Since the birth of park riding, Hood River has thrived in promoting and supporting its continuation. After the inundation of a global pandemic, which introduced an unforeseen hiatus for the Kite Park League tour, kiteboarding’s most beloved discipline is back and proud to commence the 2022 Hood River Team Battle. Unlike former venues that tier riders through a plethora of heats in an effort to identify the best rider, both male and female, the Team Battle takes a progressive leap forward and introduces a new format that will showcase the best riding, while simultaneously making the event more viewer-friendly and accessible to the public. As the name implies, the Team Battle is a team-oriented contest that fosters camaraderie and group participation to determine a winning team.
At today’s rider meeting, 27 riders were split into five teams with each team assigned a team captain based on KPL rankings, while the remaining 22 riders tossed their names into a hat and teams were drawn at random. For the Team Battle, each of the five teams is responsible for filming and editing their own video that showcases their very best riding in and around the Hood River Slider Project. The Teams have from today, August 27th, until midnight of September 2nd to film and produce their team’s video. Video Criteria: Each rider has to include a minimum of one clip in the video, but a single rider cannot exceed 10 clips. Beyond these basic parameters, creativity, collaborative efforts and team ingenuity will be the driving force in determining the winner of the 2022 Hood River Team Battle. On September 3rd, the riders will be given the opportunity to exercise their own judgement and cast their ballots for the team they believe has produced the best video. Starting tomorrow, (day two) the five teams will have approximately 144 hours to ride, film, edit and showcase the best and highest level of competitive park riding.
Teams have been chosen, the park has been set and the riders were given the opportunity to experiment with their group dynamic and ride the famous Hood River Slider Project, which has a slew of both new and timeless features for the teams to manipulate. Without question, this will be a week to remember and perhaps a new milestone for the KPL and its distinguished influence on the entire kiteboarding industry. Stay Tuned and be ready; Hood River Team Battle begins now.
TEAM #1 – Ewan Jaspan, Jack Rieder, Ian Daily, Lauren Holman, Chris Boyle.
TEAM #2 – Noe Font, Xander Raith, Chase Hasch, Devin Carroll, Sensi Graves.
TEAM #3 – Brandon Scheid, Katie Potter, Tim Walsh, Zach Draper, Ryan Goloversic.
TEAM #4 – Eric Rienstra, Sam Light, Greg Houle, Nadja Bianchet, Steve Lee, Andy Cain.
TEAM #5 – Chris Bobryk, Brendan Kerr, Sam Medysky, Kristen Cooper, John Perry, Rich Sabo.
