OCEAN CITY — – The American Kitefliers Association is hosting its 40th annual convention this week in Ocean City where it all began 40 years ago.
The annual event began yesterday, Oct. 9 and continues through Saturday, Oct. 13 and be centrally located at the Roland E Powell Convention Center.
The week-long convention will consist of competitions to determine the reigning national champion for kite makers and stunt kite pilots. The 200-plus contestants have spent considerable amount of time preparing for this event, and only the top performers in the country are invited to compete for the title. There will also be opportunities for members to learn tips, secrets, and techniques from expert presenters.
While there will be events running from 8 in the morning to late in the evening every day, most of the judging of the competitors will be done on the beach between 11 a.m.-5 p.m. every day. This will be the best time to see what makes these would be national champions the best.
The convention isn’t all about competition, it is also about camaraderie, and sharing what is special about kite flying.
President Nic O’Neill stated in a recent interview, “I feel like kite fliers are the best of the bunch, and the convention is a chance for us to showcase that not only for the public, but for each other. Kites really do cross all political, cultural, racial, or age boundaries that we might have. They unite us under one sky, and the Annual Convention is the perfect representation of that unity.”