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Shannon Best
Power, aggression & fluidity is the Best way to describe Shannon’s
style. His "take no prisoners" attitude has helped him charge to the front of the pack in not one but two
sports. Along the way of dominating sports of wakeboarding & kiteboarding, Shannon has influenced thousands
of riders & their styles. He continues his contribution to the sports of the water with design aspects in
all of the Best Kiteboarding products. (read more)
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Jeff Biege
When Jeff is not tearing up the water kiteboarding or surfing he is in
the studio producing the soundtracks to his life. One of the founders of Best Kiteboarding, Jeff has been a
driving force in its success. His fluid style can been seen in his riding & heard in his music. (read more) |
Alex Shogren
The Best team is the only team Alex would ever qualify for as his
crashes are far more spectacular than his tricks. Always the first one on the water & the last one off,
Alex’s passion for kiting is undeniable. Kiteboarding started out as a part time hobby for Alex & has
quickly become a huge part of Alex’s life both on & off the water. meets. (read more) |
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Kristin Boese
Current 2007 KPWT Overall Champion, Kristin is also a two-time PKRA World Champion, taking the title first in 2005, and then again in 2006. Known as "The Germinator" (a combination of her nationality and her ability to "terminate" anyone who goes up against her), Kristin is a tough and well-rounded competitor and an inspiration to everyone who knows her. In 2007, Kristin won the US Kiteboarding Nationals, published a book on kitesurfing, filmed with John Bilderback on a new kitefilm "Lines," and appeared on the September issue of German Playboy. (read more) |
Alvaro Onieva
Alvaro speaks four languages that we know of: Spanish,
Italian, English, and the international language of ripper. His unique
skate style on the water, combined with consistent, technical precision, has enabled Alvaro to stand out as
one of the top PKRA tour riders. Rising from 6th place overall in 2005, to 4th place overall in 2006,
Alvaro finished 3rd Overall in the 2007 PKRA World ... and is also the 2007 Slider World Champion and
Board-Off Champion, and the Spanish National Champion! (read more) |
Bruna Kajiya
After turning down the opportunity to model underwear for
Calvin Klein, Bruna, born and based in Brazil, started competing on the PKRA World Tour in 2005, finishing
3rd overall, and 2nd overall for 2006 and 2007. But don't be fooled by her pretty face .... Bruna is fiercely competitive and extremely focused, spent the winter training with some of the top riders in the world, and got off to a great start for 2008, winning the very first stop of the PKRA World Tour in Mexico. (read
more) |
Miguel Willis
Growing up travelling in Africa and Asia, Miguel caught the
travel bug at a young age and can often be seen lugging his expertly packed kit through airports on his way to his next
destination. In 2005, he competed in half of the KPWT events, finishing the year ranked 14th in freestyle
and 9th in the wave section, and in 2006 he finished 9th overall. In 2007, Miguel headed up the
Summer RV Tour, and is, for 2008, is our designated Travel Rider, traveling to off-the-beaten-path locations and documenting his adventures with text, stills, and video. (read
more) |
Joe Ruscito
Not only is Joe one of the hottest up-and-coming riders on
the kiteboarding scene today, with his naturally positive attitude, he's also one of the nicest, happiest,
and most helpful rider you'll ever meet, winning friends and influencing people everywhere he goes.
With his stoke for the sport, Joe's a rockstar on any beach he rides, and if he isn't crashing and going
big, he isn't learning. Joe's debut onto the American scene was a 2-page spread kiting in front of
the Statue of Liberty, and he'll be competing in as many US-based competitions as his status as a full-time student will allow. (read more) |
Sean Reyngoudt
While the loss of a limb might spell the end of some
people's athletic careers, for 23-year old Sean Reyngoudt from the Florida Keys, it was just the beginning.
After losing his left leg below the knee in a forklift accident in 2003, Sean decided to "try"
wakeboarding. After winning the Wakeboard Event at the 2006 Extremity Games, he took up kiting in
August'06, to see if his considerable wakeboard skills could transfer to the kite (they did). With his
positive attitude and fearless approach to kickers and sliders, Sean has exploded onto the kiteboard scene
... an inspiration to everyone he meets. (read
more) |
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Alex Brown
At the ripe old age of 19, Alex Brown, 2006 NABX champion and MBS
sponsored pro rider, is already a long-established fixture in the UK landboarding scene. With a special
flair for generating publicity, Lil' Alex is dedicated to exploring and expanding the sport of
landboarding and is passionately interested in taking it to the street. Drill2, the second in his landboard instructional series, will be available this summer. (read more)
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Jake Buzianis
Local Utah snow ripper, Jake loves to kite on and off the land. He's
not afraid to throw it down on the snow with his loops and big jumps. If you happen to be in Utah this
winter, you'll definitely notice Jake tearing the local scene to shreds.
