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Loriella Park in Spotsylvania will host the Richmond/Washington Regional Sport Kite Championship on Saturday Date published: 3/24/2005 By EMILY GILMORE THE FREE LANCE-STAR ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP in the American Kitefliers Association: $30. A decent sport kite for learning tricks: as little as $60. A smooth wind: priceless. "Us kite fliers will find wind of one form or another," said local kite enthusiast Ron Cox. "It doesn't have to be a gale force for us to fly a kite." Even though it's possible to keep a kite in the air with no wind at all, Cox is hoping for steady breezes on Saturday for the Richmond/Washington Regional Sport Kite Championship, which will take place at Loriella Park in Spotsylvania County. Fluttering gracefully over the crowd, colorful kites of all sizes and shapes will take over the sky when scores of kite enthusiasts convene this weekend. The purpose of the event is to teach new fliers the basics of sport kite competition in a no-pressure environment and to provide a "stepping stone" to larger competitions. Sponsored by kite clubs Wings over Washington and the Richmond Air Force, the AKA-sanctioned event will draw competitors from as far as Virginia Beach and southern Pennsylvania, Cox said. Those who have never competed in an AKA event will qualify for the novice class, and more experienced fliers will compete in the open class. Kites will be available at the event for novices to use at no charge. First-time fliers will be able to compete in the precision and ballet categories. There also will be ballet and freestyle contests in the open class. Precision fliers must execute three figures chosen at random by the judges. Those entering the ballet category must complete a routine choreographed to music. In the freestyle category, fliers perform combinations of tricks with snappy names like "flapjack," a move that Cox is currently perfecting. "There's a lot of tricks you can do with a dual-line sport kite," said Cox, who is one of the event organizers. In addition to the novice and open competition, six audience members will be chosen at random to spend half an hour learning the basics of kite flying from an experienced flier before competing with one another in the mentor challenge. "If you can keep a kite in the air, that's going to be the biggest thing," Cox said. Winners of novice events and the mentor's challenge will receive new sport kites.
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