Madeira Beach Middle School "Curriculum Celebration"

I dunno.. are the kids going to get to ride the SUP, fly trainer kites, ride a wakeboard winch and stuff like that?

If they are going to spend an hour getting wet and not have gear prices shoved down their parents throats, then great, but it does sound a little like a well coordinated sales pitch (even if it isn't).

I don't see anything wrong with Sean questioning motives. It's up to club members to prevent a club from selling out.

I guess I would have thought the club would be doing club things to help it's own members, like getting wind sensors and cameras installed, installing signs (which still has yet to happen), offering discounted or free lessons to club members, and organizing FREE races and friendly competitions walking away with nothing but a grin.

Seems like the underlying goal of every local event is to make a profit, and that is sort of disheartening. It's not promoting the sport but instead promoting self and shops.

I am sure this is why Sean is skeptical.

[Etch44]

Originally Posted by Sean B

"Bad attitude?" Those who have met me know otherwise. Pitching our sport and slinging gear to 10 and 12 year-old kids....

Just a small point.. Middle school is 12 to 14 year olds, which is a pretty typical age for kids to get serious about sports.

[Little Miss Sunshine]

I think you guys have completely lost the point of this thread which is to promote a fun (not for profit) water sports event this thursday for the kids.

Lets get back to the original post and keep all other ideas/opinions for the general membership meeting or the TBKA website.

[bayflite]

i see nothing wrong with wsw making a sale.
cuz i know the kid/parent/teacher will be stoked on life!
share the stoke!
but yeah...seans point about the downtown kids being left out is right on point.
peace

[JoshTaylor]

wow, and i thought there was drama at my high school....

[amber]

okay. I'm going to try to clear a bit of the fog here because it seems like there are a lot of questions. First of all, it is important to mention that the organization is not for profit. The organization is not trying to sell anything other than getting kids off the couch long enough to put down the x-box controller and go do something fun in the water. If this organization does an event WITH WSW, it does not mean they are one and the same. Sure, WSW is trying to make a buck. They are a for-profit business. They fill a need that the community has. They have agreed to HELP with this event. If they happen to sell a couple wakeboards because of it, great.

Any NEW organization must start with small, attainable goals. The possibilities at this point are endless as to how far it can reach. All the ideas that Sean mentioned in his post are definite possibilities. Just because this particular event is taking place at Madeira Beach Middle School does not mean that the organization is focused on wealthy bratty kids. Everyone needs to start somewhere. We happened to make a contact at MDMS and they invited us to participate at their event. This is a great way to make more contacts within the pinellas county school system so that we can work with other, more needy schools in the future. This is a fun event that will expose the kids to a couple of fun sports.

As for the comment about us doing something for them getting straight A's... its not about us at that point. If kids like to participate in watersports, it can really be a great benefit to THEIR life. Unfortunately most of us were adults when we started this sport however I know that many of us participated in other sports when we were younger like wakeboarding, skateboarding, water skiing, etc. Go ahead and ask Josh Taylor or Adam if they would be allowed to come out and ride all weekend if they were getting crappy grades. It gives them motivation to do well. This is no different than participating in soccer or football.

As for the purpose of the club/organization. I think that it is two-fold. Yes, one of the goals of this program is to promote safety and protect access. One of the ideas discussed has been the signs and right now we're not going to discuss that because its not the purpose of this thread. However, protecting access is not the only purpose of this organization. I'm not sure if the board members have a mission statement yet or not, but i can tell you that part of the main focus of the organization is community outreach. Whether this be a food drive, a beach cleanup, a school-related appearance, etc. It is a way to be a part of the community and promote healthy living. So yes, although the sign stuff is a portion of the goals that are being set, kiteboarding events (races, demos, cook-outs, etc) as well as community service AND exposing kids to the sport is all part of this up and coming organization.

We're starting out small, broke and exploding with new ideas so bear with us. We may not be throwing free races/events this month but as more people want to participate and more organization is structured, it should be getting more and more fun!

[Little Miss Sunshine]

Amber - Thank you for the support!

Scott - Oh please....

Awesome great job guys!

[TBKA]

I met with some of the faculty and the principal yeasterday,and they are very excited to have us at their event! It is to highlight the students projects and achievements of the current school year with staff,volunteers, program directors, students, and families. If you want to check out the school, their website is http://www.mb-ms.pinellas.k12.fl.us/
They estimate 600+ people, and there will be a variety of vendors, businesses, and sponsors there, including several surf shops. As I understand it,the "vendors" will not be selling anything. We will probably not have use of the dock because a Coast Guard cutter will be docked there, but there is a small parking and beach area by the bridge for anyone who wants to check it out and stay out of the crowds.
Our wakeboarding demo is at 6:45 PM, we should be on the water from about 6:00-7:30.
I am sorry to report that Adam Bomb tore his bicep in a Wakeboarding competition this weekend, so he will not be able to ride. He is sending a friend in his place, who is also a great wakeboarder. Adam's injury sounded pretty serious,and it looks like he will be out of commission for a while, let's all wish him a speedy recovery!
Heal fast my brother!!!

Some members are also attending an event at Lake Seminole this Saturday May 10 for disabled water-skiers. I will have more info on this event Thursday night. If anyone wants to come check it out with us, give me a call.
Steve (813) 389-3683

Sorry to not provide you with more entertainment, Outsider.
This thread wasn't constructed (and then de-constructed) for your entertainment.

This thread turned into a rapid fire exchange of ideas (at least on my part) that wasn't backed with enough information to even warrant comment on my part. Given that and the nature of written material on forums (it can hang around forever), I decided to delete my posts after Steve deleted his.
I didn't do it to be nice, I did it because the last two posts deserved to be shi.t canned. There is nothing wrong with asking questions and wanting answers, which is how the thread started, but there is a point where you should draw the line on drawing conclusions.
I crossed that line and I am sorry. If I could go back in time and not have written posts that day, I would. Second best is canning it.

The reason my views and posts were not fully informed is that I have not participated in TBKA meetings or discussions. I basically therefore have no understanding of what is fully going on. Given that, I shouldn't have drawn a conclusion based on such little information. If I am truly interested and want to know, I should join the forum and discuss, like everyone else that does.
If I am not, I should just plain shut up until I have more information.
I don't have a problem grilling things I feel confident are wrong.
In those situations I usually triple check my facts and make sure that I feel I am right. In this instance I was working off of bias not facts and drawing a conclusion was wrong.

So, the posts were deleted because the last two anyway sucked and shouldn't have been made.

That's a public apology to Steve that was coming anyway. I don't really give a crap about Mr. Outsider's boredom. It did serve as a reasonable lead in, though.