Introduction / Review

Hey PKF! I've been around for about a year, and even tho im not too active.. i feel apart of the family
Sooo i thought i'd introduce myself a little and also include a little review of my first year of kiting! *Warning: Dont read if you dont care, because it is long!*

My name is Sam. Im 18 about 5'10, 135 pounds and a full time college student. I work part time at a law firm. I also do handyman and construction work on the side. I did soccer, cross country and track for high school and graduated with honors. Some of my hobby's include mountain biking, trial biking, paintball, windsurfing, stand-up jet skiing, and pretty much all the typical 'ball' sports. I am about to do my first marathon at the end of this month

About one 1 year ago, i decided to buy my first kite.. the HQ Scout II 4m! What a great learning kite. Extremely simple and indestructible. I then got my mountain board and played around with that. I remember that i used to start upwind and just ride down wind and walk alllllllllll the way back LOL. Gosh i was an idiot. But i was also self taught, so i blame that.
Anyways, with the light wind that we normally get around here i got tired of waiting for enough wind to fly. So about a month after my first kite, i bought my first de-power kite.. the Ozone Frenzy 13m. Again.. i had know idea what i was doing. Haha after a particularly nasty session with that, i gave up and stopped flying for a while..
Then the bug bit again and i started to figure it all out. :wee:

I was flying very well. i stayed upwind, i did jumps, i could navigate anywhere, and all seemed well. BUT i then realized that the areas i was flying in were horrible to start flying harder. We really dont have open areas. The desert sucks, most of the sand is too soft. The SMALL grass fields have soccer goals, benches, baseball backstops, light posts, fences, you name it. However, navigating all these was a great skill booster. But i really just wanted to fly without worries and go bigger!

I started to wish that i had gone the surfing route.. and i snagged a set of dirt cheap, but completely unused, 4-line '04-'05 Slingshot Fuels. Dumbest thing ever. I knew i would have to glue on new valves, but the kites themselves were an eye opener.
The small wind range, the insane brute strength, and the very technical relaunching of these things was.. fun..
However, with thanks to you guys, i kinda got it down. i could relaunch from the shore every time. In the water.. different story.. But since crashing meant a long swim back, that just made me try harder not to crash! With our nasty winds and lulls, it was inevitable though.
During our monsoon season i took the 7m Fuel out in.. i dont remember what the winds were, but i think the forecast had 45mph gusts. Whatever it was, it was uncontrollable for my level. It was enough wind that it was a sandstorm. I ended up cracking a rib. Not by hitting a rock, or my board or anything, but by the sheer force of hitting the water.
All in all, they were fun. The Fuels were really a "hold on for your life, fight to keep your edge and pray that you might live", kinda kites.

A little before that accident, i met Ken! AKA greasehopper. Awesome guy and kite genius. I learned a lot from him and it was a blast flying with someone. He has not only let me try out his gear, but also take some home for me to use whenever!
He told me about Nabx (see you guys this year!) and about the Buggy Boogie Thang, which i attended at Harpers and had a great time and met a few of you. All really cool guys.

Recently i decided that i wanted to try out the Arc-side. I really wanted 1 kite that could potentially be a 1 kite quiver and for doing everything from land, water, and snow. Soo i bought a 15m Charger. What a kite! I had a little trouble learning launching.. the very first time i forgot to put the spars in lmao.. but now ive got it pretty much down.
I am very impressed with it! The low end is pretty good for the Arc design. The top end is FANTASTIC i made it through a 34mph gust just fine (well sorta, haha). Although an extremely sketchy kite (i attribute that to the nasty winds) its only the way it looks, and i have had very few problems. Once i get it up, it pretty much doesnt come down. Although a few times at auto-zenith i had it bowtie and invert and stuff like that.. i attribute that to the nasty winds. I absolutely love the feel of the Charger. It is wicked fast though! i think its safe to say that i am converted.

I've come to love all my kites and every one of them was a unique experience. I dont regret any of my purchases, but i wish i had started years ago! i cant imagine where i'd be.
Ill be leaving in May for a 2 yr mission, so all of my gear will be for sale ( maybe not the Charger, idk yet)
Haha i have to pay for my mission, but instead of just saving i decided to "invest" in this sport. ;-) im not a typical teenager that spends money on video games, the latest technology, hits up the theater every weekend or goes out to eat every night..
It was worth it.. the great sessions, the skills ive learned, the people ive met, this connection to nature that ive never felt before. Kiting really is a lifestyle, and its changed mine.

So the reason for my rapid switch through all this gear is because i wanted to get as good as i could before i had to leave. It has worked against me though, because i progressed before i was ready and missed out on perfecting a strong flying foundation. I used to be ALL about flying hard, getting huge jumps and getting to the tricks. So now ive been revisiting the simple stuff and have really been focusing on flying with interconnected turns, riding toeside, incorporating loops and the simple control stuff that i need to get down first. We dont get too many windy days around here, but i think ive progressed alright for my first year. At least ive gotten some stupid mistakes out of the way and have been educated in this sport! The only way is up from here, right?! :wee:

Well thats my story! I hope to meet all you guys eventually!
Cheers to the good life!
-Sam

I enjoyed reading your intro. What an excellent year you have had, not counting the broken rib.

I think you should sell the Charger. Use the money for your mission. The kite will just sit in your closet and be lonely. I think you will be able to find another Charger in two years without a problem.

Awh you guys care about me

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Welcome aboard. You decided to do a little intro? Keep up having fun. Roc.

Hahaha ok so it wasn't little. :shocked2: Can you tell that I don't get to talk kiting very much?!

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Wow ! What a first year ! Very nice, articulate, detailed account of your first year(are you sure you're only 18?) keep on keepin on!!! And don't sell the charger. Curiousity- what kind of mission are you embarking on...?

Thanks! It was fun recalling it. Although I wasn't planning on writing so much..
Well I'm getting close to 19.
The mission.. Depending on where I go it can vary. It is firstly a religious mission but you get to serve people in all ways. I'm not much of a preaching kind of guy so I hope I'll get called to a more 3rd world area that I can help help.

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I enjoyed reading your intro. What an excellent year you have had, not counting the broken rib. I think you should sell the Charger. Use the money for your mission. The kite will just sit in your closet and be lonely. I think you will be able to find another Charger in two years without a problem.

It has, I've been blessed. Yeah.. I probably will if it looks like I'm a little short. Of course there will be new kites in 2 years as well!
It also depends on what my sister and younger brother wants. I've taught them quite a bit, but I dunno if they'll actually carry on without me.