| October 2020 Autumn is upon us and the weather in North America is getting chillier as the local kiting season wraps up…..In Dominican Republic, on Cabarete Beach, things are peaceful & calm (sunrise webcam screenshot above)…. Amidst all the craziness we’re still focusing on what we know and love: practicing our sports, playing outside in incredible nature, and staying healthy. I hope you are doing the same and I hope you’ll enjoy some news from me, from Cabarete, and the industry! |
| Kiteboarding Tips & News I love emails of curated links from thought leaders and hope you will enjoy this new feature! A great summary of what it’s like to learn kiteboarding, why it’s awesome, what your lessons will be like, and what gear you need. Kiteboarding – Socially distancing before it was important! Could this man be the most stylish kiteboarder in Europe? I say Europe because did you know the iconic New York fashion designer Nicole Miller is a kiter? And that I kited with her??! Too fun. Kitesurfing waves – Inspiration from Portugal and our friends at Ozone. Great kiter specific fitness videos to warm up & prevent injury… Gear Update – Ozone Enduro Kite V3 Our gear partner Ozone just released the new Enduro kite. One of the many things I love about Ozone is unlike other kite gear brands they don’t automatically release a new kite every year. They spend however much time it takes to really improve the existing kite. Then, when it’s super good they bring the new and improved version to all of us. It’s a great business practice and good for the planet. AND this is my favorite kite of all time. I love this kite with all my heart. Every single session is fun, because the kite does exactly what I need it to do. So come test the Enduro at LEK or if you’re in the market for a brand new kite please reply and let’s see about getting you set up with one! |
| What I’ve Been Up To – Resources & Ideas Mobility Doing 10 minutes of mobility work (think foam roller, lacrosse ball, voodoo floss) has eliminated my stiffness. I just finished a 2 week challenge and free trial from The Ready State (Kelly Starrett) and highly recommend the program. If you do one thing to prepare your body to become a kiteboarder, or to get ready for your next big trip where you’ll kite hard, this might be it. Embracing Stillness as a Kiteboarder Ironic! Kiting – yes even foiling – is so dynamic! Stick with me…every morning I’ve been reading a little from a modern Stoic book “Stillness is the Key” by Ryan Holiday. He tells the story about the great archery master Kenzo’s approach of letting go of the outcome and losing yourself in the practice. This resonated because it’s exactly what I recommend for you all when learning kiting: Put aside the desire (be it riding the board, the wave, the foil) and just focus on the small task at hand: feeling the kite, watching the ocean, pushing on your toes. That mental trick can be a game changer when you’re pushing yourself to do something new and hard. Reply to me here if you have questions, or if you try it and it works please let me know! |
| Dominican Republic Update: We Are Ready When You Are Ready The DR is open for travelers, our kiteboarding school is open and running and we’ve been able to keep our guests and team safe. October and November are usually two of the lightest wind months, so kiting at the moment can be tricky……but these months can have awesome waves and our local beach, Encuentro, has a great beginner break. We’ve had a few international visitors who’ve worked remotely and have been loving the Caribbean…and a few families who are considering spending the entire winter with us this year – school by Zoom right from the beach! I know there is a lot of uncertainty in terms of international travel, but we’re looking forward to the winter season. The wind will kick back in around December… So if you are ready for sunshine, being outside, getting natural vitamin D, having the beauty of nature all around you, focusing on kiting and clearing your mind, not to mention getting some exercise….well, we are ready to welcome you. I would love to hear from you! Email me anytime, and if you have pressing kiteboarding or Cabarete questions we can hop on a Zoom call as well. xx Laurel |
