I can see barefooting is an issue that many of you feel passionately about. After I posted, I found what's billed, correctly I think, as "the definitive paper on barefooters explaining us." I'll link to it at the end, though, so you don't go there and forget about the page that linked you to it, which is something I do all the time.
-Bare feet aren't the item for today's blog, though. The item is kitejumping. "Pardon?" you ask. Kitejumping is a sport that you do by means of a big giant kite. Don't visualize one of those little triangular or Charlie Brown-type dealies. These kites are called powerkites. They look much more like rectangular parachutes. So, you get a powerkite. Now you go out into some field somewhere, and wait for wind. When you get it, you wait for just the right moment, and then jump. The kite takes you way the heck up into the air and you come back down to the ground a ridiculous distance away. I've watched lots of Google videos of kitejumpers. I need a powerkite.
-Take note: kitejumping has shot up straight to the top of the list of great sport-type stuff to do at Grinnell. The reason is obvious. I'll be in Iowa. There's almost nothing but fields, perfect for kitejumping, and the abundance of fields means that there's nothng to stop tremendous winds from building up, again perfect for kitejumping! Ideal! And, another thing to know: kitejumping isn't the only sport you can do with a powerkite. There's a whole family of these sports: kitesurfing, kiteboarding, snowkiting, and kite ice butt boarding all come to mind, and there are probably resourceful people all over who have come up with innovative new ways to use a powerkite. I think I very well might get into snowkiting; failing steep hills, it may be the best bet for a winter sport in Grinnell, because you only need big winds to propel you. (Gravity is for troglodytes!) To this effect, as soon as I get a job, I'll be saving up to buy a reasonable powerkite (and also, obviously, to help finance college). I guess I'll have to practice around here so I can get good at it. Where's a clear, flat place? Maybe somewhere in Winton Woods. And once I'm fairly good I can have a go at a clear place with a big hill, that being the Elmridge Overlook. Hopefully, if I try that, I won't blow into the lake. Though that would probably be most comical for an observer.
-You people always wonder where I come up with this stuff, so I'll explain briefly: I searched for a sound file online, and found it at www.kitejumping.org. After going only to the sound file usually for a while, I eventually took a look at the rest of the site, and discovered what kitejumping is, but didn't really think twice about it. That was like a year ago. Then I was on Google Videos the other day thinking of things to search for, and that came out of my head, and when I watched the video it was the greatest thing ever.
-Parkour too. I wonder if the buildings are any good for parkour? Probably. College campuses usually are. By the way, I found another guy, via facebook (a networking website), who's going to Grinnell and does parkour. We'll even both be first-years (trivia: Grinnell doesn't use the term "freshmen"). He has some pictures up of him doing parkour, and he's way better than I am, mostly because he's actually had places to do it. But he says he only started about a year ago, so there's hope for me yet.
-Graduation in two days.
The promised link: http://www.barefooters.org/key-works/case_for/
6 comments.
You never cease to amaze me! The kitejumping sounds way more interesting than going into stores barefooted to try to get a reaction. Go for it! However, when kitejumping, please try to stay away from brick buildings. They don't give. We will be there early tomorrow. Weatherman promises no rain. Grandma
Kitesurfing requires extremely strong hands in order to not fall off the kite bar. I suggest you find a job in a dairy, in Iowa, when you get there, in which they only milk cows by hand - the old fashioned, non-mechanical, organic way. After 6 months to a year you will have strong enough hands to surf (fly) long distances. By the way where does one buy one of these things, it might be fun to try at Crow Duck. GPa
I would not suggest barefoot kitejumping.
Mom
Can you milk a cow while kitejumping barefoot?
Odd that you should ask, but there is one reported (but not witnessed) event of Milking a Cow, While Kitejumping barefoot. It seems they were all caught up in the same Twister, at the same time. It is reported in Verne's (not Ripley's) Believe It Or Not. GPa
Touche. My Spanish has really slipped. I should be working on that for Spain.
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