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| Editor/Publisher |
| John Barresi |
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| Assistant Editor |
| David Hathaway |
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| Directors-at-Large |
Meg Albers
International |
David Shattuck
Northwest USA |
Troy Gunn
Central USA |
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| Contributors: |
| David Gomberg |
| Dan Thompson |
| Gina Hsiung |
| Scott Bogue |
| Jim Strealy |
| Micki Kawakami |
| Scott Skinner |
| Dan Brinnehl |
| Meaghan Burford |
| Gustavo Di Si |
| Mauricio Morales |
| Paz Leonel |
| Way Mad South |
| Scott Koenig |
| Maggie Conrad |
| Scott Weider |
| Donna McCown |
| Corey Jensen |
| Gary Engvall |
| Beryll Isaacs |
| Nelson Borelli |
| Steve Irby |
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| Founder |
Mike Gillard
1954-2006 |
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Times are 'a changing... Two major north american kiting organizations (AKA and KTAI) and their members are exploring their uncertain futures in a new social and economic climate with possible leadership changes in some areas, I'm getting hitched in the coming months and we're bringing another amazing year of kiting to a close with high hopes (at least here at Kitelife) for an exciting and prosperous 2010. |
| Even amidst uncertainty the "pulse" in kiting strikes me as being hopeful, and I think it's not so far off the mark with a surprising number of startup or "home grown" events all over the US... We're due for a shift, everything in cycles, I'm certain we'll see an increase in outdoor enthusiasts as the economy and political overtones begin to settle out, encouraging people to come back out into the world. |
| As always, we're in need of a few good souls to send us a bit of coverage or promotion for kite events and happenings, either as an author, or as a Directors-At-Large gathering submissions from other folks in your part of the world... We're still a magazine by kitefliers, for kitefliers, and wouldn't be half of what we are without the efforts of our contributors and staff. |
| The other folks who we couldn't survive without of course, are our official Kitelife subscribers who help support our ongoing efforts to archive and share kiting. One that note, we'd like to give a hearty congratulations to Ben Grey, who won a brand new Soul sport kite by Flying Wings in our most recent drawing... Next, we'll be giving away two 7' Pyro deltas from Gomberg Kites, click here for more info. |
| Well, time to put this issue to bed and start gearing up for the AKA Grand Nationals in Rochester next week - and there is a chance we'll be doing daily updates, stay tuned to our mailing list, Facebook or the forums for info on this... I hope to see many of you there, please be sure to say hello! |
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Kites... Life.
Kite community in Bogota, Internet kiting resources (Facebook, discussion forums), upgrades to our forum software, life changes and matrimony on the horizon! |
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AKA Corner
State of affairs from our AKA President including the upcoming convention in Rochester, possible online auction, current/upcoming finances and general membership news. |
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Dave's World: Ten Days in Colombia
Gomberg's international adventures continue as he makes his way to the "other" Colombian festivals by way of Medellin, joined by kite performers and artists from all over the world. |
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Dave's World: Rockaway Kite Festival
One of the annual events by Sky Festivals, this festival has quick become a northeast favorite for all kinds of fliers and kites from huge single line inflatables to quads and more. |
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News Reel
World kite traveler Meg Albers brings us a variety of kite-related news from all over the world from Kolkata to Vietnam, wind turbines to kiteboarding, kiting is everywhere! |
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Kite Poems
An assortment of reflective writings which utilize kites, related flight, life experiences and visual descriptions to paint upon your senses, perhaps giving your mind flights of fancy. |
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Kite Comics
Each issue, we'll be bringing you two special kite-oriented comics from cartoonist Dan Thompson... We'll be working with him in coming issues to include a full variety of kite styles. |
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Kite Songs
We've found two different songs from the late 1800’s that happen to have the same name “DON’T FLY YOUR KITE TOO HIGH”, complete with sheet music and midi files to give a listen. |
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Join the Team
Our staff extends a heartfelt invitation to share your insights, knowledge and delight in kiting with articles, photos, and more, we value contributions from all walks of kiting! |
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Mad Way South: The Sahara Challenge
Two Aussies and two Kiwi's racing Kite Buggies across 2,500 km of the world’s toughest terrain to be the first to have ever crossed this unforgiving desert by wind power alone. |
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REVisions: WSIKF
Our resident quad Monkey reminisces on three years of personal experiences, iQuad history, Revolution team flying and growth at the Washington State Intl Kite Festival in Long Beach, WA. |
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Featured Store: The Kite Shoppe
Each issue, we profile one of our much appreciated and established retail sponsors, gaining a little insight into their store history, owners, managers, and their specialties. |
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Empty Spaces: Francis Rogallo
One of our true founding fathers, the pioneer behind the delta, Rogallo's research into aerodynamics and aerodonetics helped shape the evolution of kiting as we know it. |
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Empty Spaces: Bill Lockhart
Well known for his organizational role at the Junction Kite Retreat in Lubbock andas a skilled kitemaker and teacher, Bill dedicated his life to sharing his gift for kite building and flying. |
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Washington State Intl Kite Festival
One of the largest festivals in Noth America, WSIKF never fails to deliver some of the very best kites and fliers from all over the world with enough activities, beach and wind for all! |
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Festival de Verano (language: en or es)
An amazing foray into Colombian kite culture, organized by Atemoc and friends, this festival in Bogota has a lot of outreach into the local media and tons of people in the stands. |
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Let’s Paint Rosario’s Sky Festival
This annual Argentinian event brings fliers together from single, dual and quad line alike, teams and pairs, even kite making and power kiting, all performing and sharing with passion. |
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Frank Mots Kite Festival
Some of the best kiting any Midwest event has to offer with teams like iQuad and Chicago Fire, top individual sport kite performers with tons of single line kite displays and lessons. |
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Whidbey Island Kite Festival
Held annually at Fort Casey, this unique festival features some of the finest Northwest kite makers and sport kite competitors in one of the most nicest fields on the Pacific coast. |
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Family Day Kite Festival
In the late 80s and early 90s, San Francisco's Marina Green played host to some of the best pilots and newest innovations, FDKF has brought kiting back to this famous venue. |
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Fighter Kite World Cup
Each year, fliers assemble at the Syd Snyder approach in Long Beach, WA for their showdown of skills, line touch and various challenges all designed to test strategy and flight ability. |
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Festival/Comp Schedules
Looking for an event? You can find full club and organization schedules and contact information for kite events all over the country on the web sites listed here. |
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Idaho Kite Festival: Oct 1-3, 2009
A dedicated family event in Pocatello, the IKF devotes time to kite education and community outreach through workshops, activities, art and entertainment for all ages. |
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Lincoln City Fall Fest: Oct 10-11, 2009
With over 30 years of kite festival heritage under their belts, the third of Lincoln City's annual kite festivals hits the beaches again in the second week of October. |
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Cape Fear Kite Festival: Nov 6-8, 2009
Watch as we paint the Cape Fear Sky, join us for this fourth Annual event to fill the sky with color on the Carolina Coast, and we typically have good November weather! |
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Camas Indoor Competition: Nov 6-8, 2009
Looking for AKA points? Looking for some great fun? The Camas Indoor festival has you covered with 4 events in two days, all in one main gym and another overflow gym for practice! |
Photo Collections
(added since last issue) |
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