Agree with Dave, that's why I made the earlier comment (or in the other thread) on being disadvantaged since the rules are no longer followed in the contests I compete in. I realize the necessity of it in order to get more participants though and a battle isn't much fun with just a few teams, disadvantaged or not. But I like a 6' to 2 meter Rok, it's a challenge thing I guess.
One year after I had learned the cutting technique the team pushed me on the front every round. The contest was so good that year and the audience so responsive they decided after three rounds to go 5 rounds. I physically could not pull the line in any longer, my arms and legs were rubber, Richard noticed and told me to call "PULL IN" and he would step to the lead to pull line. Like I said a Team Rok battle is the most fun you'll ever have flying a kite, it might hurt like heck the next day but you'll still be smiling. Especially if you get the audience worked up. That year the whole group got involved, we had cardboard life-size Bozo figures being paraded around the perimeter, all the family members and kids stirring up the audience, banter with the other teams and the crowd on the sidelines, sand kicking on the referee's shoe's when they wouldn't give us the point for taking out a Cassagne's Crown that unwittingly got caught in the fray, we were sure that was worth bonus points. As I recall since we had won the previous 2 years one team even had some "No Bozo's" shirts. It was something to finish a round and hear 5,000+/- people chanting "Bozo's, Bozo's, Bozo's" from the beach, dunes & boardwalk.
Bozo has moved on, much of that team has moved on, I grab whoever is left and anybody I can hornswaggle off the dunes to grab onto the line. A couple have become Team now flying a couple years with us, but I fully expect them to have their own kite soon. I've broken 150 lb Dacron between me trying to run forward and the others going backwards when the kite was diving. Don't think we've won since, maybe or at least placed since I do recall giving the ribbon to Rodger a "Never flown a kite before" team mate, he was tickled, going to show his kids that he did something other then play Nintendo.
Don't worry about advantage or disadvantage, fly it, everybody wins in a Team Battle.
oh and Kevlar or wire is against the rules, I have Kevlar line, we fly Dacron AKA Fighter & Rok Rule Book
