Sporty Saturday Spotlight 12-04-09

This Saturday the sporty spotlight shines bright on wakeboarder, surfer, skateboarder, and kiteboarder, Claire Lutz.  Check out Claire’s interview below where she shares her fave athletes, great advice, amazing action shots, and much, much more.

Name: Claire Lutz

Age: 22

Sport(s): Kiteboarding, wakeboarding, surfing, skateboarding

Hometown: St. Joseph, MI

Currently living in Cape Hatteras, NC

College: Western Michigan University studying marketing and public relations.

Dreams:

To work in the kiteboarding industry in marketing, and hopefully as a pro kiter so that I can travel the world.

What’s your fave sport?

Kiteboarding

How many years have you been playing your fave sport?

I started one year ago.

What was your fave sporty moment or memory?

My favorite memory was finally learning my first unhooked trick, the Raley.

What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned from playing your sport?

To be confident but not over confident. And to share the love of the sport. No one likes selfish people who want all the spotlight for themselves..

What lessons have you learned about work ethic from your sport?

You must work very hard!! It’s important to have a good attitude on and off the water, and always try your very best.

What have you learned about teamwork?

It’s important to support each other, your teammates should always have your back!

How do you balance school and sports?

I spend 6 months of the year on school and the other 6 months focusing on kiteboarding only. When I’m in school I work on snowboarding.

Who’s your fave athlete, both male and female?

Female would be Lisa Anderson, who is a legendary Pro surfer. She has been very inspirational to all women because of her hard work and determination. She  proved to everyone women can do anything.

Male would be Jason Slezak, who is a Pro Kiteboarder. He has been in the industry since the beginning, winning hearts with his great attitude towards life and others, along with being a caring supportive friend.

What’s the girliest thing you like to do? (Pretty Tough signature question)

I’m a fan of painting my nails. It makes me feel more girlie to have hot pink nails, versus chipped dirty nails from being in the water ☺

Thanks, Claire!! And thanks for sharing your fabulous pics! Wow. Kiteboarding looks fun and amazing. Best of luck with your career. :)

Do you or someone you know want to be spotlighted? Shoot an email to Keri Mikulski at kerimikulski(at)gmail(dot)com.

Happy Saturday!

Cool combo sports offer great adrenalin rush

Ever tried Kitesurfing, Roller Soccer, Parkour, Sandboarding, or Mountain Boarding? How about Skijoring, Snowkiting or Snow Kayaking? Whatever the season, check out the coolest combo sports or invent your own!

Kitesurfing
Snowboarding meets hang gliding when you launch 20 feet in the air over water.

Kitesurfing is a mixture of paragliding, wakeboarding, surfing and windsurfing. Practice in flat waters similar to wakeboarding and water skiing or in waves like surfing with the ability to jump and fly. Some pros achieve heights of 60 feet and 100 yards in distance!

Mountain Boarding
Mountain boarding, also known as dirtboarding, or all-terrain-boarding, is one of the newest board sports. Originally intended to take the place of snowboarding during months when there is no snow, it’s developed into a sport in its own right.

A mountain board is similar to an oversized skateboard. The size of the deck is shorter than the average snowboard, and the wheels consist of small plastic/alloy hubs. Wheel size varies depending on which type of riding is done – smaller wheels for freestyle riding and jumping; larger ones for downhill. Like a snowboard (and unlike a skateboard) the feet of the rider are attached to the board deck with bindings, however boots are not required.

Roller Soccer
Imagine a game that combines elements of roller hockey and soccer and you have Roller Soccer.

League matches are played five-on-five in roller hockey rinks using a standard, size five soccer ball. A match consists of two, 25-minute periods. Teams earn one point or two points for each goal scored. Two points are earned only when the ball passes between the legs of a defender on its path into the goal. All players are forbidden to handle the ball while the ball is in play; specially identified goalkeepers are allowed, but not required. Gooooal!

Parkour
Parkour (par-koor) is a form of extreme gymnastics developed in the late 1980’s in Paris.

This urban extreme sport blends gymnastics and martial arts with skateboarding moves swapping uneven bars and floor mats for fire escapes and concrete. Parkour translates roughly from the French ‘parcours’ or obstacle course. Parkour athletes use whatever is around – stairways, benches, fountains – as obstacles and springboards to vault and jump.’ Crews aspire to ‘freeflow’ or achieve a state of mind over matter – this is the nirvana of parkour.

Sandboarding
After the snow melts, diehard boarders face the end of another winter season. How to cope? Try sandboarding. The sport, already huge in Australia, Africa, and Brazil, is taking off in America.

Sandboarding can be done standing up and barreling down the slope on a board, or, for the more adventurous, lying down and racing at speeds of up to 50 mph

Just find a place with sand dunes, (check local regulations and stay away from fragile dune grass) grab a sandboard and carve like you would in powder. Top U.S. spots include Jockey’s Ridge State Park, N.C., Sand Master Park in Florence, Ore, and Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Colo. Remember there are no chair lifts and you need to close your eyes and mouth when you fall!

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Winter Combo Sports

Skijoring
Cross country skiing has gone to the dogs. A popular sport from Scandinavia called “skijoring” can be a great workout for you and your canine. Fido is outfitted with a special harness and leash so he can pull you, wearing your XC skis, along pristine trails. Once your and your pooch are proficient you can search out races and more.

Snow Kayaking
Know of a pristine hillside covered with newfallen snow? If sledding or tobogganing seems old hat, grab the kayak from your garage and improvise. A kayak will work fine if the snow is really cold, so the kayak doesn’t stick. You can get some speed going and use the paddle to carve out snow and stick the paddle behind to use as a rudder. It’s not as accurate as a sled but about the same as a toboggan and a lot more fun.

Snow Kiting
Fast growing and simple to learn, skiers and boarders across the world are discovering the fun of snow kiting. All you need is snow and a power kite and you can turn a cold winter’s day into a blistering, adrenaline-soaked experience. Speeds of over 60 mph have been recorded as snow kite riders blast themselves along with just the power of the wind.

Wind power is one of life’s few free rides and already snow kiting enthusiasts have achieved incredible things. From a ground breaking unsupported journey to the North Pole and back to huge kite-powered adventures through Alaska, the world of winter sports is embracing this fantastic new sport.

Boarding School: Ladies Kitesurfing Clinic Down Under

October 10, 2008 – (Editors Note: From Fiona Tarr, our new friend Down Under, comes this quick account of a recent Ladies Kitesurfing event):

Saturday 27th September saw a great turn out to our first ladies only clinic held at Castaways Beach on the Sunshine Coast.

Special guest Rebecca Colefax (Nicholson), 2003 KPWT World Women’s Champion, gave an inspirational talk and helped the ladies who attended with advice and support. 

Adventure Sports Kitesurf Australia’s senior instructor George Tarr and Noosa Kiteboarding’s senior instructor Mike Burrell took small groups of ladies through some trainer kite practice while Rebecca supported the more experienced kiters with information ranging from harness choice right through to how to start on those freestyle moves.

Rebecca then gave a final motivational question and answer time for any ladies considering kitesurfing along with the ladies who had started in the sport but had not managed to progress onto the board yet.

Visit www.kite-surf.com.au for further information and to keep and eye out for future clinics. Joint owner Adventure Sports Kitesurf Australia and female kiter Fiona Tarr is always happy to offer FREE and relevant advice to women either already kitesurfing or looking at getting into this awesome sport.

Thanks Fiona!