Untitled - KiteLife

BY CRIS BATDORFFCombine a bunch of winteredoutkitefliers, wide beaches, andbalmy weather . Add a group ofproficient judges, efficient scorekeepers,and dedicated organizers .Throw in some hang gliders, greatfood, and a kite auction. Welcometo the Southeast Sport Kite Championships!The premier running of this firsteverwinter event kicked off the1991 U .S . competition circuit in grandstyle . Sponsored by Sky Festivals, SkywardKites, the Miami Visitors andConvention Authority, and the cityof Miami Beach, the SSKC was alsothe first event of 1991 for the EastCoast Stunt Kite League . It was anunqualified success .Run on the beach directly acrossthe street from South Miami's colorfulart-deco district, the SSKC easilyprovided the most picturesque settingof any event that we have thusfar attended . With the clear watersof the Atlantic only 50 feet from theedge of the flying fields, judges andcompetitors alike found easy relieffrom the sun which brought temperaturesinto the mid-80's each day .Obviously, there wasn't much complainingabout the occasional winddelays from either faction . . . they justgave everyone another opportunityto cool off!Event organizer Mike Simmons, ofSkyward Kites, along with a cadre ofEast Coast Stunt Kite League officials,kept the competitions runningon an even keel for the entire weekend. Timely interventions for somespectacular exhibitions staged byMiami Hang Gliding kept the crowd'sinterest soaring . Appreciative spectatorsnumbered in the thousandseach day .Saturday's round of competitionbegan with a stirring openingceremony . . . a brilliant display ofhang-gliding expertise performed tothe strains of the national anthem . Itwas a moving experience .A view of the "outpost" . . .shelter from the sun for field crews and judges .Temperatures soared into the high 80's each day of the event .Saturday evening saw the continuationof an event begun a coupleof years ago by Bill and Susan Bakerof Peter Powell Kites, . . a kite auctionto benefit R.O.C.K. (Reach Out forCancer Kids) . Following an uncharacteristicMiami buffet of Texas-stylechicken and ribs (YUM!), attendeesgot down to the "serious business" ofbuying kites and related paraphernalia. This year's offering containeda multitude of products donatedfrom manufacturers across thecountry and produced a final tallythat exceeded $6000 .Competition began on Saturday,directly after the opening ceremonieswith Masters Individual Ballet .Wife Susan, flying to the theme from"Ice Castles", carded a win over theOld Man (me!) . Happily, I manageda second place finish just in front ofBilly Jones who was flying for the KiteLoft.Action in the Intermediate IndividualPrecision, which ran concurrently,saw Henry Dimmick edgingout Warren Saunders by .3 of a pointfor the win . Third place in the contestwent to Mike Moore .The Novice Precision event waswon handily by Mike O'Boyle oversecond-place finisher Jeremy Moore .Wayne Liebe wound up in the thirdspot .Experienced Team Ballet waswon by Tom and Susan Mason, theWindswept team, from Savannah,GA, by a narrow .03 point . Finishingin second were the Liberty Flyersfrom Washington, DC . Third placehonors went to the Looking SkywardTeam from (you guessed it!) SkywardKites of Miami . But the Liberty Flyersweren't done once the ballet hadconcluded . . .they went on to aneasy win in the precision event,outscoring the Jordan Air Force by 3points .The next event on the schedulewas the open-classed Individual Innovative. Fulfilling the requirementsof its name, the contest proved justthat . . . innovative . Dave Simpsonemerged with the victory with a stunningdisplay of simultaneous two-kiteartistry . Second place honors wentto Billy Jones who ate, drank, andwas visited by a vivacious younglady (Susan Baker!), all while flying!John MacLauchlan, Skyward EdgeTeam-member took third with a greatsolo-flying exhibition . Alone in fourth(bloodied, but unbowed!), was BillBaker of Peter Powell who flew theafternoon's tour-de-force . Bill andhis crew set up a ground display oftanks and kites as the crowd wastreated to a Peter Powell rendition of