Tim Blanchard - A Canadian Kitesurfing Heritage Moment

Permastoked with Derik Hyatt

#PERMASTOKED, Episode 18: Tim Blanchard - A Canadian Kitesurfing Heritage Moment…Now Available Free for Streaming and Download on the Alexa App, iTunes / Apple Podcasts at https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/permastoked/id1518415157, Deezer, Pandora, Podbean, Google Podcasts at https://podcasts.google.com/search/permastoked, Stitcher, Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/6qsR6lN7M7edO798HSBxpj, iHeart Radio, TuneIn or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also Watch the Show on our YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChueUd4VG0WYXN3ky532vzg?. Be sure to Listen, Rate, Review and Share!

In this episode, Derik Hyatt interviews Owner and Head Instructor of Surf Culture Canada and Founder of Kitestock, Tim Blanchard. These two Windsor-Essex County Natives discuss the power of Lake Erie; Tim forming a band named Sublime before the actual SoCal Reggae Dub band, Sublime; windsurfing; the history and development of Canadian kiting on the west coast and the Great Lakes; escaping the grips of US Border Patrol for posing a threat to Homeland Security by kiting on the Detroit River; Kitestock; foiling; snow kiting, wing surfing, kiting on a food tray, SUP, surfing and more!

Well-traveled waterman and Puce resident, Tim Blanchard started windsurfing in his early teens. At 20 he traveled extensively, spending a year in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Costa Rica where he caught the surfing stoke. After University he moved to Victoria, BC and spent his summers training for competitive windsurfing in Hood River, OR (The Gorge) and Lake Nitnat. He began his kiting journey in 1999 along with Ross Harrington (head designer of Ocean Rodeo) and the rest of the Victoria crew. His first kite was one of Ross’s hand made 8m four line kites. He got in over a hundred sessions at Lake Nitnat during the summer of 2000, mastering his kiting skills, before moving back to Ontario to attend Teacher’s College.

Being years ahead of everyone else in the region with his polished skills and powerful riding style, he quickly became the poster child for Great Lakes high-performance kiteboarding. During the spring of 2001 Tim took part in the first Internationally Certified Instructors Training Course taking place in Cape Hatteras, NC. He has since trained 1000’s of students and several instructors over the past 20 years. With over 25 years of water sports experience in the World’s Oceans and the Great Lakes, he can provide you with the proper skills and knowledge to safely get on board. He was also the Great Lakes rider for the Naish North American Team from 2001-2006. Due to work, instructional and family responsibilities he only competed a few times but was the “King of Great Lakes Big Air Champion” and placed second overall at the 2001 IIes de la Madeleine World Cup event. His current day job as a high school science teacher, experience as a collegiate track and field athlete and crossfit athlete/trainer make him uniquely qualified to provide the best instructional experience in Canada.

Today, in its 20th year of operation, founded in 2000 by Tim, Canada’s first certified instructor, Surf Culture Canada has pioneered the sport in Southwestern Ontario and is committed to the continued promotion of kiteboarding and other wind and wave sports in the Great Lakes and Southern Ontario. Surf Culture Canada has some of the most passionate and experienced instructors in the world and is also equipped with the latest equipment which makes learning faster, easier and more fun. As Canada’s first kiteboarding school, with over 1000 lessons taught and 7000+ hours of combined lesson and riding time, Tim Blanchard is your kiteboarding authority in Ontario.

The most experienced, the most respected, Tim Blanchard and Surf Culture Canada have been featured in: KiteBoarding Magazine, Kiteboarder Magazine, OLN, CBC Radio, Global TV, Intersections Magazine (Mazda), and local TV interviews.

To learn more about Tim or to book lessons with Surf Culture Canada online, visit www.surfculturecanada.ca/. To connect with Tim on social media, you can find him on both Facebook and Instagram at @surfculturecanada and on Twitter at @SurfCultureCan.

This episode was recorded on November 10, 2020. It is family friendly with minimal swearing, but no F-bombs.

To reach Derik Hyatt for comments, questions, collaboration, sponsorship, business enquiries or bookings, including SUP and yoga, please email [e-mail].

Permastoked is brought to you by Freshwater Surf Goods. Your surf brand devoted to spreading the stoke across the unsalted seas and cultivating pride amongst the surf community. We do this by providing products and apparel that celebrate the awesomeness of both Great Lakes and Canadian surf culture. Look for our products in a surf shop near you, such as SurfSup Eco Shop in Kincardine and Goderich where you can also find Derik Hyatt teaching surf, SUP and yoga.

For more information, visit www.freshwatersurfgoods.com and be sure to sign up for our newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @freshwatersurfgoods. To stay up-to-date on all things surf and SUP from across Canada, be sure to join our Facebook Group, the All Canadian Surf & SUP Club. Mahalo for listening and stay stoked!

LINKS

Web: www.freshwatersurfgoods.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/freshwatersurfgoods

Instagram: www.instagram.com/freshwatersurfgoods

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UChueUd4VG0WYXN3ky532vzg?

Twitter: www.twitter.com/fwsurfgoods

Pinterest: www.pinterest.ca/freshwatersurfgoods

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/freshwater-surf-goods

All Canadian Surf & SUP Club Facebook Group:

www.facebook.com/groups/306681953832086

SurfSup Eco Shop: www.surfsupecoshop.com

A SPECIAL MAHALO TO

We acknowledge that this podcast is recorded on the unceded, ancestral and occupied traditional territory of the Anishinabek Nation: the People of the Three Fires known as Ojibwe, Odawa and Pottawatomie Nations and further give thanks to the Chippewas of Saugeen and the Chippewas of Nawash, now known as the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, as the traditional keepers of this land. As we live, work, surf and play, we say Mahalo to the Métis, Inuit and Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island and from around the world, who have stewarded these lands and sacred surf spots for thousands of years.

Mark Malibu & The Wasagas for providing our intro music “Hey Chiwawa” off their 2009 album Crash Monster Beach, our outro music “End of Summer” and “Twelve Year Itch” off their 2017 album Return of the Wasagas. For more information, visit www.wasagas.com and listen to them on Spotify or iTunes.