Twist, turn, glide on the waves - Kiteboarding hits India
A three-day event on the Western coast brings together professionals and beginners to boost the sport
India's first kiteboarding event, the Red Bull Quila surf, begins today at the Mandwa beach in Raigad, about 105 km from Mumbai. The 3-day event aims to kick-in interest in the sport by bringing together amateur and professional kiteboarders in India, to have their kites flying high in the salty winds and their boards gliding over the waters of the Arabian Sea.Ines Correia, Portugal's top ranked kiteboarder and 2011 Women's World Kiteboarding Champion, will be judging the participants on the basis of their manouvers, speed and attitude.The selected participants will get a chance to kiteboard with Ines at the Murud-Janjira Fort, a kilometer off Mandwa beach. The participants will go through a two-day skill enhancement program with Ines giving them tips on improving their kiteboarding techniques.Charmaine Pereira, an intermediate level kiteboarder and one of India's few women in the sport, got intouch with the outdoor journal to give us an update the eventDay 1Hi, the day went well. We had close to ten kites in the air and I managed to get a ride as well. There are around 30 participants and based on today's performance Ines has shortlisted 10 participants to kiteboard with her at Murud-Janjira fort on the final day.It feels awesome to be the only girl in the country kiteboarding at this event!Looking forward to tomorrow!Day 2Today was good fun. Although we could not kiteboard because of lack of wind but we did wake-boarding which was a lot of fun. Participants at the event are not professionals and are all at a learning stage of the sport. They had an amazing time training with Ines and getting tips on improving their skill. If the weather allows, we will kiteboard at the Murud-Janjira fort tomorrow.Day 3We went to the Murud-Janjira for today but could not kiteboard because there was no wind. Four of us, Govind Haivrale, Dikhshith K, Callum Pereira and I got selected for a two day training with Ines at a lagoon in Dhanushkodi in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu. We will go through a training with her to enhance our kiteboarding skills.The event has been a success for us with all the kiteboarders in the country getting a chance to interact with each other, thanks to Red Bull!
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