Michael Szromba

Mike and his team are wonderful at teaching kitesurfing in a safe and fun way. We have some great locaitons in the Chicagoland area and they're always ensuring the conditions, safety, and timing is right. I've gone from a beginner to a comfortable and experienced kiter. Thanks Mike!

Mike took all the necessary time to give me clear and simple instructions. He provided me with great material and I also appreciated a lot the head-set so that we could communicate during my time on water. He is very friendly and he radiates his passion for kitesurfing all around :-)

I had taken lessons previously, so he made sure to assess my level and give me a refresher before beginning. Wolf Lake (Chicago) has gusty, inconsistent wind and I had a hard time feeling confident on the board, but Mati was very encouraging. He takes safety seriously, gives clear instructions, and is a joy to be around. I would definitely recommend taking lessons with him!

Mike's school has top quality gear always in sync with the weather and to accompany you in the next steps of your learning as you get better at kiteboarding. I started during the pandemic as beginner and could quickly become an independent kiteboarder. I really like to be on the list that notifies you when and where the wind will be good for your level. Mike is very focused on safety which is great as the sport can be intimidating at first and the teaching is effective - gradual but also happy to help you leap frog when you show fast progress. The school also organizes special kiteboarding week down south during the cold months which is a great getaway plan to keep enjoying the sport.

It's hard to review figuring I didn't recieve this certification notification until over 4 years after my actual certification... I didn't even know there was an online portal beyond the physical card I recieved! It also felt as though this lesson was unecessary and way over priced figuring I was already a comfortable intermediate kiter at the time. So essentially all I was looking for was a certification during this and what I ended up getting was an over $200 repeated overview of what I already knew and was taught with previous instructors as a kiter.

Mike and the other instructors at Windy City Kite School are endlessly patient. The wind, water and general weather conditions in Chicago and Indiana are tricky and finding time to train in the available windows is also tricky. Mike is your wind guru and will keep an eye on conditions for you, reaching out when there is opportunity to kite! My work schedule is difficult and I travel a lot, but Mike has continuously reached out to help me find the time. The instructor I trained with was also very patient and kind. (Thanks Matty!) I aspire to be as dedicated to the wind as they are.

Learning kiteboarding from WindyCity Kite Sports has been a great experience this year! Thanks to Mike for providing this service, and a big shout out to Matias for all of his patience and chill instruction! Looking forward to more lessons.

Only negative thing I have to say is that sometimes the communication devices on the helmets don't work very well. Will turn off randomly or not work at a certain range.