KiteJam On the Gold Coast
With the weeks blazing conditions, seabreezes rolled in on queue every day, and riders made the most of the open competition format to log some serious hours on the water.
KiteJam is fast becoming one of the biggest comps in Australia, now in its third year, the 2014 event attracted more than 60 competitors in 15 teams, with countless spectators lining Main Beach on the Gold Coast to watch the action.
Using an expression session style format instead of heats, riders get out there and ride for four days straight.
On the last day of competition, riders vote on who they think the best riders (and teams) are, the judges add their votes and a winner gets announced! Doing it this way takes the stress out of heat management and gives the younger riders a chance to shine, because those little guys simply never stop! Riders like Ryan Parsons and Manny Blanch from Brisbane were on the water from 12 knots to sunset, every single day.
Skill levels of all shapes and sizes did their best in the classic bumpy Gold Coast conditions, some were learning to backroll, others were stomping the most advanced handle-passes possible, like the boys from Team Liquid Force who won the overall team prize and some serious cash. Cole Baty, Lee Kavanagh, Jack Bailey and Beau Blake formed the team, with Lee Kavanagh and Beau Blake also winning prizes for being the best riders in the Open Mens and Under 18 divisions.
One of the biggest highlights of the event was the movie night, where riders showed off their latest edits amongst piles of pizza boxes and drinks. Not only did everyone get to watch some great footage, riders had the chance to mingle, make friends with rival teams and talk about everything kiteboarding. The vibes were good, the night was long and nobody made a fool of themselves, so it was deemed a winner!
Kite Jam will be back next year for sure, check the events page right here on Seabreeze.com.au for dates later in the year!
Check out the video below starring two time Kite Jam winner Beau Blake, and event organizer David De Witt, and the hundreds of KiteJam photos on their website here.
Woodlands, WA
