As reported right here last week this year will see the Classic Holidays National Kiteboarding League (NKL) taking to the skies and waters allover Australia and New Zealand. Freedom chatted with some of the riders who will be in the spotlight to see what it means to them and the sport.
Elliot Drury – Australian (International) Champion 2015, Runner Up 2014 Australian Titles.
I’m just stoked that a group of people have taken the initiative to try to rejuvenate the competitive kiteboarding culture in Australia. I’ll definitely be doing some of the events and I can’t wait to see how the event grows.
Elliot will be one of the favorites at the NKL events he competes at this season.
Chrissy Gaudieri – Women’s National Champion 2010 and Current and Multiple time WA Champ.
I think the league is exactly what we needed.
Not only will it help promote the sport within our country but motivate and connect riders from around Australia – something that I miss about the sport.
It’s already got me excited and pumped for the upcoming season!
Chrissy is already excited for the NKL this season.
Manny Blanch – National Under 16 Champion 2015
Australia has been lacking with freestyle comps over the past few years. Huge thanks to David Dewitt for organising the NKL tour for Australia. So far I think the NKL tour is looking great with 5 stops across the country to cater for a wide range of riders and also a stop in New Zealand. I believe that the NKL will improve the level of freestyle riders in Australia and enhance the publicity of this fantastic sport and bring bigger companies into the kiteboarding scene. I can’t wait to see the NKL tour and I look forward to competing all summer.
Manny Blanch is the future of the sport in Aus and with the NKL launch that future just got a whole lot more exciting!
The full press release…
Classic Holidays Launches NKL on the Gold Coast!
The NKL reaches all Australia’s biggest cities and New Zealand. Sure to be a boom for the sport’s exposure in 2015/2016.
Resort and Club Management company, Classic Holidays, has jumped on board to launch the first Australian and New Zealand National Kiteboarding League (NKL), with a national event series to commence in November 2015 on the Gold Coast.
An initiative of the Kiteboarding state associations, the Classic Holidays NKL will profile the sport’s top male and female kiters in both Wave and Freestyle disciplines in a 7-round series beginning on the Gold Coast from November 12-15, 2015.
Classic Holidays CEO, Ramy Filo, said sponsoring the first three years of the national event was a natural fit for Australasia’s largest holiday management company.
“Classic Holidays is thrilled to be launching this exciting trans-Tasman venture,” said Mr Filo. “The Classic Holidays NKL is a perfect fit for our brand as a holiday company, promoting healthy activities and lifestyles while supporting something that will reach every corner of Australia as well as New Zealand.”
President of Kiteboarding Queensland & Northern Territory Inc. (KBQNT) and NKL Event Director, David De Witt, said the national ranking series was a giant leap towards the international stage for Australian and New Zealand kiteboarders.
“Kiteboarding is one of the fastest growing sports in the world, but until now there has never really been an opportunity for local kiteboarders to reach a professional level like surfing,” said Mr De Witt.
“With the exciting speed and rush of windsurfing combined with the dangerous, thrilling tricks of wakeboarding, kiteboarding is fast becoming the most exciting sport for both competitors and spectators.
“This tour will not only showcase our best kiteboarders from around Australia and New Zealand, but importantly, it will significantly lift the profile of kiteboarding as an amazing spectator sport within the region.”
Classic Holidays NKL competitors will be judged in a similar format to the Virgin Kitesurf World Championships, formerly the Professional Kiteboard Riders Association (PKRA), now owned by Virgin founder and kiteboarding enthusiast Sir Richard Branson, which is the major international touring event for kiteboarding pros.
“We have got our sights firmly set on integrating our incredible Australian talent into that pool and launching them onto the international kiteboarding circuit,” said Mr De Witt.
For its first year, the Classic Holidays NKL series will begin on the Gold Coast and then travel to New Zealand for a trans-Tasman leg in Christchurch, before touring to Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, with the Grand Final back on the Gold Coast in February 2016.
More info at – http://nkltour.com/