Best Girl Calendar Model Search

[Lia]

That's right, we are bringing the BEST girls back!!

(Delray Beach, June 15, 2010)

Best Kiteboarding is seeking the coolest girls in the world to be featured in our 2011 Best Girls Calendar. Obviously, to be cool, the girls have to kiteboard, or want to learn…

Three winners will be chosen to participate in a professional photo shoot by renowned fashion photographer Michael Williams. The winners will be introduced by him to top modeling agencies, will gain worldwide exposure, and will receive digital copies of photos taken for the shoot. The photo shoot is planned to take place this fall during our Annual Best Fest, September 30- October 5, 2010 a five day celebration in Brazil, featuring the launch of the new BEST product lineup and demos by our International Team of pro riders.

The three winners will also receive kiteboarding lessons either at the Best Kiteboarding Center in New York (http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/Best-NYC), with 9X world champion BEST team rider Kristin Boese in her KB4Girls Clinics (http://www.kb4girls.com), or at one of Best’s premier school partners around the world.

Winners will be chosen by a panel of experts from the fashion and sports industries in late August, 2010. They will be selected for their ability to capture the spirit of Best Kiteboarding through their demonstrated athleticism, commitment to a healthy outdoor lifestyle, and natural beauty.

To participate in the search, a contestant must go online between June 15th and August 15th and submit original photos of herself and a brief statement of no more than 50 words, in English, explaining why she should win. The photos must include ONE headshot and ONE full body shot of her in a swimsuit. She may submit up to, but no more than, FOUR additional photos of herself as well.

If a third party submits photographs on behalf of the person who is chosen as the winner, with her written permission, he or she will earn a free trip to accompany the winner to Brazil and Best Fest.

Throughout the contest, selected submissions will be posted on http://www.bestkiteboarding.com. For full details and contest rules, visit http://www.bestkiteboarding.com/2011calendarsearch after June 15th, 2010.

Contact: Lia Feriancek
Phone: (561) 243-3737 x0228
Email: lia@pureactionsports.com

[steveb]

shame the bikini tops don't split like they're leading edges.


JRN...you're next career?

[Chris Lock]

Ay..........

[Chris Lock]

Carumba.

[JRN]

PAM IS THE PHOTOGRAPHER in the family. Ask me sometime about the topless beach in the Bahamas.

[Lia]

C'mon guys, quit the trash talk!

We all know some of the most beautiful women are from Minnesota!!

If you enter your girlfriend, wife, friend,etc...with her permission, and she is picked to be one of the top 3 entries.....you get to go to Brazil and kite your brains out too!

[mdh01]

Lia is right guys....that photo above is my girlfriend. I spent a terrific week with her in Brazil and had an amazing time. The kiting was pretty good too! I originally entered my wife in the contest, but sadly, she was not selected....

Mark

[steveb]

Ah but you see Lia this is a forum for Kiteboarding and Windsurfing, so if you publish soft porn on our site you cannot seriously expect us to give the same respect to your topic we would to a normal posting.

I'm as open minded as anyone, but I have always wondered about the direction of the marketing appeal of the Best women. I decided the owners of your company were using it as a way to meet women who'd been ridden hard and put away wet, if that's what it takes and they've found a niche for themselves, all power to them.

[johnz]

I still like the leading edge crack...

[Lia]

steveb, if you actually would have checked into the contest a bit more...it is for women that want to get into kiteboarding as they will win free lessons as well!

I thought this was a community site of kiteboarders that would want to have a chance to win a free trip to brazil so that is why i post on lakawa to give you a chance just like anyone else in the world. I am from Minnesota originally and have kited there on water and snow, so is this site not for me as well?

I think that getting more women into the sport is always a good thing, so if you see it as something as nasty as you describe then so be it.

Honestly, who doesn't want more good looking women riders on the water?

[Lee_Uptown]

I for sure don't!!!

Besides, I think more women good or not so good looking would be good for the sport. I really hope that women who do not fit your distorted criteria of "good-looking" and how this very gender objectifying marketing strategy you carry out offend or discourage women getting into this sport.

[Anna D]

Shoot, I had to hang out with my DAD and then get MARRIED to a kiter in order to get free lessons. If only I had known I just had to "win" a chance to pose nearly naked whilst holding up kiting equipment!

