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Editor/Publisher |
John Barresi |
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Assistant Editor |
Dave Shattuck |
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Directors-at-Large |
Troy Gunn
Central USA |
Al Stroh
Southwest USA |
Al Hargus
Midwest USA |
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Contributors: |
David Gomberg |
Bob Childs |
Irene Walser |
Dan Whitney |
Lance Storr |
Joan Laurino |
Shawn Tinkham |
Patty Tinkham |
Moon Kushner |
Alan Cunningham |
LAlo Loescher |
Richard Hurd |
Hans Jansen op de Haar |
Joan H. Laurino |
Robert Moore |
Kelly Reed |
Donna & Dallas Oliver |
Rick Hawkins |
Bunnie Twidwell |
Greg Wedeking |
Luis Martinez Brito |
Carlos Austin |
Miguel Barba Roja |
Jeff & Donna McCown |
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Founder |
Mike Gillard
1954-2006 |
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Welcome to the 41st issue of Kitelife Magazine, almost exactly seven years after our first edition hit the world wide web in April of 1998... We're still right here with you, shaking last year's sand out of our kite bags and gearing up for another amazing season of kite flying and crazy adventures, both here and vicariously through all of you around the world. |
| My good friend Mike Gillard had a vision, to create an exciting and informative kite publication that could be accessed almost anywhere in the world, made for and by fliers, featuring some of the foremost experts in our community and 100% free of charge to anyone with an interest in kites. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to carry it forward into the future, as well as for the various experiences and personal growth I've had since assuming ownership in early 2002. |
| My deepest thanks go out to those of you who enjoy our services, and even more so to those of you who have taken time out of your busy lives to contribute in one way or another and helped to make us one of the top kiting resources in the world... Even a note from you here or there makes a remarkable difference in the quality of our days here at the office, and are truly appreciated more than I could ever express. |
| Some exciting news for you, we've secured permission from Roger Chewning and Sky Festivals to publish any part of the old East Coast Stunt Kite Championships footage to the web as part of our video archives... Very gracious on Roger's part, as this enables us to put some of the most historic and memorable sport kite routines in history within reach of anyone who has a broadband connection! Thanks to donations from Ari Contzius and Rick Knauss, we have the official videos released from 1986 through 1990 which you can expect to see added to our archives over the course of the next several months. |
| Also, you can expect to see the next volume (4 issues) of Kite Lines magazine republished to the web on May 1st, and again on the 1st of every odd-numbered month until all fifty issues are finished and available on line. |
| As a last order of business, you might imagine the resources required to host the kinds of archives that Kitelife has to offer... With an average of 45,000 visitors and 75GB worth of downloads per month, we're trying to get ourselves into a larger dedicated server so that we may continue to grow the archives, as opposed to reducing them as our readership grows. |
| If Kitelife were gone one day, would you miss it? We stay operational thanks in part to our sponsors, but even more so thanks to our official Kitelife Subscribers. In exchange for their support, we give away monthly prizes and a bevy of other benefits which are well worth our nominal subscription rate... Take a look here! |
| We hope you enjoy this latest edition, and look forward to hearing from each and every one of you... Tell us what we're doing right, what we can improve, or just drop us a line and let us know you're reading! |
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AKA Corner
Our president brings us up to speed on what you can do to help National Kite Month in the month of April, and how to win some big prizes doing it! |
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Dave's World
An amazing journey to the first ever kite festival held in Guam for good flying, good food and good times with fliers from all over the world. |
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Join the Team
Our staff here at Kitelife extends a heartfelt invitation to share your experiences, your insights, your knowledge, and your delight in kiting. |
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Letters to the Editor
We love to hear from our readers... Critique or praise, we read and reply to every single letter, sharing them here with you whenever possible. |
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The Cuban Experience
A heartwarming story about sport kites, passion, fortitude, fun and friendship with Casiopeia Team all the way from the Caribbean. |
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ProFile: Bob Childs
Kite designer, former pro sport kite competitor, power kiter and inventor of Doomwheels, Bob Childs shares his experience and flair with Kitelife. |
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Judging with Hans
Gathered during years of world class judging, Hans Jansen op de Haar breaks down his approach to judging in both ballet and precision. |
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Team Tirades: Maneuvers 2
Al Hargus comes back with another collection of team diagrams for sport kites, and goes point by point through executing the "Fire Diamond". |
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ProFile: Dan Whitney
Dan Whitney has pretty much done it all... Superb kite pilot, grandfather of Internet kite-selling, and kite photo nut. How does he do it? |
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Tangents w/out Trivia
As an announcer at various kite events over the years, Al Hargus has gathered some philosophies and perspectives on choosing "crowd music". |
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ProFile: Shawn & Patty Tinkham
Your “average” kite-flying couple? Hardly! Shawn and Patty Tinkham share their views on flying, competing, and building with sport kites. |
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From Kite Fright to Kite Trains
Enthusiast Joan Laurino shares her colorful experiences with sport kites, proving anyone can fly and find something special in the skies. |
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Flying High Down Under
We re-visit with Robert Moore to get the latest news on his attempts to set a new World Record for high altitude kite flying in Australia. |
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Kite Party 3
John Barresi takes his first trip down to the annual Kite Party in Huntington Beach, California... Good times, laid way back with great company! |
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Uttarayan Kite Festival
Kitelife returns to India through the eyes and heart of NAFKA member Richard Hurd who shares the flavor and passion of Indian kite culture. |
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Festival Layang-Layang
Join Kelly Reed on his trip to Pasir Gudang, Malaysia where Wau kites rule the skies and fliers perform for the Sultan and his royal subjects! |
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Fort Worden Kitemakers Retreat
New to kite making, Moon Kushner goes on holiday to one of the finest kite making retreats in the country and brings us along for the ride! |
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Up The River Indoor
We're sure this is the first of many annual indoor events to come in Arlington, Oregon... Resounding community support, and lots of fun! |
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3Snowkite World Championships
Irene Walser delivers day by day reporting and photos from the 3Snowkite World Championships held in Obertauern, Austria. |
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Zilker Park Kite Festival
Report and photos from the 77th annual kite festival held in Austin, Texas where thousands turned out to loft their kites in the blue skies. |
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South Padre Island Kite Festival
Another fine Texas festival, fliers gather on the Gulf of Mexico for more fun, friends and flying in SPI... Reporting by Rick Hawkins. |
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Xtreme by Level One
Lance Storr puts the new Xtreme through it's paces in both the standard and light models, giving us a peek at overall abilities and features. |
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Speedfoil RM10 by Premier
Ray Merry's latest entry into the sport kite market, the RM10 from Premier goes on a road test with the staff at Kitelife and earns our respect. |
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Cherry Bomb by New Tech
A new entry level kite from Dodd Gross, the Cherry Bomb proves to be a tremendous value for the money and just might surprise you! |
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Festival/Comp Schedules
Looking for an event? You can find full schedules and contact information for events all over the country on the web sites listed here. |
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World Sport Kite Championships
Sport kite teams from all over the world are descending on Lincoln City, Oregon this June to battle it out for recognition as the world's best. |
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Freestyle World Cup
Several years in the works, this year's Tricks Party delivers an exciting new format and many of the best freestyle pilots from around the world. |
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San Ramon Art & Wind Festival
One of northern CA's finest non-competitive events, led by Brian Champie and featuring some of the best performers anywhere! |
Photo Collections
(added since last issue) |
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