Rio 2016 Olympics Training

[Jake]

What does one need to make the USA kiteboard Team?

[srch4wind]

A LEGIT 3 tree to whidbey downwinder....

[Jake]

"LEGIT"??? I just pulled the inserts out of the boots board. I'm going to need some sponsors. Maybe McDonald's will sponsor me?

[j.p.]

What does one need to make the USA kiteboard Team?

Got a job?

Quit it!

First and foremost, you need to kite and train EVERY possible day... like Adam Koch is currently doing at Sherman Island.
You also need a training partner who's near you level.

$$$ is a pre-req as well.
You're gonna need 4 kites @ 2k a pop, a race board, another 2K, and then a set of fins for each kite @ $500 a set (or another 2K).

Plan to spend $12,000 to be on the most competitive gear.

[PMCD]

..... and then a set of fins for each kite @ $500 a sett (or another 2K).

isn't the kite size the adjustment you would make for different wind conditions?

Why fins too?

[WALoeIII]

What does one need to make the USA kiteboard Team?

Got a job?

Quit it!

First and foremost, you need to kite and train EVERY possible day... like Adam Koch is currently doing at Sherman Island.
You also need a training partner who's near you level.

$$$ is a pre-req as well.
Your gonna need 4 kite @ 2k a pop, a race board, another 2K, and then a set of fins for each kite @ $500 a sett (or another 2K).

Plan to spend $12,000 to be on the most competitive gear.

You'll need every kite size to be competitive.

[eric]

What does one need to make the USA kiteboard Team?

be faster than everyone else.

[stringy]

jake,
focus might be the key. progression with strapless to master your board skills, duck tacks, tacks, gibes etc.
being a competitive sailor is a plus, understanding and reading the wind before it happens is how Heineken can pull ahead and leave his competition.
having the latest and greatest gear will help but not a necessity yet. Nick Ward is an example of this. He's making his own boards. i worked with him to get him on a set of buttrick designed fins.
If you want to become "legit" and seriously consider competitive racing, you might want to ride a race board, like all of the time.
give up the boots, ride powered, in light conditions, doesn't matter if your friends are riding boots, you need to spend your time riding the race board.
you will need to gage your performance with another like minded competitor.
ride with adam vance.
he's serious about the discipline and can help you by racing him any moment you can.
once you've gained the exposure due to your abilities and successes on the local scene, you might capture the audience of some major sponsors who can help you out with gear and travel.
I don't think you need to quit a job, but you might change up your gear to make you more successful. some kites are designed with racing in mind. some more for freestyle.
there's a tough race scene in this country mainly centered around the bay area, with the top racers racing here every week. You could move there and would help you progress even faster.
but yeah its going to cost take some significant investment on your part, both focus and financial.
those 3tree to DB downwinders will help but you will want to do them at mach speed straight downwind.
based on the past couple of years winning the canadian championship, adam vance has the best shot of any kite racer out there to show up in rio.

[j.p.]

based on the past couple of years winning the Canadian championship (Squamish CHAMP ), adam vance has the best shot of any kite racer out there to show up in rio.

I'd caution you not to discount team USA's local hopefuls: Adam Koch OR his bro Andy Koch.
BTW. Adam Koch is the only one within this discussion that has already made an Olympic bid.
It was in the the 90's and I believe it was for the 49's class.

[WALoeIII]

based on the past couple of years winning the Canadian championship (Squamish CHAMP ), adam vance has the best shot of any kite racer out there to show up in rio.

I'd caution you not to discount team USA's local hopefuls: Adam Koch OR his bro Andy Koch.
BTW. Adam Koch is the only one within this discussion that has already made an Olympic bid.
It was in the the 90's and I believe it was for the 49's class.

I just spent the weekend sailing in SF with Andy. Its going to be very tough beat the Team Fluid boys (and girls). Both Koch brothers have been sailing full-time for about 10 years now, in addition to being active sailors since they were very young. Johnny will undoubtedly quit his job once the quadrennium heats up. To really make a valid shot, you'll need to put in 300 days a year on the water, and live in the bay area. St. Francis had 40+ boards out for the summer Thursday night series, there is no where else in the world with a fleet close to that big.

I'm curious to see if the US is given more than one birth given our dominance, unlikely, but would be cool.