Friday, June 1, 2001
Kite surfers Wind was good and plenty at yesterday's Hawaiian Airlines World Ocean Games kite surfing championship.
electrify at
Mokuleia
Sheldon Plentovich and Jeff
Tobias win by defying gravityBy Grace Wen
Star-BulletinAnd so were Sheldon Plentovich's gravity-defying moves.
Plentovich turned, twisted and grabbed her board in a dominating performance at Mokuleia Beach Park. The 29-year-old Kailua resident danced across the water and flew high in the air as she won all three heats of the woman's field.
"The kite that I'm flying was just a perfect kite for these conditions," said Plentovich, a former collegiate volleyball player, surfer and rock climber.
"I was right on the perfect power level and so that's why I could get some big jumps in today. Everything worked out perfect for me."
Marigold Zoll from the North Shore took second and Maui's Keala Bryant grabbed third place. Kailua's Maja Whitesell, who is 4 1/2 months pregnant, placed fourth and competed just to support the women in the field.
"I hold back a lot," Whitesell said. "I have no stomach muscles anymore. Most of the time I can't even go train. It's been really hard."
On the men's side, Jeff Tobias, a 24-year old Kailua resident, survived three rounds of competition and a one-hour delay due to weak winds to take the men's title.
"The wind started out really fluky and kind of got us all jittered up," Tobias said. "And then it actually evened out and became one of the best kiting days you could have."
Tobias began kite surfing some 18 months ago. He specializes in the numerous one-handed radically controlled maneuvers that impressed judges and spectators.
"I'm actually more comfortable taking one hand off and doing something with it," Tobias said.
Tobias edged out Desmond Walsh, who had advanced easily during the first two rounds. Stephen Whitesell, Maja's husband, finished third.
Tobias may have won the event, but it was Erik Eck who caught the biggest air of the day. However, it wasn't something he meant to do.
Eck, who had just finished in the first heat of the day, was trying to bring his kite down when a huge updraft propelled him 100 feet in the air.
Eck was able to control his kite and land, but he tumbled and hit the ground hard. He was taken to Wahiawa General Hospital and discharged later yesterday with no major injuries.
Notes: Former world champion Robbie Naish was a no-show for the event. Naish was catching a flight for the first stop of the Pro Kite Surfing tour in the Dominican Republic... Thirty kite surfers -- 25 men and five women -- participated in the event. A panel of four judges scored competitors on their three best jumps, wave riding and directional changes.