EXCLUSIVE Megaloop List Revealed + Slingshot Machine V3 | The Megapod

Summary

Kitesurf365 Megapod – EXCLUSIVE Megaloop List Revealed + Slingshot Machine V3 | August 21, 2025

Overview

In this lively episode of The Megapod, hosts Adrian Kerr and Colin Colin Carroll dive deep into the just-announced full Red Bull Megaloop rider lists, dissect the excitement around new faces and format changes, and offer a candid, behind-the-scenes conversation with recently invited Greek/Turkish big air phenom Yusul “YouSaw” Parallik. The episode further explores the inaugural women’s Megaloop fleet, the technology and vision behind the new Slingshot Machine V3 kite, tongue-in-cheek kiteboarding team rivalries for Woo Worlds, and the evolving landscape of age restrictions at major events.

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Main Segments & Timestamps

1. Opening: The Impact of Megaloop ([00:00] – [00:26])

• Adrian and Colin set the tone by highlighting how megaloop-level events can make legends out of “mere mortals.”
• “It makes legends out of the mere mortals of our sport.” — Adrian [00:00]
• Joking about the age of elite kiters and how the sport is skewing younger.

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2. Red Bull Megaloop: Full Rider List Breakdown ([00:26] – [07:13])

The Final 16 ([00:49])

• Adrian reads out the first 10 invites and the latest 6 from video entries:
  • Invited 10: Andrea Principi, Lorenzo Casati, Jeremy Burlando, Cohan Van Dijk, Jason Van der Spuy, Stino Mul, Louka Pitot, Luca Ceruti, Jet Bradshaw, Jamie Overbeek.
  • Video Entries: Leonardo Casati, Josh Gillett, Baby Shark, Yusul Ferreira (aka YouSaw), Hugo Wigglesworth, Timo Boersema.
• “YouSaw Parallik—never saw that one coming!” — Adrian [00:38]

Commentary on the Lineup

• Insightful analysis on each addition, especially the inclusion of “short line” riders like Jet Bradshaw and YouSaw, signaling a shift in style and technicality.
• “They have no right to be there, no right to be competing alongside the likes of Andrea Principi and Lorenzo Casati. But… they're actually sick at this very specific style of kiteboarding that Megaloop has decided to go in the direction of, thanks to Ruben Lenten.” — Colin [04:29]
• Discussion on rider ages and commitment to evolving gear setups, particularly with Harlem’s focus on optimizing kites for short (18m) lines ([03:04]).

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3. Deep Dive: Interview with Yusul “YouSaw” Parallik ([08:04] – [14:58])

• Colin and Adrian call YouSaw for an on-air reaction to his Megaloop entry ([08:15]).
  • “Reuben called me a few days ago. So happy, super stoked for it.” — YouSaw [08:25]
• Technical breakdown of kit choices:
  • Board: 136 Choice 5 (“the grip on the board is really good” [09:27])
  • For super loop: considering a bigger board (138) for better pressure on the kite with shorter lines.
  • Kite: Normal Pace (7m for super loops, 8m for technical tricks).
  • Lines: Plans to bring sets of 16m, 14m, and 9m lines, but expects to mostly ride 16m ([12:17])
  • “The loop catches you really nice and the kite, like, wants to go low. I found like the kite goes really low and catches you really fast.” — YouSaw [11:30]
• Unique circumstance: rides under North Cyprus flag due to direct government sponsorship — “They want me to represent them at the competitions and everywhere I go. So that’s why.” — YouSaw [14:00]
  • Adrian: “I think you might be the only rider in the whole world that's sponsored by a country.” [14:30]

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4. First Ever Women’s Megaloop Fleet Announced ([15:11] – [17:39])

• Adrian lists the six-rider women’s fleet:
  • Francesca Maini, Zara Hoogenraad, Nathalie Lambrecht, Sara Sadik, Svenja Zoe Peters, Lana Herman.
• Notable exclusions and debate:
  • Pippa van Iersel’s absence raises questions ([15:37]), as does Mika’s (Mikaili Sol) decision not to compete ([16:48]).
  • “I would have put Pippa Van Erssel in there.” — Colin [15:34]
• Explains transition away from short lines in the women’s fleet for this edition, referencing Jason van der Spuy’s advice ([17:39]).

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5. Short Line Strategy Discussion ([17:39] – [19:49])

• The hosts discuss technical pros and cons of short lines for Megaloop and different riders’ approaches.
  • “If you listen to Jason Van der Spuy… you'd be silly not to ride 18 meters, because the shorter you go, the less height you get.” — Colin [17:39]
• Importance of having time to test different line lengths during the event, with a single trick sometimes being decisive ([13:10], [18:35]).

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6. Gear News: Slingshot Machine V3 Unveiled ([19:49] – [26:51])

Interview Clip: Jeremy Burlando ([20:23])

• Kite Overview: Designed primarily for big boost, vertical jumps, and hang time; not primarily for loop performance.
  • “The machine V3 is maybe not the best kite looping kite, but for sure one of our best lifting kites and hangtime kites that we have in the lineup.” — Jeremy Burlando [21:10]
• Differences: Outlines how the Machine V3 differs from the Code V2; notes the V3’s harder bar pressure and feedback.
  • “If we want to jump high and just do like foil dogs and train them, then later on do them with kite loops, I think it's like one of the best kites we can have.” — Jeremy [21:10]
• Development Story: V3 project was started before Code NXT, set aside, and then finished with learnings from the NXT process ([22:46]).
• Position in Quiver: Not likely to be Jeremy’s comp kite (he’ll stay with NXT), but fills “Rebel-like” old-school big jump niche ([24:49]).
  • “It's going to sound crazy now, but a little bit like the way the Rebel used to be for Duotone… old school big jumping kite.” — Adrian [24:49]

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7. Kiteboarding Anecdotes & Short Line Fails ([27:27] – [30:44])

• Humorous recounting of Jetto and Jason Van der Spuy’s “Road to Pro” short line disaster, warning against copying the pros in gnarly winds.
  • “No one should find Jetto in this instance, inspiring… shouldn’t really have put him out in 40, gusting more… for his first short line session.” — Colin [28:15]
  • “Jetto does it like a normal mega loop, despite Jason saying everything.” — Colin [29:21]
• Light-hearted banter on the physical toughness and resilience of the top riders.

