Kitesurf365 Ep. 416: Brand Stable Battle Royale by WOO

Host: Adrian Kerr
Guest: Alan Ledoux (WOO Sports)
Release Date: December 5, 2025

Episode Overview

This special edition of Kitesurf365 sees Adrian and Alan Ledoux (from WOO Sports) document Cape Town’s “Battle Royale” — a two-day, high-stakes, mass participation booster event powered by the WOO device. Top global kiters, local legends, and a handful of up-and-comers were all gunning for big air glory, with €15,000 on the line, a cut-throat elimination format, and shifting Cape Town conditions setting the stage for drama, technical debate, and wild moments.
Main themes:

• How to run a Battle Royale–style big air event
• Athlete strategies, kit choices, and reactions under pressure
• The rise of hydrofoils in big air
• Community and event storytelling — real time, on the beach

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Event Format: From F1 Quali to Kite Battle Royale

[00:17]

• The competition borrows from Formula 1’s qualifying structure—mass participation, then rapid eliminations by score after each round.
  • 2 Days Max: "Holding a kiter’s attention, I felt like we could max hold them for two days" (Alan).
  • Day 1: Open entry — Top 25 men and Top 10 women qualify.
  • Day 2: Multiple cuts — At 2pm to Top 10/5, 5pm to Top 3, and by sunset, the winners are crowned at Misty Cliffs.
  • Each round’s leaderboard resets: Perform every time, or go home.

Quote:

“This is the two-day format. So in, in holding a kiter’s attention, I felt like we could max hold them for two days...open invitation to anyone in Cape Town to qualify. Day one, top 25 men, top 10 women. Then after day one, we start to trim it down to eventually just three riders, men’s and women’s.”
— Alan ([01:17])

2. Cape Town Spots, Gamesmanship & Local Knowledge

[02:42], [24:55]

• Locations included Blouberg, Dolphin Beach, Big Bay, Doodles, Macassar, and the legendary Misty Cliffs.
• Riders strategized over which beaches would deliver the minimum wind to qualify, leading to “gamesmanship” — splitting up across city to chase the best gusts.
• Local knowledge came into play, especially with “downwinders” used to rack up high jumps.

Quote:

"There’s a little bit of gamesmanship going on that there will be enough wind in Blouberg to get into that top 25. What we don’t know is where that cut line is going to be."
— Alan ([02:42])

3. Event Drama: Weather, Pressure, and Wild Cards

[13:55], [15:45], [24:22], [33:56], [36:06]

• Day 1 started with teasing conditions: “15 knots. Not an ideal day...But Jamie’s probably going to set the first score today.”
• Riders and event organizers had to adapt on the fly, moving beach to beach as the wind built late.
• Day 2 saw rough time cutoffs and last-minute score submissions:
  • “The look on their face as they sprinted to their cars. None of them had data. All of a sudden I’m hotspotting to each of them to give them data. 1 posted at 7:53. 1 posted at 7:59. The guy that posted at 7:59 bumped out the guy that posted earlier from the top 25.”
    — Alan ([36:06])
• Disqualified riders due to late uploads, device glitches, and event rule confusion — highlighting logistical and psychological pressures unique to this format.

4. Big Names, Gear Choices & Rivalries

[00:12], [09:32], [11:32]

• Field included Jamie Overbeek, Charles Brodel, Hugo Wigglesworth, local hero Luke Dixon, and legends like Aaron Hadlow and Andrea Principi.
• Top names experimented with kit: foils vs. twin tips, various kites (Ozone Edge, Fly Surfer Sonic 5, Harlem, Duotone, Gong), and even equipment the week after competing in King of the Air.
• Rivalries: especially Jamie vs. Hugo ("those two haven’t really had a proper duel since Hugo became world champ") and Charles Brodel’s ongoing quest for a big WOO result.
• Community stories: Family on the beach, younger siblings coming up, parents scoping out the comp site.

Quote:

"I will say, when we were in MCAST Jamie looked the most comfortable of any of the riders out. He was not only jumping high, he was looping, he was doing board offs. He was basically doing his entire bag of tricks. Granted, he was fresh."
— Alan ([07:57])

5. Strategies, Tactics & Real-Time Reactions

[16:03], [47:06], [65:22], [76:49]

• Some top riders (Jamie, Charles Brodel) would hold off on posting scores until the last minute to keep others guessing.
• Others like local Luke Dixon and “groms” simply sent it all day at their home spots, showing unique advantages.
• Conditions forced constant gear switching, tactical breaks, and kit experimentation ("I'm just flying everything", Jamie Overbeek).
• Candid post-session interviews reveal the exhaustion, camaraderie, and “terrifying but amazing” pressure.
• Community attitude through it all: “The whole idea is just to bring the community together and have some fun. Actually, it’s been awesome to see all these guys riding together.” ([30:41])

6. Foil Kites Dominate: Sport Evolution Debate

[76:14], [81:06], [82:12], [85:31]

• The final rounds were dominated by hydrofoils. Jamie Overbeek broke the South African big air record on a foil; Hugo Wigglesworth also posted massive numbers on one.
• The top two men’s jumps in WOO history are now on foil kites, shifting the big air landscape.
• The show closes with Alan and Adrian openly considering separating hydrofoils and twin tips in future Battle Royales because of the huge performance gap.
• Massive technical debate about foil kites: Are they “fair” in Big Air? Is it time to run separate divisions?

