Pro Diaries: UK & European Kite Buggying Champion – Craig Sparkes

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Bournemouth, Devon, Kite Buggy, Kite Buggying, Power Kiting

An interview with UK & European Kite Buggying champion Craig Sparkes, discussing his journey in the sport, the development of Kite Buggying and great tips for how and where you can get started!

Hi Craig, thanks for talking to us today. So what exactly is Kite buggying and what do the competitions consist of?

Kite buggying involves flying a large power kite and sitting in a 3 wheeled buggy, using the kite’s power to propel yourself along a surface, like hard sand or a grass field. For the freestyle side we strap ourselves into the buggy to allow for aerial tricks.

In the competitions, riders compete in rounds by performing a range of tricks that are judged on height, technical ability & the overall smoothness of the trick. As you win the heat, you advance onto the next level and so forth.

How did you get into the sport?

I got into it by flying small kites when I was still at high school, which then progressed on to power kiting where I’d go to the beach and spend hours getting dragged around and jumping around with the kite.
read more

Pro Diaries: Parkour & Free-Running with 3RUN

Aaron    The Professional's Arena    

To celebrate the newly launched Parkour experiences here at Extreme Element, we caught up with Sam Parham of the 3RUN team to talk about the development of Parkour & Free-Running, what you could be doing during the sessions and to hear more about a year in the life of the Guinness World Record holders.

Hi Sam, thanks for talking to us today. So what exactly is Parkour, and in which area do you specialise?

Parkour is the ‘art of movement’ – There is no direct translation, but loosely speaking it is about utilising your environment as an obstacle course – tackling any objects that come in your way, both physical and psychological. From Parkour; Free-Running has developed, which most consider to be more somersault related and displays further creative flair.

read more

Pro Diaries – Matthew Wilson – Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Go Karting, Rally Driving, Wales

Matthew Wilson is Britain’s leading FIA World Rally Championship driver. The 23-year-old from Cumbria drives a Ford Focus RS World Rally Car for the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team.

Hi Matthew, Thanks for talking to us today. So, how long have you been Rally Driving and how did you get into the sport?

Hi no problem, I took part in my first ever rally in 2003 when I acted as co-driver for my Dad (Malcolm Wilson), but 12 months later I was lucky enough to be behind the wheel of a rally car myself. In 2004, I competed in the British Rally Championship (BRC) and finished third overall. In the same year I also made my debut in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and finished 13th at Wales Rally GB. In 2006, I moved up to compete in the WRC, driving on behalf of the Stobart M-Sport Ford Rally Team and I’ve now just completed my fifth year.

read more

Pro Diaries: Tom Butler – Kitesurfing

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     cornwall, extreme sports, kitesurfing, land-boarding, wake boarding

An interview with up and coming Freestyle Kitesurfer Tom Butler, discussing his journey, the UK’s hot spots, the launch of Mutiny Kites and much more!

Hi Tom, Thanks for talking to us today. So, how long have you been Kitesurfing and how did you get into the sport?

Hi, no worries – it’s a pleasure!
I have been kite surfing for six years now. I first got into it through Powerkiting on land and it went on from there.

I was doing a bit of fishing one day in South Wales and saw some local guys ripping up and down the beach on these huge kites, jumping in the air and doing some crazy stuff and my dad knew straight away it was going to be an expensive new hobby! From there it went very quickly, I hooked up with a local shop when I was 13 and my dad would drive me 2 hours to the beach every weekend, and it went from a hobby to a lifestyle in no time.

What have you been up to this year? Have you been in many competitions?

After finishing my A levels before the summer I hooked up with my new sponsor; Mutiny Kites and saw potential for a gap year, learning about the industry outside of the competition scene. I have been mostly training in Egypt improving my riding and working with Mutiny recently. After 5 years on the British tour it’s now more exciting for me to see other sides of the industry. As a new company with well known guys from the industry, it has been a great few months learning about the design process of the kites, photo shoots, marketing the kites, testing and building my profile as a rider.

read more

Pro Diaries: Bennett Racing – Team Interview

Aaron    The Professional's Arena    

Hi Bennett Racing Team, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule and talking to us today. It’s very impressive that you guys have been racing for 29 years; you must have some amazing memories?

Hi, no problem at all it’s a pleasure. Yeah we’ve been racing for a long time and have been lucky to experience some fantastic times. One of the best memories for us was running our first 6 second ‘ET’ (Elapsed Time).

We had been racing for years before, but always ran the car very soft and never pushed it too hard. We have been lucky with sponsors that have helped us with the financial side of things, so when we did utilize the car we managed a 6.901 second run at only 195mph. Later that same year we also managed a run over 200mph!