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8. Cold Hawaii Age Policy Controversy ([30:44] – [33:57])

• Denmark Red Bull raises minimum competitor age to 18, excluding key young talents.
  • “It is suffocating in the development of the sport… these young men and women are completely in control of their kite at all times.” — Adrian [33:00]
• Colin’s counterview: “It gives... two spots to other riders. I don't think it's so bad.” [32:37]
• Discussion of energy drink law driving the decision.

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9. Woo Worlds Team Rivalries & Roster Banter ([34:03] – [44:00])

• The hosts launch into full banter mode, comparing team rosters with playful bragging and trash talk.
  • “Will there be a prize for, like, most cumulative age, you guys? Over a thousand maybe.” — Colin [34:14]
  • Adrian’s “Wu Tang Clan” team: “Now you don't have to jump off any more buildings, bro. You have to jump off any more big rocks. You can just concentrate on some competitions. For a while.” [14:39]
  • Colin’s “Shipmunks” team: extensive roster rundown ([38:16]–[40:58]).
• Notable team switches, laments about defectors (e.g., Aya), comical promise of “maybe” giving away prize money.
• “This is the leadership that people come for, Colin. I'm the pot, I'm the earth and I give them the water. They're the seed and let them grow.” — Adrian [43:09]

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Notable Quotes

• “It makes legends out of the mere mortals of our sport.” — Adrian [00:00]
• “They have no right to be there... but do you know what? Those two are actually sick at this very specific style of kiteboarding… thanks to Ruben Lenten.” — Colin [04:29]
• “There’s been people come into these heats with one minute to go and still won.” — Adrian [13:10]
• “I think you might be the only rider in the whole world that's sponsored by a country.” — Adrian (to YouSaw) [14:30]
• “I would have put Pippa Van Erssel in there.” — Colin [15:34]
• “If you listen to Jason Van der Spuy… you'd be silly not to ride 18 meters, because the shorter you go, the less height you get.” — Colin [17:39]
• “The machine V3 is maybe not the best kite looping kite, but for sure one of our best lifting kites and hangtime kites that we have in the lineup.” — Jeremy Burlando [21:10]
• “No one should find Jetto in this instance, inspiring… we shouldn’t really have put him out in 40, gusting more… for his first short line session.” — Colin [28:15]
• “It is suffocating in the development of the sport… like, if you look at all extreme sports, it's all going younger… it's a shame that we've done this.” — Adrian [33:00]
• “I'm the pot, I'm the earth and I give them the water. They're the seed and let them grow.” — Adrian [43:09]

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Tone & Energy

• The episode oscillates delightfully between technical inside-baseball, candid interviews, and irreverent banter—delivering insider knowledge, gear geekery, and off-the-wall “lads at the pub” exchanges with signature Megapod humour.

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Episode Highlights and Key Timestamps

• [00:49] Full Megaloop riders list announced; analysis of each pick.
• [08:15] YouSaw interview: reactions and technical gear talk.
• [15:11] Women’s Megaloop fleet revealed; notable absences discussed.
• [20:23] Jeremy Burlando on the Slingshot Machine V3: design, performance, niche.
• [27:34] Jetto’s short-line disaster anecdote—kiteboarding fails.
• [30:44] Cold Hawaii raises age limit—discussion of implications.
• [34:03] Woo Worlds team rivalry: team rosters, leadership, and good-natured trash talk.

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For Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for those following the top tiers of competitive kiteboarding, gear innovation, and the growing importance of both youth and inclusivity in kite sport. The energy is infectious, the tech-geek deep dives are valuable for insiders, and the banter keeps it unashamedly fun—true to “utter rubbish” promises, but never lacking in genuine insight. If you want a finger on the pulse of Big Air and Megaloop culture, this is your stop.

Transcript

[A]

It makes legends out of the mere mortals of our sport.

[B]

Not a single 30 year old rises from the ashes. Maybe I'll see if I could be the fifth on that.

[A]

That was before he even rode King of the Year.

[B]

And it goes horribly.

[A]

Yeah, let's hope he can take that confidence into this event.

[B]

He finds it really easy. Doesn't matter how windy it is. Does not matter.

[A]

Catastrophic equipment failure.

[B]

Going for the Boogaloo double just to get the landing. Oh.

[A]

Had a couple of strings and it was extremely dangerous. Guys, I sent the trap and it is go. Gold for Ellie Aldridge and gold for Great Britain. Now what are we going to start with, Colin? Should we start with the big news, with the Megaloop news, or should we start with Woo Worlds and build up to the Megaloop?

[B]

No. Let's go, Megaloop. Come on, serve it to us on a platter.

[A]

Red Bull, Netherlands have named the last six riders to go with the first 10 for the mega Loop. I'm going to go from the very top, so if you'd missed the first 10, I'm going to do that again. Andrea Principe, Lorenzo Casati, Jeremy Belando, Cohen Van Dijk, Jason Van der Bay, Steam Mole Hill, Vlute Luca Cherutti, Jet Bradshaw and Jamie Overbeek. That was the invited 10. This is the next six from the video entries. Leonardo Casati, Josh Gillett, Baby Shark, Yosui Ferreira, Hugo Wigglesworth, Timo Borcema. And you saw Parallik, who you saw parallel. That's a crazy one. I never saw that one coming.

[B]

He's a short line guy from core.

[A]

Yep. He's from Northern Cyprus. I guess he's Turkish as well. I don't know what flag he's going to ride under. Probably the Turkish flag on the podcast about three weeks ago and he was sort of saying how he wanted to do more competitions. But let's go through that list. Leonardo Casadi. I mean, he had to be there. I mean, we've been saying he's the, he's the prince in waiting. Josh Gillett. I love that. I think Josh is the kind of guy he's going to throw down in these storms. Baby Shark, you know, we're big fans of Baby Shark. He can do it. He was there last time putting on a show. Unfortunately wasn't in the squad last time.

