American Kitefliers Association

If you’ve been looking for a place to grow as a sport kite flier, reconnect with the community, or simply share the sky with people who understand the joy of flight, this is it. Come join the regrowing sport kite community at the American Kitefliers Association National Convention this October in Muncie, IN. The AKA Sport Kite Committee has been hard at work creating workshops where you can learn new skills, sharpen familiar ones, and explore kites you’ve been curious about. Or, if you prefer, just come fly, visit, and spend time with fellow sport kiters on the expansive outdoor fields or in the indoor flying space. Community doesn’t happen by accident—it happens when we gather. Come be part of it.

𝗔𝗞𝗔 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀

Sometimes all it takes is one photograph to tell a remarkable story.

Last month, we asked our AKA members to share photos of their children and grandchildren flying kites. We received many wonderful responses, but one photograph immediately caught my attention.

When longtime American Kitefliers Association member Pam Hodges shared a photo of her granddaughter Kate flying a sport kite during a family visit, I saw more than a smiling child alongside a colorful kite. I knew there had to be a story behind that smile.

What began as a picture of one magical afternoon quickly unfolded into the story of a lifetime in kiting, the friendships that define our community, and the quiet way our passion is passed from one generation to the next. Curious to learn more, I wrote to Pam and asked if she would tell me the story behind the photograph.

Kate lives nearly a thousand miles away, so opportunities to fly together don't come very often. During one of those visits a couple of years ago, the wind arrived at just the right time. Pam handed Kate a Prism Synapse sport kite and watched to see what would happen.

The result surprised even her.

"𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦."

The smile in the photograph says everything. It captures the excitement of discovery, the confidence that comes from mastering something new, and the simple joy that only a good breeze and a kite can bring.

Today, like many children her age, Kate's attention is often drawn to computer screens.

But for one perfect afternoon...

..𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻.

What makes that photograph especially meaningful is that the story really began decades before Kate ever picked up a kite line.

Like so many of us, Pam's own journey started in childhood.

"𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥."

Years later, a local kite store near where she worked introduced her to the Minnesota Kite Society, and everything changed. She attended a kite festival with a kite-making competition and immediately knew she had found something special.

"𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦."

Her first dual-line kite was a Dyna Kite, and before long she subscribed to KiteLines, the magazine published by Valerie and Mel Govig. Like so many kitefliers before the internet connected our community, that magazine became a doorway into a much larger world.

While browsing the calendar of events, Pam discovered the Mid-America Kitemakers Retreat—better known as MAKR—and decided to attend.

It was one of the best decisions she ever made.

"𝘐 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 47 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 35 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰."

MAKR was also where Bruce Jarvie and Joe Shiros introduced her to the art of fighter kites.

"𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘰𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘉𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴."

Bruce passed his knowledge to Pam.

Pam would later pass that same joy to her own son, David.

When David was growing up, Pam taught him to fly a Vic's fighter kite and eventually gave him the kite and winder as his own. Years later, David would take his daughter Kate to the former Zilker Park Kite Festival in Texas with Pam, continuing a family tradition that now spans three generations.

As I read through Pam's memories, something became obvious. She rarely talked about awards or accomplishments. Instead, she talked about people.

She remembered standing in awe of Adrian Conn's incredible craftsmanship at AKA conventions. She fondly recalled attending her first AKA Convention in Seaside, Oregon, in 1993, where Ron Gibian handed her the flying line and invited her to fly it herself.

And then there was Valerie Govig.

Like many of us, Pam first knew Valerie through the pages of KiteLines. Years later, she attended the Maryland Kite Society's kite-making retreat and found herself rooming with the very woman whose writing had inspired her own passion for kiting. They would room together again at the 2017 AKA Convention in Ocean City.

"𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴."

Pam's memory perfectly illustrates Valerie's gift. She didn't simply publish a magazine—she inspired people. And those people, in turn, inspired others.

The friendships Pam made through MAKR—now U-MAKE—continue to this day. They eventually carried her all the way to Fanø, Denmark, where she experienced one of the world's premier kite festivals.

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴."

Back home, Pam continues sharing that same spirit. Last year she and fellow AKA member Richard Masek spent a day at their county fair helping children build simple kites.

"𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 70 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴."

She still flies whenever she can with friends in her local community, continuing a journey that has now lasted more than three decades.

When I asked Pam what kiting has meant to her, she answered with a sentence that perfectly captures the spirit of the American Kitefliers Association.

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺!"

For me, Pam's story is personal as well.

Many years ago, Pam was one of my longtime customers at Kite Studio. Like so many familiar customers over the years, she wasn't simply buying kite supplies. She was becoming part of a community. Looking back now, it's rewarding to see someone I first knew as a customer introducing her granddaughter to the same joy that first captured her imagination so many years ago.

