ireland, Portugal, Cape Verde, Peru and more…

So it goes without saying, and I’m sure I speak for many other wave riding enthusiasts around the world, that we had great expectations from this year’s KSP tour.

Sadly, things haven’t gone according to plan. Mostly due to the financial crisis many of the chosen host countries have been experiencing this year, the first two events for 2013 had to be cancelled. And now the remaining two events are in danger of sharing the same fate as well.

What the KSP Needs & What You’ll Get in Return

In short, the KSP needs around $ 30 000 in funds to make the last two events of the season happen so they can crown a 2013 Word Kite Surf Champion.

To facilitate this, they’ve set up a fund raising campaign on Indiegogo where fans and supporters can donate money or show their support by sharing the campaign with others. Not only will you be helping the KSP reach their goals, but your generosity will be rewarded with very cool perks and KSP memorabilia such as a post card signed by at least 5 of the world’s best wave kiters, a KSP T-Shirt signed by at least 5 of the world’s best kiters, a custom made surf board, or even the opportunity to live with the KSP riders at either of the next two events and attend the event as a VIP guest, plus receive a 2 hour wave clinic with one of the pros, and much more!

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the campaign page and get in on the action by clicking the link below today! The campaign ends on October 02, 2013 at 11:59pm PT, and all funds received go directly to the KSP, a rider driven non profit organization.

Here’s a teaser video…

…to remind you why we all love the KSP!

If you are reading this article in an email, click here to watch the video.

The KSP Needs Your Help & Support

There’s no doubt the KSP Tour has had a hugely positive impact on our sport not only from a publicity point of view, but also on the development side of kitesurfing. To win the KSP Tour, riders have to invent new moves and push the boundaries, which in turn motivates other riders around the world to keep pushing themselves harder. It’s a win, win for the entire industry!

If you can’t afford to donate money, no worries, you can still help by sharing this article or the campaign page with your friends and fans. Help us get the word out to all kitesurfers around the world, and let’s keep the KSP alive!

Thank you.

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

PS: Feel free to express your thoughts and support in the comments below.

Save the KSP Kite Surf Pro Tour was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Kari Schibevaag | 2011 MIGK Winner

Update
Congratulations to Hannah Whiteley, winner of the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2012” and Cynthia Brown, our ”iMK Inspirational Kitesurfer of the Year”!

Following the huge success of last year’s inaugural competition, we are pulling out all the stops this year to ensure we reach even deeper into the kiteboarding community and general public.

So what’s different this year? Well for one, our prizes (which we think you’re going to love btw), but more about that later… plus there’s a twist…

But Why?

For those who didn’t follow last year’s MIGK competition, you might be wondering why we are doing this.

Well first and foremost, we designed this competition to promote kitesurfing to woman. We find that far too many woman are under the false impression that kitesurfing or kiteboarding is too difficult, or worse yet, too dangerous for them to try. So by showcasing ladies from all walks of life, size and age excelling at kitesurfing, we hope to inspire more girls to get involved in our sport.

At the same time though, we know there are so many girls out there already doing really awesome things for kitesurfing and/or their community, so we hope to give these girls some well deserved exposure and recognition for all their hard work and achievements.

You can also read Jessica’s inspiring story.

The Twist

To make it fairer, and to ensure anyone has a chance of winning, we’ve got two BIG first prizes! One for the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” and one for a new title we are introducing called the “iMK Inspirational Kitesurfer of the Year”. The winner of this title will be chosen from the top ten finalists by the inMotion Kitesurfing team and our partners.

Who Can Enter?

Any female kitesurfers over the age of 16 can enter this competition. You don’t have to be a pro kitesurfer, or even a good kitesurfer for that matter. You just need to be passionate about kiteboarding and doing something extraordinary, such as excelling at competitions, helping your community or the environment, or helping others get into our sport safely.

How to Enter

It’s simple really… just nominate yourself or someone you think deserves recognition for their work by submitting this short entry form.

The ten girls with the most nominations and most inspiring stories will enter into the finals, where the public will vote for the winner.

The nomination round closes on 1 November 2012 at 23:00pm GMT. The top 10 nominees will be announced on 13 November 2012, and voting will run from 13 to 27 November 2012 at 12:00pm GMT. The winners will be announced on 27 November 2012.

Prizes

Now for the exciting bit… and as promised earlier, we’ve got awesome prizes, including two all inclusive kitesurfing holiday packages generously sponsored by Tantrum Kitesurf and Kite Beach Yucatan! And in case that isn’t enough, KiteGirl Magazine has generously provided us with very cool first, second and third place prizes, and Beach Girl Body Goods has very nice beach goodies for second and third place.

1st Place (Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer)

A 7 day Kitesurfing Vacation in the French Alps

6 nights / 7 days total immersion kitesurfing camp, courtesy of Tantrum Kitesurf. Set on the Lac de Serre Poncon, nestled in the peaks of the French High Alps, this kitesurfing camp will be an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

With glass flat water in the mornings…which of course we take full advantage of, wakeboarding behind one of our Mastercraft ski boats, the wind picks up around 10:30 and by 1 is blowing a prefect force 4/5. Flat, open water and acres of space allow you all the freedom you could possibly want…and just in case that’s not enough for you, we throw in some extra goodies like white water rafting, mountainside BBQ’s and the legendary Via Ferrata as well.

Includes:

• Accommodation (in tents…nice big ones!)
• Breakfast and lunch every day
• 3 days of wakeboarding
• White Water Rafting
• Via Ferrata
• BBQ’s at 2000m
• As much kitesurfing as you can handle

Find out more about this fantastic package by Tantrum Kitesurf here.

Feature on the cover of March 2013 KiteGirl Magazine

Green KiteGirl ‘Pray For Wind‘ Hoodie

6 Issue Subscription to KiteGirl Magazine

1st Place (iMK Inspirational Kitesurfer of the Year)

7 Day Kitesurfing Vacation in Mexico

Our Inspirational Kitesurfer of the Year, chosen from the top 10 finalists by the iMK team, will win a 6 night / 7 day all inclusive kite vacation in the beautiful Yucatan in Mexico, courtesy of Kite Beach Yucatan.

You will be staying in an ocean front room in the Kite Beach Yucatan villa where you can kite right off the patio! With wind nearly all year round, you will have the time of your life. Their private New York chef will pamper you with delicious healthy meals to keep you riding all day long.

Find out more about this fantastic package by Kite Beach Yucatan here.

2nd Place

• A Pink KiteGirl ‘Pray For Wind’ T-Shirt
• 6 Issue Subscription to KiteGirl Magazine
• An Eco friendly Beach Tote courtesy of Beach Girl Body Goods

3rd Place

• 6 Issue Subscription to KiteGirl Magazine
• An Eco friendly Beach Tote courtesy of Beach Girl Body Goods

Find out more about Beach Girl Body Goods’ stylish, eco friendly beach wear and water sports apparel here.