[B]

Hang on, give that some deep. Give, give that some detail.

[A]

Baby Shark was there for the last Mega Loop. He actually ended up being Andrea's caddy, by the way, which I think was probably pretty Good for him because it gave him a sort of insight into what was going on. That was before he even wrote King of the Air and he was putting on a bit of a show the night before the competition. So great to see him in Hugo Wigglesworth. I mean we're big fans of old Huggy Woogie. You can arguably say he's taken Mark's place, but I mean he deserves it. He's just riding super well. Timo Bossima, another Dutch rider. I think he wrote it last time. I need to check that. And then obviously you saw short line guy out of North Cyprus, rides under the Turkish flag, rides for Core, doesn't do many competitions, wants to get into them. But a little bit like Jet, right. Really is committed to the short line. So yeah, it's a interesting fleet. Two short line specialists. Be interesting to see how much and how long these guys prepare on 18 meter lines.

[B]

Not a single 30 year old heels.

[A]

30, is he?

[B]

I thought he's 29.

[A]

I think he's 30 now.

[B]

No, we'd know. He would have made a big hoo ha.

[A]

No, he doesn't want anyone to know. He's getting older. Interestingly though, I have an interview on Monday coming up with Steen Mull and Steno obviously now has just signed to ride with Harlem. I asked him about the 18 meter lines and it was really interesting what, what he said. He said, we've had a big team meeting with Ralph and Ralph's working at a perfect setup for those kites to run on 18 meter lines. Which is really interesting. Right, because when you speak to designers, they like the kites to fly on the exact line it's done on like normally 22s or 24s or 23s somewhere around that range. So bringing it to 18 does slightly change the characteristics of the kite. So Ralph is very aware of that. I was really impressed hearing Stino talk about that. And I think you and I have spoken off the record. You know, Harlem is so dedicated to make great gear as a team. You know, they're doing stuff together, they're working hard and it's. Yeah, they're reaping the rewards.

[B]

They really want it.

[A]

What do you think about that whole fleet? Just let's talk about the men first. What do you think about the men's side in the men's fleet as it stands?

[B]

I think Aaron should have been in there. I know him's really like. I joke about how biased it is and I exaggerate it because it's funny. But I actually think he should be there for this one. Like, he's never done Mega loop. He should be there. I wonder if he's first reserve, even. I'm not sure. Do we have that info? No.

[A]

I don't know. No.

[B]

Yeah. Cool that they've used the platform to give young riders a spotlight. And also the short line dedicated guys like Jet, Brad Shaw and the U sell guy have they don't. They have no right to be there, no right to be competing alongside the likes of Andrea Pincippi and Lorenzo Casati. But do you know what? Those two are actually sick at this very specific style of kiteboarding that Megaloop has decided to go in the direction of, thanks to Ruben Lenton. And how cool is that? And the thing is, if you take Jet, for example, no one on earth has done even close to the amount of short line late backs. He's done.

[A]

He done.

[B]

He's done thousands of them. He finds it really easy. Doesn't matter how windy. It does not matter. He'll go out and maxar when it's blowing. It's when it's. He'll go out maxar when it's so windy that your watch, right, gets sandblasted so you can't see the screen anymore. That's what happened to my Garmin.

[A]

It just became opaque.

[B]

And the U sell guy as well, you know, he's. He on Instagram. He's bloody epic whether he can kind of stick it when there's a lot of people watching the live stream and it's his first competition, that's a really big one. And the conditions are going to be gnarly and that'll be really interesting.

[A]

But some, some kids can.

[B]

We saw that with the trap. They just turned up and they were like, yeah, by the way, we're not scared at all. We don't give a shit at all. We're just excited to be here and excited to maybe win and make a statement here. So maybe he. Maybe he's of that mindset and he's, you know, not human. But I think it's epic. I'm happy with the list. Is anyone missing for you?

[A]

I'm pretty happy with that, actually, to be honest. And I mean, look, I mean, you mentioned you saw Parallax and Jet Bradshaw. You could take those guys out and find guys. But I think it brings some excitement and this is definitely a positive move for the Mega Loop away from, you know, they talked about freshening it up, bringing new stuff and doing stuff like that. I know. Jet road in the 23 edition. But they always had like a bit of, like a nostalgic feel to these events. But it seems like we've gone away from that. And that's just probably Ruben and the team just looking at the sheer amount of talent and saying, we can't really leave these guys out. Right? I mean, they do 10 pre selected only six from, six from video. So it's, it's great that, you know, that we have this level of fleet. I mean, this is. I mean, I don't see any weaknesses in this, but great point about useful. He has competed in Tarifa before, but this is definitely a big step up. This is a major, this is a big one.

[B]

You may as well have not done anything before. It'd be the same.

[A]

You know, the amount of pressure and there's always that amazing. When you get to these big events, there's always that amazing. You know, you'll say you can cut the tension with a knife. And you really feel that in some of these meetings, like, there's no. At the smaller events, there's a bit more joking in. The writers meeting is a little bit of fun. You know, people are having some fun with each other. When you get to the big ones, it's just dead set. Very, very quiet.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

And I remember last year, Parker Sage came out of the, out of the, out of the interview in cold Hawaii and he was like, oh, my God, there's Nick Jacobson. He was like, you know, this is a guy who's competing being blown away. And I said, hey, bro, you need to focus. And, you know, you need to keep focus here. Don't worry about who's in the room. But yeah, that's going to be a big move for you. So I think he can do super well. He's super confident. He's been a bit of a stuntman in his time and yeah, let's hope he can take that confidence into this event.

[B]

I've got you. Saul's. What's up? Should we ring him?

[C]

Hello?

[D]

Hello.

[A]

Yeah, you saw. It's Adrian and Colin. You are live on the Megapod, my brother. What's happening?

