Convention Updates

Daily Mass Ascensions
Coordinator: Phil Broder
Tuesday – Saturday, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Field 1
Tue – Rokkakus and Fighters sponsored by Maryland Kite Society
Wed – Cellular and Dimensional sponsored by Washington Kite Association
Thu – Soft Kites sponsored by Westport Windriders
Fri – Sport Kites sponsored by Wisconsin Kiters
Sat – Delta Kites sponsored by South Jersey Kite Flyers
All attendees are invited to participate in the daily Mass Ascensions. There is a magical beauty in filling the sky with dozens of the same style kite – plus you get a pin for your participation!
Collect all five pins to complete the puzzle, a beautiful NEW kite pin is created using all five sections.
Remember: One kite, one person, one pin. And please, unless you have somewhere you have to be, fly for a few minutes after you get your pin and help us put on a better show!
Open Flys
Tuesday – Saturday, Fields as indicated on the schedule
Fly as much and as often as you can. Fields are generally available from 9:00 am to 10:30 am and may be available after that. Be considerate of scheduled events on the fields.
Memorial Fly
Tuesday, 2:00 pm, Field 1
Gather on the field with your white kite to honor and remember those of have left an empty place in our sky. Bring a white kite and join us in the Memorial Fly.
Themed Flies
Tuesday – Friday, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Field 1
Stay on Field 1 after the mass ascension and put on a show with a different kite each hour. Time for fun, no stress, and no competition.
Tuesday 2:00 – 3:00
Memorial Fly 3:00 – 4:00
Smallest Kite in the Bag 4:00 – 5:00
Red, White and Blue Kites/Accessories Wednesday 2:00 – 3:00
Mystery Kite (identified at registration) 3:00 – 4:00
Kites/Accessories with Moving Parts 4:00 – 5:00
Oldest Kite in the Bag Thursday 2:00 – 3:00
Art Kites 3:00 – 4:00
Your Favorite Kite 4:00 – 5:00
Fighter Kites of All Kinds Friday 2:00 – 3:00
Ground Displays/Workshop Kites 3:00 – 4:00
Arches & Trains 4:00 – 5:00
Wooden Spare Kites
Showdown Ballet
Scott Davis
Saturday, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Field 1
Showdown is a ballet competition with the same rules as our Individual Ballets. Open to anyone, from novice to master classes – Single line, Dual line, Quad line. Bring your own music, two to four minutes in length. No one needs to qualify. Real judging, score sheets and lots of fun. This will be BIG. This will be a SHOWDOWN.
 


FIGHTER KITE AND
ROKKAKU COMPETITION
Tuesday – Saturday
Times and events are subject to weather and scheduling changes.

We hope to fill the needs of everyone with even the slightest interest in fighters as well as those that have been around for years. We have a great group of volunteers already in place, but as with any convention, the more bodies we have, the easier it is to make things flow like we know what we’re doing. As in the past we would like to have the novice fliers working the field for the experienced competitions and visa versa. As always, we will do our best to spread the good news about fighter kites and build on the interest of new prospective fliers.
 
INDOOR COMPETITION
Coordinator: Will Smoot
Wednesday, Pacific Room

The indoor ballet competition promises to be one of the highlights of our convention! If you’ve seen skilled fliers fly outdoor routines using the wind to maneuver their kites, then you won’t want to miss the amazing feats of skill during this indoor competition — flying without any wind!
Talented fliers will dazzle the crowd performing their ballet routines set to music, within the boundaries of four walls. Sometimes, they even use the walls!
If you’ve never attended an indoor flying competition, this is one event you’ll want to put on your schedule — it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser! Come and watch the best sport kite fliers in the nation compete for honors here at the Grand National Indoor Sport Kite Competition! Participation by indoor competitors is by invitation only, based on standings in AKA Conferences.
Combining skill and power of movement, with a little finesse and passion, you’ll watch the best of the best indoor kite fliers compete for the honor of AKA Grand Nationals Indoor Champion for 2016.
 