Not too shabby hey? So what are you waiting for? Head on over to the competition page and nominate yourself!

And remember; only the ten girls with the highest number of inspiring nominations will make it to the finals, so share this with your friends, family and fans and tell them to nominate you.

Sponsors

A huge thank you to our generous sponsors, without whom this competition wouldn’t be possible. Thank you for supporting our campaign to promote woman in kiteboarding!

Good luck!

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2012 Launch was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Hopefully you followed the action via the daily live broadcasts, but if you missed it, don’t worry, we have you covered. We’ve got all the daily updates from One Eye, a selection of the best images and videos from each of the 10 days, interviews with the riders and organizers, and the final results, all in one place, here. We’ve even included navigation so you can jump to specific days. If you haven’t seen it yet, head on over there now, and while you’re there, please share it with your friends if you like what we’ve done.

For those of you who want the short version, here’s a brief account of the event, and some of the highlights that stood out for us.

One Eye, Le Morne, Mauritius, delivered once more for the KSP tour in its second year of running, putting this amazing island reef break back on the lips of kiters around the world. Mauritius tourism officially got behind the event this time, welcoming the environmentally friendly sport of kitesurfing, which is in line with their marketing of the island nation.

This year it was not so much the spot that was the talk, but more the upsets that were delivered in the competition. The event kicked off in some wild conditions adding an extra edge to the already challenging reef, with the usual suspects making it through the early rounds.

Then Jalou Langeree went up against Ines Correia and Kirsty Jones to eventually make it to the final, but once again the local Ninja Bichler would be there to keep the tour riders on their toes. Patri Mclaughlin was up against Mitu Monteiro, with Patri being defeated only to make a comeback to win the event in a final against last year’s One Eye Pro winner and reigning KSP world champion, Airton Cozzolino.

Standout of the men’s was definitely young South African Luke McGillewie who would end up fourth overall. Luke defeated the legendary Mitu Montiero in a heat where Luke was nothing short of clinical in his contest approach, displaying some big impressive turns.

With only three heats to get through, the event was put on hold for better conditions, with the island being fully enjoyed to pass the time. As it turns out, Mauritius has a lot more to offer than just epic reef breaks, pristine white beaches and crystal clear waters… Sea Kart action was one such activity that gave the KSP riders a well deserved break from the challenging conditions One Eye had been dishing out on the first three days. Here’s the video.

The finals were held in perfect contest conditions with the winner in the men’s not being predictable until the last wave. The ladies final showed that the KSP is truly a surf contest where wave knowledge is paramount when Ninja kept her title by beating Jalou.

Finals Highlights Video

If you are reading this in an email or RSS feed, click here to watch the video.

If anything was learnt from this year’s event it was that kite surfing good waves that break properly will be the one ingredient that will help prepare for a spot like One Eye, where for most part the wind has very little affect on the wave quality. Finding such places in your own backyard and not settling for slop is what’s needed to stay in the game, if not then just going out on windless days to get some paddle in training.

Mauritius is one of those magical paradise locations which is worth more than just a kite surf trip. It’s somewhere that you want to spend some good time, to soak it all in, re-evaluate and then make the necessary adjustments before you return to the mundane. Best practice, is to bring a bit of the island life home with you.

Stay tuned for our daily coverage of the next KSP World Tour event. Stop number 3, the Aer Lingus Kite Surf Pro will be playing off on the West Coast of Ireland. Here’s the tour schedule.

In closing, we have to commend the KSP and event organizers for pulling off a well organized competition and for adhering to the high competition standards they have set for the tour. We were also very impressed with the quality of the edited daily highlight videos. We highly recommend you watch these videos, which you can find by navigating to the end of each day here.

As always we’d love to hear your thoughts on the competition and the entire tour in the comments below.

Images courtesy of the KSP World Tour.

One Eye Mauritius Delivers and Surprises was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

With the influx of women has come new gear developed especially for women. The days of wearing flimsy bathing suits and riding large men’s kiteboards are gone. The companies below are dedicated to creating products for women that are functional and durable without loosing their quality of design.

Sensi Bikini’s

When you wipe out and find yourself body-dragging through the surf, you don’t want to have to make a split decision between rescuing your bikini top or your board. Enter Sensi Bikini’s by professional kiteboarder Sensi Graves. As a professional kiteboarder Graves’ knows how important it is to have a bikini that stays put. Her bikini line features multiple suits with cross backs. Unlike traditional “sport bikini’s,” that were more boxy than fun, Sensi Bikini’s come in bright colors and stylish cuts. These suits give you the confidence of coverage while remaining stylish so you still feel like a girl… even while you’re boosting higher than the guys.

Get it: www.sensibikinis.com

Freug’s Kiteboarding

Freug’s is the first brand of kiteboards that is 100% completely designed and developed for girls. Freug’s has developed a line of kiteboards specifically tailored to the female form. The days of boosting and losing your board mid jump are gone, as Freug’s has developed footpads and straps specifically designed for women’s smaller feet. Their boards feature just the right amount of girly details and colors without losing quality and function. Freug’s currently offers a range of three boards covering freestyle, light wind and freeride.

Get it: www.freugskiteboarding.com

Cabrinha Siren Collection by Susi Mai

Cabrinha has responded to the need for a high-performance top quality women’s kite. The new Siren switchblade designed by Cabrinha and Susi Mai is modeled for a smaller framed body. Finally there is a more feminine kite on the market, with splashy fun colors of turquoise and pink. The Siren features lighter bar pressure and quicker turning speed, but possibly the most exciting aspect of this kite is the extended trim adjusters. Adjusting your kite is now much easier as the bar has been tailored to women’s smaller frame.

Get it: Cabrinha Siren Collection

Seea Rashguards

Sometimes you want a little extra coverage from the sun’s rays or chilly morning water. The majority of rash guards on the market are boxy and covered with logos. Seea’s rash guards are hand crafted in California by designer and surfer Amanda Chinchelli. These rash guards are cut to flatter the female form yet remain comfortable and functional. They are designed longer so they perfectly cover your torso therefore avoiding dreaded harness rash.

Get it: www.theseea.com

Mystic Shadow Bruna Kajiya Waist Harness

Designed by Mystic and Female World Freestyle Champion Bruna Kajiya the Shadow waist harness has a slimmer profile for smaller riders. Super flexible and light, it features a soft inner lining and a softer outline on the back. Modeled perfectly for the female form this harness features additional padding on the inside hip area.

Get it: Mystic Shadow Waist Harness

Kiteable Tees

As a female kiteboarder I noticed a lack of shirts on the market that feature a female rider, thus Kiteable Tees was born.