[B]

Hello, you. So you're in. You're in the bloody mega loop.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Reuben caught me a few days ago. So happy, super stoked for it.

[A]

I mean, it was just a few weeks ago you're on the podcast saying you wanted to do more comps. I didn't see this coming, did you?

[D]

Yeah, I was guessing it a little bit because, you know, two years ago I started this doing like everything under 18 meter lines. And so now every trick I've been doing was under 18 meter lines. So this format was like a perfect fit. So I was like a little bit guessing it, but I'm very, very stoked, very happy with it. Yeah.

[B]

What gear setup you're gonna go start with? Board. What board? What size board size?

[D]

I'll use 136. Choice five probably choice five.

[C]

46. 46.

[D]

Latest choice.

[B]

Why? Why the choice over the emperor or the other options?

[D]

So it's the board that I've been using the most that's the most important I think. And the grip on the board is really good. So there's more grip on the board which is pretty good for mega loop conditions at the conditions that we'll be riding at. So yeah, I think that's why. But for this super loop, I may switch to a bigger size, like a 38 as the kite pulls a little bit less. But yeah.

[B]

Whoa. So for a super loop you're going to go for a bigger board because you're going to use a smaller kite or a different kite or what?

[D]

For the super lube as it will be on the 9 meter line.

[C]

I.

[D]

Found it that it works better on bigger boards with 9 meter lines as there is not like so much consistent pull on the kite when riding with 90 meter lines. So using a bigger board helps more with being able to put more, more pressure on the kite. I. I found.

[B]

Okay. Okay. And kites, what are you gonna go for? Is it gonna be pace? Is it gonna be XR Pro?

[D]

Yeah, I'll be using, I'll be using the normal pace, probably 7 meters size. I found it so good for the super loops, like the best guide I ever tried is a 7 meter pace. For the super loops and for the other technical tricks, I think I'll be using the 8 meter normal pace. Again where I found the loops, it loops pretty big, goes pretty low and there is pretty good lift on it. So my choice will probably be the normal pace, the exotech pace.

[B]

And how come, how come the normal pace over a Lula pace or an XR or an XR Pro?

[D]

XR Pro would probably have a better lift. Yes. But with the normal pace I found that the loop catches you very nice and the kite like wants to go low. That I found like the kite goes really low and catches you really fast. And it's almost to me like, I don't know if it's my technique, but for me it's almost like it has the same lift as An XR Pro, like I go to the same height usually, so that's why I choose the normal pace.

[A]

You saw what lines are you going to ride? Are you going to go on 18s like most of them or I guess Jet's going to go shorter. Have you thought about what line lengths you're going to approach this competition with?

[D]

Yeah, I have three strategies in mind. I haven't came like I have a plan but I'm not really 100% sure right now which, which one to stick with. I guess I will figure it out while competing to see like how they score each. But what I have in mind is one set of 60 meter lines, one set of 14 meter lines and then one set of 9 meter lines where I can play around with. But I think mostly I would be riding with 16 meter lines most probably maybe if I have the time I would switch to 9 meter lines, but the timing would be sticky. The timing would be a bit tricky as switching kites takes a bit of time.

[A]

I think you got time in this one, mate. There's only one. You only need to land one trick. There's been people come into these heats with one minute to go and still one. So has the magnitude of this event sunk in yet and what you're going to face because this is definitely a big step up than a Tarifa competition.

[D]

Yeah, I think. I'm guessing, I'm guessing it.

[A]

Slowly, slowly.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Last question from us. You saw. What flag are you flying under?

[D]

It will be under North Cypress Lake.

[A]

And why have you decided? I know you're from North Cyprus, but you know, you told me in the last podcast, you also, you know, sort of feel like you represent Turkey a bit as well. Why have you decided to represent North. North Cyprus like that?

[D]

They actually support me quite a bit on my. Like they're like one of my sponsors right now. The government is like one of my. One of my.

[C]

It's my.

[D]

It's my main sponsor right now actually, where they really support me and we have some cool projects to do. So they want me to represent them at the competitions and everywhere I go. So that's why.

[A]

Amazing. I think you might be the only rider in the whole world that's sponsored by country.

[D]

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you.

[A]

All right, you so. Hey, congratulations, brother. When we, when we read the list. Super happy for you. You know, you are an amazing, amazing guy. And now you don't have to jump off any more buildings, bro. You have to jump off any more big rocks. You can just concentrate on some competitions. For a while.

[D]

Yeah. Yeah. That's what I'm gonna do for now.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Thanks, mate. Bye. Bye.

[C]

Thank you.

[D]

Thank you so much, guys. Thank you, mate.

[A]

Have you ever heard of that? Been sponsored by a government.

[B]

Must be nice.

[A]

That's gonna be a first. It's got to be a first for sure. Let's move on to the ladies.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

We have the sixth ladies. This is the inaugural Megalop fleet. Following on from. Yeah. Falling on from the. The ladies division at last year's King of the Year, we have Francesca Maney, Zara Hugenrad, Natalie Lamb Bre. Sara Siddiq, Sven Zoe Peters. And Lana Herman returns from injury. I think you caught it perfectly, Colin. I think you picked that fleet exactly as that.

[B]

I would have put Pippa Van Erssel in there.

[A]

Oh, Pippa's missing. Wow, that's interesting.

[B]

Yeah. Do we know why?

[A]

That's really. I never even thought about that. Wow, that's interesting.

[B]

She must have maybe chosen not to in Holland. Surely not. That seems crazy. Or she'll be first reserve or. Hang on, let's just get something from her.

[A]

While Colin reaches out to Pippa. Let me just go through that list again. Francesca Maney, obviously the winner of the Red Bull King of the air Ladies Division 2024. Zara Hugenrad, 2024 World Champion. Natalie Lambrecht, multiple podiums in both freestyle and big air. Sara Siddiq, third place at the Lords of Tram event this year. Svenja Zoe Peters, a name that column was talking about last week, deserves to be there. Great to see her name there. And Lana Herman, a rider for Harlem Kiteboarding, returns from injury to wrap up the six.

