Photo By James Roh

Derik saw kiteboarding for the very first time on extreme sports magazine show, Adrenaline TV. “The riders were jumping at will & ripping it up and I HAD to do this sport.”
Derik started searching the internet for information about kiteboarding. He eventually bought a gear package with RRD kites & Airush 6’6” Starboard Directional Kiteboard.  At that time, there was no training available in Utah. Derik conceived an idea to turn his new passion into a profitable business. So Derik started his kiteboarding school, UKB (Utah KiteBoarding), he relied on the power of dreams. In the spring of 2000, he found out that there was a certification process to become an instructor through Professional Air Sports Association (PASA). Derik attended the PASA – Instructor Certification School in Santa Monica, California and became the first certified Kiteboarding instructor in Utah

Then life dealt him a hard hand.Cinco, De Mayo 2004, Derik was headed out kiting with Ryan Allen & Dean Davis. They went to a part of Utah Lake Derik dubbed “South Bay.” South Bay was unique because in the early afternoon when there was no wind anywhere else on the lake, there was consistently wind there. The group headed out for “South Bay” to catch some afternoon rides. Utah Lake is well known for being very dangerous and high wind conditions can come up very suddenly.A Micro-burst of 54mph hit the area where they were riding. Dean was already out on the lake riding and was not affected by the strong gust. Derik was launching his 14M Naish X2 kite when it hit.  He was immediately lofted off the ground about 20 feet and then came back down.  Ryan Allen then jumped onto his back & the wind picked them both up 10’. Upon impact, Ryan fell off Derik’s back. The kite then picked Derik back into the air and then death spiraled under him and pulled him into the ground, forcefully spearing him into the ground. The kite was now dragging Derik unconsciously across the beach. Ryan quickly grasped hold of the control bar and was able to finally free him from the chicken loop, stopping it from dragging him, and saving his life.  Derik had suffered a severe Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and had a broken rib.  Derik was in the hospital for a total of 2 months, he was in the Rehab Clinic for 6 weeks. Then life handed Derik another challenge, Derik was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer.  9 months later, he finished the treatment process and began the waiting game of remission.   So to say the least Derik is a suvivor he has come full circle with back kiting on the water in 2013 and kiting on the snow in 2014
To contact Derick go to http://KiteUKB.com