2009
Sunny spring and summer afternoons along the Central Coast, are often synonymous with an outdoor sportsman’s enemy…. the wind. During those blown out days on the beach, I sit and watch the colorful kite boarders embracing the weather, performing their wind powered water ballet along the shoreline. If they can enjoy the wind, why cant I?
Kinsley Wong, my kite boarding instructor and owner of XtremeBigAir, began the day’s lesson with a few basic questions
“Have you ever snowboarded?”
“Nope”
“Wakeboarded?”
“Nope”
Flown a kite?”
“Of course” I replied with a sigh of relief, followed by a quick reality check that he was referring to a two handed power kite and I was referring to a kite from Kmart.
Kinsley briefly explained the day’s lesson and strapped me into a harness, power bar and 12 foot power kite. The evolution from spectator to kite boarder began by mastering the figure 8, the maneuver used to catch the wind, powering and pulling a kite boarder forward. Kinsley explained and demonstrated how to make a figure 8 with the kite. “Gently pull down on bar with right hand, then after kite dives, gently pull down with left hand, to level kite back”. Seemed simple enough. As I pulled down on the right, the wind hungry kite took a violent nose dive for the sand. I yanked the bar to the left, just before the kite slammed into the beach, dragging me across the sand.
Time and time again, I fell victim to pulling the bar to my chest, thrusting me into the air like a screaming Mary Poppins, with Kinsley shouting in the background ‘let go of the bar’. As soon as I would release my white knuckled grip, I’d plunge from the sky, face planting on the sand. It was hard to believe the same refreshing afternoon breeze, was capable of lifting and tossing my 140 pound body through the air with a quick tilt of the bar.
After 3 or 4 hours of figure 8 practice, I was ready to attempt the water start on land. This exercise began by holding the kite with one hand, directly above me in neutral position. My other hand picked up and held the board, inserting both of my monstrous feet in the straps while simultaneously leaning back to sit on the ground. There are certain ways my rigid body will not bend. Kinsley, who had demonstrated with all the flexibility and style of a seasoned yogi, couldn’t understand why I was unable to sit back while bending my legs, securing my feet in the straps. But after a dozen attempts, including Kinsley pushing my body into position, we realized that I am just not limber enough to make the transition with ease. Instead of a graceful fluid motion, I settled for a plop on the ground followed by a quick clumsy scramble to stick my feet into the straps before my kite snuck out of neutral zone, sending me uncontrollably flying down the shoreline.
“Time to suit up and get wet” Kinsley proclaimed with confidence. A small crowd of spectators and kite boarders littered the beach as I attempted my first wind powered trek along the shoreline. My heart beat a million times a minute with excitement and fear. I was very cautious at first, making tiny figure 8’s, barely able to lift myself out of the water, let alone soar across the shoreline. I finally mustered up the courage to increase the size of my figure 8, and began gliding across the water. I felt like the wind was a powerful black stallion and I was holding its reigns. I was momentarily drunk with power, ready to shout “giddy up wind”, until my over confidence created a monstrous figure 8 and I was hurled into the air, before skidding face first across the waters edge, a much more comfortable crash than a sandy face plant. A few more humbling attempts and I was kite boarding, with the wind, propelling my flight across the water. Harnessing the power of the wind, while gliding across the ocean is a humbling, exhilarating experience.
After 5 hours of being tossed around both land and sea, I was justifiably exhausted. Kite boarding; a dynamic hybrid of numerous extreme sports, engages every molecule of your body and mind.. What more could you ask for from a sport on a windy sunny afternoon, except that it is followed by an ice cold beer and a hot tub.