You’ve seen them on the water, you’ve watched them absolutely shred it, and you’ve more than likely shared some memories with these local riders. These kiteboarders are full of passion, loyalty, and style. These amazing people are our

ELITE TEAM RIDERS!!

Let’s take a closer look at our ever-growing family of Elite Team Riders:

Jake Mathers

Jake is our newest Elite Team Rider. Jake was born in California and is a US Marine Corps veteran. While serving his country, Jake was a USMC Corporal and spent much of his time on the flight decks of aircraft carriers as a QA Inspector on the F/A-18 Hornet Fighter Jets. 

Since military retirement, Jake learned to kiteboard in 2011 and quickly became a local favorite on the beaches. His passion in the sport of kiteboarding is focused on getting big airs with big air tricks, “Airstyle”! He is a force on the water. Elite Watersports is proud to include him in our lineup of badass kiters representing our brands.

Jake rides Ozone Kites and a Xenon board.

Melanie Cornish

Melanie’s Bio Coming Soon.

Melanie rides Core kites and the Xenon Laluz 129 board.

Luke Roman

Luke is our resident Paddleboard and surf guru! Raised in South Carolina, Luke’s love for the water started at a young age. An avid surfer and previous windsurfer, Luke transitioned into the kiteboarding scene in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since! Now, in his spare time, he helps us out by taking folks on Paddleboard Tours, OneWheel adventures, and representing our brand on the water. If he isn’t on the water, you can find him cruising around downtown St. Petersburg on his Onewheel teaching new riders.

Luke rides Liquid Force kites. He especially enjoys the LF WOW.

Tanner Hayes

Tanner was born and raised in the Colorado Rockies. His lifelong pursuit of adventure sports began when Tanner stepped into his first pair of skis at only two years old. In 2012, Tanner moved to Florida and found himself faced with a challenge; Tanner’s whole life revolved around snowboarding, downhill mountain biking, and whitewater rafting…pretty much any sport that involved gravity and the steep mountain pitches. He needed an outlet in the very flat state of Florida. Once he saw kiteboarding, he knew he had to learn and as soon as he did, he was hooked!

Tanner rides Ozone kites and LF Twin tips.