Members of the Charleston KB4girls chapter, plus a few new ladies, joined us for our annual Hatteras retreat last week.  When we arrived - Susan Grossman, head of the KB4girls Hatteras Chapter, welcomed us - thank you Susan for your hospitality!  What follows is a little story about learning.  J

Typically, to go on one of our retreats, we require attendees must at least be riding on the board or more, but this year marked our first trip were we incorporated non experienced kiters into the mix.  Excitingly, we had 6 girls learning and 4 girls kiting!!!

As we kicked off the event, I happily agreed to head up the pod of newbie gals and we quickly became a hit on the water.  That evening the topic was whether we were to be deemed caterpillars or ducks…after much discussion…caterpillars won.

How did this name come about?  Well, earlier that day gusty winds from the North kicked up and we worked with a 7M kite, and together all 5 of us bodydragged as a whole unit.  I was deeply impressed by the girl’s enthusiasm and their willingness to take on whatever role they could during the learning process.  I will remember their sweet smiles as they patiently struggled to get their bearings with the kite and grasp the challenging nuances of the sport.   Perseverance continued to reign after day three, when we shadowed the learning crew on a bodydrag downy.  At the end, I found two beaming girls despite the fact their kite had spent 99% of the time in the water pulling them downwind.  They cheerfully expressed “we’re not giving up.”

It reminded me that I see so many new kiters who have hopes dashed by expecting too much too soon.  Kiting requires patience, practice, and resolve.  Understanding the learning process and setting realistic expectations is so critical to keeping your path to kite bliss strong and your self-esteem in tack.

During the rest of the week, the girls stayed in, “the messy middle,” a term I like to borrow from author SARK.   This place contradicts our need for immediate glorious results, and is typically a frustrating landscape to navigate.  But with kiting, many messy middle experiences must take place before we can reach the final goal of riding purposefully and continuous on our boards.

It’s an important reminder to accept this messy place; and understand it’s the only space where change can take hold.  Over the next year I look forward to watching all the catapillars progress and eventually, like all others before them, they will transform and learn to fly!

PS.  Thank you Dan Casey for capturing the caterpillar in progress!

On April 22^nd we woke up to dark skies, 80% chance of rain and no wind in sight.  Our beds and couches beckoned, but we denied the call to embark on what would become one of our most memorable surf sessions!

Waves in Charleston are typically 2-3 feet, with the storm we hoped we would see a bit of a push.  When we crested the sand dune, chest to head high waves surprised us.   Armed with surfboards and paddleboards we jumped into the surf.  Getting out past the break proved to be difficult, and we got tossed and chomped over and over until we pushed thru.

Once out, we jumped out of our skins when we saw fin after fin barely skimming the surface of the water.  We all held a breath and waited a few seconds until shinning round backs breached the water…and we sighed with relief - happy to see we hadn’t stumbled on a pack of our lesser loved fishes!

We navigated the waves while watching the dolphins become more and more excited.    Their energy was electric and we counted at least 12!  Within minutes the dolphins began riding the waves in packs; it was enchanting to watch them work.  They were clearly showing us, “how it’s done”!  When we looked back towards the beach a crowd had gathered to witness the dolphins as well.  It was a surreal moment of beauty and reminded us that even on the greyest of days - the ocean is full of gifts to offer. After about an hour we decided to call it a day, fully satisfied with such an incredible show.  Mother Nature then gave us a fresh water rinse as the rain poured down during the walk back to our cars.

Hungry, we headed to our lunch meet at Alibaba to see the remainder of the girls who couldn’t make morning surf.  Nine of us met and the table was hot with chatter, within the noise I found a quiet moment in my mind and felt again a surreal sense of beauty.   I glanced at each of their faces and marveled at how all these very different women pulled together for the support, health, and connection that sport provides us.   We are indeed all very lucky to be a part of each other’s lives, and I thank you for allowing me to be the host of this amazing Chapter!

Spring is upon us here in Charleston and last year our local kite gals put together their favorite tips for feeling beautiful while fighting wind, sun, salt, and sand! We thought girls globally might find our tips helpful.

Below we've listed ten of our most popular beauty suggestions.....  :)  Happy Kiting!

1. When you are thinking about protecting yourself from the sun, it is essential that you protect your beautiful locks as well. Sun damage can lead to faded color, brittle texture, and split ends. Douse your hair in your favorite conditioner before you hit the water. For maximum protection try something with SPF, like Redken UV Daily Sun Milk or Phytoplage Protective Beach Spray. When you get off the water you'll have a fighting chance at silky smooth hair instead of sticky straw.