[B]

So Svenja Peters, I think is really good addition to this. She's been doing really technical consistently. She's been working really hard on it and yeah, I think she's fully deserving on it. I think the other one that's obviously missing is Micah.

[A]

Yeah. Mika told me that she wasn't going to put a video in for this. Not really interested. I think it's a big decision for her to. To ride the Ladies Division at King of the Year at the end of the year. You know, she. That means she needs to commit to some left foot forward stuff which she's not really wanted to do. I mean, we. She can do it, but, you know, like she said, I've got nothing to prove. When you've got that many world titles and you've got a big body of work in front of you, which is, I need to change the way I ride, I can See how she can just say, I don't want to do it. But she said she wants to ride that. I think that's her focus. If she can win that ladies event at the end of the year, I think M's competition days are. Are on the slide. I think that would be. I think that's enough.

[B]

I think Pippa Van Urel not been in the starting list is. Is a misstep.

[A]

She was third place in Cape Town. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. And was like, you know, heavy contender for world champ in 2024. So, yeah, it doesn't seem. Doesn't seem right. I wonder if something's happened there or. Yeah, we're not sure, but I. If she is first reserve or close to it, I think you can expect it to go quite deep in this. So, yeah, now we need to talk a little bit about short lines as we're on the top of the COVID By the way, the ladies won't be on short lines. That's the other main difference between the fleets. Last thing, last thing you saw. If you listen to Jason Van der spee in Adrian's kiteserv365 podcast, Jason says that you'd be silly not to ride 18 meters because the shorter you go, the less height you get, essentially. And, yeah, I think Useful decided to go 16 as his longest. He's choosing to have a disadvantage there.

[A]

But it's also in his warehouse. Right. I think he's probably pushing. You know, he was saying there how he's riding nines, right. He's probably pushing to the maximum of his warehouse because anything as he gets higher in those line lengths, he's starting to fall into the killers. Right. You know, he, you know, he needs to find something in between their strength and his strength. I think that's the way he's probably looking at it. Interestingly though, when I think back and you know, on the podcast, coming up with Stino, he talks about the short line stuff as well. We dip into that and I remember Steno doing well over 20 meters at the. At the short line loops. The short line competition held at high five. So you can get the height. You have to be lucky. You need to be dialed in. Everything needs to be right. But with the mega loop, you've got to go out and that round one, you can't go out. You can't go out in round one. You've got to go and test everything. See that? Even Useful saying, oh, I don't know if there's enough time to change. It's only one trick. You Know, he probably needs to. He probably needs to try a lot of stuff in those early rounds. Otherwise he's, he's, you know, he's gonna get. Gonna get tripped up there. But he's a smart guy. I'm sure he's gonna talk to the right people and, you know, he'll be ready to go. Colin, did you see Slingshot have released the machine V3? I didn't even know the machine was around. I thought it was discontinued.

[B]

It's a bit of a sleeper one, eh?

[A]

Because massive sleeper.

[B]

I haven't been seeing it. They've kept it really quiet. I don't really know how they've done that. But presumably this is their king of the air kite, right? This is their 5 Strut as opposed to the 3 Strut code. Jeremy Belando's baby. You've got to think though, if Belanders had much to do with this, that, yeah, it will be epic. We haven't touched it yet. I haven't even seen one in the sky yet. Did you manage to get hold of old mate?

[A]

Let's hear from Jeremy now.

[C]

How's it, bro?

[A]

Jeremy, good to hear from you, buddy. I wanted to call you quickly to talk about the Slingshot Machine V3. I didn't even know the machine was still around. What's going on here?

[C]

Yeah, man. So basically it's a bit of a surprise for sure. I mean, it's been a kite that we've been working on for like even before the Code NXT for a long time. And we like had it on a side for a long time. And then once the Code NXT was done, we were like, yeah, let's actually give it a go and see how it goes. And it's actually out now. Yeah, it's been nice.

[A]

What's the difference between let's say the code V2 and the machine V3? Because I kind of feel like they're in similar wheelhouses. I know the NXT is obviously for high end big air performance, but those two kites look like they're pretty similar.

[C]

I mean they. Yeah, they for sure can look similar from, from outside, but once, once you get riding, they actually have quite a different feel. Like the code V2 is more for definitely like loops or even just free riding and maybe also wave riding a bit. And the machine V3, we actually designed it especially, especially for like having like big boost, like super vertical jumps and like maybe practicing bulldogs without Kylo. So I mean the machine v3 is maybe not the best kite looping kite, but for sure. One of our best lifting kites and hangtime kites that we have in the lineup. The bar pressure definitely changes a lot. Like we were able to pull off some harder bar pressure to actually still get that direct bar feel, like the direct feedback from the kite when you're doing board ups and stuff. So you never lose sight of where the kite is. Instead, the code V2 is maybe a bit more user friendly, let's say. So if we want to jump high and just do like foil dogs and train them, then later on do them with kyloops, I think it's like one of the best kites we can have.

[A]

As a person who works with adi, how hard is it for you to switch your mindset from designing high end performance kites like the code NXT and something you're super proud of to come back and do the machine V3? Is it quite difficult for you to go through that process in your head as a person giving feedback?

[C]

So actually the story of the machine is actually quite, quite nice because we actually started doing the machine before the code nxt. We started working the kite since maybe after the first quota like 20, 23, started working it, working it, working it until we found one where I was like, let's try a 3 strut kite on this shape. And we kind of then worked that and then we left the machine v3 on the side and we just started working the code nxt. And then the machine V3 was just like a side project until we were ready on the code on NXT. And yeah, we went back. Adi took it a bit more serious on the machine V3 because he still wanted a good 5 cert guide to have that, you know, lift and hang time. And by the time we got all the info from the code NXT and how it was working, it was actually quite easy for us to like just get that machine V3 working as we wanted. Like pure big jumps and hang time and easiness to write too, you know.

