* NEW - Florida Update! *

[ricki]

Here's the second Florida Update that appears in the current issue of SBC Kiteboard Magazine. Links will be inserted into the text below soon!

FLORIDA UPDATE!!!

The windy season is in full swing and riders throughout the state are grabbing great sessions. Pray for good cold fronts and great wind! We have had a number of events with more on the way including the Jupiter Kiteboarding Invasion, the first ever Kite boardercross competition in Florida held in Tampa. Neil Hutchinson of X-RATED KITEBOARDING is organizing the boardercross comps all over. He held one in Miami two weeks ago, will have another in Tampa this weekend followed by still more. These fast, tactical races are exciting to watch and even more fun to ride in. They throw Pros in with regular Joe riders in an event that requires a different style of riding sometimes with surprising results.

Jayson Orkins has organized the Tampa Kiteboard Masters Downwinder which consists of a several hour downwinder race through Tampa Bay of a flotilla of kiteboarders and chase boats. It should be a glorious sight when all those kites go up and race southward to the finish.

Christophe Ribot of Miamikiteboarding is to hold the third annual Kite4Girls event in Miami this March.

Sadly, Brad Lange will not be holding the Islamorada Invitational for the first time in five years. We will sorely miss this epic signature Florida event. Other organizers are thinking about holding events as the windy season continues in the Sunshine State.

Extreme Sports of St. Augustine recently had a great swap meet that was well attended.

Lloyd of Waterboards.net is LOOKING for riders to sponsor. Waterboards has also been donating nifty scale board trophies and full sized boards as prizes for competitions.

Our very own George Saunders of Kiteflixs has released a marvelous DVD, “Aerial Assault” staring Dimitri Maramenides. We’re not talking your little brother’s headbanger video here but a highly entertaining, skillfully edited production by a Pro that has won Oscars (for writing, true story).

Ty Luckett of kitehatteras.net, long recognized Kiteboarding leader from OBX is wintering in Miami with his fully tricked out kite boat. This vessel has an articulated pole that is supposed to have even yours truly throwing moves that here-to-fore I have only done by accident … ouch!

Enrique of SW Florida Kiteboarding is bumping up the effort among riders to preserve access to Tigertail Park on Marco Island, FL. It would be a crime to lose access to this superlative launch for west winds for all of South Florida.

Paul Menta’s Thekitehouse.com has been thriving in Key West, Nassau in the Bahamas and is joined by a new operation in Miami run by Clarissa Hempel and Mike Minichiello.

Mark Rush of pcbkitesurf.com is highlighting the “Forgotten Coast” a rarely visited stretch of shoreline in the Panhandle reportedly last commonly kited by the Seminoles a coon’s age ago.

Wind’s on, ride safe and have fun in Florida!!!