Contenders for the GKA Men’s Move of the Year Award 2022

We’re pleased to be able to announce the following individuals were voted as the leading contenders for the GKA Move of the Year Award by a panel of industry professionals, representatives, brand managers, media creators and journalists.

Please watch the video below, then scroll down to read the trick and rider info – winners announced 25th June at a ceremony in Tarifa.

VOTING CLOSED 7TH JUNE

(The public vote counts as 33% of the overall vote alongside a specialist legends & pioneers committee and GKA Kite World Tour judges, crew and event partners)

MAXIME CHABLOZ 
BACK MOBE 7

MAXIME ON THIS HIGHLY TECHNICAL FREESTYLE TRICK:  

“A mobe 7 always feels special to me because, at the events today I’m one of just a few riders who can do it and I think I’m pretty much the only one that does it on a daily basis.

This clip was shot while training for the GKA Freestyle finals at the Superkite Brazil last year, just before I had to go back to Switzerland for a week of military service, and then back to Brazil for the Superkite!”

ANDREA PRINCIPI
S-LOOP

ANDREA PRINCIPI ON HIS EXTREME S-LOOP:

“When I do this trick the feeling is incredible. I don’t have words to describe how I feel…It is pure adrenaline. The S-Loop is not that technically difficult compared to other tricks but it requires a huge amount of risk which I am willing to take.” 

JOSHUA EMANUEL 
SUPER LOOP

JOSHUA EMANUEL ON THIS RADICAL SHORT-LINE KITELOOP:

“This trick is called the SUPERLOOP. It’s something I have been pushing on short lines to see how low you can get the kite below you. I still believe you can get the kite completely below you but I am still awaiting the perfect conditions for this. The feeling of a kite pulling you back down towards the water is indescribable. For a moment you are suspended in time, waiting for the kite to pull you back up to safety.”

AIRTON COZZOLINO
STRAPLESS 315

AIRTON COZZOLINO ON THE FIRST EVER STRAPLESS 315 TO BE LANDED:

“Yeah this trick cost me a lot of time and effort. There was one point when I almost quit as it just seemed unattainable. But, my girlfriend told me not to quit and that I should keep trying. So, I kept pushing harder in the gym and on the water and finally the day arrived. I’ve dreamed of landing this 315 for a long time, so I was over the moon when I achieved it.”

CHARLES BRODEL 
BOARD-OFF KITELOOP ON A FOIL

CHARLES BRODEL ON THE FIRST EVER BOARD OFF KITELOOP ON A FOIL

“This trick was one of the scariest tricks I have ever tried with my foil ! I started horizontally, with my feet close to the foil, it was scary. On my first try it felt impossible to control the foil during the loop because it flew away with the wind. But now I have a technique where I use my elbow to be able to hold it into the wind. I was so happy to be the first one to land this on a foil !!! In my mind it was impossible to land it because of the high speeds on the landing, but somehow I managed it!”

CAMILLE DELANNOY
STRAPLESS TRIPLE FRONTROLL

CAMILLE DELANNOY ON HIS FLUID STRAPLESS TRIPLE FRONTROLL

“Triple front roll is a tricky one. It’s probably one of the hardest strapless tricks to land and the outcome is always uncertain. Even if you get the timing right you’re never sure that the board is going to stay in place in the last rotation and landing one is always a special feeling!”

GIEL VLUGT
S-LOOP

GIEL VLUGT ON THIS RADICAL NEW BIG AIR MANOEUVRE

“For the Lords of the Tram competition I can remember having the S-Loop in my game-plan and I wanted to make sure it would be extreme but, I definitely didn’t plan for it to be that crazy. I am 100% convinced that I would have gotten rid of the board if this was in a training session because my heart literally stopped. The biggest adrenaline rush I have ever had by a mile! I started training for this trick two months prior to the Lords of tram competition but I never knew it would turn out this good.”

GIEL VLUGT
DOUBLE BOOGIE LOOP LATE FRONT ROLL

GIEL VLUGT ON THIS REVOLUTIONARY BOOGIE LOOP

“This trick is special to me since I have been dreaming of performing this move for more than half a year before I attempted it. I was also the first guy to ever land it and it just feels so crazy because I see the kite make 3 loops which is absolutely hypnotizing. To top it all off I like to make an extra rotation to go with the downloop just before I land. It is a trick that comes with a lot of risk but the reward is worth it.”

GIANMARIA COCCOLUTO
BACKSIDE 319

COCCOLUTO ON THIS TEXTBOOK 319

“For me this trick is special, because it opened my mind up to how much we can achieve in kitesurfing. That’s why when I landed I wasn’t that stoked; I want to be the first rider to land a BS10!

“I have been thinking about BS10 for a long time. All the riders keep asking me to try it but I never have because I am alway waiting for the right moment. Previous to this clip I had never tried a BS319 before! This was my First attempt. When my mind tells me I am prepared to attempt the trick then I go for it.

“I landed it with no crash, it was perfect.”

TOM BRIDGE
BLIND BACKSIDE 5

TOM BRIDGE ON THIS INNOVATIVE FREESTYLE MANEUVER

“Yeah it was nice to land. I’ve thought about the trick for a while but never really given it a proper go. I had done blind backside 3s about six months prior to this so I knew it wouldn’t be too tricky to pop it into blind. It only took a couple tries to get the right pop. It’s a bit of a body twister but for some reason it just works. 

“I doubt it’s that important in the sphere of kiting but then again what really is? I guess it’s all about who you ask personally. I don’t think it’s reinventing the wheel but it was pretty fun to do.”

JANEK GRZEGORZEWSKI
FRONT ROLL CONTRA BOARD-OFF

JANEK ON THE HIGHEST SCORING TRICK (9.4) EVER LANDED IN THE RED BULL KING OF THE AIR, WHICH HE CASUALLY DROPPED AT THE EVENT IN NOVEMBER 2021

“It’s quite hard to put into words how amazing this trick felt when I landed it at KOTA. Going into the trick I was planning to do three rotations, but because I had so much height I was able to squeeze the extra fourth rotation in.

“I first landed this quad rotation in Brazil in September last year, two months before KOTA and it had taken many attempts and bad crashes before I actually stuck that one. The first time I landed a contra loop with less rotations was over two years ago, but adding those extra two late front rolls was definitely a big challenge!”

JESSE RICHMAN 
KITE-RELEASE WAVE RIDE

LIKELY THE MOST ALL-ROUND KITER ON THE PLANET EXPLAINS THIS ESCAPADE:

“Every session at Jaws is an entirely wild experience. So much build-up, pressure and intensity. When you get out there on a good wave it feels surreal; totally like a dream. I’ve been waiting for a setup like I had on this wave for a long time. I knew right away the wind was turning offshore; I held onto my kite as long as I could and then without even thinking about it, instincts took over and I just popped the release. I held true to my line and when I was inside the barrel I just kept on waiting for it to hit. It was an epic view but I knew it had a price. I just kept on going and going while thinking to myself, ‘No way! I might just make this one….’

“Sure enough, I came popping right out, stoked as could be. I then also got a quick ride over to my kite and relaunched without any issues at all!”

Social Contribution of the Year Award – CLICK HERE

Male Rider of the Year – CLICK HERE

Female Rider of the Year – CLICK HERE

Women’s Best Move of the Year – CLICK HERE

The GKA Awards will be given out during a special invitational ceremony in Tarifa on Saturday night, 25th June, during the GKA Big Air World Championships event window, which also sees the GKA Kite Expo take place in the first week. Hold on tight!