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Bas Koole
The unofficial Dutch Champion in 2007, Bas is one of those guys who is always smiling and really enjoys his life as a kiter. After finishing school, he headed to South Africa to pursue the sport on a more serious level, and continues to travel and compete as much as he can. (read more)
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Patrick Blanc
Although he's the youngest rider on the team, Patrick Blanc from Spain
has been on the team since 2004, which actually makes him a veteran. He started flying a stunt kite at age
5, got on the board at age 7, and is also a hardcore competitive skater, surfer, snowboarder, and climber.
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Bill Kraft
When it comes to kiting, Bill only knows one way and that's full
throttle. Squashing any question about his age, Bill charges with every loop thrown or wave hit. His
backyard is a slice of kiter's paradise in beautiful St. Croix. |
Scott Harwood
Scott is a living legend and that's no joke. He's one of the modern day
boardsport pioneers in not one or two, but three sports. Back when only a handful of individuals in the
world were involved, he helped develop from infancy such sports as wakeboarding, tow wakeboarding, tow
surfing and kiteboarding. If it wasn't for Scott, Alex wouldn't be kiting, and none of us would be were we
are today. |
Will Caldwell
Will Caldwell is a straight-A high-school junior from Fort Lauderdale. Update to come.
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Laurel Eastman
Originally from California, Laurel Eastman brought her smooth, fluid
style of riding to both the KPWT and PKRA tour, and in 2002, became the highest ranked American, placing
4th overall in both tours. Her dedication and love for the sport brought her to Cabarete, Dominican
Republic, where she now lives with her husband. She owns and operates Laurel Eastman Kiteboarding, a
kitesurfing club and Best Flagship kite school, on Bozo Beach, between Cabarete Town, and Kite Beach. You
can find Laurel out on the reef just about daily, living her passion, and flying her pink Waroos! |
Stan Radev
When it comes to kiteboarding and drinking beer, Stan is a very serious
man. The Bulgarian oceans instilled a deep sense of respect for the water within Stan. He shares this
respect and man’s ability to harness the power of nature through kiteboarding. Stan is among the best
kiteboarding coaches in the world, working for REAL Kiteboarding in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Stan is
most well known for his ability to take complete beginners and turn them into self-sufficient riders in
three days. Stan is sponsored through Real Kiteboarding. |
Ian Luthringer
Trying to balance his life between kiting and law school, Ian finds little time for anything else. From the very beginning, Ian committed to the kiting lifestyle and has since used every free moment to travel to kiting spots all over the world. Whether kiting flat water or the slider park at “Butters” in New Jersey, dropping into double overhead waves in Bali, or at home in Jacksonville, Florida, Ian charges hard in pursuit of progression. He hopes to use his law degree to help promote and protect the sport of kiteboarding and the rights of its enthusiasts. |
Erik Stone
Erik went from learning to kite in 2001 by body-dragging in the snow
during Minnesota blizzards, to jumping 20 feet over cement on a mountainboard, to kitesurfing triple
overhead waves. Erik is known for his adaptive, fast, and high-wind style he picked up from riding
mountainboards and tropical storms. He took 4th place in Hang-time at the 2006 Morocco KWPT and hopes to be
able to compete in more KPWT events as well as NABX in 2008. You can find Erik riding, and coaching
kiteboarders at a myriad of kiteboarding schools around the world. |
Bucky Ashcraft
Bucky has been a loyal Best rider since the beginning. Riding most of
the time in the great state of Texas, Bucky has kited at some of the sickest, gnarliest spots in the world
and is as at home on a twintip as he is on a strapless surfboard. In 2006 and 2007, Bucky drove the RV
around a good part of the country, and provided entertaining recaps of his "life on the road" with the Best
RV. (read more) |
Ismael Moussed
With remote ties to French Polynesia, Ismael pretty much wanders the
world in search of prime kiteboarding locations. Discovered by Alex in the butterflat Taiba lagoon, Isma
was instrumental in the testing of the 2006 line, and considers his "discovery" of the Waroo one of his
biggest accomplishments of the year. His travels include Mauritius, Rodriguez Island, Morocco, Mauritania,
Senegal, Gambia, and Brazil. |
Lucas Gianello
14-year old Lucas, from Naples, Florida, has been kiting for 4 years
and is determined to be the best in the world. He loves to travel and kiteboard with his family, and his
dad takes him wherever there's wind is so he can practice, practice, practice. Lucas is sponsored through
WindStalkers Kiteboarding. |
Daniel Gianello
With 2 years of riding under his belt, 13-year old Daniel loves
kiteboarding ... waves, freestyle, you name it ... and rides whenever he gets the chance. Always searching
for an adrenaline rush, Daniel travels all over the south and east coasts of Florida with his family, and
loves riding in the warm waters of the Dominican Republic. Daniel is sponsored through WindStalkers
Kiteboarding. |
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