I have created the first shirt on the market showing a female kiter in action ripping it up among waves and exotic hibiscus flowers. Wearing this tee keeps you feeling more than stoked when you’re off the water.

I choose only the softest materials and use the least toxic inks.

I’ve designed shirts for men and women so that when you’re off the waves and out on the town, kiteboarding is never far from your thoughts.

Get it: www.kiteabletees.com

When you spend your days on the water it’s important to have gear that you feel comfortable wearing and confident using. These companies are dedicated to creating equipment that helps the female perform at her highest. Whether it’s bikini’s that stay put in the surf, kite gear that’s easy to maneuver, or tee’s to rock when you’re off the water, women’s kiting has finally made its mark.

Written by

Gillian Ellis

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Gillian is a kiteboarder from Charleston, SC who works full-time as a wedding and children’s photographer and also runs a line of kiteboarding t-shirts called Kiteable Tee’s. She is most passionate about promoting women in kiteboarding and organizes kiteboarding events with the Air Club for Girls. When not photographing or designing tee’s you can catch her ripping up waves on a SUP or kiting local flat-water spots.

Kite Gear for Girls: The Evolution of Pink was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Ok, so we didn’t subject ourselves to reconstructive surgery, but in case you’ve been wondering why we’ve been so quiet lately, we’ve actually been very hard at work these past few weeks building you a brand new and improved website.

If you haven’t seen it yet, head on over there now and check it out.

Why a new design?

Well, one of our primary goals behind the re-design, has been to make iMK a more pleasant and enjoyable place to consume our content. We’ve tried to make the site as user-friendly and easy to read as possible.

Some of the more apparent changes you will notice, is an overall lighter look and feel to allow our spectacular kitesurfing images and videos to take centre stage and really pop off the page. We’ve also added more white space and tried to reduce clutter wherever possible.

We also wanted a more sophisticated homepage layout, with the ability to highlight content we think will be important to you.

Oh, and we made the site completely responsive, which means you should be able to comfortably view it on any platform, from your mobile phone and iPad, to your desktop.

Of course all of these improvements are just cosmetic, and good design will always be subjective. However, we will continue to refine and improve the design over time based on feedback from our most important stakeholders, you, our readers. This is your website, and we want you to love it as much as we do.

The Best is Still to Come

This is actually just the beginning guys! The main driving force behind the redesign of our site has been to prepare it for something we believe will be a game changer in the kitesurfing industry. We can’t tell you too much about it just yet, but let’s just say that we will be taking our first step towards becoming the ultimate kitesurfing resource on the web. Nuff said…

But… if you want to be among the first to see what we have lined up for you, enter your email address below and we’ll keep you posted.

Get Free Updates

Sign up for our free updates and get:

• Quality weekly editorial articles
• The latest kitesurfing news
• Best kitesurfing spot guides
• Easy to follow tutorials
• Unbiased gear reviews and more…

You can also follow us on our social media channels below!

Your details are safe with us, and will never be sold, rented or given away!

So what do you think?

Since we want you to get the most out of our website, and spend more time reading our articles, we’d love to hear what you think of the new design.

Do you think it’s an improvement on the old site? What do you love about it, and is there anything you don’t like? Also, if you have any ideas for improvement, we’d love to hear them of course. Just leave your feedback, positive or negative, in the comments below. Or if you’d prefer to send your feedback privately, just email us directly.

We really hope you like the new site, and that you will continue to support us and spread the love by telling your friends, and liking and sharing our content.

Here’s to a new beginning… brace yourself… it’s going to be an exciting ride!

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

iMK Gets a Facelift was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

We are launching our brand new rider profiles series where we will regularly shine the spotlight on up-and-coming riders and seasoned pros.

Join us as we follow Katie on her way to becoming a kiteboarding star!

Rider Profile: Katie Bowcutt

Date of Birth: 2/13/1997
Nationality: American / Dominican
Residence: Dominican Republic
Disciplines: Race, Freestyle, & Wave
Favourite Moves: Flat Three
Kites: F-One Bandit
Boards: F-One Acid 127
Website: www.Facebook.com/Katie.Kites
Favourite Spots: Kite Beach Cabarete, Playa Blanca, & Playa Riviera Azul
Best Results: 1st Place Overall Women’s – Copa Nacional de Kiteboarding 2012
Hobbies: Dancing, Surfing, Wiping Out, and Longboard Skateboarding
Favourite Music: Indie Alternative – Two Door Cinema Club, MGMT, Foster the People, Midnight City

Katie’s Journey

From day-one Katie was interested in water sports. It started with surfing, and then wakeboarding. When we first moved to Cabarete, Dominican Republic; it was the first time we had ever seen the sport of kiteboarding in action. It was love at first sight for Katie. Gradually, she began taking surfing more seriously and with that, her desire for kiteboarding grew.

Katie Bowcutt | Photography: Lauren Bowcutt

Katie practiced everyday for several months at her beloved Kite Beach in Cabarete. With the pressure of being the smallest on the water (9 years old at the time), the youngest, and on top of that being a girl, she still posed as a great role model for the locals and foreigners learning on the beach. It was definitely a “Mi casa, su casa” vibe.

Over time Katie began competing in local competitions and winning. This was a huge confidence booster for her and it definitely pushed her to practice and compete more. She was one to look out for and still is for up and coming competitions.

Katie Bowcutt | Photography: Lauren Bowcutt

The PKRA 2009 was a huge success and promotion for Katie. She was definitely ready and excited to show off her passion and love for the sport. She ended up placing 7th overall in the women’s category.

Now, at the age of 15, Katie is known around the country as an accomplished surfer, kiteboarder, and overall water woman. She is ready for the big time and is looking forward to seeing where this love will take her. Katie has been all over the country kiteboarding and sharing her love for it, but hopes to soon travel elsewhere to experience a new gust.

Although she hasn’t been kiting for long, independently for 3 years, she has worked hard to get where she is, and has a great group of people behind her, her sponsors. She first started with Lavera Cosmetics, Cosmickites.com, and Airbound Apparel. She was recently added to the “riders” page on F-One’s site and has also joined Tortuga Swimwear. Katie has also been working as an instructor for Pauhana Surf School for a while now, and they have supported her all the way.

Tail Grab | Photography: Lauren Bowcutt

On June 16th, Katie competed in the Cabarete Bay Kite Challenge 2012 as the youngest girl on the water; she took home a 3rd place, but is determined to do better in the next competition. One week later the Copa Neptuno 2012 took place in Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic). This time, while again being the smallest girl on the water, she placed 2nd overall in the women’s category. We were all so proud to see that she really can do anything if she puts her mind to it.

One of Katie’s most prestigious goals include, competing and winning gold at the 2016 Olympics. She has big dreams, but an even bigger drive for success! Just remember this name; this is not the last time you will hear of this determined water woman.

Editor’s Note
Keep an eye out for Katie Bowcutt, she’s looking like a strong contender for our 2012 Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer Competition!

Written by

Lauren Bowcutt

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

A Cabarete Water Women Dreams of the Big Time was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Update (11 November 2012): Regrettably, the ISAF has reversed its decision to include kiteboarding in the 2016 Rio Olympics. With this decision, windsurfing is officially back in the Rio Olympic Games, and kiteboarding is out.

We are delighted to announce that kiteboarding has officially become an Olympic Sport, and will make its first appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

After intense campaigning by the International Kiteboarding Association and various other influential’s in the kitesurfing industry, their efforts finally paid off. It is with great pleasure, that we bring you this report from the IKA.

Kiteboarding To Make Its Appearance at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio

The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) has confirmed the final event and equipment selections for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.

After a long and heated discussion with lots of enthusiasm for both sports, ISAF Council voted with a 19 to 17 majority that Kiteboarding will replace windsurfing for the men’s and women’s board events.

ISAF President Göran Petersson stated, that “Kiteboarding has proven to us that it is ready to be included into the list of prestigious ISAF Events and it is a fantastic addition to the sailing programme for the 2016 Olympic Games.”

Kiteboarding Olympics Campaign | 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games

Sir Richard Branson, one of the IKAs Olympic Ambassadors and supporters from the very first minute added: “Well we all flew a kite to get kiteboarding in to the Olympics and unbelievably the kite has landed in Rio ! Kiteboarding is now an Olympic sport! To celebrate this, myself, my family and a few friends will this week attempt to kite across the English Channel to show off the beauty of kite-surfing.”

In November 2011 an evaluation group was appointed to examine kiteboarding formats with the board events for Rio 2016 defined as ‘windsurfing and/or kiteboarding’. The Evaluation Group recommended that kiteboarding be included in the ISAF Event family including the ISAF Sailing World Cup and the ISAF Sailing World Championships but Council went one step further and selected Kiteboarding for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition as well.

IKA Executive Secretary said: “The decision today will change the lives of thousands of kiteboarders that now can live their Olympic dream. The National Sailing Associations will invest hundred thousands, if not millions of Euros to invest in equipment, coaching and supporting the riders to go to the Olympic Qualification events. We never thought that we will get that far in so short time.”

Kristin Boese, 9x Kiteboarding World Champion and also lobbying for Kiteboarding in the Olympics Campain during the ISAF mid-year meeting in Stresa concluded: “I still can’t really believe what happened! There was a lot of support for kiteboarding in the ISAF council room yesterday but we thought we were not going to stand a chance against windsurfing which is such an established class within the ISAF. After the council debate was over we knew that the decision was going to be a lot closer than we had originally expected, but we still never thought it was going to go our way. It is an incredible surprise and I am very excited for kiteboarding and incredible greatful for all the hard work the IKA has put into the Kiteboarding in the Olympics campaign – what an amazing campaign to have been a part of.”

The Events to be Contested at the 2016 Olympic Games

• Men’s Kiteboarding
• Women’s Kiteboarding
• Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser
• Women’s One Person Dinghy – Laser Radial
• Men’s One Person Dinghy (heavy) – Finn
• Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
• Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
• Men’s Skiff – 49er
• Women’s skiff – 49er FX
• Mixed Two Person Multihull – Nacra 17

These ten events will be featured in the 2012-2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup which kicks off in Melbourne in December and will come together in Santander, Spain in 2014 for the ISAF Sailing World Championships.

In closing, inMotion Kitesurfing would like to commend the IKA and everyone who helped push kiteboarding through to the Olympics. Thank you for all your hard work. This is a fantastic achievement!

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the share buttons below.

Kiteboarding Becomes an Olympic Sport was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

It has been one year to the day since we published our very first article on this site: The Beginners Guide to Kitesurfing: Getting Started, written by yours truly, who only goes by the illusive name of “The Editor”…

While it’s amazing that a whole year has gone by so quickly, we find it even more amazing that our website has grown so quickly, and it’s all thanks to YOU, our loyal readers and supporters.

When we first launched this website, we set ourselves some rather ambitious goals. Our plan was to build a platform for the kitesurfing community that would give individual kitesurfers and industry stakeholders a voice to be heard on the internet. We also planned to proactively work towards the development of our sport through awareness campaigns and by supporting and promoting various charitable causes.

So What Have We Achieved?

Since it’s our Birthday today, we thought we would take the liberty of tooting our own horn a bit. So here goes…

We launched a very successful campaign to promote girls in kitesurfing last year, called “The Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer”. The support and feedback from this campaign was overwhelmingly positive, and we plan on going even bigger and better this year!

Kari Schibevaag | iMK 2011 Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer

We supported and promoted a number of development programs and environmental initiatives, and we partnered with the Global Kiter Foundation (GKF) to bring their development programs to Africa.

We are also proud of the fact that we were able to give kitesurfers like Jessica Winkler a voice to be heard in the industry, and to help their growth in the sport. Jessica recently became a fully sponsored rider, and will be competing in a number of PKRA events this year. A follow up article from Jessica is coming soon.

Oh, and we became an official publishing partner for the KSP World Tour.

KSP One Eye Pro | Photo by John Bilderback

Our Publishing Model

As you may have noticed if you have been following us for a while, we tend to do things differently here at iMK as far as publishing goes. We don’t publish daily kitesurfing news on our website, apart from our coverage of kitesurfing events such as the KSP Tour, and even that we do differently from other online kitesurfing magazines. Nor do we post every video that comes across our desk.

So why do we do that, you might ask. Well, we believe that there are plenty of great kitesurfing websites and magazines doing a really good job of publishing the daily industry news and videos. So rather than adding to the noise, we prefer to support them instead by sharing and promoting their content through our social media channels and in our daily kitesurfing paper: The inMotion Kitesurfing Daily if we think you will find it interesting. We also know that if you are like us, you are already overwhelmed by daily emails that you simply don’t have time to read. So with this in mind, we like to publish once a week (give or take), and really make it count.

Why You Should Subscribe to iMK

As mentioned above, we aren’t in the business of polluting your inbox. If you subscribe to our website via our RSS feed or by email, you can expect to get a well thought out article, either in the form of an editorial, a kitesurfing spot or gear review, or coverage of an important kitesurfing event, once a weekish.

For the daily tit bits and videos etc, you can subscribe to our daily paper, which will give you all the kitesurfing news happening around the world, delivered to your inbox every 24hours, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google+, where we share the best of the best content, as we discover it. So what are you waiting for? Choose any of the platforms below, and we’ll hook you up with GREAT content!

