John Barresi
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 1, 1975 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Kite Performer, Kite Designer, Editor/Owner of Kitelife Magazine, Owner of Kite Forge. |
| Years active | 1990-present |
| Website | johnbarresi |
John Barresi (born June 1, 1975) is an American sport kite flier, kite designer, editor and owner of KiteLife magazine and KiteLife.com since 2002, leader of Team KiteLife performance team, and owner of Kite Forge design company.
Career
One of the most prolific currently active sport kite fliers in the world, Barresi started in the kiting community as an enthusiast in August 1990.[1] He started at a competitive level in 1991 and has since secured top rankings in a variety of sport kite disciplines (individual, pairs, team, dual line, quad line, indoor) in international competitions and in demonstrations as an invited performer.[2] He has served several roles at kiting organizations including President of the American Kitefliers Association, board member of Kite Trade Association International, and as a judge at competitions held around the globe.[3][4]
In 2003, Barresi became the sole owner of KiteLife Magazine. The magazine continued in circulation through 2014, the website remains active with discussion boards, prize drawings, and live chat.[5]
Attending the 2006 World Sport Kite Championships in Berck sur Mer France as a judge, he participated in organized quad line team flying for the first time and impassioned by his experiences there, formed Team iQuad with friend David Hathaway immediately upon returning to the United States.[6] The team quickly gained popularity and by 2008 was invited to events around the world. Team iQuad would go on to win industry awards for promoting the sport globally.[7] Over the seven years the team performed, they included at least 16 regular members with additional guest stars and fill-in performers. The group disbanded in September 2013 with their final performance at the Antelope Island Stampede Festival.[8]
In 2008, Barresi was the youngest recipient of the American Kitefliers Association Lifetime Achievement Award.[9]
In 2016, Barresi formed a new team called Team KiteLife or TKL, with additional founding members Scott Benz, Brett Marchel, and Eli Russell. Pilots added to the team include Jeremy Wharton (2019), Sara Russell (2020), Sari Becker (2020), Jim Doman (2022), Meshelle Sharples (2022) and Geoff Hutton (2022). The team has flown at events across the United States and Europe.[10]
In 2017, Barresi launched a company called Kite Forge, initially featuring a single dual line kite with promises to expand to new kites in the future. The company has expanded to sell multiple kite designs, kite parts, and kite apparel.[11]
On August 23, 2019 at the Washington State International Kite Festival, he led a world record group of 101 quad line kites in team formation as the team captain, beating his own previous records of 81 quad line kites in team formation set in 2013 and another of 64 set in 2010.[12][13]
Barresi's award-winning kite designs include the Djinn, the Revolution B-Series, the Kymera, and the Kaiju.
National Competitions
| Year | Championship Title | Place | Team | Competition Organizer | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Experienced Individual Ballet | 1 | American Kite Magazine Circuit | ||
| 1992 | Experienced Individual Precision | 1 | American Kite Magazine Circuit | ||
| 1993 | Open Quadline Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon | |
| 1994 | Open Quadline Ballet | 1 | American Kite Magazine Circuit | ||
| 1994 | Open Quadline Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Wildwood, New Jersey | |
| 1996 | Masters Team Precision | 1 | Captain Eddie's Flying Circus | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Santa Monica, California |
| 1996 | Masters Individual Ballet H1 | 5 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Santa Monica, California | |
| 1996 | Masters Individual Quadline Ballet | 6 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Santa Monica, California | |
| 1997 | Masters Individual Ballet | 1 | American Kite Magazine Circuit | ||
| 1997 | Masters Quadline Ballet | 1 | American Kite Magazine Circuit | ||
| 1997 | Masters Team Ballet | 1 | Captain Eddie's Flying Circus | American Kite Magazine Circuit | |
| 1997 | Masters Team Precision | 1 | Captain Eddie's Flying Circus | American Kite Magazine Circuit | |
| 1997 | Master Individual Precision | 7 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Wildwood, New Jersey | |
| 1997 | Master Individual Ballet | 8 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Wildwood, New Jersey | |
| 1997 | Master Individual Quad Ballet | 4 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Wildwood, New Jersey | |
| 2002 | Masters Individual Quad Ballet | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2002 | Masters Masters Individual Ballet | 3 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2002 | Masters Masters Individual Precision | 11 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2002 | Masters Individual Quad Precision | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2004 | Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon | |
| 2004 | Masters Individual Multi-line Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon | |
| 2005 | Masters Individual Quad Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2005 | Masters Individual Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2005 | Experienced Team Ballet | 1 | TKS Mid-Air | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland |
| 2005 | Experienced Team Precision | 1 | TKS Mid-Air | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland |
| 2005 | Masters Individual Quad Ballet | 4 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2005 | Open Individual Free Style | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean City, Maryland | |
| 2006 | Masters Individual Dual-line Ballet | 7 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| 2006 | Masters Individual Dual-line Precision | 3 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| 2006 | Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| 2006 | Masters Individual Multi-line Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| 2006 | Open Individual Outdoor Unlimited | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| 2006 | Open Individual Indoor Unlimited Ballet | 7 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Des Moines, Iowa | |
| 2007 | Masters Individual Dual-line Ballet | 5 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean Shores, Washington | |
| 2007 | Masters Individual Dual-line Precision | 6 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean Shores, Washington | |
| 2007 | Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean Shores, Washington | |