Quote:

“We just let Charles Braudel compete in King of the Air with a foil. But... the top two jumps all time are out on foils now... I think you have to start to get serious about it.”
— Alan ([82:12])

7. The Final Results & Memorable Moments

[79:14]-[85:31]

• Last-second drama: Jamie posts a 36.8m jump on a foil in the dying minutes at Blouberg to snatch the win from local favorite Luke Dixon (33.0m, twin tip), with Hugo third (32.7m, foil).
• Women’s champ: Gloria Ashkenazi, “the woman to beat,” posts 20.4m after hours on the water, with Gabby Pierre and Alyssa Sofia contesting.
• CHAMPIONS:
  • Men: Jamie Overbeek (36.8m, new South African record)
  • Women: Gloria Ashkenazi (20.4m)
• Real-time leaderboard app drama ensued while Alan, Adrian, and riders scrambled to verify results, field DQs, and chase whispers of a possible (but debunked) 41m jump by “Manu.”
• Emotional congratulations to Jamie:

  “I thought that I was gonna jump the world record, but I just didn’t make it because the wind got a little bit less lifty.”
  — Jamie Overbeek ([79:28])

Electrifying exchange:

“Turns out we were idiots.”
— Alan, on prematurely writing Luke’s name on the winner's cheque ([78:42])

Notable Quotes & Moments By Timestamp

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote or Moment | |-----------|---------|----------------| | [01:17] | Alan | “This is the two-day format...open invitation to anyone in Cape Town to qualify...” | | [09:32] | Alan | “I’ve always been curious, you know, on any given day, how do these guys stack up...” | | [13:55] | Adrian | “Not an ideal day to start...But I heard DK’s forecast...Jamie’s probably going to set the first score today.” | | [36:06] | Alan | “The look on their faces as they sprinted to their cars. None had data...1 posted at 7:59, bumped out the guy that posted earlier from the top 25." | | [47:06] | Adrian | “He guessed to the tenth of a meter how high he jumped. He guessed 20 meters on the dot.” | | [76:49] | Hugo Wigglesworth | “If I had to change this format, I’d get rid of hydrofoils.” | | [81:06] | Alan | “This might be the end of mixing hydrofoils and twin tips...top two jumps all time are out on foils now.” | | [78:42] | Alan | “Turns out we were idiots.” (on nearly missing Jamie’s win) | | [83:03] | Adrian | “The concept basically is last man standing.” | | [85:31] | Adrian | “On the men’s side, all these boys had scored big...Jamie Overbeek...score of 36.8 meters, second highest reading all time, highest South African record. Again, he did it on a foil.” |

Segment Timestamps

• [00:00-03:32]: Event introduction, format, field preview
• [13:55-24:55]: Day 1 launch, spot choices, first scores, wind drama
• [24:55-33:56]: Hunt for wind, rider interviews, strategies as wind builds
• [33:56-41:00]: Deadline chaos, near-missed cutoffs, data/hotspot drama
• [41:01-55:07]: Misty Cliffs cut, women’s leaderboard, equipment switches
• [65:22-77:20]: Final elimination rounds, kit swaps, tension, reactions
• [77:20-81:41]: Finals drama, wind cooperates, Jamie’s huge foil score
• [81:41-86:21]: Debates over event structure, hydrofoil dominance
• [86:21-end]: Leaderboard wrap, lessons, closing reflections

Tone & Takeaways

The episode stays true to the Kitesurf365 philosophy: real-time, on-the-ground, honest, a bit scattered but always passionate and packed with technical and community banter.

• If you’re a kiteboarder, you’ll appreciate the granular detail around kit, location, and tactics.
• If you love sports drama and event design, the narrative of pressure, wildcard entries, and “last man standing” stakes delivers.
• The close sees reflection on how kiteboarding tech (especially foils) is rapidly reshaping the boundaries of Big Air and what event formats — and fairness — will look like in a new era.

Final memorable moment:

“Jamie, I never doubted you. Jamie, I never doubted you.”
— Adrian ([79:17])

Full Results

Men’s Podium:

1. Jamie Overbeek — 36.8m (foil, Blouberg)
2. Luke Dixon — 33.0m (twin tip, Misty Cliffs)
3. Hugo Wigglesworth — 32.7m (foil)

Women’s Podium:

1. Gloria Ashkenazi — 20.4m
2. Gabby Pierre
3. Alyssa Sofia

Notable mention:
Possible (but unverified) 41m jump detected and filtered as invalid.

This summary delivers the insider’s feel, the accurate drama, and the wild progression of today’s WOO-powered kiting scene. Whether you missed the episode or want to relive the action, you’re covered.