EP 16 | Michaela Pilkenton - kiting in US, female empowerment & body image

Michaela Pilkenton, a Hood River-based kitesurfer and Slingshot rider, was recently voted AWSI Female Wind Sport Athlete of the Year, in the first year the award combined every wind discipline. In this episode she looks at how the US kite scene differs from Europe's, from weekend-warrior culture to the "micro spots" scattered across the country. She recounts going from ski mountaineering to a handwritten map to Floras Lake, and from chasing free gear to landing kite loops and a place on the international Big Air circuit.She discusses the cost of competing abroad, and how witnessing a friend's serious kite loop crash affected her mindset and her riding. She explains how she rebuilt her confidence with a mental coach and why she teaches riders to learn to crash before they learn to jump. She also covers her free women's clinics in Cape Town and Argentina, building a local rider community in the Gorge, and how she responded when women were left out of a brand video shot in her home spot. The conversation closes on body image, online backlash, and her "can't care, pick ease" mindset, plus her upcoming Big Air competition in Taiwan.

CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome: AWSI Female Wind Sport Athlete of the Year02:17 The US kite scene: weekend warriors, Hood River, and micro spots11:03 Discovering kitesurfing: a handwritten map to Floras Lake14:47 Kite loops, Reed Brady, and landing her first sponsorship19:56 Role models, media coverage, and the rise of social media24:58 Competing internationally: cost, GoFundMe, and Lords of Tramontana32:24 Rebuilding after a traumatic crash: mental coaching and pushing again36:38 Learning to crash: why you should kick your board off38:21 Free women's clinics: Cape Town and Argentina46:23 Building community: the Gorge WhatsApp group and Wind Socials50:25 The Slingshot video and getting women seen by brands54:46 Body image, "can't care," and "picking ease"1:01:36 Trial reels, online backlash, and who she's really reaching1:09:50 Female athletes taking up space1:14:26 Strength and embracing an athletic body1:18:41 What's next: Big Air in Taiwan and wrap-up