- Mac
- Apr 17, 2025
- 2 min read
Charleston Ocean Athletes is very proud to have played a small part of WIND BOUND (Charleston Women Kiteboarders) short film. After premiering last summer at one of our local Ocean Athletes Nights at Mex1, then featured at a couple of film festivals, it's now available to view on YouTube. I'm so excited everyone gets to see it now.
It started out as a vision that I had a couple years ago. At any given random time I was at the beach or on the water capturing the action for Charleston Ocean Athletes, it was mostly men out there. I got to thinking…I know there’s women rippers here. How can we get more women out on the water?
I happened to meet two of them at the beach, Natalie Coleman and Jenny Amram, and I mentioned doing a local Charleston women’s only kiteboarding film. They were all in. Then they met Syd Meyer, discovered she was into filmmaking, and was a beginning kiteboarder at the time. So the four of us sat down and talked about the film.
It quickly became apparent that Syd should make the film. She brought a youthful and positive energy to the project. She worked tirelessly on all the little (but actually really big) things like securing sponsors, organizing a local charity raffle and collecting prizes for the film premiere, film promotion, communicating with everyone, not to mention most of the videoing & all of the editing. I was happy to provide feedback & collaborate where needed but she did all the heavy lifting. And uh…well…she’s a woman and it kind of makes sense that a woman make the film about women kiteboarders, right?
She knocked it out of the park. How do I know? Because I got goosebumps when I saw the final cut. I still get goose bumps watching it to this day. A film has to evoke emotion and this film that Syd made does that. The goal of the film is to inspire more women to get out on the water and learn new skills they might have thought they couldn’t do…whether it’s kiteboarding or surfing or wingfoiling or windsurfing or paddling or whatever. I talked to some women at the film's premiere who had thought about trying kiteboarding and they were much more inspired after seeing the film. Goal accomplished.
That’s what it’s all about. As Natalie says in the film, “Sharing the Stoke”. A huge thank you also to Natalie Coleman and Jenny Amram, because this film couldn’t have been made without their very helpful collaboration, ideas, bringing the community of women kiteboarders together…and of course introducing me to Syd.
Wind Bound 💨 | Charleston Women Kiteboarders🏄🏼♀️ | Kiteboarding Short Film 🎥
📝Produced by Syd Meyer (SSS Lighthouse Films), Mac Barnhardt (Charleston Ocean Athletes), Natalie Coleman, & Jenny Amram
🎥 Syd Meyer - Primary
🎥 Other footage provided by Mac Barnhardt, Alli Lehr, Julien Kepski, Cora Bisbee, Livy White, Jenny Amram, Natalie Coleman
👩💻Directed & Edited by Syd Meyer
Film Sponsors: Sealand Adventure Sports, SSS Lighthouse Films, Mex1
Force Kite & Wake, Levity Cannabis Spirit, Shades of Charleston, Davidson Dermatology, Women Entrepreneurs Inc, Cosana Coaching, Poe's Tavern, Estuary Brewing, Rheos Sunglasses
Cheers, Mac
