Kitesoul Magazine #13 English Edition

32
RIDERS COLUMN
Colleen Carroll
I often get asked….why park
riding? Why not freestyle or big
air? While I truly enjoy riding
freestyle, going out for a big
boosting session or even the
occasional ocean downwinder,
for me it’s really all about riding
in the park. But why? What is
it that makes it so much more
motivating and suddenly making
so many riders cross over
from other disciplines or even
sports?
For me, it’s the most social discipline
in an otherwise very individually
focused sport. Since
I was little, I never really participated
in team sports. It was always
all about the boardsports
or other outdoor ‘extreme’
activities that you technically do
by yourself. But do you really
do them by yourself? On the
one hand yes, you ride your own
bike or your own snowboard,
skateboard, etc. But rarely do
you actually participate in these
sports completely solo; often
it is actually dangerous to do
so and for me, the friendships
formed while doing these activities
are often some of my closest
bonds. Stopping slopeside
for a quick chat or catching your
breathe on an uphill climb, your
with your friends all the way and
this connectedness to other riders
is what has drawn me into
these sports my entire life.
But in Kiteboarding, I find that
it can actually be quite a lonely
activity if you set out from the
beach for your freeride or freestyle
session, not communicating
with other riders until you’re
back at the beach. Except when
you ride in the park.
Not only do I believe park riders
need each other more than in
any discipline because often you
have to move features carrying
or hauling large heavy objects
that are not possible to handle
alone but I see riding in the park
as a way to truly kite together.
When you kite in the park your
focus is on a few fixed points.
You take turns on the obstacles,
stopping to watch your friends
and in effect get inspired by
what is going on around you.
But I also wanted to know what
it is that has drawn so many