Kiteboarding: Martha’s Vineyard’s Extreme Sport?

Islander Brock Callen grew up sailing boats. His father is the Brock Callen behind . Recently, the younger Brock is headed off-Island to Les Voiles de St Barth to participate in one of the world’s most renowned sailing races, and after competing in that race, Callen competed in an a different kind of race, one that has become more and more of a passion for Callen: the international Kiteboarding event in Leucate, France called Le Mondial Du Vent.

Kiteboarding, also called kitesurfing, is a water sport where the rider stands on a small surfboard, with or without foot-straps, and uses the power of a large controllable kite to propel the rider and the board across the water. On a good windy day, you can often see kiteboarders along State Beach or in Sengekontacket Pond. (If you have the chance, pull over and watch. It is truly a spectacular sight.)

Raised on the Island by his sail-loving parents since 8^th grade, Callen found a direct link between his own love of sailing and his desire to promote awareness of water quality issues of the Island. Most recently, he’s been working with Camron Adibi at Island Sustainability on a few projects to promote awareness about the fragile water systems in our coastal ponds. 

While he was initially drawn to kiteboarding because of the extreme nature of the sport and its obvious ties to sailing, Callen has also found it to be a great way to experience the water and natural environment of the Island he treasures. He is now both a sponsored sailor and kiteboarder with sponsors such as: BEST Kiteboarding, Gorilla Rigging, Corporate Casuals, Team Moneypenny, Catapult Racing and NASSP.

Before Callen left for the competitions, we wanted to find out a little more about the sport and where he sees its place on Martha’s Vineyard.

How did you get involved in kiteboarding?

When I first moved to Newport and was working my way up the pro sailing ladder, I lived on the floor of a decrepit old sail loft. My buddy from college lived in the "apartment" upstairs and he had some kite gear. We went to the beach one day after work and I tried flying the kite for the first time for about three minutes before he snatched it back and went out to ride for the rest of the afternoon.

I think that was in 2001 and from there it was a long slow road before I actually learned to kite. Back then there still weren't many schools or instructors around, so I use to take a skateboard with big inflatable tires and a 1.5-meter trainer kite out in this big beach parking lot. I would ride up and down in all kinds of weather. Raining, snowing, February, May, it didn't matter. There was a group of us that would just try and rig up anything with a sail, a kite, wheels, skis whatever and then go out and see how fast we could go. There were a lot of broken bones and road rash and I wouldn't recommend it, but it was a hell of a lot of fun.

What is the most exciting thing about kiteboarding?

Kiteboarding most often gets associated with being this extreme sport and that is probably one of the things that initially attracted me. But one of my favorite things about Kiteboarding is the ability to interact with nature. Here you have this extreme sport that can be so aggressive and yet you interact with nature in the most passive way. No fuel, no noise, no negative impact on the beach or the wildlife or anything. You can literally go anywhere you want and see everything that the ocean has to offer. The wildlife I have seen while kiting is amazing; waterfowl, turtles, dolphins, seals, striped bass, I can’t even think of everything. Then you also get this very unique perspective of the shoreline. Whether it’s in the coastal ponds as you skim across inches of water in hands reach of spartina, or out at Philbin drawing a cutback turn around a boulder and seeing the way the water washes around it.  These are the things that I like most about kiteboarding.

Why do you think it's growing so much as a sport?

Safer equipment has a lot to do with its growth. I also think that the average person, in average shape, can go take lessons for a week and feel comfortable enough to go out and ride flat water and enjoy themselves. Skimming across the water using only the wind? Why wouldn’t it grow?

Who are some of your competitors?

Besides myself and the amazingly fast Kiters who live on MVY? Most speed kiters are largely French based, as Speed Kiting is big in Europe. Standouts include Alex Caziergues, Charlotte Conosorti, Seb Salerno and Sylvain Hoecini.

Who else from MV is on your team?

Bill Lynch, Morgan Douglas, Jamie Douglas and Rob Douglas. These are the guys who got me into Speed Kiting and I have huge respect for them and what they have done. True Pioneers.

What is next for you?

I am really excited about the future. I have only begun to take the technology that we use in Grand Prix sailing and start applying it to kiteboarding. I think that as this continues, we will see rapid growth in performance. Right now I feel like I am making headway everyday and I cannot wait to continue pushing things. The crossover between the two sports is a niche that I think is so important to both sports. I see so many similarities and having worked so hard for so long as Professional Sailor I am excited to apply all that knowledge to kiting.

What is next for kiteboarding on MV?

That's a tricky question. I want to see the sport expand, but I want to see it done responsibly especially on Martha's Vineyard. We are a unique Island with intricate wind and tidal patterns. It gets tricky when you venture out of the coastal ponds or bays like Katama or Cape Poge.

I also think that it is extremely important that kiters be ambassadors for the environment and the wildlife and work with organizations such as the Trustees of Reservation to insure that we are doing everything we can to protect the coastal ponds, barrier beaches and wildlife. This is of huge importance to me, so in that respect I am always cautious about growth.