Hammonasset Kite Festival 2004 Rokkaku Battles

What is a Rokkaku Battle? A Rokkaku is a 6-sided (or 6-cornered) kite.
In a rokkaku battle, flyers deliberately tangle with an opponent's kite.
The object is to pull, knock, or cut it from the sky.
The last one in the sky wins.
It is just like touch football, but with kites

Rokkaku flyers maneuver for position.

Left to right: In the watch cap and white shirt, Mike Sarauw.
Running is Tom Halapin. Then Bill Kenney.
Then the 'Big Winner', 'Uncle Karl', Karl Berg.
The guy cut in half on the right is Todd Burch.
It was Todd's first battle experience. He's hooked!

Left to right: Bill Kenney (Bio Hazard), Dave Olsen (Jolly Roger),
Pat Hess (Ying Yang), Gary Engvall (Box of Roks,
the red, white, and blue 'box' rok.) and Uncle Karl Berg,
flying the Purple People Eater.

Notice that the Jolly Roger has been knocked upside down.

It recovers before touching the ground and re-joins the fight.

There were about 10 flyers in each battle, and there were 6 battles!
No one wanted to stop!

The Master Knot Tying Person managed to make a Gordian Knot
out of his Rokkaku Battle Line.

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