Winter 2007 Volume 29, Issue 4 AKA’s 30th All Wet in Ocean Shores Kitemaking: Pollock Redux KAPping the Convention The Face of Sport Kiting’s Future? Over The Falls in Niagara Bell’s Cygnet Anniversary Dieppe’s Mardi Gras in the Sky Bogotá, WSIKF, Antigua Our Bag and Kite Sale has been expanded!! CONTENTS All Designer Kites on Sale! Bogota and One of a kinds, Art Kites 3 Antigua 22 Kite Plan 34 and Limited Editions Flying on moun- Jim Martin’s a tain time, flying real card on island time BmmpoTbmfOpx" Cover Me So you want 5 Bell’s 100th 24 36 your photo on Kiters party the front of at Alexander Kiting... Graham’s crib Niagara 8 Kites try to 26 Dieppe Give the Gift of Kite Flying! bridge the gorge Flying with Kites make great ragin’ Cajuns in gifts for Christmas, between nations Valentines, Birthdays, Acadia Graduations, Weddings, and Anniversaries See our selection on the web at: Kiteman elmersflag.com K-Files 12 Productions 28 503-282-1214 • 800-547-8795 38 Kevin Sanders Maybe it really more than a kite store… America’s Largest Flag Store! shows his stripes is rocket science Visit our kite blog for news and reviews! Down Under kitestoo.com after all Voices From 52 14 The Vault 30 WSIKF 2 AKA Directory Nancy Lockwood A tree grows in 4 President’s Page proves that Long Beach 6 The Sporting Life Cleveland rocks 7 Empty Spaces In The Sky 10 Clubs 11 Event Calendar Dairy Air KAPtions 11 AKA News Wisconsin flies 16 You chose the 31 17 AI: Aerial Inquiry ‘til the cows best photos of 18 Member Merchants come home the year 40 Regional Reports 52 People + Places + Things On the cover: John Pollock’s Jersey Shore edo wins him his second Grand 16 32 AKA Convention Champion prize. Flying in the Six days of fun in home of The Ocean Shores Boss Coming in the SPRING issue... Kite Books > Back To Basics: Simple Tips From Pros Two new books 21 > It’s an iQuad World After All take you to > National Kite Month Japan and India > Darfur Kite Festival WINTER ’07 - ‘08 | KITING 1 AKA DIRECTORY american kitefliers aka committees association Mel Hickman, Executive Director education & public service Mailing: P.O. Box 1614, Walla Walla, WA 99362 Phone/Fax: 800/252-2550 Web/Internet Outreach Chuck Sigal 510/524-3459 Web: www.aka.kite.org National Kite Month Rick Hawkins 713/305-6777 E-mail: [email protected] Kite Records Ted Manekin 716/639-7679 Education Terry Cornell 407/657-4114 officers and festivals / competitions executive committee Fighter Kites Sharon Champie 707/545-6737 Gary Engvall, President Kitemaking Steve Ferrel 610/395-3560 11 Hornbeam Drive, Cranston, RI 02921 Sport Kites Jim Barber 360/289-4915 401/942-3606 [email protected] World Championships David Gomberg 541/996-3083 Kite Art Paul Fieber 608/271-8265 Jon Burkhardt, First Vice President 10113 Lloyd Road, Potomac MD 20854 administration 301/424-6976 [email protected] Ways & Means open Gayle Woodul, Second Vice President Contract Services Gayle Woodul 830/598-2414 106 Main Street, Marble Falls, TX 78654 Safety & Insurance Jerry McGuire 513/831-8379 830/598-2414 [email protected] By-laws Ted Manekin 716/639-7679 Archives & Records Mel Hickman 800/252-2550 Jim Cosca, Director at Large Elections Al Sparling 630/369-9682 13106 Parkridge Circle, Fort Washington, MD 20744 Nominations Kathy Brinnehl 630/271-0765 301/292-4849 [email protected] promotion & membership Deb Lenzen, Director at Large Membership Jim Hodges 703/405-6211 P.O. Box 351, Garrison, ND 58540 Renewal and Retention Mel Hickman 800/252-2550 701/463-2661 [email protected] International Linda Sanders +61/885-562696 Steve Santos, Director at Large 25 W. Wrentham Road, Cumberland, RI 02864 annual meeting 401/658-0649 [email protected] Convention Rob Cembalest 512/554-5933 Hospitality open Fly Market open Mass Ascensions open convention management Workshops open Maggie Vohs, Convention Manager Auction open Cameo Management Solutions, Inc. P.O. Box 410, Otis, OR 97368 Phone: 541/994-4252 Fax: 541/994-3459 Web: www.cameomanagement.com E-mail: [email protected] KITING magazine Phil Broder, Publisher/Editor Mailing: 904 Bayview Road, Rio Grande, NJ 08242 Phone: 609/465-6575 E-mail: [email protected] Kiting is published quarterly by the American Kitefliers Association and distributed free to members. Please contact the editor for information on submissions, advertising, and deadlines. Spring issue deadline: January 15 Summer issue deadline: April 15 Autumn issue deadline: July 15 Winter issue deadline: October 15 Send address changes to [email protected] Founded in 1964 by Robert M. Ingraham, the American Kitefliers Associa- tion is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the public in the art, history, technology, and practice of building and flying kites. 