A big thank you to my dad, my husband, my brothers, and all of the other fabulous, non-objectifying local men (and women) I have gotten to know while learning this great sport. Love you!

[Eric P]

Amen to that girl, I love you too.

I hope the people at Best learn something from this exchange. Maybe it's too late for them. I don't know. We love our beautiful women kiters, but we don't need them to be nearly naked, giving us the seductive eye. Give it a rest Best. Here's a suggestion, maybe actually post some pictures of your "Kiters Girls" actually kiting. Then we might actually believe they do. I had all the respect in the world for Kristin Boese, still would if she wasn't riding for Best. How can she sell out like that?

For the record, I'm actually a big fan of your products, the 7 meter Bularoo is the best kite ever made. Just get off the nearly naked women thing, that's all I'm saying.

[steveb]

When Best starts to run teaching clinics for women regardless of their willingness to remove their clothes for a camera, your argument will have some credibility and deserve some respect.
We are very lucky in this community that we have always had a base of female windsurfers and kiters, sure not as many as men but still more than one female riding at a time. In all the beach time I've had with various lakawans I cannot think of one conversation that objectified any of our local female riders.
Seems to me that Best seems to think the kite market consists of debauched teenagers who will be attracted to and buy kites from the company that boasts the most artificially inflated breasts on their website.
For me I'd prefer you just built kites.

[JRN]

I guess we all need a wind fix! Who was accusing ME of being serious last week? They also have a kiting photo contest going for a catamaran kiting trip going too. I bought into BEST for their products, not their hype. Do you remember the BIC sailboards that had the nude graphics on the board? I'm sure the women who participate in their promotions are well paid, regardless. They also had the option to say, "No thanks." All of you can vote with your dollars, not buy their goods, and provide an economic dis-incentive for their business model(no pun intended). They must be doing something right
being the BEST selling brand in the world. I think young males are their intended demographic, and guess what? GUYS LIKE SCANTILY CLAD WOMEN! Heck, even old coots like me will sometimes peek at a fine physical specimen. This naturally leads to calling BEST, getting out the plastic, and buying boatloads of product. Best also has several female riders on their team, and I think all of you would enjoy reading Stacy Fona's blog on their website, for a woman's perspective. Hope we all get to ride soon, and not vent our frustrations here.

[steveb]

About time our official " dirty old man " chimed in.

I guess I'll change sides on the debate and stand with you Jim, it is a much more fun place to be. Especially since Nancy's just told me she wants to be a Best girl...

[JRN]

SHE HAS ALWAYS HAD MY VOTE! I'd vote for Mrs. Anna Paulson as well, but don't know what Eric & Terry would think. I do think that our "KITECHICKS" are top rate in anyone's book. I just wish there were more of them. Maybe this could be the cue to turn the tables and have a KITEHUNKS calendar with pics of our younger "KITEDUDES" who still have some muscle tone & some abs.

[scott8888]

Dudes!

this string is hilarious. all you guys that are jumping on the chivalry bandwagon might be walking a fine line of hypocrisy here. I guess these same guys avert their eyes whenever a girl in a bathing suit walks by on the beach, when a beer commercial comes on t.v or even when you walk by your girlfriend/wives' cosmo and there is a scantily clad lass on the front. So I am right in assuming then, that you don't buy beer, magazines, or Best kites because of this legitimate marketing strategy.

I think that if it gets another person a chance to get out and ride, why the heck not. As JRN said, Best has plenty of contests running right now that you don't have to wear a bathing suit for. Whichever one said that it was soft porn, needs to check the year and realize that, here, we actually let women choose to do what they want these days, even wear bathing suits out in public, imagine that. horrifying!!!

For the record, I ride Best, not because of the Best girls, but because I love the company and the gear they have, you have your opinions, that is great, but just because someone posts a non-"your brand" post, doesn't mean you have to attack.

what what?????!

[steveb]

so who are you?
There's a post about Best and all of a sudden there's a guy chiming in that none of us know, been on the pay roll for long?
One of the things you should know about this community board, we pretty much all know each other, one or two exeptions but they've done more than 2 posts.
Also if you were local you'd know we have a rule that none of us attack other brands or riders.
So again ..who are you?

[kiteboymn]

Is Slingslut one word or two?
These are things I think about when the power is out.