[A]

So is there some of the DNA from the code NXT and the code V2 in this machine? Can you. Do they sort of all feel similar?

[C]

I mean, for sure we, let's say use the same type of building kite. Or like ADI especially, he like has one way of doing them. And then of course, like for sure they're not gonna feel like the same each kite because of course one is five strut, the other one is three strut. One is with Alula, one is with normal Dacron, so they're not gonna feel completely the same. But some of the Addie DNA where you really feel like the kite is easy to use and it's really like forgiving. That's one of the Addi's DNA where like it's just, it's just easy to do tricks and stuff on it. You know, that's one of the main things.

[A]

So interestingly, Jeremy's calling it a big air old school kite. Five struts, you know, big air, old school boost in hang time. I didn't get that feeling he was talking about King of the air. It still looks like the NXT is going to be his kite of choice, but this is just another kite to fill up that market a little bit. Like this is sound. It's going to sound crazy now, but a little bit like the way the Rebel used to be for the, for the, for the Duotone lineup. Used to be that old school big jumping kite. Then you had this sort of other kites. But yeah, maybe the machine has a brighter future. But interesting to hear him saying that him and Adi were working on this kite first before the code and, and they couldn't get it, couldn't get it quite right at the time and they sort of shelved it, went to a three strut and. And this has sort of been reborn. So yeah, really interesting to hear Jeremy talking about that. I wouldn't think that Jeremy would ride that. It sounds to me like he's going to stay with his nxt.

[B]

It'd be. Yeah, okay. I wouldn't be surprised if he rides it in the bigger sizes for.

[A]

Oh, you mean for like a. If it's like a marginal win competition. Yeah, but then, I mean, that's the thing, man. It's crazy. Like we also. What about five struts? Then it was all about three struts. Now I've gone back to five struts. The five struts seem to get a little bit more height, seem to have a little bit more sort of strength in them, but in lighter winds. You think it would be better to go back to a three strike kite. Right. If it's 25 to 30 and have a kite that's a little bit lighter. Remember, this isn't a lulu kite. This is just straight Dacron. There's no a lulu on this kite at all.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Okay. We need one to test it and we'll get the lads to. Or the women to write.

[A]

Very progressive on this podcast. We're very progressive.

[B]

Yeah, well, I am. We'll get an honest review on it because, yeah, the NXT was just. It's just pretty sick, isn't it?

[A]

So one of my favorite kites. For sure. That I've written in the last few years. For sure.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

Are you. You really like that kite too, right?

[B]

Yeah, I really like it. The machine V3, I can't. Do you know what? I think we've got a blank maybe v1 or v2 machine that never made it into a test. Pretty sure I've seen it in a bag in the shed. I was like, what? But there's so many now that you.

[A]

Kind of starting a kite school. We are blank kite school.

[B]

We could do multiple kite schools.

[A]

The blank kite school, that's actually one of my better ideas.

[B]

Because in episode five of Road to Pro, Bloody Jetto goes for a short line session with Jason Vanderspay.

[A]

Honestly, I can't wait for that one.

[B]

And it goes horribly. It actually goes horribly.

[A]

Of course it does.

[B]

It was so windy. So windy this week. I've just been recording the. The voiceover and there's a bit I just realized halfway through, I was like, it's not. People aren't gonna get it. Like, it doesn't sound windy enough. So I just. Well, I made it pretty clear how windy it was. But to give it some context, there's a point where Jetto can't walk with his board along the beach. Jason has to take it because it's so windy for him.

[A]

Jetto has testicles of steel.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I put that as a disclaimer at the end because on the first draft, I was kind of, you know, just keeping it light hearted and then we're on to the next thing or whatever. But upon watching it a couple times, I realized that, like, it needs to be said that no one should find Jetto in this instance, inspiring. Like, he's a really good kiter, trying short lines for the first time under the guidance of the best in the world at it. And yeah, even in those circumstances, we shouldn't really have put him out in 40, gusting more gusting more than 40 knots to do his first short line session. And you will see, like the. We'll put. We'll put a clip of it on Instagram to hype the episode. And let's just say you've never seen anyone get yanked like that. You've never. You've never seen it bigger than the Robbie James. This is terrible. Like, it's horrible.

[A]

Commit. Or has he got the bar?

[B]

No, it's the opposite.

[A]

He just seriously commits.

[B]

So Jason explains it in the episode and you saw has used this technique as well, I think, honestly, jet less so. But to get the kite really low, like Jason does, he overflies it. So on takeoff, say he's going left foot forward, which is Jason's favorite stance. He will send the kite like beyond one o' clock as he's rising, right? And then he loops the kite from there. So essentially the kite is like sitting really far towards the edge of the window and then it goes all the way around the edge of the window and that's how it gets really low. Jetto does it like a normal mega loop, despite Jason saying everything. Yeah, yeah. One, he loops it too early, but two, he doesn't send it to the side. He just goes like from 12, basically. So then he gets like the four full force of his 6 meter D lab Evo on 12 meter lines. And honestly, it's like how he didn't get whiplash just from the Yank. I don't know.

[A]

I mean, I'm just looking forward to seeing that. Tell me he only did it once.

[B]

He. After the, after the big one, we were like, no more. Jason was like, no more. And he was like, one more. And then I was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[A]

He can bounce, that boy. He's made of rubber.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Wow. I mean, yeah, that's. That's kind of scary. I'm looking forward to it. Colin. I just want to do a little bit of an update from Cold Hawaii. They did name their fleet, but since then Denmark Red Bull have made a national decision to raise the minimum age to 18. This is a nationwide decision. There's been a lot of media attention regarding youth and the consumption of energy drinks. It's not what the Cold Hawaii guys have wanted. And unfortunately that means people like Leo, Shahar and Zach cannot ride, which is really disappointing because Cold Hawaii has actually been a breakout event for, for many young guys in the past. You know, Lorenzo was riding already the bacal events, but he had his major breakout in this event. Jamie Overbeek's first big competition, one of Andrea's first big wins is in Cold Hawaii. So it's a real disappointment that this event is now going to. Having 18 as a minimum. I don't know if this is to stay or to stick, but. Yeah, really?

