The QUANTUM Kite Team travels to kite festivals to display their choreographed kite flying. Recently, TikTok user Leah Thaheld caught them on video at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. Flying in sync, the four team members performed in-flight acrobatics with kites. As the team guided their kites through the air, weaving and bobbing, life couldn’t be better.
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Team QUANTUM is a four-member professional team that flies quad-line kites. The team hails from the Pacific Northwest and travels the country for competitions and demonstrations. Team members include Gary Nikkola, Rachel Nikkola, Mark Gladone, and Steve Kline. Their goal as a team is to keep getting better. You can watch more of their choreographed kite flying and learn about the team on Facebook and YouTube.
Quad kites are the most common type of kite used for choreographed kite demonstrations. Paul Dugard offers general information on the kites, how they work, and how the operators make them “dance” in the sky. It takes a lot of practice to learn the techniques of handling a quad kite. The good news is that there are tons of excellent How-To videos. Many of the people who present demonstrations will also give tips or pointers or hold training breakout sessions during festivals.
There are quad kite teams all over the world. While I cannot find a complete listing, John Mitchell made a fairly comprehensive list in 2008 with names and contact information. There have not been any updates, and much of the information may be defunct. The American Kitefliers Association has good information on the different types of kites available.
If you enjoy flying or watching choreographed kites, groups and pages discussing the sport at every level.
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