Day two of the Lord of the Wind started off with another foil race beginning promptly at 11:00am. Racing continued with similar results to yesterday with Joey Pasquali leading the pack followed once again by Julien Kerner and Nico Landauer.
The ladies kicked off the first freestyle heats of the day. With seven competitors and only six spots in the women’s finals, a women’s qualifier was held to narrow down the field.
This year, the freestyle judging criteria was intense, with Dave Tyburski bringing PKRA style judging to the LOW, with an emphasis on technicality, power (speed, kite angle, height/amplitude), risk factor, variety, height, smoothness and innovation.
After the women, the men’s seven minute heats began with Kyle Mackie, Anthar Racca and Jacob Olivier. Winds were light and athletes brought out their biggest kites. Anthar Racca, winner of last week’s La Ventana Classic, pumped up his Airush Razor 15m but showed no mercy while charging ahead and pleasing the crowd with his technicality and untouchable double heart attack maneuver.
The action was fast and furious with only three minutes between heats. In men’s heat two Dylan Murphy represented Los Barriles with a front to blind and shifty 313. Young Floridian and Cabrinha team rider, James McGrath, stalled out a stylish raley to blind, while Drew Christianson, who being from Florida, was familiar with these light winds and rode with power while stomping a blind judge 3.
Heat three began with a green flag. Haydn Fischer representing Los Barriles went up against last year’s Lord of the Wind, Julien Kerneur. Julien started with a grabbed 313 and then attempted a shifty 313 on his foilboard. Evan “the Loch Netsch monster,” a crowd favorite, completed a textbook KGB and a clutch back mobe inches from the beach.
Hood River’s Matt Thames held his own but Star Kiteboarding’s Rocky Chatwell was the one to watch. Coming back from last week’s disappointing final heat at the La Ventana Classic where he ripped his kite and wasn’t able to finish his heat, Rocky styled Los Barriles out with tons of tricks including front mobes and slim chances. Adam Withington rounded out the heat on his foil, showing off with his unique array of big airs from one-footers to inversions to behind the back board offs, all with crowd stoking height.
The men’s fifth and final heat of the day was a powered face off between Augustin Tapia, Taylor Meehan and Reed Brady. Augustin landed some low back to blinds and Reed unloaded a diverse arsenal of handlepasses and big air grabs.
The day wrapped up with two more women’s heats. The first between Justi Vonada, Cynthia Brown and Kris Kinn, while the second and final heat pitted Min Kim against Vasilisa Zaytseva and Camille Salvinien.
The intense cutthroat competition for the LOW overall prize purse continues tomorrow with mid-morning foil course racing and afternoon big air heats.
Gallery:
