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Woodette is "The Champ"
Rigging for Woodette...even in the winter!
Some of the kiters for a group photo. Look at the shine off my goggles!
Marg and I before the race
The Champ in her playground
Paul coming down after a 20' jump! haha
Margot and Rob "The Professor" Evans (Men's ski champion)
We are back from another terrific weekend spent with friends and fellow wind junkies at the 4th Annual Kite Crossing. This years event with over 100 registered kiters made it THE largest snowkiting event in North America! And who else better to represent the woman ski class as Champion? Well, non other than our very own Woodette! Holy cow eh!
The winds were forecasted all day Saturday to be steady in direction and speed, but good ol' Mother Nature proves us wrong again, by mixin' it up just a bit with a 40 degree wind shift 5 minutes before the start, failing winds halfway through a 32 mile killer thigh burning course, all the while with sunny blue skies above. Paul and I after crossing each other on a few tacks, to get to what was now, the windward mark (remember the 40 degree wind shift?), decided to stop for a 'rest' after the international 'beer signal' of a hand raised high in the air tilting back n' forth was seen. I had packed some emergency beer in my backpack for such an occasion, so stopping made sense to us! We decided when we ran out of beer to just head back to the event site and cruise around with some of the other no-competing kiters. Good choice because later, better than half of the racers decided to either turn around, walk, or get picked up on the lake (remember the failing winds?). I was looking for Woodette on the return trip, but with kiters spread out all over the place and just trying to focus on the terrain in front of you, I must have passed her by.
Time passed by back at the event site by trying new gear manufaturer's had to demo, kiting, chillin' and socializing. I took my binoculars out to look for Woodette and spotted her still a few miles out struggling to keep her kite in the air with he lack of wind. I contemplated flagging down a snowmobile to go pick her up, but decided to just let her be... Sometime later the wind started to pick up, kiters were out and about then I grabbed everybody's attention pointing to the sky and Margot's kite heading to the finish line saying " now let that be a lesson to all of us!" 3-1/2 hrs later she was cruisin to the finish that none of us made! Awesome stuff!
In the end, it was Woodette. The only woman to finish the race! Back-to-back Summer & Winter Crossing wins! Wow, that is still so unbelievable! By no means is she the most talented kiter or windsurfer, but determination? Well, her wins prove her will to finish!
Put your hands together for our Super-Champ Margot "Woodette" Woodworth!
Posted by Brad at March 3, 2008 7:24 PM
Comments
Way to go Schwaby!!!
Girls rule!
Posted by: Shan/Surfy at March 3, 2008 10:05 PM
That is so awesome Margot. Congrats on your strength and determination. WooHoo
Posted by: Big Al at March 4, 2008 8:28 AM
Yeah Margot! Kicked their butts again. I bet now that you have this wonderful winter sport, you will be sad when summer arrives! Nuts.
Posted by: Andree at March 4, 2008 9:15 AM
Isn't it hilarious??? Seriously, my main goal was to make it safely out of the parking lot with so many kiters and kites. What an experience the start line was, after I almost knocked out 50 kiters! OMG!
Talk about never underestimate the underdog...LOL
What a great event!!!
Posted by: Margot at March 4, 2008 10:12 AM
Oh ya I forgot to mention that the start gate is a 'box' (made of 4 traffic cones) that each kiter must pass through to get their bib number recorded prior to hitting the big lake. I was ahead of Marg so I didn't get to see the carnage behind me, but I guess when she went through the start gate, she dove her kite into another woman kiter (of all people!) tangling her lines up briefly which created a domino effect of 50+ kiters stalled at the start! hahaha! I wish I would have seen it :)
The start strategy I taught her paid off! LOL!!
Posted by: Woody at March 4, 2008 11:43 AM
Congratulations Woodette!
Posted by: Michael at March 7, 2008 1:08 PM
Thank you! Winter kiting is a great wind fix for us up in the cold North, since we don't get to windsurf for 6 months! Yikes!
Posted by: Margot at March 8, 2008 11:04 AM
Great pictures and congrats again Margot! I'm gonna race w/u @ Mille Lacs next year and you have advance permission to crash your kite into me.
Posted by: Guinevere at March 8, 2008 7:12 PM
