Kitesoul Magazine #13 English Edition
In this issue: Wind Voyager Triple S 2016, Tarifa Strapless Kitesurfing Pro 2016, IKA Kitefouil WC, Kiteboarding European Championship, ITW Eric Rienstra, Riders Column: Colleen Carroll, Trip: Caribbean, 2016 Brand Meetings:RRD, Cabrinha, Story: Sky Solbach Homestory, Kite ART, Girl Power, Product focus, Wave and Freestyle tutorials.
In this issue: Wind Voyager Triple S 2016, Tarifa Strapless Kitesurfing Pro 2016, IKA Kitefouil WC, Kiteboarding European Championship, ITW Eric Rienstra, Riders Column: Colleen Carroll, Trip: Caribbean, 2016 Brand Meetings:RRD, Cabrinha, Story: Sky Solbach Homestory, Kite ART, Girl Power, Product focus, Wave and Freestyle tutorials.
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32<br />
RIDERS COLUMN<br />
Colleen Carroll<br />
I often get asked….why park<br />
riding? Why not freestyle or big<br />
air? While I truly enjoy riding<br />
freestyle, going out for a big<br />
boosting session or even the<br />
occasional ocean downwinder,<br />
for me it’s really all about riding<br />
in the park. But why? What is<br />
it that makes it so much more<br />
motivating and suddenly making<br />
so many riders cross over<br />
from other disciplines or even<br />
sports?<br />
For me, it’s the most social discipline<br />
in an otherwise very individually<br />
focused sport. Since<br />
I was little, I never really participated<br />
in team sports. It was always<br />
all about the boardsports<br />
or other outdoor ‘extreme’<br />
activities that you technically do<br />
by yourself. But do you really<br />
do them by yourself? On the<br />
one hand yes, you ride your own<br />
bike or your own snowboard,<br />
skateboard, etc. But rarely do<br />
you actually participate in these<br />
sports completely solo; often<br />
it is actually dangerous to do<br />
so and for me, the friendships<br />
formed while doing these activities<br />
are often some of my closest<br />
bonds. Stopping slopeside<br />
for a quick chat or catching your<br />
breathe on an uphill climb, your<br />
with your friends all the way and<br />
this connectedness to other riders<br />
is what has drawn me into<br />
these sports my entire life.<br />
But in Kiteboarding, I find that<br />
it can actually be quite a lonely<br />
activity if you set out from the<br />
beach for your freeride or freestyle<br />
session, not communicating<br />
with other riders until you’re<br />
back at the beach. Except when<br />
you ride in the park.<br />
Not only do I believe park riders<br />
need each other more than in<br />
any discipline because often you<br />
have to move features carrying<br />
or hauling large heavy objects<br />
that are not possible to handle<br />
alone but I see riding in the park<br />
as a way to truly kite together.<br />
When you kite in the park your<br />
focus is on a few fixed points.<br />
You take turns on the obstacles,<br />
stopping to watch your friends<br />
and in effect get inspired by<br />
what is going on around you.<br />
But I also wanted to know what<br />
it is that has drawn so many