Mini Spring into Summer SW Promo Tour

Florida winds are going to be slowing down and we need to keep the word spreading in the collegiate off season. SOO we're planning a trip for right after all schools are off for summer break, we're thinking Tybee Island in Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Hatteras.

Savannah College of Art and Design - (SCAD) - has a budding collegiate kiteboarding program/ club.

College of Charleston - (CofC) - Has one of the most prominant sailing programs in the country, however, is on some what of a downturn due to their top riders becoming kiteboarders

While heading to these locations we will be spreading the word about the CKA and how to form college clubs and acquire funding from the student government / athletic council.

We will be hosting multiple regional tours next year and are open to new club/school event hosting.

All SW Regional Tour stops and sponsorships will be SET IN STONE by September 15th.

Contact Matt at TritonKiteboarding@yahoo.com for Sponsorship Requests or event info, we have Tiered Sponsorships for the tour that will be available for public view in mid-may

Stay tuned for more info on the upcoming trip details are getting smoothed out internally.

Big up Sampson Brothers and Sean for makin the slider go down!!

And Andy DeFillipis was a savior to all with Awards and KILLER T's BIG UP TRANSCEND APPAREL

Key West Wrap #1

First off thanks to Paul Menta and Nick O'Bea of the Kitehouse for organizing all local hook ups the event would not have been possible to host without their resources.

Also thanks to Neil Hutchinson and all participants who made the event happen day by day.


It was looking like we were going to have no wind throughout the weekend but we were blessed to have a solid breeze on friday for a boarder-x.

Tripp Hobbs of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida took advantage of the light winds by using a 14m kite and a strapless surfboard, as other riders tacked consecutively attempting to get up wind Tripp as well as the other strapless riders were able to reach the windward mark with little effort.



Boarder - X start




Tripp Hobbs Jumps to victory

Brian Walters and Paul Sheetz of FSU both followed up Tripp in 1st, and 2nd.

Thanks to Neil Hutchinson for coming out and putting on a flawless boarder-x as always.


Saturday riders woke up slightly groggy from the standard key west antics but collaborated together with Keys locals Sean Reagnoult, Nat and Ben Sampson. Kickers and Sliders were brought out and two wakeboard winches were thrown in the mix to provide entertainment for all.

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Brandon Breuil kills it on the Slider

Standard no wind kite events tend to be an absolute debacle, but with serious brainstorming by Triton Kiteboarding we were able network a serious array of watermen entertainment. The Otherside Boardsports of Islamorada and East Coast Paddle Surfing brought 3 Interconectable Party Islands and 8 top of the line Stand Up Paddle Boards.



With helmet-clad riders from 11 different university hitting sliders and up to 50 people in the water at any given time it was easily an entertaining and fun day for all. To top it off the Triton boys brought in Lance-O of Kulcha Shok Musik to spin the hottest Reggae and Hip-hop beets on the beach while the riders through down. That night Bermuda's Top Reggae Act McCannon Cassidy, Backed by The Homegrown Band threw down at Willie T-s on Duval Street, while kite movies and event participants raged until the early hours.



Riders recouped late sunday for another grinch winch session while saving up for the real forecast that had been stalled until monday, St. Patties Day. For the next two days (Monday, Tuesday) Riders from a number of different schools stayed around key west to tear it up and try out eachothers gear in the heaviest wind the tour has seen all year. it was a steady E breeze (Side Shore for Smathers) and it was cranking at about 35 knts the whole two days. A perfect way to cap off a gnarly weekend.

Riders from Eckerd, UF, and UNF were awarded brand new complete kites from Best, Eclipse, and Slingshot for their superior involvement in the CKA tour this year as well as their elevated rates of progression throughout the season. Riders monday and tuesday were seen pushing all levels of progression that had been seen yet by throwing down everything from Mega-Loops to high altitude handle passes, none of which has yet been seen at a CKA sanctioned event. So cool to watch the stoke spread and riders start pushing eachother.

'Nuff Respect to everyone that came out to enjoy the event, those that were there deffinitly see the way the Triton, Kitehouse, and X-Rated Crews Throw Down and we look forward to making next years tour even bigger and better.

We're closing in on the week of our Key West event and things have come together beautifully for it, regardless of wind we have multiple activities from a Grinch Winch Rail Jam, to Stand Up Paddle Boarding Races, brought to you by Water Culture Inc. and East Coast Paddle Surfing, We will have all the latest and greatest SUP's on the market out for demo and the Grinch will be rolling whenever the wind isn't.