Get Free Updates

Sign up for our free updates and get:

• Quality weekly editorial articles
• The latest kitesurfing news
• Best kitesurfing spot guides
• Easy to follow tutorials
• Unbiased gear reviews and more…

You can also follow us on our social media channels below!

 

Your details are safe with us, and will never be sold, rented or given away!

Your details are safe with us, and will never be sold, rented or given to a third party! Now we’d like to think we have a good publishing model, but we don’t like leaving anything to chance. So for this reason, we’d like to hear from YOU, our loyal readers and supporters, without whom, none of this would be possible. So we’ve created a short survey (or three) for you to tell us what you like and what you don’t like. Please take a few moments to anonymously respond to this survey. We appreciate your time.

We will find an appropriate place to permanently host these surveys on our website, so if you change your mind at any point, you can come back and update your answers, or simply leave a comment with your thoughts in the comment section below. We will take ALL comments into consideration.

In closing, thank you for your support. It’s been a GREAT first year for us! We have learned a lot in the process, and will continue listening and learning as we go…

Oh, and Happy April fool’s day! Seriously…

Your Editor

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Happy Birthday inMotion Kitesurfing… And More! was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Set in sunny (and windy) Cape Town, South Africa, Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman sets out to promote tourism and kitesurfing in South Africa’s windy city in a unique and rather humorous way.

Cape Town Kiting at its Best

Movie name: Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman

Producer: Kitespotters Production

Camera, editing and producing: Vaughan Harris – Kitespotters

The Story Board

The “Operation Flying Dutchman” is the perfect action-packed short movie promoting Kitesurfing to Cape Town. The story centres around three hard-core top South African kitesurfers who are called for duty by the legendary ”Colonel Caveman” to join in the search for the Flying Dutchman. Their mission is to infiltrate the beaches of Cape Town under the radar using the “Huey” in search of the Flying Dutchman.

In 1680, a Dutch Captain sailing his ship, The Flying Dutchman around Cape Point ignored the notorious Cape of Storms, sending his ship and crew to the ocean bottom. Legend has it that for his sins he forms a table cloth over Table Mountain watching over passing ships, others say they have seen his ghost.

Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman

Scene one opens with a very desolate and remote Cape Town with howling winds leading into the start of a new day. As dawn breaks we are met by three kitesurfers (Colin Heckroodt, Luke McGwillie and Ozwald Smith), making their way to the Huey. The mission is lead by Colonel Caveman (Brad Symington) who arrives late on this Hardly Harley Scooter. Colonel Caveman briefs his team at the Huey Chopper. They are later teamed up with a naval frigate for support. Captain Iona North (Stacey Vass) flies the Huey under the radar and dispatches the crew on to the beach.

The three kitesurfers are met by the howling Cape Doctor (South Easter) and explore the perfect conditions. With the wind pumping we see some of the most insane mega kite loops, massive 12 second big jumps and radical wave action on blistering swells. All this leaves us to believe that the legend of the Flying Dutchman still lives on.

Luke McGwellie

About the Movie

“Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman” has a war-like look and feel about it which may have absolutely nothing to do with kitesurfing at the start of the movie, but the scene is Cape Town and it promotes Cape Town as a tourist destination and of course the famous Huey helicopter that offers tourists daily adventure flips around Cape Town.

The set is hardcore but humorous with Colonel Caveman’s opening speech in a real Afrikaans accent with the use of typical South African slang words mixed with Afrikaans humour.

You Can Help

Now that we have finished our short movie we are looking at producing another one, only this time bigger and better. So if you like this movie, please can we ask you to go to Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman and vote for us?

Your vote you will help us win the prize for the best movie shot for this particular kite video competition. The prize of R10 000 will help us with our budget for our next kitesurfing movie we are planning.

Kitespotters would like to thank all those involved in making this movie happen.

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Then Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Colonel Caveman and the Flying Dutchman was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Kite Design: Is it really what they say it is?

Kite design is a hugely complicated field and one I’m not going to attempt to dissect. It is further complicated by marketers who bandy the terms around with little concern for the actual design specifications of each type of kite. Thus they might call a kite a delta kite even though, in the strictest sense of the word, it isn’t, but only something similar to a delta kite or with delta like qualities. This is generally done because the boundaries between the different types of kites are so undefined that it’s easier to put kites with matching flight characteristics in the same bracket even if technically they don’t belong there.

The easiest way to understand the difference is to break things down into basics and then use your own common sense to decide which family a kite belongs to.

Types of Kites

C Kites

C kites are recognizable by their square wing tips and lack of a bridle. If you laid a C kite down un-inflated and looked at it from above it would look like a rectangle. The lines attach at the 4 corners of the rectangle. Their profile when viewed from the front also looks more like the shape of the letter C, when compared to the flatter profiles of most other kite designs.

C Kite

As a beginner coming into kitesurfing if I could give one word of advice when buying a kite, it would be stay away from C kites. Don’t get me wrong I have nothing against C kites, and they are great fun when you know what you’re doing. I just think that for the beginner they offer a difficult learning curve and are unnecessarily dangerous when compared to other types of kites. They have little in the way of de-power, so if the wind picks up or you’ve put the wrong kite up (a common mistake for beginners) you’re in trouble. To my mind this makes their safety questionable for a beginner or someone unfamiliar with how to use one, which is my chief reason for advising you against them. While again the lines are blurring between C and Bow kites and many C kites do now offer a degree of depower, to make things simple for yourself stay away.

Bow Kites

Bow kites we will classify simply as any kite with a bridle (a lot of interlinking lines running across the leading edge). Again if you laid a bow kite out un-inflated and looked at it from above it would be more triangular in shape, due to the swept back nature of the wings. The lines do not attach directly to the leading edge but to the bridle which is itself attached to the leading edge.

Bow Kite Laid Flat

Bow Kite

Bow kites, as a family, offer much more de-power than C kites (principally due to the bridle, and the flatter, more “wing like” profile) so when you let go of the bar the kite loses all, or most of its power and slowly drifts back to earth in a controlled manner. For this reason they are generally considered to be a lot safer than C kites and this is why nearly all schools will now teach on some type of bow kite. Bow kites come in several flavours: pure Bow, Hybrid and Delta style kites. All have the same general characteristics (ie lots of de-power) with a few subtle differences.

Hybrid Kites

Hybrid Kite

Hybrid kites are somewhere in between bow kites and C kites and generally aim to give the feel of a C kite combined with the safety of a bow kite.

Many old school riders complained when bow kites were first released that they did not turn with enough power. Bow kites tend to turn very fast but they sacrifice power in the turn for agility. C kites tend to turn in massive arcs, which gives you a huge pull, which is great if that what you’re after…for kite loops etc, but not so good if you’re taking your first tentative steps towards riding. Hybrid kites were designed to bridge this gap offering kites with de-power (like bows) but that also turn with power (like C kites).

