Back when wheels were made of stone, garments were made of steel, and kiteboarding was synonymous with jousting, our founding fathers and mothers joined together at the round table and laid forth a quest destined for its predecessors. For generations, emperors and majesties alike have attempted to fulfill this prophecy but have continued to fall short of their divine fate. However, in an unsurprising turn of events, after years and years of deliberating, our quest has been fulfilled. Behind the veil of our own clandestine innocence was scripture etched into steel that pronounced our own fate, and it read in bold lettering, Kite Park League.
We have the key that unlocks every door, the formula that solves all problems, and the astute capability to change the future. The year is 2023, and we are the future. Welcome to the final hours of our greatest effort and pinnacle pursuit, the Super Final presented by Knot Future, Duotone Kiteboarding, Slider Project, Fazendinha Adventure Park, and Lineup Pousada. After nearly a week of the best conditions on earth, on the morning of Friday, October 27, 2023, we began our Final. During a competitive format, the aptitude of the top riders becomes overtly pronounced as the top three females and top three males truly shined through the entirety of our event.
Without further ado, we shall begin our awards ceremony by congratulating our top female finishers for 2023, along with the entire field of contestants. After a solid showing the entire week, the KPL is proud to congratulate Nadja Bianchet for her third-place finish in the Super Final. In second place, all the way from Poland, Karolina Winkowska, who was on a tear all week and was more than deserving of another podium finish, adding to her long list of accolades. However, despite the fierce field of competition, there can only be one winner. This rider’s projection towards the top has been steadily ascending for years, and her dominance and proficiency in the park earned her place as our 2023 female KPL world champion. Congratulations Katie Potter, for an incredible display of kiteboarding and an achievement of a lifetime!
Now, onto the men. Throughout the week, the field of riders was slowly reduced to a select eight, who all were well deserving of an opportunity to be recognized as champions. Sadly, however, only three can claim the right to stand atop the podium. In third place, adding to his already dominant resume, is none other than Jack Rieder, whose consistency and prowess shined throughout the week and rewarded him in the finals. In second place, one of the most purposeful and talented riders of our generation is Noe Font, whose display of park riding is just as mesmerizing as it is skillful. For our next announcement, please rise as we congratulate our 2023 KPL world champion and victor of the Super Final. Since his introduction to park riding and kiteboarding as a whole, this rider has been dominating the sport and continues to break the ceiling of progression. He is arguably one of the most diversely talented contemporary kiteboarders and is more than deserving of this illustrious achievement. Congratulations on a phenomenal display and for your efforts and support of the KPL through our many years. From all of us at the the KPL, we all would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to Ewan Jaspen, your 2023 world champion!
Well, folks, we are officially complete with the 2023 season. Thank you for following along, supporting our vision, and continuing to share in the love of kiteboarding. The 2023 tour is done and dusted, merely a memory and now, and a portion of our glorious history. We will see you next year in 2024! As soon as we receive legal approval, we will share with you our most impressive feat to date… 2024 is set to be the biggest and best year yet, so, as always, stay tuned because we are well on our way to delivering yet again, the greatest corporate exploration in kiteboarding history.
Our sincerest gratitude,
KPL Staff & Chief Editor
MEN's 1st Ewan Jaspan 2nd Noe Font 3rd Jack Rieder.
WOMEN's 1st Katie Potter 2nd Karolina Winkowska 3rd Nadja Bianchet
After many heats, lots of riding, and diligent judging, the men’s final has been decided. Joining alongside the six prequalified finalists are the top two semifinalists from today, Xander Raith and Nico Gilomen. Unfortunately, due to wind limitations, shortly after the men’s semifinal concluded, the wind filed an absentee ballot and went on holiday for the remainder of the day. In an effort to encourage the very best level of kiteboarding for our Super Final, we did not want to force a situation that may negatively hinder the progression of park riding due to insufficient conditions. As a result, the final has been postponed until the wind reinstates its presence here in this beautiful Brazilian oasis.
Since we were unable to finish the Final today, we figured we would take this opportunity to fill you all in on the particulars that help quantify our judging criteria. For this year’s KPL Super Final, we have employed the masters of analysis and authentic criticism. Thanks to Joachim Bertelsen and Maximilian Gambedotito, our two head judges, we have numbers that reflect both successes, as well as failures, and ultimately, their shrewd analysis determines the tier in which each and every rider is placed.
Regarding judging criteria, the four fundamental characteristics that each rider aims to achieve and the judges assess are style, technicality, risk, and execution. Together, these factors help separate mediocrity from premier . For this event in particular, along with most KPL events, each feature is judged on a scale from zero to ten, where one represents the low end of the spectrum and ten represents the the beast or near perfection. In addition to this scoring format, when features are completed consecutively, the judges introduce what is referred to as a “flow score,” which evaluates a rider's composure between each feature on a scale from zero to five. Ideally, between each feature, the rider does not hook back in, touch the chicken loop, change board directions, adjust the leash, or do anything that might help make the transition from one feature to another easier. Although this may sound trivial, being able to successfully land from one feature and maintain composure into the next can be quite difficult, but if done so correctly, the rider is awarded five points. However, if any of the above are employed during the transition period, the score will become negatively affected by each inaccuracy. With all this being said, for the KPL super final, each rider is awarded four scores, which include their best right-foot kicker, left-foot kicker, right-foot line, and left-foot line. Each kicker is worth ten points, and a perfect combined score from bother would result in 20 points. Because the rails are set up consecutively in pairs of two, the maximum score for the first rail is ten points, and the maximum score for the second rail is also ten points, plus the flow score, which would be a maximum of five additional points. As a result, the maximum score from the right-foot line is 15 points, and the maximum score from the left-foot line is also 15 points. Conclusively, the maximum score a rider could receive would add up to a grand total of 50 points (right-foot kicker 10 + left-foot kicker 10, right-foot line 15 + left-foot line 15 = perfect score 50).
Well, now that you are asleep or are suffering from mental confusion, we shall part ways with an eloquent goodbye gift from yours truly, so take it or leave it.
Relentless howling rouses the seas,
a brash exhale of turbulence
an exile of bliss.
forceful in its presence and sincere in its fury
hellcat against serenity
harnessed
never tamed
feared by many and loved by some
our greatest ally
wind.
As always, thanks for tuning in, and may your day be filled with glory, love, and passion. Tomorrow, we will round their corner on day six and become one step closer to crowning our champions.
Fervently,
KPL Chief Editor
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