GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle World Cup Fortaleza at Superfoil Brazil – Day 1

by GKA Kite World Tour Nov 17 2:43 PM PST
November 17, 2021

Freestyle hydrofoil is still a relatively new discipline that is evolving rapidly and allows riders to kite in unique places where the wind is much lighter.

There are 12 men and four women of nine different nationalities registered to take part in this event this week, where forecasts are looking very positive for each day of competition. Last year, it was Fred Hope of the United States who stepped onto the podium and won the title of the GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle Championship, and this year he will again have to face accomplished athletes such as Charles Brodel and Maxime Desjardins who will seek each a podium here. at this event. The men will compete here for the GKA Hydrofoil Freestyle World Championship title.

“I started kiting when I was 13. I did the twin tip, then I switched to a surfboard, and then I finally started hydrofoil in 2015,” said Fred Hope. “I started doing jumps, climbing with straps, then strapless in 2017, and I’ve never really been back. I love trying to figure it out because it’s a whole new discipline. I live in Hood River and then travel to Baja in the winter. They are both great places. ”

“I started kiting at the age of 13, then foiling just a few years ago,” says Maxime Desjardins. “I started because my dad and sister started. Then my sister’s boyfriend Charles Brodel started freestyle hydrofoil which I thought was really spectacular. to try it and I loved it. This is my first competition, and I want to show the world what I can do on the water. I think this discipline is going to get bigger and bigger, because we can do so much in a very light wind.

On the women’s side, there is the Italian Samuela Mule, the French Aurore Gineste, the German Maike Elisa and the American Kylie Zarmati who will all compete to fight for the podiums. The women have been released from the competition today and they will start in the competition tomorrow. As there are only 4 women registered to participate in this event, they will not be able to compete for a World Championship title, as this requires a minimum of 6 participants.

“I started hydrofoiling about a year and a half ago,” explained Maike Elisa. “I lived in Cabarete, and the wind was often quite light. It allowed me to ride with a lot less wind, and really have fun with it. I started and after a while I really fell in love with this discipline. was inspired to start with freestyle because there were so many good riders in Cabarete, like Joselito del Rosario, who is also competing here. Seeing what’s possible on a hydrofoil is amazing, because anything you can do on a twin tip or a surfboard, you can do on a hydrofoil too. ”

“I started kitesurfing about 15 years ago but started hydrofoil about 5 years ago just because it looked like a really fun new thing to try “said Kylie Zarmati. “I got into freestyle because I want to inspire more women to do it. I ride strapless and it’s so fun. This is my first competition. Hydrofoil is great because it gives you l opportunity to ride in a much lighter wind. ”

Judgment criterion

Rounds 1 and 2 for the men have been completed for this first day of competition. The action began at 2:30 p.m. local time with winds of 12 to 18 knots. The riders had 9 minute runs, with 15 attempted tricks, and the 4 best scores counting. The judges were looking for height, execution, commitment and innovation.

“We are therefore mixing two different styles since we have riders without straps and with straps that fight in the same sleeves,” explained Chief Judge Mallory de la Villemarque. “We look at the technicality of the runners’ movements, the speed they have in and out of the moves, the height they get (especially for strapped runners) and landings are also very important. When runners manage to land movements with their board not touching the water, they are rewarded especially when the trick is technical. ”

Round one and two

For round 1, the winning athletes qualified directly for round 3. The remaining riders were given a second chance in round 2. Joselito del Rosario, Charles Brodel and Oliver Pasche and Fred Hope directly locked their positions for round. 3. The most spectacular performance of the day went to Charles Brodel in Round 2, where he obtained an overall score of 24.07 points, including 8 points for his Double Front Board-Off. Fred Hope of the United States also showed off some innovative tricks, including his Lazyboy, a forward roll landing sitting on his board, which scored him 7.43 points.

The eliminations started in the second round, where the riders had to win their heats in order to advance. This is where runners started to feel the pressure to perform if they wanted to stay in the competition. It was Robin Steward, Reed Brady, Cesar Natoly and Maxime Desjardins who managed to get ahead of their competitors. The four riders will now prepare to continue the battle in the third round tomorrow.