Forecasts look marginal for friday, but saturday could be quite nice. The raffle and contest will go on no matter what so if you haven't made plans yet, get on it or be left in the dust.

Spring Break Comp Update

Last year Key West Spring Break hosted the first ever college kite comp. This year we will host the regional championships for the South Eastern Division of the Collegiate Kiteboarding Association. This will be the ultimate qualifier for College Riders who want to attend the National College Championships at The Velocity Games in TX in May.

Friday March 14th,
9:00 a.m. - Registration Opens(Collegiate Riders Only)
10:30 a.m. - Boarder-X
1:00 p.m. Beach BBQ (BYO Food & Beverages)
3:00 p.m. End of day Freestyle Warm Up Session
4:30 p.m. Smathers Clean-up
6:30 p.m. Event Riders meet at Mallory Square for Sunset Celebration and Duval Bar Crawl.


Saturday, March 15th
10:00 a.m. Riders Meeting
All Day Freestyle Expression Session
Different Disciplines to be voted on, riders and select judges will fill ballots to declare winners. There will be over 15 different award titles to win.
3:00 p.m. DJ Kulcha Shok spins the finest tunes down on smathers beach (Expression Session Continues)
6:30 p.m. Smathers Cleanup
10:00-2:00 p.m. Willie T's After Party
The Homegrown Band from Bermuda
Awards Ceremony, Drink Specials, Beer Pong, Maddd Mojito's, and the finest Bermy Swizzle


Sunday, March 16th (Roll-over day)
If both freestyle and boarder-x were completed we will host 1-3 short course races, in the am and a general entry boarder-x in the afternoon.
10:00 a.m. Riders Meeting
Schedule TBA Weather/Wind Pending


Monday, March 17th
St. Patties Day, 'Nuff Said


Sponsors will include: The Kitehouse, Triton Kiteboarding, Cabrinha Kiteboarding, Slingshot Kiteboarding, X-Rated Kiteboarding, CollegiateKiteboardingAssociation, WaterCultureInc, Watersports West, Red Bull, Arnette, Transcend Apparel, Dakine, Eclipse and much more to come!!!

You must be an active college student to ride in this event, you must bring a current student I.D. to prove this

Riders who have attended previous tour stops will be given priority in event entry, Max Capacity of 32 Riders, Registrations Required Before Event.

There will be a pro division for any current college students with rider sponsorships.

To register email TritonKiteboarding@yahoo.com with the following information:
Name:
Age:
School:
Current Grade Standing:
Height:
Weight:
Drivers License #:
Insurance Carrier:
(proof of school/club liability coverage)
(or Copy of front and back of Health Insurance Card)

Tour Update

Stop #4 has been cancelled. With no appropriate forecasts for the 4th stop to our tour we will be postponing our Delray, Lynn University Stop untill next year. The Tampa Bay Kitemasters Race is currently in a holding pattern waiting for a solid NE breeze and will feature a number of CKA riders.

We will be hosting our SE Regional Finals in a couple of weeks in Key West. The event will go on over the weekend of March 14th, 15th, and 16th. We will have a variation of all the disciplines we have held over the past 6 months and will qualify the top riders for the national Championships in Corpus Christie, Texas this May. Registration will be closed for this event as of 12:00 midnight on Monday, March 3rd. To register email TritonKiteboarding@yahoo.com with the following information:
Name:
Age:
School:
Current Grade Standing:
Height:
Weight:
Drivers License #:
Insurance Carrier:
(proof of school/club liability coverage)
(or Copy of front and back of Health Insurance Card)
Any other inqueries for this event can be sent to TritonKiteboarding@yahoo.com or contact Matt Sexton through TritonKiteboarding.com
Stay Tuned for more info on this event in the next few weeks

Conrgats to College Riders who competed Jupiter-Ft. Laurderdale Race

As many know a conflicting event went down around the same time as our last CKA event.
We'd like to congratulate the CKA riders who participated in this record breaking race sending over 60 riders traveling an average distance of 66 miles from Jupiter to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida This is one of the most grueling events a rider can ever partake in, several CKA riders partook last year and needless to say its intense. Congrats to the following
Justice Bentz from UNF finished 26th in only 2:50.55.
Ryan Druyor, FSU club founder finished 32nd in 3:15:40

Congratulations also to St. Pete Locals and CKA affiliates Mike Hall and Billy Parker for taking 2nd and 3rd.
Way to go fellas, rest those bones and see you next weekend at the Jupiter Kite Invasion!!!