[B]

Of course, if they've announced it, of course.

[A]

No, I'm not. I mean as in like for the, for the coming years, whether this is just an 18 at the moment and it will go back to 16. Now, what's your position on, on the age column? When it comes to extreme sports, where do you sit?

[B]

Yeah, I think that if they're good enough to deserve being. To be a place in there, then it should be their decision. They are young men and able to do all sorts of things legally at that age anyway. And isn't the legal drinking age of energy drink 16?

[A]

I believe it's 18 in Denmark now. Yeah, I think globally. Okay, Globally, red bull is 16. That's hence why we have that rule for other Red Bull events. But Denmark have raised it 18.

[B]

You know what, it's a shame. It's a shame for these young boys, but they're gonna have so many chances anyway. Hundreds of opportunities over the next little bit. And it gives, you know, the two spots really, we're talking about two spots to other riders, you know, to. I don't think it's so bad. It's not so bad.

[A]

It is. It is suffocating in the development of the sport. You know, I mean, what. I guess what administrators. The administrators who make these decisions, they look back and they look at that sport and they think, holy crap, this is crazy. But these young men and women, let's say that pilots, they are completely in control of their kite at all times. Yeah, I think. I think it's really disappointing because it does sort of suffocate our sport and know, like, if you look at all extreme sports, it's all going younger. Look at skateboarding and all this, it's all going that direction. So it's a bit of a shame that we've done this. Hopefully in the future cooler heads can prevail and we can. We can move on, you know, as normal. But, yeah, little bit disappointing. We will when that. Or when that fleet is fully updated again. And I've reached out to the guys at Cold Hawaii for an update and they haven't got quite given it to me yet. We'll come back and we'll. We'll go through that new fleet because there will be a couple changes.

[B]

Amen, brother.

[A]

Let's talk about Wu kicked me out. The people wanted. New leadership, new world, new motivation. An old regime gone. The Wu Tang Clan rises from the ashes.

[B]

You are the old bloody. You're the old guard. Will there be a prize for, like, most cumulative age, you guys? Over a thousand maybe.

[A]

But I mean, we are bringing some. We've got. Hey, by the way, we've got a. Also a new figurehead leader in. His name is Steezy Pete.

[B]

I heard that bit in the previous podcast as well. He's Daisy Pete, just coming all that needs is one phone call, Adrian, and you know, he's gone. And also, he's been absolutely hopeless at every world, so you can. You can bloody well have him.

[A]

But I told him, I said, he's a little bit of foiling in this, mate. Maybe you can. Maybe you can give it a go. But I mean, I'm not. I'm not holding my breath. Easy, Pete. But it will be. Will be awesome to. To have him in the. In the Wu Tang Clan as the team is officially named.

[B]

Right, let. I'm just looking at your measly team now. Let me just read out a few of the notable. Wow, that's actually quite a lot. Okay. Bex Rempel. Never heard of him. Who cares? Brian Ubin. Never heard of him. Chris Axel. Never heard of him. Dan Iron Man. Oh, you managed to get him. Oh, okay, let me just. There's a lot of munchers in here, though. I've never even heard. And literally, these are like some of the smallest hitters you've ever heard.

[A]

Hey, but it's all. What then? I mean, we go down there.

[B]

Is that Michelle Sky Hayward or is that another Michelle?

[A]

No, it's another Michelle Skyhouse. Steven Roy, there's another big.

[B]

You've got bloody. No way have you got Steven Roy.

[A]

I have, and no.

[B]

Surely his legs are still broken, though.

[A]

No, he's back. I pay for the operation. I pay for the operation. And we're obviously led by, you know, Aya Kiteboarding. Who's. What you got figurehead leader? Yep. No, I can't see if you look under. Her name is Wu Tang Raekwon Aya. They've all adapted that. They've all adapted Wu Tang names. Look at them leading the way. Well, look, I mean, look, let's talk about our priorities here.

[B]

What's your logo?

[A]

That's the Wu Tang Clan, bro.

[B]

I'm trying to zoom in. It says. What is it, though? It's the Wu Tang Loco.

[A]

Have you ever seen the Wu Tang cling?

[B]

You know, and then you've written your team name over the. I mean, it's just not that creative.

[A]

Awesome, you know? It is.

[B]

You've got Rocky Chatwell. I remember him from back in the day. That's epic.

[D]

Sick.

[B]

I'm gonna steal him.

[A]

That's a sick logo. Look at that.

[B]

I mean, it's not sick. It's okay.

[A]

Trademark, obviously.

[B]

Okay, I. Dude.

[A]

And by the way, are you updating the Ship Monks logo? Have you been updating it?

[B]

It doesn't. What do you mean? It's Timeless. You don't touch that. Okay, so you guys are going to be good at endurance because you've got Aya Dan and Earth of the surfer. The rest of them are all hopeless.

[A]

Yeah, I think. And think if we can look at. In a. In priorities, I think, you know, total distance is our top priority. Total height would be second and then obviously max height would be. But bro, our third.

[B]

I'm just gonna get some kite races and just force them to kite for 48 hours and you're.

[A]

You do that.

[B]

Okay, I'm gonna do that. Don't you worry about it. All right? I'm gonna look at the next one. CT air. They're an annoying bunch of white, white South Africans. Dave. Dave K is the captain. And then we've got Vander Spain here. The Vander Spade. Dad's in there. David Vanderspay, he's in there. I'm not saying. Oh, no, Jason is in there. Okay, so I'll steal him. Josh Gillet's in there. Leave him. Just leave him. He doesn't have anything.

[A]

South Africa's a big team. That's a.

[B]

There's a lot player. He's pretty much done these days, isn't he, mate? I'm not worried about that at all. Not worried about that at all.

[A]

Michaela Pilkington. What's Michaela Pilkington doing in that team?

