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A Prism Ozone ultralight kite flies alone. Spotsylvania's Loriella Park will be aflutter Saturday with kites of all shapes and colors.
Harold Ames of King George County readies his shield kite
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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.
There also will be precision and ballet demonstrations throughout the day and displays of the different types of kites on the market. Organizers are hoping to have a 252-square-foot Sutton Flow Form kite, which can require as many as five or six people to launch it into the air.
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WHAT: Richmond/Washington Regional Sport Kite Championship WHEN: Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. WHERE: Loriella Park, 10910 Leavells Road, Spotsylvania COST: Free for spectators. There is a registration fee of $5 for competitors to compete in as many open events as they wish. Novices compete for free. INFO: Call Loriella Park at 540/898-7529. WEB: richmondairforce.com/RWRSKC/rwrskcFrames .htm FYI: On-site registration will begin at 8 a.m. Registration forms are available online.
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"In the right winds, you could probably pull a car with [that type of kite] fairly simply," Cox said.
Sport kiting is rather popular in the United States, he said, with some major events, such as the Blue Ridge Kite Festival in Roanoke County, drawing thousands of people.
Cox doesn't foresee such a large crowd turning out on Saturday, but he expects a healthy number of competitors and spectators. The holiday weekend may prevent some from attending, but most die-hard fliers would stop at little to take advantage of an opportunity to show off their skills and see friends, Cox said.
He flies for an hour every day on his lunch break, and sometimes he'll get in a little flying time in the school parking lot before picking up his 6-year-old daughter.
"She's enthralled by [kite flying] most of the timeI'm hoping she'll turn the corner with me and start flying," he said.
Cox used to be a cyclist, but he realized he needed a new hobby after his daughter was born and he couldn't just get on his bike and go for a ride.
"You can really get all kinds of things out of kiting," Cox said. "For me, it's exercise. It's listening to my music [through headphones]. It's being out in the fresh air.It's the best sport you can do with friends and still be alone."
To reach EMILY GILMORE: 540/374-5426 egilmore@freelancestar.com
