8-11 klasse....sjees 

Is er al een lijst inschrijvers en leeftijden en landen?

Foto's Dag 1:

Dacht dat helmpjes verplciht waren bij de junioren? of misschien zijn die shots van de trainingen....

in frankrijk moeten ze met helmen varen, spanje hoeft niet volgens mij

Goede morgen hier een kort verslag vanuit sant pere pescador inmiddels dag twee van het evenement. Dag een was een dag met veel zon en veel wind, de wind was schuin aflandig waardoor hij enorm vlagerig werd. Er werd gevaren met 6 en 8 meter kites voor ons landje kwamen helaas alleen Vera Klabbers en ik actie. Na zowel Vera als ik de heat hadden gewonnen kwamen wij met ze drieen in de finale terecht deze werd door Vera overtuigend gewonnen, bij mij ging er iets niet helemaal goed met de jurering, de jury had een gelande raly to blind over het hoofd gezien, iets wat kan gebeuren. Na dat twee getuigen zich gemeld hadden mocht ik strijden voor de tweede en derde plaats, ik zelf was tevreden met mijn heat tegen de francaise maar het was net niet goed genoeg. Vandaag zullen eerst de jongens gevaren worden en dan gaan ze van start met de dubbels, de wind is volledig aflandig en de verwachting is dat het rond de 30 knopen gaat worden. Ik houd jullie op de hoogte vanuit een iets wat bewolkt Spanje. Groetjes Isabeau Galiart

Voor mijn crowdfunding project gaat u naar www.wijzijnsport.nl   

Dank voor je update Isa 

Na al die jaren kitesurfers gepest te hebben met beperkingen organizeert het dorp een PKRA Junioren.

Day 1:

The 2014 Freestyle Junior World Championships began today in Sant Pere Pescador, Spain. In total, 31 heats were finished to secure results for the single elimination in the age groups of girls 13 and under, boys 12 and under, and girls 13-16. The boy’s age group 12-14 made it down to the semi-finals and the boys 15-16 reached the quarterfinals.

This is the PKRA’s second year holding this competition at the idyllic venue of Camping Ballena Alegre in Costa Brava. In total, 46 riders representing 18 nationalities registered to compete. At 12:00, the competitors gathered at the riders meeting with parents and support crew in tow. All were focused and listened intently to the briefing that covered the judging criteria and plan for the day. 

Aside from the competition, which follows the same format and rules as the regular PKRA freestyle events, the event is intended to be a learning experience for juniors that want to purse a career as a professional rider. Throughout the week, riders will participate in a variety of clinics intended to prepare them for their journey to becoming a professional athlete.

By 1:30 pm, the thermal wind was in full cooperation and was averaging 16 to 20 knots with gusts up to 25 knots.  The boy’s age group 12 and under was the first to hit the water.  Riders used anywhere from 5m to 12m kites. At times, big holes would occur in the competition area as the wind shifted on numerous occasions throughout the day. With a packed beach of parents, friends and onlookers, the young rippers managed to keep their nerves in check despite the fact that for many, it was their first time in such a big event.

The level of riding witnessed today was impressive across the board.  As the age of the riders increased, so did the variety and technical difficulty of the tricks that were being attempted. Amongst some spectacular crashes, there were many impressive maneuvers landed and the enthusiasm and dedication that was seen from the young riders today shows the promise of tomorrow’s world champions.

Following the end of the day’s competition, the opening ceremony took place to officially welcome the competitors and to consecrate the event. With the smiles of the first day of competition under wraps, riders paraded proudly to the stage and waved flags of their home country as they were introduced by country and name.

Tomorrows forecast is calling for strong wind from the opposite direction as today. The single elimination will resume, conditions permitting, after a riders meeting at 9am with a first possible start at 9:30am. 

Day 2:

Day two of the PKRA Freestyle Junior World Championships offered little contestable wind, as gusty up and down conditions persisted. Over the course of the day, one heat was completed and many heats were abandoned as the wind failed to hold despite the favorable forecast. 

After the great freestyle conditions of yesterday’s thermal breeze, riders were amped to continue on with the competition. With conditions expected to be strongest in the morning, the rider’s meeting was held at 9:00 am with the anticipation of getting underway early. Under ominous clouds, the cool Tramontane winds were blowing lightly side-offshore to the beach. By 10:30 the winds had increased, prompting the start of heats. However, the breeze dropped off soon after, as riders struggled to stay in the competition area on their 11-13m kites.

The wind continued its game of cat and mouse throughout most of the day, reaching contestable levels at times, only to drop during the heat.  Riders remained patiently on hold and passed the time playing games in the sand, swimming, preparing their kites and making the most of another day at the beach. 

In the heat that was completed, Guy Bridge advanced over Lucas Vergez in a close contest with both riders landing high-level tricks. Highlights included a Blind Judge and S1 from Bridge and an 313 and Blind Judge 3 from Vergez, amongst others. 

In the afternoon, the sky began to drizzle a light rain and the wind dropped even more. The local crew confirmed that it was highly unlikely the wind would return and at 2:45 pm, the decision was made to release the riders for the day. 

The first clinic of the event will begin tomorrow morning at 10:00, covering the topics of sponsorship, social media, and video/photo shoots. Hopes are high to resume the competition in the afternoon as the forecast expects a chance of late afternoon thermal winds. 

