GKA Air Games Cabarete Wrap-up – Cabarete

Tue 17th Jul, 2018 @ 12:00 am

Kitesurfing News
GKA Air Games Cabarete Wrap-up - Cabarete

THE BIG SEND-OFF SESSION IN CABARETE

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With the main event wrapped up on Saturday, Sunday was all about the Best Trick competition. The riders would be released on to the water one at a time, with the chance to go for one old-school trick and one wakestyle / new school maneuver to make up their score.

Paul Serin – Board-off board spin and product placement on point

There were two real standout riders in the men’s division – Luis Alberto Cruz and Carlos Mario. Carlos was going bigger than anyone and landed a beautifully clean ‘sent’ triple handle pass and he was gunning hard for a final shot at some glory after such a strong showing in the double eliminations.

Luis Alberto Cruz goes for his triple handlepass – and sticks it!

However, Carlos Mario then exploded on to the water with a kiteloop nine (a trick that could easily score him a ten from the judges in any heat) and then he landed a tweaked, clean double front roll board-off to follow up. High scoring tricks in both the new school and old school categories. Nobody could match him yesterday!

Carlos ‘The Unbeaten Bebe’ Mario

The men and women were riding in alternating heats and Pippa Van Iersel, who was consistently strong at this event taking third in both the single and double eliminations, then impressed the judges with a big blind judge and a kiteloop. This was a step up from what the other girls had done so far, the level had just been raised.

Pippa powers to first in Best Trick with a stomped blind judge

Hannah had landed a smooth board-spin board-off and answered back to Pippa’s blind judge with one of her own, but it wasn’t as big, so then the attention fell on Mikaili Sol to try and take her second podium win of the week.

Hannah’s blind judge was clean – but Pippa had the upper hand when it came to height

Mikaili stuck a nice slim chance and, as she would be the last rider to hit the water, she had a real chance of taking the win with no following challengers. She lined up for her board-off and sent it but she scrubbed out hard on the landing, so walked away with no points and, because she had no ‘old school score’, she’d have to settle for third.