For 15 years, the Old Dominion Sport Kite Championships (ODSKC) has been the premier sport kite competition in Virginia, and has been widely regarded as one of the most flier-friendly and well-attended competitions on the east coast. After a brief hiatus, ODSKC has returned! The 14th annual ODSKC will be held at Dorey Park, in Richmond, VA on June 24-25, 2006. ODSKC 2006 is sanctioned by the AKA, the Eastern League, and Tricks Party USA.

ODSKC 2006 will feature competition in Novice, Experienced, and Masters class events, individual and team. There will also be an Open Individual Outdoor Unlimited (OIOU) competition on Saturday afternoon. There will be prizes for winners in individual precision and ballet events, thanks to sponsors New Tech Kites and Avia Sport Composites. There will also be a fighter kite line touch challenge on June 25th.

ODSKC is proud to be the 3rd official event on the Tricks Party USA calendar, and will offer a 20-person single-round Tricks Party USA event on Sunday, June 25th. Top 3 finishers in Sunday’s Tricks Party will receive prizes from ODSKC/TP-USA sponsor The Kite Shoppe. The organizers of ODSKC are extremely excited about being part of this new competition format, and plan to be a staple of the Tricks Party USA calendar.

Why is it that an inland event, often plagued by high temperatures and low winds, has consistently been one of the most well attended competitions on the east coast? The answer is good old-fashioned southern hospitality! Former ODSKC organizers Terry Murray and Phil Napier established a tradition of “an event by the fliers, for the fliers”, and set a model for running an event that has been emulated at events throughout the country. This year’s event, while under “new management”, will continue that tradition. There will be a hospitality tent on the field that will provide competitors with cold water and assorted goodies, a pit tent for fliers to catch some shade in while they wait to compete, and box lunches available for purchase by competitors.

Another high point of ODSKC has always been the auction. While many auctions at kiting events have been somewhat lackluster in the past few years, the auctions in Richmond have featured many unique, hand-made items such as the Ken McNeill “Blues Brothers” Mamba from ODSKC 2004. This year’s auction, while smaller than past auctions, will feature custom, unique kites, not only from manufacturers such as Blue Moon Kites, Viper Kites, Premier, New Tech, Prism, Skyburner, and Gomberg Kites, but will also feature handmade, one-of-a-kind items from kitebuilders such as Gary Engvall, Art St. Pierre, and AKA Grand National Champion Cliff Quinn. This year’s auction also promises to continue the tradition of auctioning large amounts of fabric from Texlon Corporation. If you are a kite builder, you will not want to miss this one! The auction will be held on Saturday night as part of a country-style BBQ cookout.

ODSKC 2006 will be the first 2-day event to attempt to run all Eastern League-sanctioned disciplines as well as a Tricks Party event. In order to make this work, there has to be a slightly different approach to scheduling – we actually have to follow one! The one thing that will not be relaxed about ODSKC 2006 is the schedule. In order to fit every event in, ODSKC 2006 will be run like a professional sports event. All non-novice fliers are required to pre-register by June 17, 2006 in order to compete. The competition day on Saturday and Sunday will start promptly at 8:30 am, and competitors who are not on time for their event will simply scratch that event. While this may seem harsh and might put off some, keeping to a schedule will be essential to successfully completing all of the planned events. Sometimes “kite time” has to be pushed aside for “real time”!

On Sunday, June 25th, there will be a memorial mass ascension for “the two Toms” in commemoration of Richmond Air Force members Tom Marvin and Tom Mason. Tom Marvin was an early member of the RAF. He was a huge contributor to ODSKC, a tradition carried on by his wife Bonnie of Hang ‘Em High Fabrics, and has been sorely missed in the years since his passing. Tom Mason, who passed in April 2006, was the patriarch of one of the east coast’s most beloved kite families and also a major contributor of time and effort into ODSKC and the Eastern League.

For complete information about 2006 ODSKC , please visit the event's home page:

http://www.richmondairforce.com/ODSKC/

Or call (804) 763-1012

The organizers of ODSKC 2006 are proud to bring this event back to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Eastern League. ODSKC has been a staple of the Eastern League schedule for years, and it was painful to see it removed from last year’s calendar. It is our hope that ODSKC 2006 will build on the tradition of events past and new strategies to provide a model for not only future ODSKC’s, but for other sport kite competitions as well.

    See you in Richmond!

      Marc Conklin