Kitefreeze Update

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 3:41 pm

Well wouldn't you know it just after I post the Kitefreeze reminder, we do our annual Kitefreeze Reschedule. After a bit of discussion and the realization that even if the conditions are decent, we all haven't had the time to ride enough to train, we are moving the date to Feb 4,5,and 6.
We want to try and keep it early in the year so that the people who attend and get stoked on riding can get out and ride following the event.

Here's the plan for the event.

Friday is a freeride on Calhoun. The goal here is to make a presence and put on a show as well as give demos and lessons. It about growing the sport. Registered athletes will get points for attending and additional points for supporting the sponsors by giving demos. For safety reasons we are not judging trick complexity on Friday, just attendance and support.

Saturday and Sunday are on Minnetonka, Kite Island. The program is a bit different from previous years. Instead of successive heats, we'll have a long judged freeride. Everyone rides. Then all the riders vote for the best 5 riders in each of the categories (men, women, junior). The judging is tallied up (including scores from Friday) and these top riders then move into a final heat. Their scores are erased, and for a 15minute heat they go neck and neck with the other riders in their category. After which the remaining riders judge them once again, which is tallied for the final score. These final heats should be exciting. Since the weather is unpredictable beast, the length of the freeride and the timing of the finals, will be determined when we have a better idea about the forecast for the weekend.

We hope to have a hot lunch for all.

The ice is so thick we hope to have parking on the ice, as long as we maintain restrictions for proximity to eachother.

There will be facilities on the ice.

Event Headquarters with be the new Slingshot Greenhouse at Kite Island.

The Kitefreeze has always been an event for everyone. We hope that the new program will encourage all riders to come out and play. Registration, as always, is free.

Come out and ride next to Pro Riders such as: Alex Peterson, Mark Doyle, Aaron Sales, Motz, Jeff Roberts, Joe Levins, and more. I learn so much riding and watching these guys.

Mark Feb 4, 5, 6th on your calanders. This should be fun..

THE USKITEFREEZE WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM:
SCUBA CENTER KITING AND WINDSURFING
BOARDSPORTS USA
TOM LOWE
SLINGSHOT KITEBOARDING

BE SURE RECOGNIZE THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS SPORT AND OUR COMMUNITY.

Ask not what your sport can do for you, but what you can do for your sport.

It's all good.

rudeboysaude · Post by **rudeboysaude** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 3:50 pm

Well, as it is now, I'm working that weekend. Boo. Same weekend as Kites On Ice too. Boo.

http://www.madfest.org/kites/index.php

Aaron.

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 4:26 pm

We know. It was a tough call. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hunter Welles · Post by **Hunter Welles** » Wed Jan 12, 2005 8:46 pm

That sounds awsome, and to promote the event we should try to get an ad in the news paper, maybe even a little TV coverage before it. Looks like the conditions are going to be pretty good, with the little bit of snow we have now it will make riding much better.

Thats awsome the numer of pros that will be there, and Mark Doyle is coming, thats awsome! This event will be awsome this year, and hopefully a better turn out with spectators and with riders for all of the divisions(especially junior, last year it seemed the number of kids went from like 6 to 2, which was me and weston)

Give me a call if anything is needed, the kitefreeze this year is gonna be awsome!

SCOTT RIDOUT · Post by **SCOTT RIDOUT** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:33 am

Yeah, the date change really threw a wrench in the works, anyway let me know Tighe if there is anything you may need? On the first day out at Calhoun, will there be trainer kites for us to use to give people quick lessons or should we bring our own trainer kite if we have one?

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:26 am

If you have trainer kites bring them. Scuba Center and Boardsport USA will be on hand with kites, but to ensure we have enough, it would be great if you brought yours.

Thanks for contributing Scott.

SCOTT RIDOUT · Post by **SCOTT RIDOUT** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:29 am

No problem just let me know whatever else I can do. Do you know if we are going to have generators there, if so I will rent a few big coffee makers and get that going if you would like? Do you need any tables for the tent's or tent, I have a 6' and a 9' I can bring out.

Karl B · Post by **Karl B** » Thu Jan 13, 2005 2:36 pm

Its too bad you had to schedule it during kites on ice. I assume most of the guys around here that were planning on going will probably stay in Wisconsin. I had a blast last year and hate to miss it. Oh well, maybe next year. Karl

Boardsports USA · Post by **Boardsports USA** » Sat Jan 15, 2005 6:50 pm

Tighe,

Everything looks great! We are looking forward to the FREEZE!!

I know that it is tough to schedule stuff for events like kiting but we just have one request from jr. kite land.

Would it be possible to allot say 20-30 mins. for maybe just jr's and women to be out and show there stuff without having to worry about chicago o'hare style traffic control problems? I.E. dozens of big guys flying high landing here and there...Another idea would be to have a JR obstacle area or a mini jump/obstacle area, somewhere off to the side. Actually my nephew has a 10' rail that is close to the ground that we could try to bring down too.

The boys and I had a great time last year but there were a few times that our kids were nearly turned into ice rivets from incoming 20m kite crashes. We would be willing to come down early and help build the courses and jr course.

What do ya say?

Bring on the FREEZE!!

Jason

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 11:14 am

All good considerations Jason. Sorry for the scares last year.

I will push to have some space or time set aside for the juniors. We assume that the event will get pretty spread out this year since there won't be a need to have judges view you. So if we choose an area for the juniors to ride and request others to give way, it would work out.

Boardsports USA · Post by **Boardsports USA** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:29 pm

Tighe,

I guess I should have looked a little closer at the format. This should work great. Basically we probably just need a mini kicker off to the side somewhere. We can definetely at least come and help build a little mini kite park. Yea my youngest kid Jeremy he loves to shovel out kickers and now he has a SLINGSHOT booter builder (AKA Slingshot shovel) that thing is sick! We will be down no later than Thursday morning.

See ya'll there...

Jason

Hunter Welles · Post by **Hunter Welles** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:50 pm

I am not sure about the whole seperate junior park, personally I would like to hit the same kickers and rails if there is a little junior comp. I think some time set aside would be better for us to ride, a whole seperate park would be pointless

Boardsports USA · Post by **Boardsports USA** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:59 pm

I think I agree with you Hunter. If nothing else one or two mini booters off to the side for warm-ups won't hurt. At this point with the new format, I don't think it matters let's just get out and rip around and have a good time! That is the best part of the KiteFreeze. Everybody just riding around using the whole lake. It is always crazy looking seeing all of those kites spread out across Lake Minnetonka!

Jason

Hunter Welles · Post by **Hunter Welles** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 5:49 pm

This year one thing that i would like to see happen is a big spread for the park. The kickers and rail was very close and was a little bit too close I think. The year before I was not there but I heard that the park spread over much more ground, I would definately be out there shoveling to make the park bigger, better and covering more ground. Maybe even get something to push up the jumps, somebody had a 4-wheeler that worked perfectly to push up the jumps and he made a great practice kicker before the freeze,(Sorry I cant remember who it was). Some nice jumps would be awsome, and Tighe call me for any help that you need.

Also my dad talked to me today wondering if we needed a photographer for the event. He has gotten very into photography in the last few years and would love to take some pictures for it.

Tighe · Post by **Tighe** » Tue Jan 18, 2005 9:29 pm

All good ideas. I think we'll have a pretty wide spread this year since we won't need to stay in view for the judges. Good input though.

It would be great if your father wanted to take photos. THe more photographers the better.

its all good