Laura Maher Rocks The Gorge!

[JimPat]

Yesterday I took a day off to enjoy the most awesome kiting by Pros and amateurs alike. They are riding again today for another 5 hours of competition at Stevenson for the Bridge of the Gods event. I have seen a lot of freestyle riding done at the beach by the local hot dogs (and they are amazing) but when they get out on the water for a 20-30 minute heat with all the competitors trying to out-do the trick somebody just landed or majorly blew up on, now the next guy is compelled to out do what we just witnessed and couldn't believe. The girls and guys were riding at the same time so the women had no intention of letting the guys out-do them in big boosti-a-ir jumps and unbelievable freestyle tricks! The Minnesota crowd would have been proud of their home town gal as she was obviously determined not to be out-tricked or out-jumped by her rivals. I have seen Laura ride many times in Padre and several times in Hood River doing amazing spins and jumps but I had no idea what kind of talent and kahuna's she has. I couldn't believe it when she was consistently going 30-40 feet up on the big air boosts (wow!). She also didn't hold back on the freestyle tricks- I'm sure the crowd and the competitors pushed her to a higher level than I've ever seen her ride at. We stayed til the conclusion of the event but they didn't announce the results before we left so I have some research to do and report back on. They had a go out-and-ride warmup session that lasted about an hour before the event and then some of the riders hung out on the water for about a half hour following the competition so we definitely got a lot of eye candy. The location of the event is perfect as you sit up high on a grassy hill (a real treat in this rocky enviornment) and the riders come right up to you, then launch because the river goes in further on the downwind side. This allows them to go practically over your head if they jump in close and drift way down wind on these massive jumps(super cool)! Not sure if I am going back for today's event riding as I am anxious to get out the water and do some riding of my own. Patty took a ton of pictures and said she got some video but it will take time for her to get all that downloaded so she can post it. Ciao for now!

Jimster- Wanna Be Team rider PS: Mostly saw mostly Slingshot Fuels ridden by both the men and the women with some RPM's. One guy was holding a Torch/Naish, another Naish helix or bolt?, Cabrinah Switchbaldes (I think), North-Vegas(ridden by a 16 year old Florida kid, Tommy Fields, who goes huge). Keep your eye on this kid-he'll be competing in today's amateur event.

[shymac]

She has been killin it in the kite park at the Sandbar almost everyday... You better watch out her skills will transfer over to winter too..

[Randy]

Laura and her sister, Molly, hold back nothing. It's been fun to follow their 'go for it' dedication to deepening their sport/artistic skills. Truly inspirational.