[B]

What? Why with me are you gonna. I needed to do some blue, right?

[A]

They've all. They've all left the nest. They've all left the nest.

[B]

Okay, let's look over at the Shipmunks, okay? A notorious team. The team that has just really sort of shone when there was no light, you know, it's like glow in the dark. Didn't make sense at all, did it? Anyway, let me just look. Let me just look down the ranks, okay? Alfie Luxton, absolute slayer. Alice. Alice Ruggieu. Cheers. Don't worry about it. Archie Morrell, absolute slayer again. Archie Luxton, Alfie's brother. Killer. I've got baby shark, bro. See you later. Got baby shark. I've got Cyprian Bordullas. He lives in Mykonos. It blows its tits off there every day. I've got Daniel de Gaia. He emailed me earlier this week. He bloody loves it. He's going to be an absolute savage. Apparently he never jumps over 8 meters, but we just want him there for good times. Ed Rycroft, Epic on the south coast. He's a killer. Francesca Maney, bro. I've got the queen of the air. See you later, Adrian. See you later. I've got Guy Bridge, Tom's middle brother. Recently married. He's probably got. Well, he hasn't got dad strength yet, but he might. James Longmire. He's an online tyrant and just as active on the water. John Allowson, a savage. Jordan Hurst. Savage. Karen Howe. Savage Ho. Pengu Island. You go near these and I will absolutely destroy you. Got Leela from Tarifa. She's out every day. Bro, I'm getting RSI just from scrolling down the page. This is Miguel. Holy. Holy. I've got literally Legends of Wu. Legends of Wu. Nico Gambier.

[A]

He ain't gonna do.

[B]

Please. I've got Fluffy. I've got Richard Stevens. Unbelievable.

[A]

Heaven.

[B]

This is so boring for everyone.

[A]

Actually, I need to call.

[B]

Actually none of the listeners.

[A]

Fluffy. Someone that I want. I'm gonna call Fluffy and get him over.

[B]

No, you stay away from Fluffy. You stay away from Fluffy. I'm. Stay away from Fluffy. Stay away from Fluffy. I've got Shahar, no doubt. He's going to be a savage. He's going to be amazing. Who else have I got? Toby Bloomfield. I thought that was a tennis player. Tell me, Deke. I've got Deaky.

[A]

Oh, the dick meister.

[B]

And I've got Tom Visser. I've got Tom Visser, the owner of Kite Mana. Okay, here's who. Here's who's in the Kite Mana team. Evan Klein, Jamie Overbeak, Martin Hager and TiVo. Holy. Maybe I'll see if I can be the fifth on that. No, I'm joking. I'm joking, of course.

[A]

Abandoned ship already, bro.

[B]

I'm a shipmunk for life. And we're gonna go hard during this we world. Right, one last team will go. We'll just run quickly over the Flying Kiwis. Basically hopeless. They'll be defending their team Max Height crown from last year. They got a few lucky gusts, I think, and yeah, just, yeah, fluked it. Jason Montreal, the man from YouTube doing the kite reviews. He's their team boss. And then Hoogie Woogie. They've got current Topper Woo, but I am in conversation with him. And then his younger brother Toby Wigglesworth is in there. And his dad, Luke Wigglesworth. No mum, no mummy Wigglesworth. But they've also got Mark with a K. Harrison. He's completely useless. So. And then there's someone called Fat dad sends.

[A]

That must be that Mark. This company Mark.

[B]

Mark is actually not in here. Unless that is him. Unless he's changed his Hang on, let me zoom in. Oh, no. Okay, whoever's called Fat dad sends on Woo. His display picture is a picture of Jetto unconscious with genitalia scribbled on his face in mark pen. That can only be. That can only be one person. The 2022 King of the Year. Marc Jacobs, no less.

[A]

2021 King of the Year.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Mike Jacobs, was he.

[B]

Oh yeah, that was Lorenzo.

[A]

With dicks on your face.

[B]

Where is Lorraine? Oh, Lorenzo will be in the Harlem team. Boo. Oh, no. Lorenzo isn't Woo, is he? He's gonna be nowhere near.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

Matt, who's Andrea riding for? Sign him up.

[A]

Didn't they have. Didn't he have like his Italian World Championship team one year?

[B]

Mate, I don't give a. I'm just gonna. Let me just. Hang on.

[A]

The problem is, is that these top pros, it's great. You think, oh, great. I've got these guys in my team, but they're not committed. You need committed people for this event. That's why it makes legends out of the mere mortals of our sport. And that's what you need to go for. You need to go for mortal status. Turn them into legends. Let them become legends. Give them the opportunity. This is the leadership that people come for. Colin. I'm the pot. I'm the earth and I give them the water. They're the seed and let them grow.

[B]

Will you be getting the bus there? Bus to the spot? Probably.

[A]

Free bus rides without gold cards? With our senior citizen cards? Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, for sure. I can't believe Aya's gone. I'm actually fuming about that. I thought she was a loyal shipmunk.

[A]

Well, sometimes you just go, you know, make some. Make some phone calls and just reach out to people and just say, hey, listen, let's. Let's do something new. Let's set some challenges. Let's have some fun. I stole them.

[B]

Aya, listen to me, okay? This is just a fad. Adrian and this thing, Woo, no way to any of you. Listen to Wu Tang Clan, by the way. So that's a lame for the start. But then secondly. Come on, Aya, think about your roots. You've forgotten your roots, okay? But that's okay. Occasionally, you know, the mighty do forget their roots. But it's the role of their good friend and Woo world's captain to remind them of where home is. So Aya, come back. I summon you as one of the greatest shipmonks ever to have shipmunked. And Dan Ironman Bouchard you as well. Don't forget. I can't believe you. I can't believe believe you. And yes, I will. Might give you the money, the prize money, if we win. How about that might be the key word. That's pretty enticing. No merch for those two, though, unless they come. And those two, well, I loves merch for sure. Okay. That's probably enough of this whole thing, isn't it? Thank you for words. See you in the next one. Bye.