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Old 02-19-2008, 11:22 AM
Skyway Scott
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I agree, for the most part most of us are friends. That's why I debated this post. At some point you have to put principle before being liked by everyone though. Ultimately I got into to kiting to kite, not be everyone's friend.

I know what that feels like Oldschool, trust me.
What really sucks is when you do that respectfully a few times and get blown off or have the story twisted around to the point where you are somehow the bad guy for wanting to preserve access. I and others have approached a few of the same riders regarding riding in swim zones (more importantly close to swimmers and near beach-goers) and have been blown off or just given lip service to appease us. These same riders have continued the behavior that they said they would not do.
The particular behavior that concerns me is riding close to shore in areas with swimmers. As we have seen recently, this can very easily lead to bans. If I originally didn't know this was possible (it happened at Ft. DeSoto about 4 years ago) I would have never even cared or brought up the issue. But, it's obvious that riding in swim zones full of people is a bad idea, that a few riders in particular have been talked to, PM'd etc. going back a ways, and that things are still basically the same in terms of continuing to ride close to shore within swim zones along the entire beach.

I feel that talking with them hasn't achieved much and gave up pretty much after hearing and reading their response. Because of this, I have reached out for help from some other guys I respect locally and am hoping they can talk these guys into staying a safe distance from swimmers and shore.

I and am going to wait to see if their efforts have an effect on the rider(s). In a few weeks if nothing has changed, I will make it abundantly clear who I am talking about and will be sorely disappointed if guys like Neil shy away or take sides based on "rider profile/friend status" as opposed to the facts and what's right.
Especially in light of his recent statements on KiteForum and the recent losses of access in areas like Pompano and possibly Lauderdale.

I guess we will see. I gave this approach a lot of thought before this post.
I have recently seen a conflict on Kiteforum about someone riding in swim zones and realize that he said/he said is easy to squirm out of without some sort of proof. So, as dumb as I feel doing it, I will have a video camera on me at all times when at the beach. It's not my sole intent to make a person look bad and my clip if made won't be a 2 second clip "catching someone" near shore. No, it will be many minutes long, showing a clear behavior. My goal is to have the behavior stop. I don't dislike or like those involved any more than any other rider.
Yesterday I could have made a very long tape, btw, but opted not to without prior warning.
So, if you end up on here on film, it's your fault for putting our access at risk. We clearly have several riders throughout the state saying "post it", including Neil, and I will post it in efforts to have the behavior stop. I personally am not really into naming names and consider it a last resort.
I won't however, just sit and watch as people risk access to a beach I walked as a child, especially in light of the current bans.
I still can't believe some guys have to be dealt with in this fashion, but so be it.
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