2.  Use a high powered sunscreen that won't budge, don't forget those tiny places like your ears, lips, and the back of your neck. If you DO get burned rub down with apple cider vinegar, then keep the skin moistened with lots of aloe vera. This awesome combination will prevent blistering and peeling. Nothing says sexy like shedding lizard skin!

3.  If you're wearing a seat harness we highly suggested to use long board shorts or chance suffering a horrid inner thigh rash. Also make sure your board shorts are free of any sand before you saddle in.

4.  If you want to sport a bikini, use a waist harness, but make sure your bottoms fit tight. String bikinis are often the best for a secure fit; but be sure to use a double knot system! Also, unless you have skin of steel always wear a rash guard or chance your hips looking like someone rubbed you down with sandpaper.

5.  Mascara. You have three options. #1: Clear mascara still highlights your lash if you've got to look your best for a biz meeting but plan to hit the water after.  #2: If you must wear mascara go with something water proof but be sure to have some lotion in your beach bag to remove any that didn't stay put after your session or sport the drugged-out look it's back in style. #3: If you have light lashes ask your local beauty experts about dying your lashes. Nothing to clean away and nothing to apply...oh my!

6.  Feet.  After a full day of walking up wind or just getting caught crossing what feels like burning hot coal, a.k.a sand in the summer, your tootsies will be well toasted. Rub down the bottoms of your feet with a heavy moisturizer for dry skin like Elemental Herbs All good Goop. Next apply a pair of socks for at least 20 minutes or for best results overnight, wake up with beautiful soft hydrated feet again. Ahhhh!

7.  Find yourself frequently going out for drinks with fellow kite friends after a session to share stories? Be sure to have a spare set of clean digs in your car along with lotion for your dried out salty dog face. Alba Jasmine & Vitamin E Moisture Cream is super hydrating and smells lovely too! If you really want to show you're on your A game, keep a solar shower (or even just a gallon jug of water) in your trunk and use it to take a quick splash...presto you're ready for a beer and a burger.

8.  Eye protection: reduce the number of crow's feet marching across your face and...oh yeah, hold on to your vision as long as possible by wearing sunglasses! Check out Bomber Sunglasses or Surf Shades, these both have a great systems to keep you from losing your glasses when you hit the water.

9.  Holding on to a kite bar for hours can give you man hands fast, calluses everywhere! Cut down on these by either being diligent about using a heavy moisturizer before and after your session OR pick up a pair of Dakine fingerless gloves and ride the day away.

10.  Just did your nails? Well girl, you're out of luck, just remember, if you want to be a kiter you have to get your priorities straight. If you want your nails to stay looking clean go for the short natural style and the sand will easily escape, leaving you looking twice as nice.

Staying organized helps me feel I'm at my best, here are a few items you'll find in my kite girl car kit that I find extremely helpful:

• Dove Intensive Repair Conditioner
• Redken UV Daily Sun Milk
• HIC Sunscreen 50SPF
• Zinka in colors blue, green, and pink
• Elemental Herbs All Good Lips Chapstick SPF 15
• Elemental Herbs Zinc Sunstick
• A hair brush & elastic hair bands
• A Solar shower Bag & a towel
• An extra bathing suit, rashguard, boardshorts, and towel
• Alba Jasmine & Vitamin E Moisture Cream
• My favorite power bar & a water
• One clean pair of undergarments and a comfy sundress

Well, ladies....that wraps it up, we hope you've found this helpful and we'd love to hear any tips of the trade you might have to share with us!

Nothing says…sexy baby…like tan faces, hands, and feet while the rest of the body remains white….but do we care?  NO, because we love kiting!

The Charleston March 11^th KB4girls meeting developed into a weekend affair of blasting NE winds.  Saturday March 10^th a couple of gals rallied for an adventurous downy from Isle of Palms to Sullivan’s Island.  The forecast predicted winds dying back as the afternoon marched on, so we took a vote and decided to rig bigger, HA, Mother Nature had her own plans and winds only increased as the day went on.

One of us rode a surfboard strapless, and the other a twintip.  Needless to say the strapless session turned into an exhausting, completely over powered event.  It felt like trying to paraglide and sumo wrestle at the same time!   My twintip buddy wrestled with the large choppy waves and got busted rocking out several spectacular hovering helicopters that left us both giggling. After 3 hours of powered carnage and several social encounters with other downy crews, we decided to call it a day.

Sunday morning - we woke up to more of the same, blasting NE winds…yeah!   The group officially met at 11am to partake in the fun.  Due to daylight savings time and a full day of wind the day before, we outnumbered the boys for the first part of the day.  A few gals arrived only to leave empty handed after realizing a much smaller kite was needed to ride, or they’d be hitching a ride back from China.

