Kiteboard youth starts road to Buenos Aires 2018 via Melbourne

Scott Whitehead is racing in ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne at the age of 13 © Sport the library / Jeff Crow

At just 45 kilos wringing wet, 13 year-old kiteboarder Scott Whitehead is still a giant among the big boys at this week's Sailing World Cup Melbourne being held off the stunning platform of the specially created St Kilda sailing precinct.

The elf of a boy is racing among a fleet of experienced kiteboarders, blasting his way around the course in winds of anywhere between 20 and 30 knots. He's not in the lead, but he is never far behind. His fellow competitors are alongside, helping him out, including series leader Florian Gruber.

Whitehead has struggled at times in the strong Melbourne conditions, "With the speed, when you are going upwind at 20 knots, when you hit the waves it's like a ramp on a skateboard. The good guys can push it down with their legs whereas I haven't got long enough legs."

The young sailor is sure he wants to represent Australia in the Formula Kite at the third summer Youth Olympic Games which are being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October 2018. The games are open to 15 to 18 year-olds drawn from 206 countries across 28 sports. The other sailing events included in 2018 are Boys Windsurfer (Techno 293), Girls Windsurfer (Techno 293) and Mixed Multihull (Nacra 15).

He has checked out kite foiling, but doesn't want that to distract him from his goal of getting good at race boards and then travelling around the world to that discipline's events.

Dad Murray Whitehead is an enthusiastic supporter of his son's choice, "Scott is extremely keen on kitesurfing; the excitement and the speed. It's fast, relatively cheap to get into and extremely competitive."

Scott has been in boats since a baby. He started racing in Flying 11s and then the Laser 4.7. "That got too boring," he commented. "I was sailing home one day and I saw some guys kiteboarding out on the bay off Townsville and I thought, 'wow, that looks like fun'. I bugged dad about it for about half a year." Six months later he is on the water in Melbourne with loaned equipment.

"Josh van Brederode taught me how to kite and gave me my first kite." Local kiteboard expert Marvin Beaumeister from In the Loop then stepped in, giving Scott a racing kite and lines and a loaning him a "top-end" board so he could compete in Melbourne. He has also secured his home club, Townsville Yacht Club, as a sponsor.

His first event was the Race Board nationals at Townsville in October. "That was a two-day event with some of the best in Australia. I didn't do too well, but I came second youth."

Training comprises kiteboarding every afternoon, when there is enough breeze, and swimming several times a week to improve his strength and agility in order to better control his kite.

He has two years to grow up and out with 75 to 80 kilos the preferred weight range. Luckily his dad is tall. "Being flexible also helps and feet like a gecko," the senior Whitehead said.