Just got home from Tannum and thought I'd write a quick thank you note.

Thanks to Coconet for staging an awesome event. Thanks especially to Chris Wardell and his partner Andrea for months of hard work preparing, organising and in some parts funding this magnificent spectacle. Thanks to Torrin Bright for bringing some professionalism to our judging tower and for helping Chris with the enormous task of setting up the heats and the double elimination. Thanks to the wakeboarding judges Scotty and Tim who sat in the tower for two days straight.

Thanks to the competitors who participated. Congratulations to the winners. There was no whinging, no complaining and protests were minimal. Everyone took the judges decisions without question. The double elimination format worked well and the best riders were the winners.

This was the best competition I have been to.

A huge effort was made to ensure this event took place. Some months ago it was looking as if the Nationals would not go ahead at Tannum due to a significant lack of AKSA direction and input.
My sole reason for getting involved was to ensure we did not loose another freestyle event off the kiteboarding calender, let alone not have the nationals for 2009. In consult with Coconet I gave them my word that I would help them organise and run this event.

The event from my point of view ran smoothly with minimal negative impact on riders. This was mainly due to the amazing amount of work Torrin Bright, Dave McIntyre, Scott and Lilly Green, Tim Brasser, Joe and Melissa Millen (ARSA) and Jess and Aiden (Gale Force Kites) put in not only during the two days of national competition but the whole event. The judges (Torrin, Tim and Scott with Lilly running times and flags) put in two big days sitting in the tower, Dave ran the board down stairs and Joe, Melissa, Jess and Aiden were awesome offering their assistance all day everyday.

Coconet need to be seriously congratulated on keeping with their promise to provide AKSA a venue and infrastructure needed to run an event, even after they came into significant financial stress due mainly to the current economic crisis. AKSA were always going to be running this event, not Coconet. The nationals in previous years has always been about the rider and not about the smoke and mirrors or sample bags etc. It is usually a grassroots affair and the entry fee goes towards AKSA run events. Ok some people did not go to the music festival, but those that made the effort or could go, were not disappointed. It was huge and amazingly organised.

However you see it, I definitely was proud seeing the sport of kiteboarding having a place in this wicked four day easter festival that Coconet put on. Being supported by corporate business to showcase the countries best comp riders is another big step for kiteboarding in Aus. We just now need to band together as a kiting community and move AKSA forward to secure competitions for our riders who put the hard work into their riding to progress in their chosen style.

After all that is said and done, I enjoyed being involved, I hope everyone can now see that events like the Coconet Classic be it with or without the Nationals are very important to the future of freestyle in this country. How else can we help riders like Andy Yates maintain the motivation and belief that they too can compete on the world stage if we do not provide freestyle events around the country?

I really need to thank these sponsors, who time and time again dig deep into their pockets even when times are getting tougher;
Slingshot
Mystic
Gale Force Kites
Ozone
Catapult
Best
Nobile
ARSA
KSA designs
Solrx Extreme Sunscreen
KBM
Tannum Sands Hotel (Presso night room)

I apologise if I have missed any, but you know I am grateful.

A really big thank you to my lovely and always supportive partner Andrea Blythe, thankyou you rip!

To everyone who helped on the day be it with moving kickers or sliders, grabbing something or just pain offering your help, I thank you and appreciate your efforts.

Til next time, best regards,

Chris Wardell

Any pics...?

Anyone got any video footage or details of what tricks were being pulled off?

Some pics on our website now

www.kiterush.net