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Old 02-18-2008, 01:19 PM
Skyway Scott
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I agree Danimal.
I am really glad that so many people are involved with wanting to keep things safe. I could tell many were concerned about it at EB yesterday and most riders were being pretty cool. At the same time, I think this is an exceptionally tricky topic (use of forum to call out) and could blow up in our faces or get negative and non-productive pretty quickly if it turns into a finger pointing contest, especially towards newbies. My main concern is that we might make newbies feel like if they screw up even once, our first response will be to grill them on the forum. That makes them less likely to ask for help or maybe try to learn on their own (maybe).
I also have concerns about "who taught you anyways?" and other stuff like that. I think this rider was in the wrong, but it sounds like he could have been talked to (grilled) at the beach. I guess he was, so I am sort of not seeing the point in posting, unless he is a repeat offender and we sort of know it's gonna happen again.

Can I suggest we try to work most stuff out at the launch site, that day? If the rider becomes a "repeat offender" over time, then maybe mentioning it on here is a good idea (I don't know). I am just concerned we might start listing every bad thing we see. One concern over that is the press and anyone else can easily hop on here and throw that stuff right back in our faces, or might get a one-sided view. I know on KF a few people now think all FL riders are wankers. That's not what I think we should do, personally.
I know Jim Wilson (Ft DeSoto) reads this forum, which is in our favor. But, it could turn on us if someone wanted to paint us in the wrong light. We have PMs and phones and stuff (again, just ideas) I have real concerns over internet frenzy as opposed to face to face. There is absolutely no substitute for face to face, imo.

In addition, I still think that it's our veteran riders that will most likely always be the hardest to deal with. I can't help but think a newbie is easier to target, so we do it. I happen to think the beach (especially with downwinders) is our biggest weakness right now, if riders cruise down the beach and repeatedly stay/ get close to shore.
I have and always will think that the beach is the first place that we will lose. This is the type of thing I don't want to be right on, btw.
But it's not hard to screw up and hit a person with your board when riding close on a DW or eventually clothes-line a person walking on the shoreline if you do enough tricks close to shore and dump the kite. It's coming up on March (spring break and seabreezes), and it doesn't take a genius to see how tons of spring breakers and guys showing off right next to them might turn out.

Do we have any agreements whatsoever about staying away from shore? Or our we just blowing it off?

Anyway, glad you guys care. My thoughts are just that, I am not ever going to pretend that I know the answers on how to do this "right". I do know having some guys that are concerned along with 95% of the riders being safe is far better than most areas in the country, so we have a really good start.
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