Some hybrid kites will be nearer the C end of the spectrum and others nearer the bow end. Again if you’re going for one of these kites as your first kite my advice would be to aim for something at the bow end. The easiest way to tell which end of the spectrum the kite is…look at the shape.

Delta Kites

Delta Kite

Delta kites are bow kites with a much more swept back wing profile…think of an F14 with its wings drawn back in Top Gun! The precise angle of sweep is what defines a Delta kite, but most manufacturers now classify any kite with this type of profile as a Delta kite. They will tend to be short and fat in shape. If I had to recommend you to buy any type of kite as a beginner it would be one of these. They are easy to re-launch, offer forgiving piloting and the power tends to ‘turn on’ slowly (meaning you can feel the power rising gradually rather than just appearing out of nowhere and hoisting you over the front of the board!), giving you much more time to react to what the kite’s doing. Please don’t think these are just beginner kites I still enjoy riding them and they are great for improving your skills on and unless you’re heading for the pro circuits I doubt you’d ever outgrow their capabilities. What they will do is cut a lot of the frustration out of learning and the re-launch ability will keep you smiling for years!

(I’m not in any way affiliated with any Delta kite sales…we just use them in our school and I think they’re great!)

Note from editor: If you are still thinking about getting into kitesurfing, we highly recommend reading our Beginners Guide to Kitesurfing: Getting Started, which will introduce you to the sport, and highlight your most important first steps. And if you’d like to know where these modern day kitesurfing kite designs came from, who invented the first inflatable kite, and where the sport is headed in the future, check out at our history of kitesurfing article.

Delta Hybrid Kite

Test, Test, Test…

This is a massive over simplification of kite design and I imagine over the years you’ll learn that a lot of these things are only half truths. By breaking things down like this I hope to help you to start getting a feel for the different types of kites you’ll see down on the beach and the differences in how they perform. As you progress as a kitesurfer the best way to get a feel for these different kites is to try them, so any time your mate buys a new kite ask them if you can have a go. We all have different styles and each will find kites that they like and hate…get out there and experiment.

Written by

Sam Guest

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Kite Designs: Types of Kitesurfing Kites Simplified was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Congratulations to Kari Schibevaag from Stavanger, Norway!

It has been a very exciting competition, with the leader-board changing a number of times as the vote’s poured in.

While we think all the girls are doing remarkable things for kiting and their communities, there can of course only be one winner.

Update: The 2012 MIGK competition is underway. Here’s the new competition page.

Prizes

Kari will receive prizes courtesy of our generous sponsors, Fuel Clothing, Litewave Kiteboards and Hookit.

Kari will also feature as cover girl of the next issue of the fantastic Kitegirl Magazine, available from the end of January 2012. In addition Kari will appear on the Fuel Clothing and Hookit websites.

Kari Schibevaag | Photo by Youri Zoon

Final Competition Results

Of course it was a tough competition, with so many girl kiters doing great things for their communities and the sport. We were very happy to shine a spotlight on them, and hopefully see them get a little more recognition for the good work they are doing.

Congratulations to all the finalists:

Our top 10 finalists will also be featured in Kitegirl Magazine in January and in the Edge Magazine in February. So stay tuned to read more about them!

Kari Schibevaag: Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011

Kari Schibevaag | Photo by Youri Zoon

Kari competes in and has won world titles in both kitesurfing and snowkiting. She now spends more and more of her time in the waves, which she says she loves the most.

Kari has had huge success running girls kite camps in and outside of Norway.

“When I am holding camps it’s cool to see how happy people get when they are trying it for the first time. It’s amazing and I see myself in them. I was just the same, full power and really want to learn,” she says.

Read the full interview with Kari here.

Thanks

We couldn’t have run this competition without the support of our wonderful sponsors and supporters.

A special thanks goes out to everyone who voted and helped spread the word. With a final total of 4 298 votes, we are blown away by the response from the kiting community! You have all played an important role in creating awareness and promoting girls in kitesurfing.

We are already looking forward to planning next year’s competition, so watch this space.

Thanks again and Good winds!

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

And the Winner is… was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

While the Envirosurfer infographic targets the surf industry specifically, many of these effects and dangers are directly applicable to the kitesurfing industry as well. We use similar materials and techniques in the construction of our boards, the fast growing trend towards kitesurfing strapless (see the level of wave riding on the KSP Pro Tour) means we are using more board wax, and we use the same wetsuits and sunscreen that surfers do.

Click the image for the full sized infographic.

Created by Envirosurfer. The eco-friendly surf shop.

While you may argue the exact numbers in the report, there is little doubt that we are producing and consuming a large amount of potentially harmful products in our industry, so it is important that we create awareness and asses the way we use and dispose of the products we use as kitesurfers and surfers.

Let us know what you think of this and share your own ideas on how we can protect the environment, in the comments below. Please help us create awareness by spreading the word, or sharing this article.

Thanks.

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below.

The Toxicity of Surfing Infographic By Envirosurfer was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Over 2 500  people have voted already and things are really heating up with the leaderboard changing almost on an hourly basis at times! Check it out for yourself, and while you are over there, cast your vote for your favourite girl.

If you have been following the action closely on the other hand, you may have noticed that the vote counts dropped recently, and you’re probably wondering what happened.

Well, as with anything that gains this much public attention and interest, some very enthusiastic fans found ways of creating mass votes to artificially inflate the vote counts.

However, as per our competition rules, and to ensure that the competition remains fair for all involved, these duplicate votes have been disqualified. The resulting vote counts are the true number of individual votes received by each of the contestants- no legitimate votes were lost in this process. We have also tightened up the security on the voting poll to prevent this happening again, having allowed a looser control so far so as not to exclude any legitimate voters.

We want to thank everyone who has voted so far for your support, and for helping to spread the word. The overwhelming response shows just how special these girls are!

PS: If you have any problems voting, please do not hesitate to contact us. Remember, only one vote per person will be accepted.

MIGK11 Voting Update was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

We searched! We found… and after deliberating long and hard, we have our top 10 finalists for the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011”!

Update: The 2012 MIGK competition is underway. Here’s the new competition page.

Choosing the final 10 was incredibly difficult. We received so many submissions from dedicated fans around the world, who nominated amazing girls, doing such amazing things! Thank you to all of you for your nominations. And thanks also to everyone who helped us get the word out. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Back to the nominees though! The talent and motivation of these ladies is simply mind-blowing! We were so inspired when we heard what these girls are achieving. So narrowing it down to only 10 was extremely tough. They are all winners in our opinion!

But don’t take our word for it… click through to their profiles to see for yourself what these girls are up to, and pick your favorite among these gifted athletes! You only get one vote, so make sure it counts. Voting closes on November 22nd.

