KPL TEAM BATTLE FINAL RECAP.

The dust has settled, and the 2022 Kite Park League Team Battle is complete, and with it comes a new standard for competitive park riding. Although past contests such as the Triple S, Hood Jam, and other Kite Park League events have fostered progression and acted as a host to some of the greatest riding of its time, the collective quality and level of riding showcased in the Team Battle battle was unrivaled and embodied the potential of park riding's future projection. The riders, teams, videographers, photographers, editors, event staff, and everyone involved in the making and completion of the Team Battle delivered in full and have set the tone for the resurgence of the KPL tour.

Thank you to our sponsors for making this possible.

Day 8 - The grand finale.

The dust has settled, and the 2022 Kite Park League Team Battle is complete, and with it comes a new standard for competitive park riding. Although past contests such as the Triple S, Hood Jam, and other Kite Park League events have fostered progression and acted as a host to some of the greatest riding of its time, the collective quality and level of riding showcased in the Team Battle battle was unrivaled and embodied the potential of park riding's future projection. The riders, teams, videographers, photographers, editors, event staff, and everyone involved in the making and completion of the Team Battle delivered in full and have set the tone for the resurgence of the KPL tour.

After days of riding and hours of sorting clips and editing, the frenzy came to a close, and the efforts became encapsulated in a digital rendering. Thanks to the diligent effort of the editors, each team squeaked in their submissions just before the window shut on the entry deadline. While the performance exerted by those involved was nothing short of exceptional, the Team Battle would have been non-existent if it were not for the support of the event sponsors who helped materialize the vision. The Kite Park League would like to extend our sincerest gratitude towards Knot Future, Duotone, Slingshot, Cabrinha, Naish, Airush, Full Sail Brewing Company, EiR NYC, Klean Kanteen and Pistil Designs. Although the entire event staff worked diligently to curate the Team Battle contest, without the continued devotion of Joby Cook, the man behind the construction of the Slider Project's features, the park would be in shambles.

Without further ado, we warmly welcome you to the premiere and awards ceremony. As teams and industry leaders flooded the party, Full Sail Brewing's finest beverages kept the crowd hydrated and morale high. When the sun finally faded, and the lights from the projector illuminated the screen, conversations ceased as jaws dropped to the floor and eyes became glued to the screen. The first video, Team Burgundy, which was drawn at random, set the bar high with a timeless display of quality riding, filming, and editing. However, Team Yellow rebutted at full strength, displaying an excellent variety of riding and editing, conveying the sheer competitiveness of this contest. The crowd smiled and cheered with amazement and support for each video, which continued to maintain a similarly astonishing caliber. Next up was Team Tan, whose video dropped the hammer and showcased an incredible display of team cohesion. Following Team Tan's video was Team Blue, who presented a pristine balance of both video creativity and technical riding. One of the greatest assets of the videos was the creative direction each team could embrace, making each video entirely distinct and a reflection of its individual team members. Rounding out the showing was Team Green, whose work ethic, riding mastery, and the video's fast tempo excited the crowd and left all the riders impressed. When the videos finished, the crowd erupted, and it was transparent that every rider was proud of the outcome of their videos, making the week's endeavors and the Team Battle formatting that much more meaningful.

Once the initial excitement eased, the voting began. To make the contest as rider oriented and sincere as possible, the riders themselves voted for the team they believed produced the best video and deserved to claim the renowned Team Battle title. Along with the principal award granted to the best video, there are a handful of other awards allocated to specific portions of the event that were included in the rider-based judging panel. After the twenty-minute voting period closed and the riders submitted their votes, the time had come to crown the winning team. For the Hood River tour stop, we are proud to celebrate the collective efforts of Team Tan, your 2022 Kite Park League Team Battle champion. Without question, Team Tan logged the MTOB this week (Most Time on Board) and seized every opportunity to work as a group, while simultaneously producing the best riding and video for the Team Battle contest. Thank you all for following along and sharing in the glory of the Kite Park League's revival. This is only the beginning. Welcome back. Event results can be found below.

1st TEAM TAN Ewan Jaspan Jack Rieder Lauren Holman Ian Daly Chris Boyle.

2nd TEAM BURGUNDY Noe Font Xander Raith Chase Hasch Devin Carroll Sensi Graves

3rd TEAM BLUE Chris Bobryk Brendan Kerr Sam Medysky Rich Sabo Kristen Cooper John Perry

4th TEAM GREEN Sam Light Eric Rienstra Andrew Cain Nadja Bianchet Steve Lee Greg Houle

5th TEAM YELLOW Brandon Scheid Tim Walsh Katie Potter Ryan Goloversic Zach Draper

BEST MALE OVERALL - Ewan Jaspan BEST FEMALE OVERALL - Katie Potter BEST LINE - Noe Font BEST KICKER - Chase Hasch BEST SLIDER - Xander Raith BIGGEST COP - Chris Bobryk & Brendan Kerr MOST SKITZ - Chase Hasch BEST HACK - Chris Boyle NATURAL FEATURE - Eric Rienstra

ROOKIE - Tim Walsh

Day 7 - The checkered flag is out.

Well, well, well, here we are. Congratulations and a sincere thank you to our loyal fans who have been supporting us and following along on perhaps the greatest endeavor to take place in kiteboarding history. The finale: day seven has come and gone and will serve as the final resting place for some efforts, as well as the commemoration of a wide variety of achievements. As we look back on the days that led up to the finale, conditions were not as dreamy as one would hope, but the reality is not always as pristine as the vision. However, even with less than ideal conditions, the teams and each and every rider seized every last puff of breeze that could be found in the Slider Projects' immaculate park.

In typical contest fashion, everything came down to the wire, especially the wind that didn't make its presence known until about five in the evening. In a mad dash to continue filming, nearly every rider from all five teams rode until the moon rose, and the light slipped behind the mountains for darkness to intervene. Very infrequently does Hood River experience late evening/nighttime wind, but in true serendipitous form, the Team Battle was graced with this unaccustomed pleasure. The evening light radiated orange and purple and was the most quintessential conclusion.

While the evening session acted as the final piece of the puzzle the teams were looking for, the real work was only just beginning. With only a few mere hours left in the day before the midnight submission deadline, the teams shifted their focus solely towards the editing portion of the contests and implemented any last-minute shots from the evening. As the teams dissect and finalize their footage, the main objective will be to showcase quality over quantity because anything less than the best is a far cry from the objective.

The checkered flag is out, and the riding portion of the 2022 Team Battle is now behind us and chronicled on hard drives. The awards are tomorrow evening, and the anticipation is high. Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats; the show is about to begin.