Organizations like the American Kitefliers Association preserve far more than the history of kites. They preserve the people, friendships, traditions, mentors, and moments that quietly shape our lives. Bruce Jarvie shared his knowledge with Pam. Pam shared it with David. David helped pass that experience to Kate.

That is how kiting has always grown.

One lesson.

One friendship.

One family.

One generation inspiring the next.

One day Kate may not remember the name of the kite she flew that afternoon. She may not remember how strong the wind was or how long she kept it in the air. But she will almost certainly remember how it felt. She will remember the pull of the kite, the laughter, and her grandmother smiling nearby.

And perhaps someday, she'll hand a kite line to another child.

Because that is the real legacy of kiting.

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗸𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀.

-sf

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Love Kites? Fly with AKA. Share the Joy.
American Kitefliers Association
𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲... 𝗔𝗞𝗔!
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Are you thinking about going to the AKA Annual Meeting in Muncie, Indiana from October 12-17th? Whether you want to go for or just to hang out with the people of our community, don't delay! The host hotel had to add more rooms to our block as the initial batch sold out quickly. Plus, Early Bird registration ENDS August 1st, which is less than two weeks away! Go to kite.org, and register now!

We love our friends Artevento - where every year, there is a celebration of the art and culture of kites on the Pinarella beach of Cervia, Italy. Hope to see you soon! Also, FYI, for those attending our annual convention in Muncie, there will be a workshop session on how to join the AKA delegation at Cervia next year!

Sono passati 25 anni da quando gli aquiloni dipinti di Claudio Capelli volarono per la prima volta a Madison USA sui ghiacci del Festival “Kites on Ice”, approdando persino su questa bella copertina di “Kiting” il Magazine ufficiale dell’American Kitefliers Association
… e quale occasione migliore per festeggiare questo bell’anniversario se non tornare a volare oltreoceano, nelle suggestive location del Nord America?!?
per scoprire dove ci porterà la prossima avventura di ARTEVENTO!!!





Ministero della Cultura ICPI Istituto Centrale per il Patrimonio Immateriale Università di Perugia
Culturalia Regione Emilia-Romagna inEmiliaRomagna

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

It's an interesting question.

If someone asked us today, we might answer:

"We publish Kiting magazine. We hold an annual convention. We have regional directors. We provide insurance. We support clubs and festivals."

Those are all true.

But they're just a list of what we do.

Maybe a better answer is this...

𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺.

The American Kitefliers Association isn't simply an organization.

It's a community.

It's a steward of our history.

It's a teacher.

It's a storyteller.

It's a place where a child's very first diamond kite and a master's hand-built masterpiece are equally celebrated.

In a world that changes faster every year, perhaps our greatest responsibility isn't just to fly kites.

It's to make sure the next generation has the opportunity to discover why we fell in love with them in the first place.

That's a story worth telling.

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗜'𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.

What does the American Kitefliers Association mean to you?

Was it the first convention you attended?
A lifelong friendship?
Learning to build your first kite?
A mentor who took you under their wing?
Introducing a child or grandchild to flying?
A favorite memory that still makes you smile?

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.

Because the AKA isn't defined by its magazine, its website, or its convention.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲.

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https://www.kite.org/community/

Sport kite flying was never meant to be a solo act. It thrives in community—through shared tips, new tricks, borrowed kites, big fields, and the simple joy of flying together. Join us this October in Muncie, IN, for the American Kitefliers Association National Convention and be part of the regrowing sport kite community. The AKA Sport Kite Committee has put together workshops to help you sharpen your skills, expand your toolset, and grow as a flier. Not into workshops? Come fly with us outside on the massive fields or indoors in the dedicated flying space. The only way a community grows is when people show up. We hope you’ll be one of them.

🪁 Ready to put your stunt kite skills to the test? 🌬️

Join the Black Swamp Air Force for the North Coast Stunt Kite Games—a weekend dedicated to flying, learning, and connecting with fellow kite enthusiasts! Whether you're an experienced pilot or just getting started, this event is all about having fun, sharing tips, and enjoying the thrill of stunt kite flying in a welcoming atmosphere.

Bring your favorite kite, meet flyers from across the region, and experience an unforgettable weekend filled with great winds and even better company! The event is held at Maumee State Park in Ohio https://maps.app.goo.gl/u9xJDRQWGvAqpnmDA?g_st=ac

Learn more about the event and plan your visit:
👉 https://www.kite.org/event/black-swamp-air-force-north-coast-stunt-kite-games/