AT THE TOP
Islander Lucas Arsenault wins international open, finishes second at Canadian championship
Lucas Arsenault had three top-three finishes at the KiteClash compe- tition in Squamish, B.C.
Looking back, Lucas Arsenault says there a few things he would like to change.
The Evangeline native relinquished his title as Canadian kiteboarding champion during the Canada Day weekend, after coming second in the Canadian portion of the Kite-Clash tournament to seven-time winner Samuel Medysky.
But the weekend wasn’t without its other victories. He placed first in the international open and third in the big air competition.
Last year, Arsenault brought home the Canadian title. He entered the tournament this year determined to hold onto it.
“In the final there are some moves, looking back, that I maybe shouldn’t have tried,” said Arsenault. “There are definitely things I would have altered…
“It was a really close final though. I thought I had enough points, but I think it came down to half a point. It was tight.”
The three-day competition, from June 30 to July 2, attracted kiteboarders from around the world hoping to participate in the various heats and classes.
On the second day of the tournament Arsenault was ready to get back out on the waters, participating in the international open.
He would face Ewan Jaspan, a Triple-S victor from Australia, as well as fellow Canadian junior champion Jack Reider.
He made it through the heat and was gearing up for the finals.
He won.
“You always have the mindset to win, but to go out and do it was something special,” he said, noting it’s not always the best rider who wins, but the rider who’s having a good day.
“It was a bit difficult out there. Gusts were really strong. I was fortunate to be having a good day because there were definitely some guys out there with higher calibre than me.”
On the final day, Arsenault was looking forward to the big air and racing competitions.
“I didn’t make it to the finals in the races, but it was a great weekend and awesome to represent Canada over Canada Day weekend.”
He placed third in the Big Air competition with a 9.2 second boost.
Arsenault says he already has KiteClash 2018 marked on his calendar.
“I’ll be trying to get the Canadian title back. We can’t let it slide to Sam for too long… seven years is a long time.”
Arsenault’s next competition on the circuit includes two weekend events in Portland, Ore.