The sting of the blazing sun on your shoulders, the thick mask of salt embedded on your eyelashes, the strong and undoubtedly recognisable scent of sunscreen in the air, the dance of the wind, wavering in between the strands of your hair, the desperate sprint to a cool refuge for your toes and the blissful embrace of the crystal clear ocean against your skin; the signs of an idyllic summer's day approaches on a Thursday morning, the 18th day of February 2016.
After travelling around the country and NZ for the past 3 months, testing the skills of those who put themselves up to the challenge- the ultimate ordeal was placed upon the top Australian and New Zealand kiters, as they battled it out on the picturesque shores of the Gold Coast for one of the country's most prestigious prize; the NKL 'Classic Holidays' Series Grand Final Winner.
As 1pm founds its way to the clock's hands, kiteboarders from Queensland, Victoria, Perth, New South Wales, South Australia and New Zealand all gathered round for a roll-call, a brief exchange of glances to those unknown and a happy embrace to those familiar, everyone sat under the trees to listen to instructions given by those in charge. Eager to get out into the water, competitors awaited the call to go set up and ready for their heats.
First cab off the rank was the female freestylers- drawn into different heats, one after the other, each female chucked on a NKL competitor rashie (red, green, blue or yellow, a beautiful array of clean, dry and odorless rash shirts… not), swallowed their nerves and went head to head against their opponent/s in an 8 minute heat with a 2 minute turn-around for the next heat. Following in the same suit were the male freestylers who, as well as the female riders, put on an impressive show for spectators and the judges scoring their tricks. Selecting tricks in a quality over quantity format (which was noted in the riders brief beforehand) the judges ranked each rider in order from 1st right through.
A change in scene saw the few female wave riders (4) competing against one another in a mixed 10-minute heat. Unlike the wildness of the freestylers, the wave riders utilized their surroundings, picking wave after wave and riding it with a smooth style as the judges scored them in the best wave format. Shortly thereafter the red flag, signaling the end of the heat, the male wave heats began following the same 10-minute heat, 2-minute turnaround, best wave format. The level of riding in all men's heats was outstanding, a very close ranking for all riders.
Picking up from where the comp left off the previous day just before lunchtime on Friday morning, female freestylers, male freestylers, and male wave riders kick-started their heats, competitors battling for the top spot in the rankings. With solid 4-5 ft sets charging through the water, the wind constantly blowing a steady 20+ knots; the conditions were at their peak and a great day of kiteboarding was in the pipeline. With the company of some music and a bit of commentating , public spectators found their way to a nice shady spot on the dunes (the only, might I add, shady spot on the whole beach) to witness some crazy tricks, gnarly wave riding and very talented kiteboarders giving it all they had, fighting it out for number 1.
For regular beach goers, the ideal summer day is one where your towel will lie flat on the beach without movement whilst the colour of your skin slowly turns tan… The same can't be argued for a kiter's ideal summer day. If that s**t's not flying around and you're struggling to keep your hair out of your face- it's not windy enough for a kite, and it's definitely not windy enough for a competition. Therefore, Saturday was the day to relax, revitalise and rejuvenate. A day to devise the next plan of attack and to come back on Sunday with the determination required to take out first place.
The final day of competition began bright and early on Sunday morning. Knockout rounds were the method that would determine 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place getters. With wind getting stronger by the minute; competitors had the chance to get a feel for it and practice their moves before the riders brief. With the rankings in place from yesterday's efforts, knockout rounds would begin by the lowest score in a heat against the next position up. The winner of each heat would move forward to the next, going up against the next best ranking and eventually the one-on-one final of the two best kiters in each round. Each final heat of freestyle and wave men and women competitors was a great show for everyone watching- the skill and effort put in by each rider was phenomenal- each a little desperate to take out the win.
In the end, scores were finalised and results were announced, however, regardless of any score or trophy- a fantastic event took place that weekend; fun was had, limits were tested, friends were made and memories were created… definitely a competition like no other. See you next year NKL Series.
Men Wave:
1. Billy Hampton
2. James Carew
3. Beau Pilgrim
Women Wave
1. Michel Blinkhorn
2. Michelle Malmedal Sollar
3. Jacqui Hockaday
Men Freestyle:
1. Ewan Jaspan
2. Marc Jacobs
3. Elliot Drury
Women Freestyle:
1. Katie Potter
2. Sammy Pearce
3. Marine Sudre
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