Region 11 Nov. report
Happy Holidays everyone ,I hope the New Year brings happy kiting to you all.
Congratulations to region 11 kiters that did well this year in Seaside. Dan Burnham brought home a 3rd place in EMB and Wayne Fu managed a 2nd in EIP while New flyer Phelan McCall got 3rd in NIP. Team Airzone (Darrin Skinner, Aaron Champie, Wayne Fu and Uly Villaneueva) took 3rd’s in both Ballet and Precision! The competitions were great this year with great performances by all, even the winds were decent!
The weather in Oregon was great all week it did rain like crazy Saturday but hey who can complain after the awesome 5 days we did have! Seaside again proved to be a great place for our conventions with the hotels right on the beach convention center a block walk away and plenty of shops n restaurants close by.....AND I loved that hard sand beach!!!! I was puzzled by the number of people that weren’t there Seaside is in the backyard of so many ...I just don’t get it! Next year we go back to Ocean City another great place for our annual party.
All is quiet in the west now after a busy busy season, I had the privilege of attending the Brookings event again this year, this event is one of the best small events going with super hospitality provided to the flyers. This year saw the passing of the Microphone to our own Arnold Stellema. Arnold replaces Rick Talbot , who decided afer many years of announcing to move on to something else. The first time I met Arnold I knew he would make a great PA guy....OH and He’s a brand new daddy!! Congrats Arnold and Nanette!
I did the Washington International festival again this year, I think it was the best weather year in years....even tho we all got drenched and the big kites soaked and covered with sand..still it was a blast.. Before I left for WISKIF I headed to Mesquite Nevada to talk to Al at the Oasis hotel and casino, here are some things I learned, I learned that 12 packs of sodas explode in the heat in the back of the car....it’s HOT in that part of the world in the summer, You CAN NOT take photos inside casinos! You Can NOT fly kites from the roof of the parking structure! There is a lot of beautiful thing to see out in the desert specially if you stop and get out often!. The Gorge between Mesquite and St George Utah is AWESOME and worth the trip by itself! Las Vegas is always too much fun..... I love the fountains at the Bellagio! And if we do do an event in Mesquite it will be in Like November..thanksgiving week..AND I love air conditioning!
The Golden Gate Challenge saw the Hottest day we ever had...Unusually hot ..uncomfortably hot till the winds picked up some, the day went smooth and ended with a nice sunset awards ceremony. I mention this event because next year there will be a new award!! The Northern California Kite Club has decided to award a full paid convention registration for the first place in KITEMAKING! You can be sure im going to start building something NOW!! This should help with attendance and stimulate more kitemaking in our area.
This years Mix 96 event in Elk Grove saw team No limit from Germany as invited guests, this group was a lot of fun and did the most with NO wind . They had huge Muppet kites in the windless sky......towed behind a golf cart! Ray Bethell even did his multiple kite routines sitting on the back of the cart. Tom McAlister, with a great group of volunteers , does a nice job of organizing this event .
The Bay Area Sport Kite held yet another Indoor event in early November, those that showed up to play had a great time, good practice n fun competitions And I even got a 2nd place to John Gelespies win! Look for another indoor event in March, there is always plenty of time to play even if you don’t want to compete!
Next season will see an empty spot on the calendar with the always fun Marina event announcing it will not happen in 2005. Marina is a small town close to Monterey and was always a fun trip, I hope they can get it together again in the near future, and thanks for the good years.
The AKA web site shows that there are 9 kite clubs in region 11 and 16 retailers, I invite you guys to send me information on what your club or store is up to and ill try to include as much information here as I can, so mail it to me at region11@aka.kite.org
And finally id like to thank Gone With The Wind Kites ( http://gwtw-kites.com) For their AKA membership program, it seems that they are second only to the AKA web site in membership recruitment ! You guys are more than just a great place to buy kite gear!