2 KITING | WINTER ’07 - ‘08 Colombian High by Mike Agner it this way, “ We or- ture had begun! ganized this festival The festival had actually begun in 1993 and have two weeks earlier, in Medellin, where held it every year the organizers assemble kite flyers since. We have two from all over the world. They travel big objectives: to around the country doing workshops show our country to and kite demonstrations. When I the world through joined the group in Bogotá, I was told the kite flyers who the event was to be held in a very attend and to show large park and that the actual flying our people that kite would take place in an amphitheater, flying is a serious surrounded by stadium seating for business but can be 6,000 people. Can you imagine what I done by old people was thinking? who are like chil- The day of the festival dawns (sort dren. In addition, of) with rain and no wind. It gets we believe that better. Not to be dismayed, these kite-flying is im- Colombian flyers took turns running hen my friend, Gary Mark, phoned portant for finding their kites the length of the stadium. Wme about my attending a kite a better life and to keep our environ- The crowd cheered them on. I was festival in Bogotá, Colombia, c’mon - I ment.” asked to bring “big” kites so you can was skeptical to say the least! After While my flight arrived on time, imagine what I was thinking, looking conversations with others who had traffic nightmares similar to those in at the giant manta ray still in the bag. been there and corresponding with the New York City delayed the arrival of But these flyers were determined to festival organizer, Ines Elvira Uribe, I the guy who was to take me to the put on a show. By 3:00, the rain had decided to add a new level of adven- hotel. Clearing customs was easy stopped and there was a bit of wind. I ture to my travels! but standing at the curb in front of spread that ray out on the ground, the Bogotá is a city of seven million a wildly busy airport with two fifty- wind inflated it and holding on to just people and sits at an altitude of 3,000 pound kite bags, and not being able to the bridle, I got lucky and it popped meters. Year-round temperatures vary transfer much of my limited Spanish into the air. The crowd went wild and little with a range of 40-65 degrees into their dialect, made my two hour I was able to make one pass (run? at and there is no change of seasons. The wait interesting. OK, so it was MORE 9,000’ altitude?). It was definitely a people of Colombia have a passion for than interesting. And did I tell you new definition of “high” and an experi- kites and everywhere I went, there that my international phone wouldn’t ence I will never forget. were flyers of all ages. Ms. Uribe puts make international calls? The adven- The Antigua Adventure Continues his year we grew our numbers to 10 for the by Sue Moskowitz TTropikiters Annual Kite Week on the beautiful island of Antigua. Again, Mr. Calvin Pilgrim, founder of the Tropikiters Kite Club organized four different kite events and three days of island recreation, end- ing with a five-hour catamaran cruise complete with snorkeling and flying on our own private lagoon! I was joined by Jim Cosca, Steve Santos, Pauly Berard, Beth Bowen, Art St. Pierre, and Jan and Doug Coates, all from New England, and Cathy and Mike Esposito from California. As we experienced last year, everyone was treated royally! We were met at the airport by the Minister of Tourism’s Secretary and lo- cal media, then whisked through customs and deliv- ered to our top-notch accommodations to fly for a while and catch sunset at Jolly Harbor beach. Our first event was a fun fly at beautiful Bucca- neer Cove. Sun, sparking white beach sand, crystal clear turquoise ocean and steady breezes were the continued on page 11 WINTER ’07 - ‘08 | KITING 3 THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE s the song goes, what a long strange trip this has been. put on a Sport Kite Nationals worthy of its name. Let’s start ABefore this year I had never considered being President now identifying and recruiting people who can Judge and of the AKA. This is the last place I ever thought I would be. Field Direct and Pit Boss. The more people, especially non- I am a kite flyer first, and everything else second.