LEAGUE NEWS

November 15, 2007
– The location for SASKC 2008 has changed.  Due to excessive beach erosion in the St. Augustine area, the dates and location for SASKC 2008 have been changed to January 19-20, 2008 to coincide with the Treasure Island Kite Festival at Treasure Island, FL.  More information on the TI Kite festival can be found at http://sunsetflyers.com.  SASKC will offer online registration for the event, so you can sign up online and pay your registration fees with any major credit card or a Paypal^TM account.  The online registration form will be available from the Eastern League calendar page.

October 2 , 2006
– GISKC 2006 has been cancelled.

January 15 , 2006
– Today Marc Conklin officially assumes the position of Eastern League Commissioner.
– In keeping with a decision announced by the AKA Sport Kite Committee in fall 2005, the name of Open Individual Freestyle (OIF) has officially been changed in all League results and standings for the current season to Open Individual Outdoor Unlimited (OIOU).

November 29, 2005
In a sweeping new measure, the Eastern League Board has voted to drop the requirement that EL-sanctioned events offer every sport kite discipline. This measure is effective immediately and overturns the removal of SASKC 2006 from the EL calendar. That event has been reinstated on the calendar. SASKC will offer the following traditional sport kite disciplines: NIP and NIB, EIP and EIB, MIP and MIB, OMP and OMB (quad), OPP and OPB.

November 20, 2005 (now superseded by the November 29 announcement above)
The St. Augustine Sport Kite Classic (SASKC) has opted not to offer every EL-sanctioned sport kite discipline in 2006. Therefore, SASKC has been removed from the 2005–2006 Eastern League calendar. The event will offer the following competition disciplines, for those who are looking for AKA points: NIP/NIB, EIP/EIB, MIP/MIB, OMP/OMB, OPP/OPB. All of these disciplines are scheduled for Saturday, January 28. Sunday, January 29, is reserved for the first official competition sanctioned by Tricks Party USA. Click here to see the official announcement from the SASKC organizers.

October 16, 2005
Information about Tricks Party can now be found on the web site for Tricks Party USA, which was launched on October 15. For details, visit www.TricksPartyUSA.com.

September 20, 2005
Effective immediately, the Eastern League sanctioning fee for events has been cut in half. The new fee is $100 and is due 2 months (instead of 4) in advance of the scheduled dates of the competition. See the Information for Organizers page for details.

August 8, 2005
The International Rule Book Committee (IRBC) has published new rules and compulsory figures for the 2005–2006 season (effective August 1, 2005). You can download the rule books from either the AKA or the IRBC. In the Eastern League, the first competition to use these new rules will be the Georgia International Sport Kite Championship (GISKC), November 11–13, 2005.

August 1, 2005
Beginning with the 2005–2006 season, the required minimum number of Eastern League competitions to be eligible for a jacket is being reduced from three to two. The requirements for jacket eligibility will now be (1) to earn at least 50 Eastern League points and (2) to compete at a minimum of two competitions in any particular discipline. See the Information for Competitors page for details.

June 2005
Following the Freestyle World Cup held May 2005 in Cap d'Agde, France, several Eastern League events will be running competition in the European Tricks Party format (in addition to the regular competition disciplines) on a trial basis. The first Tricks Party competition in the United States will be held at the New Jersey Stunt Kite Championship (NJSKC), July 23–24, 2005. In the 2005–2006 season, this new format is also tentatively slated to be run at GISKC (Tybee Island, GA, November 2005), SASKC (St. Augustine, FL, February 2006), and ECSKC (Wildwood, NJ, May 2006). Watch for posting of event information on the Calendar page.

Note that Tricks Party competition is not yet formally recognized by the Eastern League, so competitors do not qualify for jackets in this format. The Tricks Party competition is being run for the coming year on a trial basis.

May 13, 2005
The Old Dominion Sport Kite Championship (ODSKC) scheduled for June 24–26, 2005, in Richmond, VA, has been CANCELED.

April 2005
Beginning immediately, the Eastern League will be giving a free one-year membership plus a free laminated compulsory figure set to every brand-new sport kite competitor (any flier who is competing for the first time) at every Eastern League event. Spread the word!

<last updated November 15, 2007>