PKRA News:

PKRA Cabarete 2009 called off

The Dominican Republic Cabarete event, has been has being a classic PKRA World Tour event over the last 7 years. This great location know as the Caribbean Kiteboarding Mecca, has hosted many years the highest standard Kiteboarding event in the world where the absolute best in the world have competed.

Unfortunately in 2009 the economic world crisis has hit the Dominican Republic very hard and the event this year is not able to support the High Standards of the PKRA World Tour. Over the last few weeks the event organizer, the rider’s committee and the PKRA managing body have being discussing, different options to deal with the crisis and adjust the event to the current economic situation.

However the options have not being feasible since they would greatly compromise the high standards of the PKRA World Tour establish by the best riders in the world, and make the event something far away from a World Championship event. Therefore the decision was to call off the 2009 event, and wait for better times and organize the official “Cabarete World Cup” as a high standard kiteboarding event in 2010.

The next official PKRA event will be the Course Racing event at the Portimao Kite Masters, and the next official freetyle PKRA event of the year will be the Fuerteventura PKRA Kiteboarding Grand Slam 2009. Notice of race coming soon. 100% confirmed.

crazy

i'd have thought the event would have brought alot of trade to the area (albeit briefly) and helped the locals.

the wind must be really expensive down there

I assume a world cup costs 250.000 USD.

During these times, it is hard to find a sponsor if there is not so much coverage.

E.g. the German world cups have a huge media interest and have millions of contacts.
Not sure how far the Leucate world cup reaches, but the organizers of PKRA Germany do an amazing job when it comes to media. If all cups are organized like this, we really have a professional tour, and this also brings more money for the riders.

One day

It just makes me wonder, is the problem the "world economic crisis" or the PKRA organization.

The KPWT is adding events, events like the Outer Banks/Real Triple S are huge, why is the PKRA doing so bad??

Maybe because we've seen all the handlepasses we care to see, not enough market base in handlepass kids dangling about speaking ghetto slang??

I wonder...

well, with the Triple S it is easy: I assume Real is not doing it for the money, but rather for the promotion and love of the sport to bring something different.

A worldcup is about money. The event organizer makes money, the tour organizer makes money.
That's why they are so expensive.

And this needs to be covered by a sponsor who gets guaranteed views for his logo in the media...if they don't see it spread around a lot, there is no sense in putting money up for it.
It can be the fault of the way the freestyle is, but doesn't have to be.

Yep, and that is the hypocrisy. I've had PKRA judges and members on here stating they don't do it for the $, but for the "love" of the sport, ridiculous.

IMO, the PKRA never found a "true" base of support, real kiters who want more than dangle passing ghetto talking rich white kids telling us how the sport is going to progress...

IMO, PKRA's org is the problem, people still want events, but 250k for an event?

Toby, you've been to many events, as have I, outside the few Euro events, do you really see 250k being spent on an event??? They made alot of $, the gravy train is over..