RAFFLE ITEM #3 (final raffle)

The Vendetta UL by Viper Sport Kites
Raffle Ended:  6/19/09
Maximum Tickets:  50
WINNER!:  Jim Peck
 

What can I say?  The Vendetta UL is my favorite kite.  It's always the first out of my bag and the one that just about always takes up 100% of my flying time.  And I'm not alone!  There are a lot of masters class Eastern League fliers that regularly fly the Vendetta for competition.  Masters champion Ron Graziano once stated that if Shawn had created the Vendetta a few years earlier, he would probably have never built the Machine, as he would have already found a kite that did everything he wanted it to do.

All of the Vendettas are great, but the UL is the real gem of the bunch.  Most UL kites I've flown have been ok with precision, but pretty limited in tricks.  The Vendetta UL tracks very well in any wind, and will trick in low wind with pretty much the same inputs as you'd use for the Standard - no need to change your flying style for different wind conditions!  For a numbskull like me, that's a huge benefit.

Want to see the Vendetta in action?  Click here for video.

Shawn is offering a custom Vendetta UL for the winner of this auction.  The standard color scheme for a Vendetta is a black sail, with white stripes and colored V and accents.  Here's a colorizer for you to play with:  http://www.vipersportkites.com/Colorizers/Vendetta.htm.  See what you can come up with!  For more information on the Vendetta UL, Shawn's website is a great resource.

RAFFLE ITEM #2

The Skate by Focus Kite Designs
Raffle Ended:  6/10/09
Maximum Tickets:  20
WINNER!:  Robbie Boerth

The Skate is a truly impressive indoor/outdoor single-line kite/glider from Paul de Bakker and Hunter Brown of Focus Kite Designs in Wilmington, NC.  How does one describe the Skate?  Like the kite itself, it's simple, yet complicated.  It'll fly as a kite in pretty much any wind (although it favors lighter winds).  Take the kite indoors and it becomes a kite/glider that flows through the air with a slow grace reminiscent of its namesake.

If you've seen Paul and Hunter fly, you know that those guys have great style, and the skate reflects this.  For more information and a great indoor video, check out http://www.focuskites.com/2008/skate.asp.  As for credentials, Skate designer Paul de Bakker is the current AKAGN Open Indoor Unlimited champion.  He also won the Indoor competition at WIKF a few weeks ago.  I have no experience with indoor flying, but I did get a little flying time on the Skate at the Wildwoods Convention Center.  It's easy to get started, and with just a little flying advice, I was able to get the Skate gliding all over the place, it was a blast!  But here's the thing I REALLY noticed:   It seemed like all of the indoor competitors (who are obviously much more knowledgeable about indoor kites) either owned a Skate or were flying one of Paul and Hunters'.

Even better, the raffle kite is in ODSKC colors!  Take a look at the drawing to the right for the color scheme.

RAFFLE ITEM #1

The Saber by Will Sturdy
Raffle Ended:  6/8/09
Maximum Tickets:  50
WINNER!:  Bernard Fourriere

If you've been to any Eastern League competitions over the past few years, you've probably seen the meteoric rise of Will Sturdy, a Masters class dual-line flier from Williamsburg, VA.  What you may not know is that Will is also a master kitebuilder!  Will has developed and competed with several designs over the past few years.  It seems like every time I see Will, he's testing out a new prototype.  These years of development have led to the Saber, which won the AKAGN 2008 sport kite kitebuilding competition, which I think is a very good indication of the meticulous worksmanship that Will puts into his kites.  Will also flew the Saber to victory in the AKAGN Experienced Individual Dual-line Ballet competition.  You can find more pictures of the Saber by clicking the picture above right or here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/22809394@N08/page2/

If you really want to see the Saber put through it's tricking paces, check out this video from Virtual Freestyle 12:

As you can see from the video, the Saber is capable of every trick in the book!  It's also got great precision - very clean corners, tracks a straight line very well.  The kite works well in individual, pairs, or team situations - I got to see the green, blue, and red Sabers flying team at ECSKC, they looked great in the air together!  Very clean graphics, and the colored accents really pop when the kite is in the air!  The winner of this raffle will be allowed to customize their Saber, which means you'll be able to choose the accent color for the kite.