As the session progressed, we attempted to grab some video footage with a waterproof Olympus camera, but upon review - we’re going to be honest and tell you – the quality was mediocre.  What could we expect: hanging out on a sandbar filming with one hand, holding a kite in place with the other, and shaky hands fighting the cold NE winds.  Despite our video skills, we focused hard on form and technique and saw major improvements by the end.  Our two hour session ended with minor displays of public disrobement exposing our wetsuit tans as we threw on dry clothes and headed to the taco joint.

For April, we are hopeful that we’ll get a chance to even out those tan lines as we say goodbye to old man winter and welcome spring!  Warning: mediocre video footage in the works…stay tuned.  J LOL.

Sub-Atomic temperatures and polar bear sightings occurred on February 12^th when SC hit record lows for the winter.  Yes, we’ve had it easy this year; except for club meet days….what’s the deal Mother Nature!!   In an effort to “work with the conditions,” we attempted to pump ourselves up for a morning surf since off shore winds made kiting and paddleboarding un-doable.  Fortunately, for the sake of our immune systems, the ocean was a glass lake…so we decided to add one more layer of winter insulation with an egg and fruit extravaganza!

While we filled our bellies everyone grabbed a KB4girls sticker, got organized for the coming season, and the first challenge was made.  In an effort to utilize media as a training tool we’ve ask the gals to buddy up and take video and photos of each other.  Air & Earth, our local shop, have made available to us waterproof cameras and an HD Contour Roam video camera.  Zero excuses for failing to capture our wonderful selves pushing our skill set!   At the March meeting, we’ll check in with what’s been captured and what they learned.  The best footage takes home a copy of Kristin Boese Complete Guide to Kitesurfing!

We also took a hard look at goals for the coming season.  Ambitions ranged from experiencing the 1st ride, to graceful strapless riding, and dreams of attempting aerial handlepasses.   Another hot topic was safety and what if scenarios; we’re tackling safety one step at a time with real time self rescue experiences and video training.

While we flirted with the idea to take a group trip this winter, schedules conflicted so a unanimous decision was made to explore our own back yard with day trips planned to nearby Barrier Islands.  A few of the gals have decided to take an impromptu three day excursion to find wind and waves along the Florida coast this weekend….viva la road trip!  Stay tuned for footage from their adventure.

In other exciting news our very own Monica Banks placed third in women’s freestyle at the Jupiter Kite Invasion…let’s give it up for Monica!  And, last but not least we are pumped to announce the annual Charleston Kite Race this spring will feature a women’s division….bring it ladies, time to set your speed records and work off that last layer of winter eggs!

The Charleston KB4girls chapter would like to report a successful first meet!  Actually, it quickly turned into a weekend affair as Mother Nature blessed us with 20kts of wind from the SW the day before our meet.  We thoroughly enjoyed and utilized the 70 degree January day!  The gals pushed themselves from all levels: some practiced board starts, some went for jumping & rolls, and a few others embraced a strapless downy in rolling waves.  We also put our new contour camera to use and are currently working on some fun amateur footage as we document this season of kiting!

The following day mother nature sang a different tune as fog, light drizzle, gusty NE winds, and 40 degree temps kept us questioning whether we wanted to hit the water…. we are adverse to cold weather, but hey that’s why we live in the south!  A few brave souls threw on their wetsuits while their winter jacket clad buddies cheered them on; but once we hit the beach the winds became unstable and veered side-off shore.  Well seasoned from the day before, the crew was satisfied to call it a day and head down to our favorite Mexcian Cantina for a plate full of nachos and tacos…..yahoo!  Join us on February 12^th for another kite gal adventure.

Just today, as I write this, we received our KB4girls starter package…next time we dawn the flag!

Welcome KB4girls to Charleston SC!  The air club for girls, a local SC club dedicated to helping girls have more great kite sessions is ecstatic to partner with KB4girls to represent the official KB4girls Charleston chapter!!  With a team of girls ranging in skill from complete beginner to pro we've got your questions covered....we have been there done that and are ready to help you with any question or concern.   If the wind stops, no worries, the fun keeps going as we continue to stay active with non-windy sports like stand up paddleboarding, skateboarding, surfing, and wakeboarding.  In Charleston it's all about southern hospitality so feel free to join us at our next meeting for some serious riding and laughing!

We'll kick off the New Year with meet times beginning in January and heading thru August.   Officially we will meet once a month, but anytime the wind blows we'll be heading out,  please contact us for more information on meet times, locations, and to join our windy texting tree.

January 22^nd

February 12^th

March 11^th

April 22nd

May 19th Charleston Kite Race - 1st year for women's division!

May 20^th

June 10^th

July 15^th

August 12th