Competing at your first ever kiteboarding event? Here are some top tips from 2015 KB4C winner Grom Gormley.
“Compete before you’re good enough to expect too much from yourself. Compete in all divisions; gives you practice at starting and finishing a heat. Don’t get drunk the night before, but also don’t go to bed early and psych yourself out. Pay your entry and register on time. Listen during riders’ meeting. Have all kites ready to go: you don’t know if it’s going to be 7 or 15 meter weather, but you need to be ready. Be on the water ten minutes before your heat starts. No more no less. Launch another kite before asking for a launch, you’re going to need all the good karma you can get. Help other competitors if you can. Be polite before, during and after your heat. If and when you have a bad heat never lose your cool when landing. It’s one thing to lose a heat, it’s another to lose the respect of all those watching. Go to awards with a smile regardless of how you place. Be a good winner and a better loser. If you win don’t be dick, remember no one else feels like you. Be mindful of what you look like. Are you wearing a clean kite company shirt, or a pot leaf?”— Grom Gormley, 2015 KB4C winner
