Visual Impact Stunt Kite team was comprised of , in flight order, Dan Villegas, Jim Barber, Rick Wolcott, Reid Wolcott, and Mary Bos fly their loud North Shore Radical Kites through the sky. The team was the Number 1 team again in the Northwest conference with very tough competition from Team Wind Dancers.

As Casear said, we came, we conquered, we left? The 2000 AKA Nationals at Treasure Island Florida was hot, humid, and all of the fun that was rumoured to happen. The NorthWest had a good showing. Visual Impact blew away the competition in Master Team Ballet to win the first place. Our friendly but serious rivals, Chicago Fire, agreed they couldn't beat us that day. Chicago Fire won the Master Team Precision Event while Visual Impact took second. The rivalry still is friendly but is kicking into a higher gear.

Again this year, Team Visual Impact was selected as one of the teams to represent the AKA at the World Sport Kite Championship that were to be held in Malaysia in late February to early March. Visual Impact will still fly their North Shore Radicals at the World Sport Kite Championship. Hearing the roar attracts everyone's attention, so why change a good thing? We're still flying to the same music but the routine is always improving and changing. So if you haven't seen the routine lately, you should listen and watch for us sometime. 

 

A surprised Rick and Reid Wolcott stood up to receive the first place Master Pair Ballet trophy. They actually looked more stunned unlike Reid's 99 Master Individual Precision first. Reid jumped up and down and almost fainted that time. Congratulate Rick and Reid next time you see them.

Visual Impact went to the 1999 AKA Nationals at Muncie Indiana in October 1999. Impact came in second to a perennially hard team to beat, Chicago Fire. The Fire flew as a three person team with very snappy routines. Impact flew to the strains of Let Me Entertain You and That's Entertainment. It was very entertaining to watch.

Impact's second place finishing in the 1999 AKA National's Master Team Ballet and Precision won them a berth at the World Sport Kite Championship representing the United States.

The 2000 World Sport Kite Championships at Langkawi, Malaysia, alas was never held. Impact was excited and ready to take their show on the road. They had been practicing in the rain and high winds out at Ocean Shores so they can give their best to show the world.

Visual Impact has enjoyed the flying at the MIX Kite Festival in Sacramento and thank the organizers for their hospitality. If you live near the Sacramento area, you should go to this festival, held annually in September down in Elk Grove.

Visual Impact is sponsored by Cutting Edge Kite Shop, Top of the Line Kites, SkyShark, LaserPro, and Things Aloft.

Clockwise around the picture starting from the left: Dan Villegas blocking Jim Barber's face, Rick Wolcott, Reid Wolcott, and Mary Bos. Picture courtesy of KiteLife and Mike Gilliard.

Visual Impact started out as a merger of the Team Don't Panic! (the guys with the white kites) and Team BumperKites (the guys with the black kites). We flew as a 6 person team but Monica retired to mind the store while the rest went to the beach. Both teams flew North Shores before the merger, so choosing the kite was easy. The biggest change was going from 3 person teams to 5-6 person teams, flying with more kites in the sky is a challenge not for the faint hearted.

Dan Villegas in his non-kite life is a pharmacist and doting father of a three-year old daughter. Dan has been flying lead kite for over 5 years, starting first with Team Don't Panic and now with Visual Impact. Dan is constantly testing the rest of the team in their following skills by flying new and sometimes very quick patterns for the rest us of to track.

Jim Barber doesn't have a non-kite life. He owns (with his lovely wife, Monica) Cutting Edge Kite Shop in Ocean Shores. When Jim isn't selling, repairing, or flying kites (of all varieties), he can be found judging. Jim is one of the founding members of Team Don't Panic (along with Monica). He has flown every position but prefers something in the middle. Jim was AKA National Champion in Experienced Individual Precision in 1996 and AKC Champion in Masters Individual Precision in 1997.

Rick Wolcott (along with his son Reid) lives in Maple Valley and commutes to Ocean Shores every weekend to fly. When Rick isn't at Ocean Shores, he is an applications consultant traveling about the West Coast. Rick started out as Captain of Team BumperKites. Rick flew lead kite with BumperKites but now flies the middle kite. Rick picks out the music and choreographs the ballet routine for Visual Impact and his pairs team, R.A.W. Power (the RAW is both Rick's and Reid's initials).

Reid Wolcott lives in Maple Valley and is a high school student studying for college. Reid won the 1999 AKA National Master Individual Precision event at Muncie. Reid is one half (with his father) of the Pairs Team, R.A.W. Power. He flew tailgunner with BumperKites but now flies 4th kite for Visual Impact. Reid started competitive team flying at 11 years old and isn't 17 yet. So what new kiting experiences await Reid? Winning World Championships?

Mary Bos is an escapee from Seattle traffic. She can be found beach bumming, flying single line kites at Northwest festivals, attending kitemaking retreats, flying as a member of the pairs team, M and M, flying in a quad pair, Flying for the Halibut (we fly with sole or flounder), and selling kites at Cutting Edge Kites. She has now acquired another kiting hat, AKA Regional Director for Region 10 (Washington State and Alaska) but she still wears the same old slouch hat when flying kites. She started out flying with BumperKites as the middle kite and went through severe cultural shock as tailgunner on a 5 kite team.

Team Visual Impact can be reached through the Cutting Edge Kite Shop, full contact info can be found here.