Top 10 Finalists

Angela Peral

In Alphabetical Order

• Clementine Bonzom
• Julia Brown
• Lucila Alexandre Dupey
• Laurel Eastman
• Audrey Meyer
• Kari Schibevaag
• Christine Sleichter
• Michelle Smith
• Davina Stephens
• Sandrine Roussos Werner

So, who is the most influential girl kitesurfer? Who is doing the most for her community and our sport? Who has the most passion and talent to encourage more girls to start kitesurfing?

The choice is in YOUR hands. It’s time for you to GET YOUR VOTE ON!

Click here to Vote Now!

And thanks, for helping us find these fantastic girls!

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Get Your Vote On: Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011! was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

For those who don’t know about it yet (where have you been?) we are searching for the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” for 2011.

Update: The 2012 MIGK competition is underway. Here’s the new competition page.

Why are we doing this?… well, not only do we want to do something positive to help grow kitesurfing and make our fantastic sport more accessible, but we want to shine the spotlight on the women who are already doing great things in the industry.

So far the response has been overwhelming! We have received nominations for so many really awesome girls doing really awesome things, and we are delighted to see how many women are pioneering kitesurfing in new areas around the world. This is very inspiring for us, and we are honoured to have you all on board.

Jemma Grobbelaar

We will feature an individual article on each of the top 10 finalists, and we are sure that you will enjoy each of their stories as much as we are enjoying putting them together. We can’t wait to share their stories about how hard they work and how much they are loved by the people around them. They are all winners in our minds!

Julia Brown | Kiteboarding Jamaica

Nominate Today

It isn’t too late to get in on the action though! We still have one week until the nomination round closes. So, if you are doing something extraordinary in kitesurfing, no matter how big or small, or you know someone who is, nominate yourself or a friend today. There are great sponsorships to be won… and who knows, this could be just the boost you need to empower you to achieve even more!

How you can Help

Even if you don’t have anyone to nominate, you can still help us make a difference in kitesurfing by spreading the word throughout your network. Share the competition page on Facebook, Twitter, your website / blog, or any other social network you engage in… We appreciate your support.

Competition Details

Nominations close on 6 October 2011 at 23:00 GMT. The top 10 nominees will be announced on 20 October 2011 and voting will open to the public from 20 October to 22 November 2011.

Click here to Enter Now!

Petra Goeschl

Thanks for Supporting #MIGK

A huge shout out to all our supporters! Thank you to Fuel Clothing, Litewave Kiteboards and Hookit for your generous sponsorships and to Jessica Winkler for all her hard work helping us to organize and promote this competition.

Also, thank you to Global Kiter Foundation, Kitesports, Tantrum kitesurfing, Constantly Kiting and Tropical Paradise for promoting the competition on your websites, and to all the kitesurfers out there who helped spread the word by tweeting and sharing… You guys rock!

As always, we love hearing from you guys, so let us know in the comments below, what you think of our campaign, or who you think deserves recognition for her work or achievements in kitesurfing.

Update: Voting closes on 22 November 2011. Click here to Vote Now!

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer: Last Chance to Nominate was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

Nominate yourself or a friend who you think is doing great things in kitesurfing, or who is positively influencing others in your kiteboarding circles, for inMotion Kitesurfing’s “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011”.

Note: Voting closes on 22 November 2011. Click here to Vote Now!

Update: The 2012 MIGK competition is underway. Here’s the new competition page.

Kitesurf Girls Making a Difference

If you are this girl you already know the guy to girl ratio is a single girls dream, but as one of the fastest growing sports in the world we have a responsibility to influence more women to get involved in kitesurfing. For example, at the last spot I kited at in the USA, a girl came up to me on the beach and said she had never seen a girl kitesurf there before. Her boyfriend was trying to convince her to try but she was too scared… until she saw me outride most of the boys… She was really interested in knowing how I got my start and by the end of the conversation she was stoked to get a lesson. Let’s face it, sitting on a windy beach assisting guys launch and land their kites is not relaxing, so why not get out there and enjoy the fun as well?

Influential Kitesurf Girls

For you girls who are trying to make it in the kitesurfing world, and would like a little help getting the exposure you need, nominate yourself. Show the world that you are working hard paving your way. Being an influential kite girl doesn’t mean you have to be a pro. It means that you are stepping out, going your own way, or doing something positive in the industry. It’s a girl who is not afraid to stand out or fail. We are looking for an ordinary girl who is being “extraordinary” in the sport of kiteboarding.

Personal Story

Jessica Winkler

Over the past 9 months i have been pursuing a career in kitesurfing. I’ve managed to get sponsored by various great companies, but I still need to work on the PR myself. I spend countless hours on the internet blogging, tweeting, posting photos and writing articles. A few months ago I decided to write an article for inMotion kitesurfing and the response has been overwhelming. inMotion Kitesurfing has helped me get world wide exposure and recognition that I only could have got with months and months of hard work.

Be the Next Most Influential Girl!

The girl who wins this competition will receive sponsorships from Fuel Clothing and Litewave Kiteboards. The winner will also get a Premium Membership on Hookit.

For more information, and to nominate yourself, or someone else you think is doing extraordinary things in kitesurfing, visit the “Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer” competition page by clicking here.

Written by

Jessica Winkler

PS: If you enjoyed this article, help spread the word by clicking the “Like”, “Tweet”, “+1” buttons, or sharing it using the share icons below. Want to read more articles like this? Subscribe to iMK, and get our articles directly to your inbox or RSS reader.

Most Influential Girl Kitesurfer 2011 Launch was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

What’s it all about?

The Global Kiter Foundation is a fresh, new approach to kitesurfing. It is the only non-profit Foundation in the industry that aims to regroup kiters, professional riders, industry leaders, school owners, instructors, riders, beach users and supporters, to improve access to our sport.

Everyone in the community and the wider public can paly a role in GKF. Through committed environmental work, comprehensive education and an involved community, GKF intends on working for the good of kiting as well as the kiters.

The winds of change have arrived. Be part of them.

We are global foundation but we think local. At GKF, we are putting the focus on reinvesting in local kitesurfing efforts. Money raised through the foundation goes directly to improving your local environment through projects. Every cent donated goes straight to the projects you choose.

This is the 100% model in action; supporters decide where their money goes and see how it is spent.

Who are we? The team behind GKF has been involved in kiteboarding for over ten years. As co-founders and dedicated kiters, Sandrine Roussos Werner and Charles Werner saw a chance to develop a cohesive, inclusive organization. They want to bring the global community of kitesurfers together to share experience and knowledge.

GKF Ambassador, Dimitri Maramenides

GKF is also joined by a team of experienced and enthusiastic ambassadors. We are proud to have prominent members of the kitesurfing community helping us reach our goals: Dimitri Maramenides, Charlotte Consorti, Laurel Eastman, Jerome Josserand, Nuria Goma and Jack Elston are all part of our talented supporters.

