John Barresi

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]

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.[5] Team iQuad would go on to win industry awards for promoting the sport globally.[6]

In 2008, Barresi was the youngest recipient of the American Kitefliers Association Lifetime Achievement Award.[7]

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.[8][9]

Barresi's award-winning kite designs include the Djinn, the Revolution B-Series, the Kymera, and the Kaiju.

Won:

Teams in 1993, 1995, and 1997 represented the US in the bi-annual Sport Team and Competitive Kiting (STACK) World Championships.[2]

In 2007 Barresi partnered with Revolution Kites to design the Revolution B-Series, a "signature series" quad line kite.[10] The kite won many awards and quickly became the standard for quad line kite pilots around the globe.[6][11] The model was discontinued on January 1, 2017.[12]

In June 2011 working with Into The Wind, Barresi released the Kymera, a dual line stunt kite.[13] 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.[14]

In August 2018, Barresi announced the Djinn, a quad line kite. 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.[14] The design won the 2019 Kite Addict New Kite of the Year award.[15]