Jason Slezak during the Triple-S competition.
Photo: Realkiteboarding.com

Local Pro Snags Attitude Award
Perfect conditions for Triple-S Invitational

by Shelby Kinnaird

As reported in the May 2006 issue of Half Vaster, REAL Kiteboarding held their Triple-S Invitational June 3-9 on Hatteras Island. (Triple-S stands for Surf, Slicks and Sliders.) For complete results and additional photos, click here.

Jason Slezak, a professional kiteboarder and kiteboarding coach, won the event's Slickstyle Attitude Award. I caught up with Jason after the competition.

Shelby: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Jason: I am 28 years old, originally from Charleroi, PA. I currently reside in Waves (Cape Hatteras), NC. I'm a professional Kiteboarder/Kiteboarding Coach.

Shelby: How long have you been riding? What is your specialty?

Jason: I started kiteboarding in late summer of 1999, so I have been riding for almost seven years. As far as my "speciality" in kiteboarding, I like to do whatever is fun. If I had to narrow it down, I would say that my main focus is riding sliders and wave riding.

Shelby: How many other competitions have you participated in? How was the Triple S different?

Jason: I used to participate in contests on a fairly regular basis a few years ago. The main reason that I stopped was that most of the comps were based on the same format: 2-3 day event, single (or at best double) elimination heats, and held at venues that are usually based on what is best for the spectators rather than the riders. With the Triple S, we wanted to do something different than all of the other contests that were happening in the United States. Our idea was to hold the event over a week-long window with multiple riding spots and a "no heat" format. This setup allowed us to ride the best spots on Hatteras Island for whatever conditions were presented to us on any day of the week. And best of all, it allowed the riders to be on the water as much or as little as they wanted, so whenever the conditions were best for what they wanted to ride, each rider could go out and put on their show for the other riders and media personnel, who were also the judges.

Shelby: The riders for this event had to be invited. How were they selected? Did everyone who was invited show up?

Jason: The riders who were invited to the 2006 Triple-S event were selected based on their past involvement with other Real Kiteboarding events, had helped to build the Real Slider Park, or had traveled here to promote Hatteras as a kiteboarding destination. We wanted to do the event as a thank you to those riders by holding a fun-based event and ultimately releasing a Triple-S DVD which will in turn promote the riders and their sponsors. Although we had a great turnout, some of the invited riders were unable to attend due to previously made plans or other schedule conflicts.

Shelby: Had you met most of the other riders before? What did you guys do when competitions weren't going on?

Jason: I had met all of the riders that attended the Triple-S event before. I am lucky to call most of them good friends and we do a lot of winter traveling together. We all get along both on and off of the water. So when we were not kiteboarding for the competition, we spent the time hanging and surfing at a few of the local surf breaks and also spent a day skateboarding at a skate bowl a short distance from Hatteras Island. In the evenings, we would hang out as a group and cook dinners, play poker, shoot pool, and just chill at the riders' rental house.

Shelby: What was the best thing about the event? What was the worst?

Jason: The best thing about the Triple-S, hands down, was just getting the group of riders that showed up together for the week and pushing each other to ride as hard as we could. The worst part of the event was, let's see . . . when it ended!

Shelby: How were the parties?

Jason: The parties were great! As I mentioned before, all of the riders involved are good friends; however, we only get to hang out with each other a few times a year. So the opening party at the Triple-S was a killer way for everyone to catch up on travels, stories, and happenings from the past few months. It also allowed all of the employes at Real Kiteboarding and other local Cape Hatteras riders to meet many of the pros that they look up to. The awards ceremony and closing party was unbelievable! After a great week of riding, all of the riders were so pumped that during the photo slide show and awards, the cheering never stopped. DJ Chela, from Raleigh, spun tunes until 11pm at Real and then proceeded to spin at an after-party until almost 4am.

Shelby: How were the weather and conditions during the event?

Jason: We were very lucky to have ridable conditions almost every day during the event. Mother Nature presented us with a variety of different wind directions, allowing us to travel and ride different locations for the different conditions.

Shelby: How many spectators showed up (who weren't competing)?

Jason: The spectator turnout varied each day. We had the highest number of spectators during the first few days of the event because it was the weekend, and we were riding directly behind Real Kiteboarding in Waves. There were a few remote riding locations that did not allow easy access for spectators, and on those days, the spectator crew was limited to other kiteboarders or close friends of the riders involved.

Shelby: How were the events judged?

Jason: The judging system adopted at the Triple-S allowed for judging ballots to be filled out by each of the media crew (5), plus each of the competitors (15), totaling 20 judging ballots. Each ballot scored riders in each category 1st through 5th place. The only criteria for the riders was that they could not vote for themselves. Cumulative score of all the ballots were tallied to find the winners. This system assured a talented judging pool, plenty of ballot sheets and a way to guarantee that the winners were fairly chosen over the week of riding.

Shelby: You won the Slickstyle Attitude Award. What does that mean? Why did YOU win?

Jason: The Slickstyle Attitude Award was a category that was created to award the riders that put forth a positive attitude both on and off of the water during the event. Since the awards were voted on by all of the other riders and media staff, I guess they felt that I deserved it for all of the effort that I had put into the event, both leading up to and during the event. I don't know how I could have been anything but positive with such great conditions and great friends in town riding for a week of fun!!

Shelby: What was the most amazing thing you saw during the competition?

Jason: The most amazing thing that I witnessed during the competition was on one of the elements that we have in the Real Slider Park called the Red Bull Fun Box. I watched Sam Bell, Greg Norman, and Andre Phillip charge the fun box so fast and hard. All three of them blew my mind! Sam Bell was the first on to make the transfer, and then Andre and Greg followed. The transfer to the top rail of the funbox requires hitting the first up ramp at blazing speed launching into the air and then landing on the top rail that is only about 8 inches wide and sits about 12 feet off of the water, regaining your balance and then sliding the remaining 35 feet of the rail until you reach the water again. That sits on the top of my list for sure!

Shelby: It sounds like this is going to become an annual event. Will you participate in the planning for the 2007 Triple-S? If so, what do you think will change next year?

Jason: The Triple-S is definitely going to be an annual event! I will be involved in the planning for the 2007 Triple S, and actually we have already begun brainstorming on ways to make an already great event even better! I have some ideas for next year's event, but they will have to be kept under wraps at this time. My only recommendation is to come to Cape Hatteras in the first week of June 2007 to see what we have in store for the Real Kiteboarding Triple-S '07!

Jason is sponsored by Real Kiteboarding, Liquid Force, Reef, Dakine and Smith Optics.