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#1
03-20-2008, 07:44 AM
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As for numbers in Pinellas I'd have to say Kiteboarders Rick. The west coast isn't anything like the east coast for waves... The surfers in this area are pretty cool with us for the most part though. I am sure something seriously kooky must have been done to upset them. I hate to sound like a broken record but we may want to revisit the skills testing, rider level tagging, and putting up signs idea at our local launches. This thread was NEVER responded to on Bobo's last post: http://www.fksa.org/showthread.php?t=5997&page=9 If not that system, something needs to be put into place or the riding here is just gonna get kookier...
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http://www.airtimekite.com/map_tw.html 
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#2
03-20-2008, 08:03 AM
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not sure about that toby, i used to surf, and on an epic day, ie when a hurricane goes north through the gulf and sends overhead clean waves.... you literaly have to take turns on waves, there was a surfer every 5ft for a few hundred yards... hard to believe but true, im sure tom would concur.... there easily a couple hundred surfers in our area..... if not more...
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handle passes are easy...  at least i think they were.. been so long i cant remember 
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#4
03-20-2008, 08:13 AM
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As a side note, this was very similar to what almost caused the effective banning of both kiteboarding and windsurfing in Hawaii recently. Small dumb acts can have large consequences.
Show reasonable respect and common sense or open the doors to having others do it for us. People that have no reason to give much of a damn about kiting, how and where we like to do it or anything else. I heard a story about someone landing on a surfboard on the east coast recently. Fortunately, the surfer saw it coming and slid out of the way just before contact. Amazing stupidity on the part of the kiteboarder.
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FKA, Inc. transcribed by: Rick Iossi
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#5
03-20-2008, 08:18 AM
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There are definitely more surfers, it's a pretty obvious no brainer.
Just looking at how many surf shops and how much business they get will tell you that. They may not ride every day, but it's not even close. They have a big voice. Skills testing etc. is a waste of time in terms of this particular problem. Let's get real. Do you think this is being done by noobs that couldn't pass a skills test? I am totally at a loss as to how kiting skills relate to common sense and courtesy anyway? There is no connection. I don't make these comments as an attack on you Toby, but they are made as opinions directly against yours. It doesn't matter in the end, this is useless forum chatter, truly useless. Yesterday was only one day and focussing on who it was seems silly. I have seen plenty of days where 20 guys (all at once or at different times in smaller groups) screamed down the coastline for 15 miles, the whole way coming close to shore doing tricks very close (you were there on one day Toby to see). As a community, complaining on the forum but just watching the days it happens is like talking about a fire that burnt down your neighbor's house the day before while you sat and watched it that day. The big difference here is that your neighbor didn't care at the time and the whole neighborhood didn't care either, as they were roasting twinkies on the house's flames. That's how it feels around here for the last 8 months or so, and the major reason I and many others totally gave up on trying to stop it. Majority rules and the majority has been saying for quite some time (not just yesterday)--- "Burn baby burn. Let's just burn this house down". I personally can't relate to knowingly burning down your house (of riding), but it's impossible to stop it when so many seem dedicated to the cause. This was a just another useless forum rant. Useless meetings, useless everything. This stuff comes from within. People either have respect for the community (of kiters and larger community) or they don't. We have plenty of riders who have none. That can't be overcome. Sorry to be such a downer, but it's a fact.
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#6
03-20-2008, 08:34 AM
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Agree 100%
Scott wrote
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skills testing signs tags talking forums none of these will work apparently. nothing will change the people that refuse to listen to common sense like the song says "Second chances they don't never matter, people never change"
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__________________ ___________________________________ You don't direct ostriches, you herd them
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#7
03-20-2008, 08:52 AM
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Why are there still skateboard parks, hang gliding parks, surfing zones on public beaches, snowboarding, designated hobie cat & sailing corridors on public beaches, sky diving LZ's, american football ... this could go on for a long time.
ALL these activities were confronted by bans in their day. Why do they still exist? Largely because people didn't blow off keeping them around as being hopeless due to the dumber, self-destructive side of human nature. If people get together for effect, this can be done and has been done many times before. Saying it's hopeless absolves responsibility or the need to try. Many of the problem kiters (often well experienced guys too) seem to be driven by ego, appearances. Hit them where it hurts to work for reasonable change. Or, blow it off ... your choice.
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FKA, Inc. transcribed by: Rick Iossi
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#8
03-20-2008, 09:27 AM
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Exactly Rick. Proactive behavior is always better than reactive behavior when dealing with problems like these. But I seem to be outnumbered here, not only by the surfers but also by others who don't want to work toward getting the area regulated.
Scott, the regulation is easy. Wear the tags yourself and lead by example as one of the guys who is more experienced without protest. If you see someone on the beach without a tag, point out the sign that explains the rules and regulations of our launch as well as the tagging and skills testing. Let the instructors posess and hand out the tags and do the testing for newbs and out of towners. Problem solved. If someone refuses to wear a tag or do a skills test, a group of local more experienced riders approach them and insist that they put their kite down. Heck, you could even include Jim Wilson in this for Ft. DeSoto if you wanted, I am sure he would be all for safer kiting practices at Ft. DeSoto as he has seen some accidents there with some experienced guys getting hurt... Or if any of you think you have a better approach to regulate, present it but staying passive is just like holding a ticking time bomb. Eventually it will explode and if you don't get rid of it, you'll go up in smoke with it. Stop bitching about others if you aren't willing to change yourself... Quote:
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http://www.airtimekite.com/map_tw.html
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#9
03-20-2008, 10:02 AM
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We LOST OUR FAVORITE SKATING SPOTS. The parks are all we have left. How is that a proactive win? It was a reactive "damn we can't skate anywhere anymore". And WTF Toby, last I checked you were one of the people riding in the swim area at PAG right after the "Stay out of the swim zone" thread along with a dozen other guys. So what exactly are you doing to help if you can't even stay out of the swim area? Oh a tag would have made a difference right. I do my part. I try to stay outside the swim area and stay the F@#$ away from the surfers. Every surfer on the gulf coast is looking at that website now thinking kite surfers are total kooks. They are totally 100% right.
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#10
03-20-2008, 10:17 AM
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I like Kent's idea of using the STICK rather than the nice CARROT approach we've been using Does anybody realy believe that us kitesurfers are unaware of the common sense rules of kitesurfing? There are people that just refuse to follow them, that's where our efforts should be, IMO
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__________________ ___________________________________ You don't direct ostriches, you herd them
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