Our best time to date is 6.42seconds at 191mph, again not leaning on the car too much and with a soft tune – so it can still go a lot quicker.

read more

Pro Diaries: British White Water Rafting Team – Interview

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Best White Water Rafting UK, British White Water Rafting Team, Guide to White Water Rafting, White water Rafting, White Water Rafting Guide

Hi there, thanks for talking to us today. So, what has 2010 been like for you guys in the Rafting world?

Hi Extreme Element. 2010 has been good so far, we’ve been busy promoting rafting in the UK and getting our teams ready for a summer of races around the world.

We have some great races coming up with our Youth Teams making their first entrance into a World Rafting Championships and our Senior Teams heading to Holland, Italy and China.

So what do these competitions consist of?

The International Rafting Federation are the Governing body for Raft Racing and they set out the race rules and format. There are four current types, which are: read more

Pro Diaries: Callum Bowran – Interview – Freestyle Skateboarding

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Best Freestyle Skateboard, Callum Bowran, Freestyle Skateboarding, Professional Freestyle, Skateboarding, Skateboarding Champion, Skateboarding Lessons, UK Skateboarding

Callum Bowran

Hi Callum, thanks for talking to us today. So what exactly is Freestyle Skateboarding and what do the competitions consist of?

Freestyle skateboarding is just you and the board. You don’t need any obstacles or skate parks, just a skateboard and some flat ground – there is an ‘accepted’ view of what freestyle is, but the essence is do what you want. It’s one of the earliest forms of Skateboarding, and paved the foundations for modern street skating.

The competitions generally consist of two x 2 minute runs and getting judged against certain categories, such as style, technicality, consistency… but there are quite a few new formats being tried out lately.

What have you been up to in the Skateboarding world lately?

I was filming with Andy Evans fairly recently for Heel Toe Magic, but other than that just doing a few demos and getting ready for the events I hope to go to over summer.

read more

Pro Diaries: Katie Summerhayes – Interview – Freestyle Skiing

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     bristish freeski tour, experiences, extreme sports, freestyle skiing, grom games, junioe skiing, katie summerhayes, skier, skiing, Snow Experiences

We managed to catch up with this year’s Grom Games champion Katie Summerhayes for a quick chat, and to discuss how budding young skiers can get into the Skiing and Freestyle Skiing from a young age.

Hi Katie, thanks for speaking to us today. So, how long have you been Skiing for now?

Hey, no worries! I’ve been skiing for around 8 years now.

What exactly is Freestyle Skiing?

Well, Freestyle is a type of skiing that involves skiing off jumps, rails and on half pipes – performing as many ticks as possible! Skiing on rails and kickers takes good balance and a lot of practice, but is well worth it when you perfect a trick!

read more

Pro Diaries: Dan Nott – Interview – European Champion – Wakeboarding

Aaron    The Professional's Arena     Dan Nott, extreme sports, Monster Eneregy Drinks, Surrey, wake boarding, wakeboard, Wakeboarder

Hi Dan, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. So, what have you been up to this year?

Dan Nott, Professional Wakeboarder

At the beginning of 2010 I headed out to Argentina for the off-season as I have done for the last 4 years. It’s great to get out there as it is their summer during our winter. My girlfriend (also a pro rider) is Argentinean, so I stay out there with her and ride with all the locals on their boats.

Cool, sounds like fun! So what will the rest of 2010 hold for you?

Well it’s going to be a busy one for me. There are a lot of contests this year, including the rebirth of the UK tour which I am really looking forward to. My next contest is the FISE (Federazione Italiana Sport Equestri) in May, which is a rail-only event and is always fun. I will also be traveling around the world quite a bit, going to Spain, Russia, Sweden, Korea, China and many more countries hopefully!

read more

Pro Diaries: Dan Stanbridge – Interview – Downhill Mountain Biking

Aaron    The Professional's Arena    

Dan Stanbridge in Washington

Hi Dan, thanks for talking to us today. So how long have you been Mountain Biking for?

I have been riding bikes of some sort ever since I can remember really, and not just downhill. I started riding cross country and now I also like to ride road bikes, motocross, BMX – you name it, if it has 2 wheels then it works for me! But right now Downhill is my favourite and the one I have chosen to focus on and compete in.

What honours and achievements have you got under your belt?

In terms of titles and results, I have had a fair share of regional, national and international podium finishes and a few race wins dropped into the mix. However, the bottom line is that last year my best finish at a World Cup round was 13^th place, so this year my goal is to better that.

read more