Tyler Spence is the owner and an experienced IKO certified kiteboarding instructor originally from Chicago but now lives in St. Joseph Michigan.  He has been instructing since 2013. He was inspired to start kiteboarding after a trip to Cabarete in the Domincan Republic where he found himself at one of the most popular kiteboarding destinations in the Caribbean. He was then fortunate enough to have gotten hooked on kiting on the windy shores of Lake Michigan and share the stoke with his fellow students around the Midwest.

"Tyler Spence has put this [The Windy City] spot on the map with his kite school, Stoke Riders, and is one of the mid-west’s only IKO certified instructors. Sunrise to sunset, he is always available whenever it’s windy. His mobile site offers lessons, rentals, kite repair, boat support, downwind pickup service and of course, an abundance of friendly midwestern hospitality. With the perfect teaching conditions for beginners, he’ll start you at a shallow flatwater spot just 30 minutes from Chicago until you’ve reached the skill level and are ready for a mindblowing downwinder at the dunes." - The Kiteboarder Magazine