Day 3:

On Day three of the Junior’s Freestyle World Championships, the thermal winds picked up in the afternoon and allowed for the completion of the single elimination. Immediately following, the double elimination round got underway, running another round of finals for the under 13 girls and under 12 boys, and the girl’s 13-16 category was run to completion. Vera Klabbers (NL) took the top position in the girl’s age category 14-16 and earned the first world title of the event.

Kicking off the clinic portion of the event today, riders joined a workshop with the PKRA media team, which covered a wide range of topics including interview and photo/video shoot skills, exposure and sponsorship strategies, as well as social media leveraging.

Part of the experience gave the excited juniors the opportunity to practice their interview skills on camera at the beach for both the national Spanish TV as well as for the PKRA video crew. 

Following a lunch break, the breeze filled in from the southeast providing steady side onshore winds allowing the use of 7m-13m kites. At 3:00, heats got underway with the boys age category 14-16 being the first to hit the water. Krzysiek Issel won the loser’s final and beat out Guy Bridge in a tough heat. Although Bridge landed some impressive tricks including a S1 and S-Mobe, Issel’s overall execution made the difference combined with a powerful Back Mobe and S1 to earn the win. 

In the winner’s final, 2013 Junior Freestyle World Champion Noe Font, put together a very impressive heat, landing 7 out of his 12 trick attempts, against Denis Zurik. The heat was close right up to the very end when Font stomped a Back Mobe and 2xS1 in the last minutes to give him the advantage. Zurik landed a Hinterberger Mobe and S-Mobe 5 but Font took the win.

The boy’s age category 12-14 loser’s final saw Christian Tio advancing over Javier Jimenez. Pulling a nice Back Mobe and 315, Tio demonstrated good power and kite position, which put him on top for the win. 2013 Freestyle Junior World Champion Tom Bridge’s aggressive style helped him win against Alec Mur Peris. Although Mur Peris rode with good consistency in the semi-finals, he seemed to struggle in the finals and Bridge came out by a large margin.

In the girl’s division, the double elimination for the age category 13-16 saw Greta Monardo working her way up the ladder by demonstrating good power and speed in her tricks. Monardo lacked the consistency needed to advance past Lea Ademi in the semi-finals, who nailed a nice Blind Judge to win the heat. 

In the finals, the battle for the world title went down as both girls were clearly giving it their all. In the end, Klabbers demonstrated that she was deserving of the title by riding with power and speed, landing a S-Bend to Blind, Back-to-Wrap, and a Blind Judge, securing the world title and giving us our first Junior Freestyle World Champion of the event.  Congratulations to Vera Klabbers (NL) for earning the world title with her powerful repertoire of tricks. 

Tomorrows forecast is calling for thermal winds beginning early. The double elimination is set for a first possible start at 10:30 am following a 10:00 am meeting.

Gefeliciteerd Vera!

Gefeliciteerd Vera 

Wrap up movie:

Day 4:

Day 5:

After an action-packed fourth day of competition at the 2014 PKRA Freestyle Junior World Championships, competitors and spectators entered into day five, unsure of what to expect. With light wind forecast for the morning, pro-rider Sebastian Garat and PKRA Contest Director Erik Troostheide engaged the riders in a workshop on the topics of competition tips, rules and strategy.

Following the morning classroom session, the plan was to carry on with the competition in the afternoon. The riders enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the event venue of Camping La Ballena Alegre, as there was little wind expected until later in the afternoon. 

As the day continued on, there were brief moments where the breeze picked up and riders would hit the water on their biggest kites. The wind lasted for a short time only, as the clouds played hide-and-seek with the sun, coinciding with the brief increases in the wind.    

The lack of contestable wind allowed plenty of time for riders to enjoy the warm day and to get to know the other competitors and PKRA staff. 

At 4:00 pm, it was decided to release the riders for the day.  The day ended in a lay day as light winds refused to build to contestable levels. Tomorrow’s forecast is for classic side-onshore thermal winds in the 14-18 knot range. The riders will begin the day at 10:00 am with a workshop on the topics of nutrition, training, and the psychology of competition.

Day 6:

The sixth day of the 2014 PKRA Junior World's provided no more wind than the day prior, forcing riders to conjure up alternative ways to spend the day. This seems to be one trick that the young crew of competitors has locked down. 

Following a morning workshop on the topics of coaching, training and nutrition featuring pro-rider Patrick Blanc, the riders settled in at the beach with their gear ready. As the juniors remained on wind-hold throughout the afternoon, many enjoyed the increasing swell by surfing and stand-up paddleboarding. At times, there was quite a large soccer match with riders, staff and even parents in the mix. 

With a light, but steady onshore breeze, several riders pulled out the biggest kites that they could find for some rides back and forth on surf boards and SUPs, and foil boards. At 5:00pm, the wind bumped up a couple knots and the riders managed to get some upwind tacks on their twin-tips.

Soon after, the announcement was made and the red flag went up, signaling the start of the heat sequence. After a few minutes of heat #27, the wind backed off and the heat was abandoned. Later, one more attempt to run a heat was made, but that too was abandoned. Riders were then released as it was clear that the wind was not going to improve. 

Tomorrow is the final day of the event, and with only two hours worth of competition left to finish the doubles, hopes are high for the afternoon thermal breeze to determine the champions in the remaining age groups 12-14 and 14-16. Riders will meet at 10am for the last workshop on the topics of judging methods and criteria, hosted by head judge Sami Gali and members of the PKRA judging staff.