Well, another great week of kiteboarding course racing comes to an end here at Crissy Field with many of the pros taking over the top spots. Where last year, amateurs Anthony Chavez (Naish) and Jeff Kafka (Cabrinha) from the SF Bay area were able to secure the top rankings, this year, many of the well known freestyle names, riders like Damien LeRoy (Cabrinha) and Sky Solbach (North), roared into the event taking no prisoners. Even 16 year young pro rider, Jon Van Malsen (North), managed to come away with 6th place after some great racing on Saturday.
What made this year more competitive is that now that the PKRA has picked up on course racing, many of the pro riders are more exposed to this form of the sport and are evolving the style and the technology. Tech played a big role, though everyone, pros and amateurs alike, are still experimenting. Here is a look at some of these new custom board designs:
It was great to see the spirit of sportsmanship alive and well here in these races, as many of the competitors would frequently trade boards between races, if only to get a feel for what the new designs had to offer. Some designs were amazing upwind machines, but were less effective on the downwind legs of the event. Different board styles suited styles of different riders, but it was nice for them to be able to do head-to-head comparisons between boards and between each other on the race course.
Here are the final standings for the week long event, with Damien LeRoy (Cabrinha) taking 1st place after dominating most of the week, Sean Farley (North) in 2nd place, and Sky Solbach (North) sealing up 3rd place. Three of the Bay area’s finest managed to lock in top 10 performances, among these were Anthony Chavez (Naish), 2007 Kiteboarding Nationals champion, working his way back up the standings to 5th place; recent Maui transplant, Shawn Richman (Waiman Kites) with a 7th place overall finish; and Jeff Kafka (Cabrinha), of Wind Over Water fame, finishing up in 9th position.
Here are the overall standings:
2008 US Kiteboarding National Championship Preliminary Results – Championship Series
| Jersey # | Name | QR #1 | QR #2 | QR #3 | QR #4 | QR #5 | QR #6 | QR #7 | QR #8 | QR #9 | QR #10 | QR #11 | QR #12 | CR #1 | CR #2 | CR #3 | CR #4 | CR #5 | CR #6 | CR #7 | CR #8 | CR #9 | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y v R | W v B | R v W | B v Y | Y v W | R v B | Y v R | W v B | R v W | B v Y | Y v W | R v B | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Blue 8 | Damien LeRoy | 2* | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3* | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 21 | ||||||
| 2 | White 3 | Sean Farley | 5* | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12* | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 25 | ||||||
| 3 | Blue 11 | Sky Solbach | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3* | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 6* | 4 | 3 | 31 | ||||||
| 4 | Yellow 10 | Jon Modica | 5 | 8* | 5 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 13* | 5 | 4 | 72 | ||||||
| 5 | Yellow 3 | Anthony Chavez | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8* | 4 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 13* | 3 | 11 | 8 | 78 | ||||||
| 6 | Yellow 12 | Jon Van Malsen | 9* | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 9 | 18* | 8 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 6 | 83 | ||||||
| 7 | Red 12 | Shawn Richman | 7* | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | DNS* | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | OCS | 5 | 87 | ||||||
| 8 | Blue 9 | Kent Marinkovic | 3 | 4* | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12* | 88 | ||||||
| 9 | Red 6 | Jeff Kafka | 8* | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 16* | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 89 | ||||||
| 10 | Blue 12 | Ken Winner | 4 | DSQ* | 12 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 14* | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 101 | ||||||
| 11 | Red 4 | Michael Gebhardt | 1 | 5 | 9 | 10* | 8 | 6 | 14 | 17* | 13 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 109 | ||||||
| 12 | Yellow 5 | John Gomes | 4 | 7 | 7 | 5 | DNF* | 7 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 22* | 18 | 6 | 15 | 114 | ||||||
| 13 | Red 11 | Marc Ramseier | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8* | 7 | DNF* | 5 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 123 | ||||||
| 14 | Yellow 6 | Geoff Headington | DNS* | 6 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 17* | 10 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 125 | ||||||
| 15 | White 11 | Nils Stolzlechner | 6* | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 12 | DNF* | 12 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 10 | 14 | 16 | 146 | ||||||
| 16 | White 13 | Chip Wasson | 18 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 7 | DSQ* | 5 | 7 | 15 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 23* | 23 | 163 | ||||||
