Discovery Channel to Feature World's Only Amputee Kiteboarder

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sean Reyngoudt, the world's only amputee professional kiteboarder and waverider, will be featured in a new TV action-adventure series, "Catching Air", premiering Thursday, Jan. 6 on the Discovery Channel's HD Theater. All six episodes will air weekly at 9 p.m. through Feb. 17th.

Using the Renegade prosthetic foot from Freedom Innovations in Irvine, Calif., the 27-year-old Reyngoudt will be following the wind as it whistles through the most rugged terrain from his hometown in the Florida Keys in the East, to the scenic gorges of Oregon and Alaska in the West.

"Catching Air" aims to introduce a wider audience to the extreme sport that is catching on with more and more adventurers, able-bodied and amputees alike. The show takes viewers back to where the sport originated – in the Columbian River Gorge at the town of Hood River, Oregon. In the first episode, the kiteboarding team of Reyngoudt and Andy Hurdman and crew will tackle remote areas off the Florida Keys in the Atlantic Ocean where they will conquer large ocean swells as they break over shallow coral.

The extreme sport of kiteboarding, or kitesurfing, uses a board with or without foot straps or bindings, combined with the power of a large controllable kite to propel the rider across the water. It is estimated that there are more than a quarter million kiteboarders in the world today, each with his or her own style – wakestyle, waveriding, freestyle, freeride, jumping and cruising.

Reyngoudt, a below the knee amputee, has competed in nearly every event kiteboarding has to offer, and has experienced a 90-foot freedive, bluewater spearfishing and shark-riding. After losing his leg in a forklift accident at age 19, he dismissed his wheelchair, threw away his crutches and began his transformation into a world-class extreme sports athlete.

He credits his success in large part to his prosthetist, who fitted him with the Renegade foot from Freedom Innovations. Designed especially for highly active amputees, but can be worn comfortably by all patients, the Renegade features Freedom's patented all carbon fiber Z-Shock Technology, providing a smooth and normal gait for running, jumping or just walking.

A few months after putting on the Renegade, Reyngoudt won his first wakeboarding competition at the Extremity Games, and then began his kiteboarding career. Today he is among the top kiteboarders in the world, and the only amputee competitor. "Catching Air" captures him at his best.

About Freedom Innovations

Freedom Innovations, LLC designs, manufactures, and markets advanced technology prosthetic devices that provide people with physical challenges the ability to reach their full potential. Based in Irvine, CA, Freedom's lower-limb prosthetics are distributed around the world. For more information, visit www.freedom-innovations.com.

SOURCE Freedom Innovations