Get involved now! With your support, and the support of dedicated teams like inMotion Kitesurfing, we can help make the difference that will count.

Stay tuned- we are looking forward to supporting projects in South Africa. You will hear news soon. Visit our site, stay updated, and get involved in your community!

You can check it out here: www.globalkiter.com or email us at contact@globalkiter.com for more info. Don’t forget Facebook and Twitter too!

Meet the Global Kiter Foundation! was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

There is a whole new vibe being brought into kitesurfing where sliders are involved.  Kitesurfing due to its nature is generally a solo sport across most of the disciplines.  You are out there on your own, pushing your personal limits and only every now and then do you glance over your shoulder to see what your mates are up to.  Sliding is different.  There will probably only be one slider at your local and that one slider to start with was more than likely the product of much group discussion.  So already there was a team effort even before you got wet.  Then it is all the brainstorming and the group work party actually building the thing, a true riot itself.  Setting it up also requires the hands of a few good people, so once again a time to interact.  But that’s not where it ends, it is really only where it all begins.

Sinisa Misic – La Mercy Lagoon, South Africa

Only one rider can hit the slider at a time so the rest sit and watch in anticipation of their turn as they circulate around.   It is in this queuing for the action that a whole lot of chatting and cheering, oohing and aahing goes down.  Here you will find the place of beauty, where creativity is set free and the soul finds a new expression as each kitesurfer is challenged.  It is this interaction that has been the core of the boarding industry for decades and now it’s finding a path into kitesurfing.  While surfing holds claim to the history of board riding it must be skate boarding that be given a lot of credit for the board riding culture that has filtered back into surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding, cable and any other form that it takes.  Open any skate mag and you will find that probably 50% of the mag is dedicated to the good old “slider” which in skate terms will be either a hand rail on some sketchy stairs, a pavement curb, park or mall bench or any other item worthy of the task.

Sliding has been around for a long time in many board sports and it would appear that it is going mainstream in kitesurfing or as close as it can get.  In my opinion it is what we need in the sport, especially in the South African context.  It brings spectator value back into the sport in a neat focused package that is oh so easy to market to potential sponsors.  Slider Jams with the beat pumping and the juices flowing are possibly the media draw card that we have been waiting for, which will hopefully bring all the kitesurfing disciplines together again at events.  With the advent of the bungee tow and motorized tow they can even work when the wind fails to pitch.

Our Portable Slider – Sinisa Misic

So what makes a good slider?  From a safety perspective the box slider is the way to go as there is close to no chance of getting pulled through the thing from a misguided upwind approach or slipping under it, not that it happens too easily.  Is the box slider what riders want?  The answer would be yes for every first timer but a no for the more advanced and adventurous.  The mutter on the inter-web is that box sliders detract from the core culture of sliding or “grinding” as it is sometimes referred to in skating, where the metal trucks (wheel axels) eat away at the obstacle of choice.  To further explain – One of the most amazing things with the sliding discipline is the photos and videos that we will see coming out of it.  The subjected kitesurfer is easy to shoot as the action all happens within a confined and “controlled” space.  Multiple angles are available to the photographer by taking only a few steps in any direction.  You also don’t necessarily need photo trained riders to get the money shot as you would need in freestyle and surf kiting.   Skaters have been at it for years and some photographers have made it their bread and butter line.

Sinisa Misic – Kitesports

Herein lies the big quandary of what slider is a good slider.  A skate photo shoot would involve a scout of the town to find the elements that would make a good photo.  Now you answer the question.  How good a photo can you get out of a man made box slider?  Once you got your skills down, and that will take a while on the very same box slider or something similar like a simple rail.  You may then want to follow in the footsteps of the skaters and start looking for alternatives.  Maybe an old bluegum telephone pole or tree that has fallen over, a boat jetty or even the boat when the owners eye is turned, a fence that won’t kill you, a wall, some windsurfer’s masts or any other obstacle or item that you can get in, near to, or across dry land then back into the water.  An open mind is the key here.  These are going to be the shots that the magazines will be featuring.  Sliders that have an element of natural danger are the ones that are true to the core of sliding and the ones that will give you credit amongst your peers.

So the challenge goes out, and other than attacking hazardous obstacles, the quickest way to get beaten on a slider is to try doing it with your fins in.  We have a sign board that we put up on the approach to our slider that clearly states “use at your own risk and nofins.”  It is amazing how many people can’t read at speed, but it does make for good footage.  Riding without fins is a challenge on its own and in a way it separates potential slippers from the dedicated grinders.  Once you start riding your freestyle board without fins (preferably use an old board as it is going to get serious battle scars) you will find some new moves coming to you even in the flat water.  Channeled boards look like they will be the way forward, with or without smaller recessed fins.  Increased rocker is possibly a good thing for moves like the nosepress, it also helps to protect the fins if you using them and may make some grabs easier.  Bindings seem to be the rage but practically they are an extra effort.  Wakeskates, or now referred to as kiteskates (flatter rocker etc.) on the other hand are making a big impact.  They are strapless, bindingless boards being used to do skate tricks on flat water, on sliders, off waves, wherever creativity will take you.  Originally from the wakeboard scene they are most definitely a complement to the kiting outfit.  Landing a kickflip off the end of your slider on a wakeskate will rocket you into stardom for sure!

The possibilities are endless and only our minds limit where this slippery avenue will take us.  If you have not had a slip-n-slide in a while then it comes highly recommended.  Get together with your crew and start knocking one together.

Written by

Dean Bottcher

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Sliders: The Slippery Slide of Things was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.

What can you expect?

In the coming weeks you can expect to see a series of awesome posts with general kiteboarding tips and tricks, plus we will start a series of articles revolving around kitesurfing safety and responsibility. We will also invite some of the well known South African pros and kitesurfing instructors to share some of their thoughts and experience.

We will keep you updated on the weather / wind reports and upcoming kitesurfing events happening around South Africa in the near future.

Finally, we will also be conducting kitesurfing reviews of the various brands and kiteboarding equipment as it hits our shores, so you will always be up to date on the latest and greatest gear. Kitesurf shops will have the opportunity to post press releases or write articles about new products such as kites, kiteboards, harnesses, bars, wetsuits and anything else that will blow your mind and get your blood pumping.

We are creating this website primarily to bring kiteboarding groups and shops all over South Africa and the world together to share their knowledge and experience with the kitesurfing community. This will be an unbiased platform where all are equal, no matter which shop you are affiliated with or which brand of kite you fly…

Staying in the loop

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We look forward to welcoming you to our community.

The inMotion Kitesurfing Team

Welcome to inMotion Kitesurfing was published by inMotion Kitesurfing.