ORGANIZIER:Nelson Borelli
Job: Overall charge of program design and implementation.
Bio: “The occasion was at the 1992 Chicago Sky Circus. The sight: Stafford
Wallace’s kite acrobatics. From then on I got hooked to it, begun to taper
off my medical/psychiatric practice to find time to learn how to fly and
construct the little guys for outdoors and indoors glory. For the last
3-4 years I have been involved locally and nationally in a campaign to
give the SLS the proper place in the kiting community.”
PUBLIC RELATIONS: Gina Hsiung
Job: To facilitate and upgrade e-communication within the SLS-FK Committee
and the Kiting community.
Bio: Gina, a native Californian, is married to Fighter Kite enthusiast,
Johnny Hsiung, and mother of Michelle (6 yr.). Maintains the CyberFighter
Website, http://www.csun.edu/~hfoao033/fighters.html, in her spare time.
She’s the Cataloging Manager in the University Library at California State
University, Northridge. Kite Affiliations: AKA; San Diego Kite Club; NFKA;
and the Manjha Club International. Honors for the CyberFighter Website:
Cool Kite Site Award -Feb.’97, Three Star Award - Oct. ‘98. “I don’t fly
kites, but I am good at organizational duties.” [grin]
PRECISION COMPETITION DIRECTOR:
Mike Steele
Job: To organize and conduct the precision competition section for
Novice and Experience Categories. To recruit assistants. To keep scores
records and to deliver them to the Organizer.
Bio: Mike, a registered Architect, has been designing and flying
kites since he was a youth. He has been into organized kite flying since
participating in a rokkaku kite building class given by Tal Streeter several
decades ago. Mike is a founding member and past president of the Chicagoland
Sky Liners Kite Club. He was also AKA Regional Director for a short
term. Mike builds and flies kites of all kinds, and is noted for flying
large kites, but his real passion is Kite Fighting with Rokkakus &
Fighters. “This is were the flying skill of the flyer is tasked to the
fullest.” He has been flying Fighters from the mid-eighties, when he bought
his first two Fighter Kites from Joe Vaughn, of GrandMaster Kites, at the
end of the Long Beach Kite Festival. Practicing at highway rest stops on
the drive to the Dayton Kite Festival, he entered and won this first fighter
kite contest. He was really hooked then and has been promoting Fighter
Kites ever since.
FIELD DIRECTOR: Terry McPherson
Job: Responsible for fields marking and use; pilots’ flow, assist Chief
Judge and help recruit and supervise assistants.
Bio: Terry McPherson, 58 year old kite flyer from Ionia, MI. One of
the founders of the Mid-Michigan String Stretchers (M2S2), Michigan's premier
kite club. First duel line competition in 1989, he found that duel
line competition was not for him. He became involved in judging, taking
seminars in both 90 & 91 at the East Coast Stunt Kite Championships,
at Wildwood, NJ. Has judged duel line competitions throughout region 5,
and currently the head judge at four events. He was invited to judge
the 98 World Cup at Dieppe France. I have been flying fighters for the
last 2 years. I was awarded 2nd place in the Novice Class at the 98 AKA
Ocean Shores Convention.
CHIEF JUDGE: Bruce Jarvie
Job: To explain and enforce the combat rules, to keep written notes
of scores, recruit and supervise assistants and deliver scores to the Organizer.
Bio: An Oak Park (Detroit suburb), MI citizen, Bruce started flying
fighters around 1979. First fighter kite: Vic's Fighter. Self taught for
a few years, then “I met the rest of you.” Favorite kite for chasing/harassing
seagulls: GrandMaster. Club affiliations: Former president, 5/20 Kite Group
- Detroit. Current memberships: AKA, Chicagoland Skyliners, 4 Seasons (SE
Michigan), Black Swamp Air Force (Toledo, OH). AKA Awards (Fighters): 3
second placings, 2 third placings. Committee Chairman/Typist for
the current AKA rulebook. Head Judge (Fighters) twice at AKA Grand Nationals
and numerous times at the annual United States Air Force Museum Kite Festival
(Dayton OH)
ANNOUNCER: Terry McPherson
Job: To beef up the event.
Bio: See Field Director
HOSPITIALITY TENT MANAGER:
Andrew Selzer
Job: Oversee communication for managers, pilots and public; provide
refreshments and recruit assistants for hospitality tent.
Bio: “I am from the South Jersey Kite Flyers (SJKF). Like a lot of
you, my first interest was sport kites. After flying and competing with
them for several years, a friend suggested I try fighter kites. From that
innocent introduction four years ago, and the simple Hata from Into the
Wind, has come the love of the sport, it's people, and the feel of that
fighter in your hand. With the Eastern League sport kite circuit comes
the opportunity to compete against the best flyers on the East Coast. And,
as always, you get to win a few and lose a few. But always remember to
keep those kites dancin' in the wind.”
BRAIN STORMING MODERATOR: Nelson
Borelli
Job: Lead Seminar, Organize and conduct the discussion on new ideas,
consensus building, camaraderie forming, etc.
Bio: See Organizer
PRESENTER: Gordon Schmidt
Job: Lead Seminar: “History of Single Line Sport-Fighter Kites in North
America”
Bio: Gordon has been a fighter kite enthusiast since 1982. He
is a member of the AKA and the Northwest Fighter Kite Association (NFKA).
Recently, he compiled a fighter kite bibliography for the book published
by the NFKA. Gordon is an aerodynamicist by profession, and has been
involved in the analysis and testing of the 420,000 cubic foot kite balloon
used by the United States Air Force.
PRESENTER: Stafford Wallace
Job: Lead Seminar: “History of Kite Flying in India”
Bio: Born in Lucknow, India, Stafford was an obsessive kiteflier until
at the age of 18 he immigrated to England. He flew kites at all levels
in India from the anonymous rooftop fights to the prestige distance fights
of approx. 1000 mtrs. He missed his beloved Indian kites so much
that he used to return to India just to fly kites. Six years ago, he gave
up his job in Local Government to become a full-time kiteflier. He made
many friends in Chicago on his first visit in 1992 where he won the Fighter
Skills, Fighter Contest and Wind Sprint and in 1995 he won the AKA Fighter
Kite Championship. He is a member of many UK kite clubs. As well as most
countries in Europe, he has traveled to China, Colombia, Canada, South
Africa and the States. He has taught people in all these countries to fly
what he describes as 'his childhood toys'.
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR: Bruce
Lambert
Job: Teach Class: ”Build a 5-sided Buka fighter”
Bio: “I'm the membership guy and treasurer of Northwest Fighter Kite
Association. Actually, I am a fighter kite nut! Really love flying the
little guys! Puts such a big grin on my face almost every time I fly them!
Just can't help myself!! Designing, building and experimenting with fighter
kites is also a passion; always looking for that elusive extra 5%
performance!! Flying in line touch competitions is my favorite aspect of
fighter kiting. Placed 2nd in the 1998 AKA Convention Fighter Competition,
and at the 1999 WSIKF I placed 1st in experienced line touch category,
1st in Footlong Hotdog competition and 2nd in the Conrad Cup Buka
Challenge. Luck was with me!”
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR: Nelson
Borelli
Job: Teach Class: “SLSport-Fighter, indoor flying style”
Bio: See Organizer
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