STACK Eurocup Calais 2010

2-3 October Calais France

Every year all the national champions from the STACK sport kite competitions gather together for the biggest sport kite competition, the STACK Eurocup. For the Netherlands Marc van der Graaf, Dutch champion multiline and me travelled to France. This EC would be totally different for me than the other years were I tried to keep in the top 5. This year I came to defend my title, so there was nothing to win, only to loose.

The location was very nice, big beach, our hotel walking distance from the competitions and a nice view of the boats coming and leaving to the U.K. There was only one big problem which gave this Eurocup a bitter taste…the wind. This wind was coming from the city and the flats along the coast were working as massive wind blockers and resulted in very unstable wind on the beach. Beside the wrong direction, was the wind also changing in strength and even changing in strength during the day.

This resulted in a Laura Mastromauro skiing behind her full-vented kite in the beginning of the dualline individual ballet competition and a Cameron Blair in the end which was really under-powered with his standard kite. It was very frustrated to see that not every competitor had the change to fly with the same conditions.

The Multiline ballet was suffering so bad with low wind that almost half of the field didn’t succeed to finish their ballet. Marc did a very dare 360 where he almost crossed the red boundary.

In the Dualline Individual class was it Richard Debray which flew his ballet incredible good in the bad wind conditions and it was clear that he hasn’t lost it’s kite talent. In the Dualline Pair and Team wast it Courant d’Air and Start’Air which could finish their ballet with no big problems. Other pairs and teams suffered major problems with kites which were falling out of the sky. In the Multiline was it Steff Ferme with his new ballet who stole the show.

This EC was really the competition of a few pilots which could fly in this wind. The guys from Courant d’Air/ Start’ Air which ended in both classes on the first place. Steff Ferme, first in Multiline and second in Dualline Individual. Richard Debray, first Dualline Individual and third in Multiline. The France equipe won all the first places this year, comparing to 2009 where they won just one.

The EC 2010 was also a success for the Dutch team. Marc ended on a fourth place and is with this result best Dutch Multiline pilot on an EC ever. I ended on a third place and can be very happy with this result after my very bad ballet performance and no wind during my precision. See the picture with my unbelievable face with my walk to the podium.