KITEMAKER COMPETITION
Coordinator: Jon Burkhardt
Wednesday, Thursday
This year’s event will generally run as described in the rulebook. Make sure you attend the PRE-competition meeting (Tuesday at 9:00 am) to go over the procedures of the competition. Members from the panel of judges who will be scoring your kites will be available. If you have any questions about the rulebook, which category to enter, or how the competition is run, you should attend this meeting. We will also host a meeting Friday at 10:30 am to review the event and ask for your feedback for ways to improve next year.
Every kite will receive a total score calculated from the four criteria: Visual Appeal, Flight, Craftsmanship, and Structural Design. No pre-registration or pre-qualification is necessary, but you must sign in 30 minutes before the beginning of your scheduled category on both days.
On Wednesday, outside on Field 2 we will judge Flight and Visual appeal for all kites (Arches & Ribbons, Trains and Centipedes, and Sky Display may be judged for all criteria.) Total flight time will be a strictly enforced FIFTEEN minutes, which provides judges an opportunity to judge Flight and Visual Appeal. During this period, the kite must fly for a minimum of FIVE minutes with a minimum of 100 feet of flying line. Generally, kites that fly for a continuous five minutes will score higher than kites requiring more than one launch. The maker of the kite must be present to demonstrate full control of the kite’s flight.
On Thursday, inside the Convention Center, we will be judging Craftsmanship and Structural Design for all kites except Arches & Ribbons, Trains & Centipedes, and Sky Display. At the start of the indoor judging we will allow a two-minute period for you to verbally present your kite to the judges. Be prepared to communicate the details of your craftsmanship and structural design.
We will run the competition by the schedule below. Please realize we often experience delays but will try to keep to the schedule the best we can. Be sure to confirm your schedule time prior to the competition. The maker of the kite must be present for the competition and it is your responsibility to be ready to fly at the beginning of your scheduled time.
Competition Schedule

If you are planning to enter a kite that does not easily fit into any category, your kite category must be approved by the Head Judge prior to competition.
In addition to the above categories, we will be honoring the following Special Awards:
Best Novice Kite
Best Mixed-media Kite
Best Use of Traditional Materials
Grand National Champion
Highest score in each criterion
Most Innovative Kite
Special Recognition
We also have a Cooperative category. These are kites made by more than one person with a significant contribution in a “hands on” fashion. Kites will be judged by the criteria appropriate for the type of kite entered. A kitemaker may be affiliated with multiple cooperative teams, but may be affiliated with only one cooperative
team for each different kite category. Only one kite may be entered per category (kite type) by any contestant; either as an individual or part of a cooperative team. Group projects involving kite clubs do not count as the one cooperative entry in the category. Only one trophy will be awarded to any one team.
Remember, if you have questions about how the competition will be run, attend the meeting prior to the competition.
 
SPORT KITE COMPETITION
Coordinator: Will Smoot
Tuesday – Friday
Spectators are invited to come out and watch the best sport kite fliers in the Nation compete for honors at the AKA Grand Nationals. Competitive participation is by invitation only based on standings in the AKA Sport Kite Conferences. Competition will be run in accordance with the International Sport Kite Competition Rules Version 2.4; Judges Book Version 2.2; Precision Compulsory Book Version 2.2; Interpretation of Dual-Line Team Compulsory Figures Version 2.2 and AKA Addendum revised on 5/25/15.

• The schedule is subject to change.
• The schedule will be updated at the Pilots Meeting each day.
• Flight orders will be announced at the Pilot’s Meeting each day.
• Pilot’s Meetings are mandatory for all competitors.
• Competition flight order conflicts will be addressed by the Chief Judge only.
• All competitors are required to work as field staff for events in which they are not competing.
• Friday and/or Saturday may be used as competition days if required by weather.

Competition Schedule
Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

MEMBERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Best Kite Aerial Photographs of 2017

Saturday, Convention Center

Competition Rules and Procedures:
AKA members at the convention will vote on their favorite aerial images. An award will be given for each of two images with the most votes: AKA Members Choice KAP Award, awarded to a KAPer in attendance at the Convention submitting a picture that contains a kite; Open AKA KAP Competition, awarded to a KAPer, not necessarily attending the convention, submitting a photo that does not have a kite in the picture.

1. Photographs submitted must have been taken by the contestant.
2. Photographs submitted must have been made by lifting a camera with a kite.
3. The photographer must be a member in good standing of AKA at the time of the convention.
4. Up to three images may be submitted by each photographer.
5. Images that have received awards in any other competition are not eligible.
6. An information sheet must accompany each submission, containing image title, photographer’s name and address, image location, month and year medium (digital or film), make of camera and kite, and brief description of any manipulation of the finished image
7. No signature, title, name, or explanatory text may appear on the face of the mounted print.
8. For complete rules see https://www.kite.org/activities/competition/kap-rules/

 
Best Kite of 2017; Best Kite Accessory of 2017
Saturday, Convention Hall
 

 
Conventioneers have a chance to vote for their favorite kite as part of the Members’ Choice Award. Cast your vote Saturday evening during the pre-award cocktail hour. Select the best individual kite and best individual kite accessory (anything but a kite).
Entrants are requested to fly their kite for 30 minutes from 2:00-3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. Please limit entries to one item per category.