Kiteboarding Wave World Championship 2011

[Toby]

IKA News:

Kiteboarding Wave World Championship 2011

The 2011 wave kiteboarding world championship will feature a new and innovative scheme – for the first time in kiteboarding history the titles in the wave discipline will be decided through a 2-tier world championship series!

The first stage of the Championship series will be run through the PKRA world tour. With a series of not less than six wave events scheduled for 2011, the battle will be fierce to win one of the coveted tour cards that will allow participation in the world championship finals. The PKRA has produced excellence in a wide variety of disciplines over the past 10 years and will provide a high-level platform for enthusiastic wave riders world-wide to prove themselves.

The second stage – the finals – will be run by the Kite Surf Pro (KSP), a new tour created by a group of the worlds finest wave riders including PKRA Wave Committee members Guilly Brandao (Wave World Champion 2010), Mitu Monterio (Wave World Champion 2008), former boarderX World Champion Sky Solbach as well as 9 time kiteboarding world champion Kristin Boese. The intention of the Kite Surf Pro is to hold events purely focused on wave kiting in so-called “dream locations", attracting the world’s best wave riders to battle it out for the title in stellar wave conditions.
Qualification for a spot in the KSP is only possible by competing and placing on the PKRA World Tour or by getting one of the few wildcards that will be available through application to the IKA or the local organizer.

For the 2011 season the top 8 male riders (and 4 female) from the 2010 PKRA tour season are already qualified. Another 8 slots are available through the 2011 PKRA world tour ranking until one month before the start of the Kite Surf Pro (not before September 2011. Dates to be announced). The number of participants is limited to 24 men and 12 women, ensuring ample time to run events in only the best wave conditions and with sufficient heat duration.

For the 2012 season the world championship finals seeding will be comprised of the defending top half of the 2011 world championship ranking as well as the top 8 male and top 4 females from the 2011 PKRA season.

Details concerning tour cards and how to apply for one of the available wild cards will be published shortly.

http://www.internationalkiteboarding.org

[Toby]

I think this sounds great !

But I hope that it differs from the surf rules and will be its own rules and style ! The power of the kite should be used as well!

Any comments from wave riders?

[woodfu]

Can you explain how a bunch of boaties are going to judge a wave riding competition?

Personally i think people doing long drawn out carves with the power of the kite is boring as hell, you're not riding a wave you're kiting off it then on to it again... it can be done toeside with a Twin tip.

Unstrapped and unhooked and actually riding the wave should be the judging criteria If its a WAVE RIDING comp.

Otherwise they can call it a kiting in the waves and and judge it like the king of the air comps from the early 2000s. The vid of the 2005 King of the air is still one of the coolest kiting comps i've ever seen.

[vegasrider]

As I read it this is organized by some of the worlds best wave kiters and I assume they know what they are doing...

[TommyDuotone]

My 2 cents. Agree with woodfu.

Judged on the following.....
*highest score for barrels,
*top to bottom surfing(tail slides and air from the most verticle part of the wave scores highest)
*wave selection
*length of ride
* top 2 or 3 waves scored
* and no straps

Basically. like a real surfing contest

[Peter_Frank]

My 2 cents. Agree with woodfu.

Judged on the following.....
*highest score for barrels,
*top to bottom surfing(tail slides and air from the most verticle part of the wave scores highest)
*wave selection
*length of ride
* top 2 or 3 waves scored
* and no straps

Basically. like a real surfing contest

I dont agree whatsoever with this !

Nor do I agree with the "Toby" view (just to state the extremes...)


IMO the "pure surf and park the kite and unhooked" is ridicoulous - as why not just surf instead then ?

And the other end, using the kite as a "power" machine all the time, is just as ridicoulous - as then you could just use a twintip and get towed through "everything" - waves or no waves


I think that kite-wave-surfing should be its very own, and if one WOULD compare, a mix of many different "arts" is what it is

One should definitely use the power of the wave, and glide.
But also use the power of the kite sometimes - and for aerials the kite could be used sometimes, at other times not - simply the speed of the board on a steep wave

Use the power of the nature, that is BOTH the wave, and/or the kite - for a rich and awesome ride

Dont "just" surf, and dont "just" kitesurf

Kite wave surfing is a "pure" sport of its very own - not to be compared with anything, as it outclasses everything else by far IMO !

Kindly, Peter Frank

[tripman]

I fully agree with Peter Frank. IMO, kitesurf is still a young sport, therefore, we still have to create our own style. It's pointless to follow blindly another one. They can inspire us (well they do), but not drive our sport.
But considering the ones organising the competition, I tend to think that they will know how to judge the wave riders.

[shawntkeating]

This will be interesting to see. Hopefully they allow enough wiggle-room in their judging to encourage unique style and techniques to be used. Everything else is pretty obvious.

[TommyDuotone]

Everyone brings up good points here. Maybe they need to have 2 events for wave riding world champion. Strapped & unstrapped. What do you guys think?

Also, in regards to the future of wave riding with a kite, I think eventually everyone will be riding strapless and doing things that surfers only dreamed of doing. Just my opinion.

[windmaker]

My 2 cents. Agree with woodfu.

Judged on the following.....
*highest score for barrels,
*top to bottom surfing(tail slides and air from the most verticle part of the wave scores highest)
*wave selection
*length of ride
* top 2 or 3 waves scored
* and no straps

Basically. like a real surfing contest

Why don't you guys just go surfing ? You are on the wrong forum, this is KITE surfing. I completely agree with Peter Frank, if the sport of wave riding with a kite is going to progress we need to write our own rules.