Gabriele Steindl: Professional Kitesurfer & Freelance Writer - Action, Lifestyle & Travels
24
Aug 08
PKRA World Cup kickin’ off in Germany
After a three-week break, the PKRA riders are back in action for another exciting competition that will spice up the kiteboarding scene once more at the PKRA in St. Peter Ording, Germany. A total of 52 professional freestyle riders from 16 different countries will be competing in the main Freestyle event while 37 world-class racers representing 10 countries will be gunning for the first to cross the finish line in the Course Races. The Boardercross will showcase 41 extreme athletes from 10 nations vying for a total prize money of € 50,000.00 (US$ 73,800.00.)
I wish all the North-team THE BEST OF LUCK, the odds are good with some of the strongest riders in all categories !!
Me as freerider with heart & soul, I’m off competition with the exception of wave-events. I still feel strongly for my team-mates and the emotions that come with an event like the PKRA St. Peter Ording, a huuuuuge spectactle !!
Here’s the report of DAY 1:
Day 1: The day started with the men’s trials elimination under a rain-soaked kick-off day. The rain came in early in the morning at 6:00am and by 10:00am for the skippers meeting, the event site was flooded from the amount of rain that had dropped. The wind was marginal for the course racing while the mandatory skippers meeting was delayed by about an hour to allow for more competitors to make their way to the meeting. Finally at 11:00 am, the skippers meeting started but the wind had fallen off a little so the competition went into a series of postponements until 3:00pm when the wind picked up considerably. Event director Olav Van Tol decided to start with the Freestyle Trials instead of the originally planned Course Racing.
At exactly 3:30pm, the red flag for heat #1 was raised and the games went into a sequence for an eight-heat elimination series with the first round having six heats and a double elimination (round two) of two heats. It took a total of one and half hours to finish the eliminations under a 15° Celsius cold weather condition so the day wrapped up at 4:50pm. The wind speed ranged between 15 and 20 knots in the early heats but gradually dropped off in the later heats. It rained until the last heats were done so the competition was a total washout for the day.
Immediately following the final heats of the trials, mother nature decided to provide some brief sunshine and the skies started to clear so everyone is looking forward to some sunnier and warmer conditions for day 2.
Essays are the most common assignments given to the students. Students, from all educational backgrounds, are assigned to do essay writing. It doesn’t need as much time as a well written research paper or a term paper takes in writing. It mostly involves author’s opinion on a subject. Essay writing, in simple words, is a task to put your thoughts onto a paper & elaborate the concept in appropriate words.