Surf's Up at Hefner

Author: Teddy Burch
Issue: 2008 April

Kiteboarding in Oklahoma

A body of water, a kite and a board. What else do you need?

“Nothing. We got everything we need right here, ” said Monty Ray, kiteboarder and owner of The Van. “If I’m not out on the road, driving for a living, I’m right here, taking it in.” He further explains that the crowds that congregate on the shores enjoy time spent outside, however the van makes for good shelter.

“Lets us all come in out of the rain and sometimes even the wind,” he said.

There is a recurring theme among the Lake Hefner kiteboarding crowd. Whether they previously lived in Hawaii, California or Florida, they all agree that it’s too expensive to live in those places. “I have lived there and you spend much more time working than out enjoying the water,” said Abdelali Aittchakaht from Morocco (and thankfully goes by Ali).

Attached to the opposite end of the large kites you see floating in the skies above Lake Hefner are individuals who have found something that drives them out to the lake almost daily.

“Freedom, I just love it. I work my schedule around it,” Ali said. “When I am at work and I hear the wind blowing outside, my heart starts racing and my mind goes to kiteboarding,”

The Essence of Kiteboarding

After you decide that you are going to be a kiteborder, you need to understand that the entire existence of the sport is determined by the ever changing, uncontrollable wind. With this said, it is crucial that you become knowledgeable of wind direction and wind speed. Check for flags; these can help in determining wind speed and direction. If there are no visible flags, the ripples on the water are good indicators.

The importance of successfully launching and landing are a result of knowing your wind speed and which kite to use accordingly. The kites have a size from 7-21 square meters. This is the length of the kite and the bigger the kite, the more wind it is going to harness.

“If you are using the wrong size kite, you are fighting Mother Nature and you are going to lose,” Ali said.

If you have trouble estimating what the wind speed is, the best thing to do is to look at what size kite other riders of comparable weight and skill level are flying and talk to other kiters on the shore. If you aren’t sure if you have the proper size kite for the conditions, don’t hesitate to ask someone more knowledgeable.

“The first time I went out, I didn’t know what I was doing,” said Ali. “I was in a size 14 kite and I weigh 135 pounds. On this day, the wind caught the kite and continued to climb. There was nothing I could do. All I could see at one point was the highway. I climbed so high that I could look down at the lake and actually see the fish. There was only one thing to do and that was to let go and release the kite. It was foolish and this is how you get yourself severely hurt.”

Avid kiteboarders say you can avoid this by knowing your wind speed, wind direction, your weight and the proper size kite for the particular conditions.

Getting Started

Once you have determined that kiteboarding is for you, one of the most important things you can do is buy yourself a trainer kite and get comfortable with it before taking lessons. While a training kite is not the real thing, it can get you comfortable with the mechanics of steering the kite as well as some of the tendencies of Oklahoma winds. Also, training videos will be a tremendous help.

“I took lessons in South Padre and while they weren’t cheap, they were the best money I have spent on this sport,” Ali said. “The most important thing is to put in your time practicing over and over. Learn what it is you are doing then come out and join us at Lake Hefner.”

Jeff Hoxtell, certified kiteboarding instructor at Air Padre Kiteboarding in South Padre, Texas, puts it like this. “Your friend who is an excellent kiteboarder is not necessarily an excellent kiteboarding teacher. If you can’t afford the lessons then you surely can’t afford a hospital visit after trying to teach yourself.”

Equipment

With so much gear on the market it can be really hard to weed through all the propaganda and see what kite and board will work for you. The answer is that many of the kites on the market will work for the beginner, but they will also perform for the advanced rider. With most other sports you need to upgrade your equipment as you increase your ability. With kiteboarding, if you buy the right kites, the only time you will need to upgrade them is when you ride them into the dirt or want to add more sizes to your quiver.

Finally, when choosing gear make sure that you get what is going to work best for the type of rider that you are and the type of rider that you want to become. Are you a big jumper, wakestyle or a cruiser? There is gear out there best suited to each style of riding.

Why Oklahoma?

“I love to be next to the water; who wouldn’t want to be here?”

For more information, log onto www.okckiteboarding.com.

Edmond Outlook