|
| Name |
|
Dana Pinto |
| Nickname |
|
R&D P |
| Age |
|
27 |
| Height |
|
5'8" |
| Weight |
|
140 lbs |
| Years Kiting |
|
2 |
| Current Residence |
|
Santa Cruz |
| Favorite Kite Spot |
|
Waddell, CA |
| Other Sports |
|
Snowboard, Mountain Bike |
| Sponsors |
|
Caution, Jonah, Rainbow, Da Kine,
Sessions |
| |
|
|
| |
|
PKRA - WORLD CUP Rankings
2002 |
| Austria |
|
14 |
| Margarita |
|
11 |
| Cabarete |
|
7 |
| Fuerteventura |
|
14 |
| Total |
|
32 |
| Place |
|
12 |
How did you pick your home base
and how long have you been there?
I grew up in Monterey and moved to
Santa Cruz in 1995 to study economics at UC Santa Cruz
and have been here ever since!
 What other sports do you have a background in?
Snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing.
What are your top 3 favorite kite
spots?
Waddell, Rio
Vista, and La Ventana (Baja).
What is your
nickname?
“R&D P”
Tell us about your contest schedule for
2002 and how you placed in each event.
Baja
Norte Challenge Feb 2002 -2nd place
Waddell Kite
Board clash May 2002 -1st place
King of the Bay June
2002 -1st place
Cabarete world cup June 2002 -7th
place
Ford Gorge Games July 2002 –3rd place
Red Bull Boards Over
the Bay Aug 2002 -1st place
When did you turn pro and at what point did you
first realize you could be competitive at that level?
I first
realized that I could be competitive with the other pro
women when I placed first at the Waddell contest in
2002.
How could you go from zero to 100 mph in
such a short time?
Lots of us have 20 years
windsurfing and we are still working on staying upwind
on a kite.
I first started learning to jump a
year ago June, since then I have been on mission to
learn new tricks and kite as much as can. I was able to
travel to Baja last winter, which gave me lots of
practice time in the off-season.
 Who are your sponsors?
Caution, Jonah Lepak Designs,
Rainbow Fin Company, Sessions, Da Kine, and O’Neill.
What is your role at Caution
Kites?
Making sure
that the workforce is out of bed by noon.
Are you involved in any schools or
instruction and how is that going?
Yes, I have joined forces with
“OOTO” (Out of the office), the school is based out of
the bay area and we are running some camps in Los
Barillas this winter.
What kind of gear do you ride right now
and why?
I use a
Jonah Lepak 150cm twin-tip and four line Caution kites,
shackled into the chicken loop.
How does your Jonah compare to other
boards?
Much
faster than any other board I’ve tried, lighter, and
very smooth ride in the chop.
You have 4 fins on your board instead of
six or eight like many of the other top class wave
riders, why is that?
I don’t like the feeling of too
many fins “hanging up”, so I have two in the nose and
two in the tail, I also have one between my heels on the
rail for extra edging power.
Describe your perfect day on the water?
Powered up 10.0
wind, a few friends on the water and head high surf at
Waddell.
 What new moves are you working on right now?
I’ve been working on kite loop transitions and
multiple no footed maneuvers.
What are your best contest results so far?
1st-Waddell,
1st-King of the Bay, 1st- Red Bull Boards Over the Bay
Have you ever tried kiting in the snow?
Not yet, but
would like to this winter.
Did the daily shark sightings at Waddell
this summer unnerve you at all?
NO…. the sharks are there every day
that we kite, I just make sure I don’t have to swim in!!
What do you think of kite
outerwear?
I would
personally rather see what the boys are packing in their
wetsuit not what their trying to hide!
Do you prefer flat water or waves?
Waves are always fun,
but flat water is good for getting lots of jumps in and
practicing new tricks without paying consequences when
you crash the kite.
 What are your plans for this winter?
I
will be traveling to Los Barillas to teach for OOTO and
also spend some time in La Ventana
Do you have any projects in the works or
goals for this season?
My goal for 2003 is to finish top
three in every contest!!
What do you do when you are not kiting?
I enjoy
running with my dog Harley, surfing, and teaching kite
boarding lessons.
Are professional
kiteboarders underpaid or over paid?
Few are paid!!!!
Where do you see the sport going in the
next year?
I think
that we are going to see huge numbers of people getting
into it over the next couple of years. Kiting is very
attractive to people with all different kinds of
sporting backgrounds, the surface has only been
scratched!!!!
Thanks for the interview Dana. Any
parting words to your kiteboarding colleagues?
When the gust hits...SEND
IT!!!!!
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