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Kite lessons
Pro Kitesurf, 883-1473 — Lessons are $225 per person and last three to four hours, with all equipment provided. For a quick lesson, $10 a day or $40 for five days can get you a trainer kite and a video to become familiar with the kite.
Information: www.prokitesurf.com
Velocity Games
Spectator sports reached new heights in Corpus Christi this year. Perhaps the granddaddy of the events was Velocity Games ’03 in May.
More than 40,000 people jammed Cole Park at Oleander Point to see the five-day event. It was the consolidation of the U.S. Open Windsurfing Regatta and the U.S. Kiteboarding Championships, both of which had been held in Corpus Christi annually. This year, organizers added skateboarding and BMX demonstrations, concerts, a fashion show and MTV’s Rock Wall Challenge. The sports festival was unlike any other in the country, organizers said.
Windsurfing and kiteboarding competitors came from the United States and countries like Argentina, Australia, the Virgin Islands and Brazil.
Organizers plan to stage the event again in 2004.
— Mike Bratten
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George Tuley/Caller-Times
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| INTO THE SUN: Kiteboarder Jeff Howard, owner of Pro Kitesurf, rips through waves in Corpus Christi Bay near Portland. |
Kiteboarding blows into Corpus Christi, where the wind is ideal
By Mike Bratten/Caller-Times
Kiteboarding has taken off in Corpus Christi. The sport combines surfing and kite-flying, with a person strapped to a parachute-like kite while riding on a shortened surfboard.
"Jumping off the water is an unbelievable thrill," said Dieter Krins, a retired economist who kiteboards about five days a week. "With kites you can jump in flat water, as much as 35 feet in the air."
Want to see kiteboarders in action? Check out Packery Channel, J.P. Luby Surf
Park, North Beach, Oleander Point and Oso Bay. Portland and Port Aransas also
have some hot spots.
Besides being a favorite sport among local thrill-seekers, kiteboarding brings international attention to Corpus Christi every year.
The U.S. Kiteboarding Championships have been held annually at Cole Park as part of the U.S. Open. This year, the event was called Velocity Games ’03 and it combined kiteboarding with windsurfing, skateboarding and BMX biking events.
Outdoor adventure
A further testament to the sport’s popularity locally: Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi added kiteboarding to an outdoor adventure course this fall.Corpus Christi’s steady winds average 15 to 20 mph, which is ideal for kiteboarding, said Jeff Howard, owner of Pro Kitesurf. Kiteboarders favor side onshore winds, or winds that blow toward the beach at an angle — another prevalent feature in the Coastal Bend.
"I’ve been to Maui, Africa and other places, and due to the wind and water conditions here, it’s one of the best places in the world for kiteboarding," Howard said.
The best times of year for the sport are the spring, summer and fall, but locally, kiteboarders can ride in winter as well, Howard added.
Kiteboarding got its start in the early 1990s in France, Howard said. The inflatable kite that was invented there is the same type that is commonly used now. Because it’s inflated, the kite keeps its shape and re-launches easily from the water.
There are ideal kite sizes for different wind speeds. Light winds call for a 15 square-meter kite. When it’s really windy, a smaller, 5 square-meter kite is better. The more wind, the less kite needed.
An extreme pastime
Besides the kite, the sport requires a harness, handlebar, lines and board. The total cost for equipment can range from $1,200 to $1,300, Howard said. Used gear is available for less.
The cost of equipment has made kiteboarding the sport of mostly young, upwardly mobile businessmen and women and professionals who are looking for an extreme pastime, Howard said.
Proficient kiteboarders enjoy doing a variety of intricate moves. The handle pass, for example, involves jumping in the air with the board and passing the handlebar behind the back from one hand to the other.
Another move is a varial, in which the kiteboarder jumps in the air, removes his feet from the board, spins the board around in midair and then puts his feet back in the board straps.
"You can do so many things," said Jeff Francis, a marine biology major at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi who teaches kiteboarding. "You can just hang out or get really technical. It comes down to kite control."
Howard said learning the sport isn’t as difficult as it may seem. With instruction and practice, most people can be kiteboarding in a few days.
"If you can pull yourself up behind a boat and water ski, you can do this," Howard said. "The neatest thing is you can take it to the extreme or just cruise and enjoy a ride across the water."
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