| 2007 | Masters Individual Multi-line Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean Shores, Washington | |
| 2007 | Open Individual Indoor Unlimited Ballet | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Ocean Shores, Washington | |
| 2008 | Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | |
| 2008 | Masters Individual Multi-line Precision | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania | |
| 2008 | Open Pairs Multi-line Ballet | 2 | Furious George | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
| 2008 | Open Pairs Multi-line Precision | 1 | Furious George | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Gettysburg, Pennsylvania |
| 2012 | Open Individual Indoor Unlimited | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Enid, Oklahoma | |
| 2013 | Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon | |
| 2013 | Masters Individual Multi-line Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon | |
| 2013 | Masters Pairs Multi-line Ballet | 1 | REVOL | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon |
| 2013 | Masters Pairs Multi-line Precision | 1 | REVOL | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon |
| 2013 | Open Indoor Precision | 2 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Seaside, Oregon | |
| 2018 | Masters Individual Multi-line Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| 2018 | Masters Individual Multi-line Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| 2018 | Masters Individual Ballet | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| 2018 | Masters Individual Precision | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Shreveport, Louisiana | |
| 2018 | Open Indoor Unlimited | 1 | American Kitefliers Association Grand Nationals | Shreveport, Louisiana |
Teams in 1993, 1995, and 1997 represented the US in the bi-annual Sport Team and Competitive Kiting (STACK) World Cup.[2]
Kite designs
In 2007 Barresi partnered with Revolution Kites to design the Revolution B-Series, a "signature series" quad line kite.[14] The kite won many awards and quickly became the standard for quad line kite pilots around the globe.[7][15] The model was discontinued on January 1, 2017.[16]
In June 2011 working with Into The Wind, Barresi released the Kymera, a dual line stunt kite.[17] The model was discontinued in 2018.
In September 2017, Barresi announced his founding a kite company Kite Forge and its inaugural kite, the Kaiju, a dual line kite for indoor flight and light outdoor winds. The Kaiju won Kite Addict Magazine's "most versatile 2 line kite" award for 2018 and Kite Forge was runner up for the kite manufacturer of the year.[18]
In August 2018, Barresi announced the Djinn, a quad line kite. The initial design had three models, the Standard (ST), Mid Vent (MV), and Full Vent (VT) for various wind conditions. Despite a short time on the market the kite received many votes in the 2018 Kite Addict survey for best 4 line kite of the year, and runner up as New Kite of the Year.[18] The design won the 2019 Kite Addict New Kite of the Year award.[19] The Extra Vent (XV) and Hardcore Vent (HV) models targeting high wind conditions were added in August 2019,[20] and the Ultralight (UL) model for light wind was added in December 2021.[21] An indoor model, the Djinndoor, was added in October 2022.[22]
In July 2024, Barresi announced the Djuice, a quad line kite. The design launched with Standard (ST) and Vented (VT) models. The 7 panel design was stated to be less expensive to manufacture than the Djinn, while incorporating many of the design features like the Sync Bridle, wear strips, smooth leading edge, and notched outer trailing edge. This design was priced at roughly half the cost of the Djinn, sold the option of a ready-to-fly kit with lines and handles, and was price competitive with other beginner-focused products on the market.[23]
References
- ^ Kite & Friends. "John Barresi interview 20 November 2015". Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ a b "John Barresi Biography". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "American Kitefliers Association Leadership". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ Troy Gunn. "Issue 48: Weifang International Kite Festival". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Our Mission - KiteLife". Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "World Sport Kite Championships 2006". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ a b "2008 KTAI Award Winners". Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
Kite Trade Association International Best New Kite of 2008.
- ^ "Team iQuad - Stunt Kite Team - About". Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ "2008 AKA Lifetime Achievement Award". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "About Team KiteLife (TLK)". Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ^ "About Kite Forge". Retrieved March 9, 2022.
- ^ Quad Line Mega Fly - World Record - 101 Kites in 2019 on YouTube
- ^ Quad Line Mega Fly - World Record - 81 Kites in 2013 on YouTube
- ^ John Norton Mitchell. "History of the Revolution 1.5". Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ Barry "Bazzer" Poulter. "Best Kite of 2010: B-Series Pro". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ John Barresi. "Kitelife.com post End of an era". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
I will no longer be endorsing any Revolution kites as of January 1st 2017, so this is the last year all types of B-Series will be made (including factory models).
- ^ "Kitelife Forum post Kymera Final". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
Looks like manufacturing has been delayed until June, so it'll be a little late out of the gate, but it's coming.
- ^ a b "Kite Addict Awards 2018". Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Kite Addict Awards 2019". Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Djinn XT & HV available for pre-order!". August 6, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
Design work on the Djinn XT (extra vent) and HV (hardcore vent) from John Barresi and Brett Marchel is finally complete, both designs are now available for pre-order
- ^ "Official announcement regarding UL made on Facebook". December 4, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
Pre-ordering is now available for the Djinn UL
- ^ "Official announcement regarding Djindoor made on Facebook". October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
It's official, the Djinndoor is now officially available for pre-order!
- ^ "Official announcement regarding Djuice made on Facebook". July 24, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
We are proud to release our newest design, the Djuice - a budget friendly quad line kite for beginners and master fliers alike.
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