Mitu sure is a great wave rider no argument, on a separate issue, he did look as though he was struggling in that comp, im sure when he was out the cameras would have been glued on him and if they were the best moves they caputured of him in that event then he did have a bad day! dont we all.. i wonder if those eurofag judges worded up the competitors before hand and told them all to ride strapped?? I reckon that there has to be two separate categories to judge Strapped and Unstrapped specially at that level. alot of strapped wave kiters would not think of riding unstrapped if forced to in a comp and visa versa, clearly you do what your comfortable with, then judge that..
doesn't look great for unstrapped just so lumpy - what 2 turns max unstrapped. I however don't ever think strapped and unstrapped should be in the same heat - that is simply stupid. Waveriding is subjective enough already without the fact somone has to judge one rider glued to the board and one not.... soooo dumb if in same heat - i personally would prefer a comp - all unstrapped - or all strapped and event organisers hold it considering better conditions/days for the chosen discipline...
actally i don't really like strapped generally - Cape Verde footage is entertaining though - anyone ride that strapless?
Been riding nearly 10 years and surfing for about 35 odd and won Aussie titles doing it-so kinda' qualified to comment.
And, my comment is, do what's the most fun for YOU!
Who gives a fugg how or what you ride as long as you're stoked and not fugging anyone else's ride.
Shheeesh-now, anybody got the link to Eric's sky ride?
Hi all,
You're not wrong, strapless is the purest way to surf a wave with a kite. I think most of the top riders would agree on this (and I don't mean top PKRA riders). In the run up to the event Mitu, Sky, Myself and many other riders only rode the spot in Tenerife strapless. I live 100m from the spot in fact and ride strapless 95% of the time there.
The problem is that the riders are not there to further the sport, they are there to win the competition and that is a completely different thing. Until the judges differentiate somehow you can't blame the riders for doing what they have to do to win.
2 competitions for with and without is not going to happen as it takes too long and for the organizers and press is completely incomprehensible.
The PKRA wave is in it's first real year and you have to cut them some slack to find the right formulae. The committee of Sky, Mitu and Guilly all know the score and I'm sure will guide the tour in the right direction in the future.
Mark
The sport has already gone backwards enough with boardoffs and wakedangling in straps over the last 10 years... why not add "riding out front of cool looking waves with straps doing backrolls" to the list? It wouldn't be a huge stretch of the imagination to see it dominate the next ten years of "world class competition" would it?
Really there is no excuse for this kind of crap, to say "oh its in its first year" is a complete cop out and total bullsh!t... How many people ride waves these days? how long have people surfed for?... There's enough people out there who know the score and enough people around who could help organise something legit.
The problem is the organisers and management running the whole carnival. I have never met so many people who are so totally clueless about boardsports in general than i have through kiting, even windsurfers have 100 times more idea of what is legit and how things should be done than flyboarders.
I was actually talking to an unnamed pkra judge and he even said it was a total joke. He said he scored some brazillan dude who was just doing big strapped in airs lower than another guy who was shredding fluid surfing style turns and this brazilian joker came up and pretty much tried to fight him... Not only that but apparently people (including Langree) were even doing backrolls on the face of the wave... not even trying to initiate it from the lip or critical section.
Where do you draw the line? I know myself I have done stupid stuff like slim chances and pete roses off the lip strapped up, but is this really good? if you start pushing that style all that you will end up with is pkra freestyle 2.0 - "this time its in front of a cool looking wave!".
Good luck, you're gonna need it.
A very good reliable source I'm sure but Kevin busted his ACL the week before Tenerife and was in hospital at the time in Holland.
The worlds gone crazy.... fancy showing up at a competition and trying to win. What a bunch of dumb asses.
I guess there is doing things with grace and style then there is doing things to be a winner. That was a great display of wave riding by a bunch of winners.
How much does cred cost?? would you sell yours to win a comp. Kite wave surfing at present has no cred!!! It is for all those people who dont cant surf!!!! However think that because they have a bar in their hand, rationalize doing random acts like hooked in back rolls on waves as the future of the sport!!! HMMMMM. Lets hope the SWWK sets a new standard in kite wave riding at the nationals in 2011.
Ground hog day. Shame on you Rowdy for getting sucked in.....well I'm sucked in too, simply because I'm bored.
As far as I am concerned, and many others, it is the person who spends the most time in that happy place that wins........always. You can see with guys like Mitu and even our own young RKRA star, that they are having great fun while riding. This comes from hours and hours of being in that happy place. The people who are great, love it everytime on the water, and it shows.
When I think of the talent and winners, I only have to look at the crew at the WA beaches, especially Margs. & Scarbs. The best people there are world class and spend so much time in the water that is really shows. Quiet people loving the stoke, day in day out............brings out the best, yea in the world.
Who cares about the PKRA, except maybe someone stuck in Eurofagland.
Hands up everyone commenting in this thread who was competing in the wave event!
Oh, just Mark.
I guess everyone else is sitting at home on their computer, pleased with how "Legit" they are.
Me getting "sucked in"?... I live for this sh!t. Hate for life.
This sport is like same sex marriage... It's f@ck!n gay, but you still turn up to the event to get pissed with your mates.
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One or two sensible comments and a couple of sh1t stirs from rowdy.
Funny how everyone criticises and chops down every style they don't like.
Same ol' retards saying the same ol' sh1t.
Unless we all do the same thing the same way as you we're gay or lame or not legit.
Uniquely Australian habit and particularly kiters. Could it be that kiters feel inadequate cos it's not really sailing, wakeboarding or surfing??
I don't care if they're strapped, hooked, unstrapped or whatever. They're better than me and they get to kite anywhere they want. Good on them.
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I dont think there's any need to panic. Its early days and styles and skills have a long way to develop.
Guilly, who won the event was a pro surfer and can do whatever, so its not like the sport had actually got there and was going backwards - its going forward on a lot of fronts.
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