| 17 | Red 9 | Donny Parker | 16* | 6 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 24* | 14 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 170 | ||||||
| 18 | Yellow 7 | Clarissa Hempel | 6 | 10 | 13* | 9 | 7 | 8 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 17 | 24* | 17 | 17 | 182 | ||||||
| 19 | Blue 1 | Kristin Boese | 9 | 9 | 15* | 10 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 21* | 18 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 191 | ||||||
| 20 | White 10 | Marcelo Segura | 10 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14* | 12 | 19 | 25* | 23 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 15 | 19 | 204 | ||||||
| 21 | Red 13 | Frank Wittke | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 15* | 11 | 16 | 20 | DNS* | 25 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 24 | 211 | ||||||
| 22 | Blue 4 | Eric Due | 11 | 14* | 10 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 25* | 24 | 21 | 212 | ||||||
| 23 | White 4 | Melissa Gil | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13* | 11 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 27* | 222 | ||||||
| 24 | Yellow 2 | Christopher Brown | 17* | 13 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 31* | 26 | 20 | 241 | ||||||
| 25 | Yellow 13 | Arnaud Vuillermet | 18 | 12 | 14 | DNS* | 11 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 25* | 22 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 25 | 241 | ||||||
| 26 | Red 5 | Steve Gibson | 15* | 14 | 11 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 31* | 19 | 22 | 26 | 265 | ||||||
| 27 | Yellow 8 | Bret Herscher | 11 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | DNS* | 31* | 23 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 282 | ||||||
| 28 | Red 10 | Sandy Parker | 10 | 12 | 18* | 17 | 15 | 13 | 27 | 26 | 29 | 32* | 30 | 30 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 284 | ||||||
| 29 | Blue 5 | Eric Geleynse | 14 | 15 | 17* | 14 | 13 | 12 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 34 | DNS* | DNS | 307 | ||||||
| 30 | White 5 | Mo Hart | DNS* | DNS | 15 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 20 | OCS* | DNS | 23 | 21 | 25 | 29 | DNS | DNS | 325 | ||||||
| 31 | Blue 13 | Kris Youngberg | 15 | 13 | 19* | 15 | 15 | 16 | DNF* | DNS | DNS | 26 | 31 | 27 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 333 | ||||||
| 32 | Yellow 9 | Bruce Johnson | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 16 | DNS* | 32 | DNF* | DNS | DNF | 27 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 338 | ||||||
| 33 | White 6 | Ella Johnson | DNF | DNS* | 19 | 16 | 16 | DNS | 28 | 28 | DNS* | 31 | 33 | 34 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 354 | ||||||
| 34 | White 2 | Dave Broome | 7 | 13* | 12 | 5 | 4 | 4 | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 376 | ||||||
| 35 | Red 1 | Vladimir Belinsky | DNF | DNS* | 14 | 20 | DSQ | DNS | 30 | DNS* | DNS | 33 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 31 | 32 | 384 | ||||||
| 36 | Red 14 | Vlad Morozz | DNS* | DNF | 16 | DNS | DNS | DNS | 29 | 29 | 28 | 30 | 34 | DNS* | 35 | DNS | 33 | 389 | ||||||
| 37 | Red 3 | Caroline Freitas | 13 | 15 | 13 | 16 | DNS* | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 429 | ||||||
| 38 | Yellow 11 | Brendan Richards | 14 | 11 | 17 | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 442 | ||||||
| 39 | White 14 | Peter Schiebel | 13 | DNF | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 469 | ||||||
| 40 | Yellow 4 | James Donaldson | DNS* | DNS | DNS | 19 | 27 | 27 | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 473 | ||||||
| 41 | Blue 3 | Raymond Deiter | DNS* | DNS | DNF | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | 34 | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 475 | ||||||
| 42 | White 7 | Erin Loscocco | DNS* | DNS | 20 | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 476 | ||||||
| 43 | Blue 14 | Shawn Murray | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 44 | Blue 10 | Michael Scott | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 45 | Blue 2 | Steph Bridge | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 46 | Blue 6 | Bobby Hall | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 47 | Blue 7 | Lance Larivee | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 48 | Red 15 | Ryan Lamb | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 49 | Red 2 | Shawn Ewing | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 50 | Red 7 | Jeffrey Klein | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 51 | White 1 | Darren Bass | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 52 | White 12 | Jason Trupkin | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 | ||||||
| 53 | White 8 | Jeffrey Ruoss | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS* | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | DNS | 484 |
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