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Old 08-31-2010, 07:37 PM
zenlikeme zenlikeme is offline
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Default Please inform influx of new Kiters!!!

So.. I just got back from the Skyway. And let me first say, “Hell Yeah”! Finally some freakin wind!! At least for me It’s been months for me and it was great to finally get back out there. Unfortunately, somewhat bitter sweet…

Let me preface this by saying I’m no safety freak. I take safety very seriously for myself, but if others want to be reckless and endanger themselves, have at it. I don’t care if you wanna ride your motorcycle with no helmet, kill yourself with drugs... or do a railey into the backseat of your parked car. It’s your life. But my firm belief is “Harm none, do as you will”.

And that’s where the problem lies. I won’t accept actions that have the potential to harm innocent bystanders. Now, I’m not trying to stir this whole signage/regulations/access bullsh!t drama up again. All I want to do is remind/inform everyone to be diligent of not accepting behavior that is unacceptable on OUR beaches.

I’m not going to go too much into detail.. but here’s the very very short version of what I witnessed today in the few hours I was at Skyway. A guy drug up onto the beach. Kites bombing people on the beach. People showing off within feet of the beach. A guy boosting 15 feet in the air and landing 5 feet from the shore. Same guy repeating boosting and landing 10 feet from shore. Kite stalls. Falls about 2 feet from family hanging out (about 50’ feet away from all the kiters… all by themselves). Unfortunately kite narrowly misses mangroves.

While the guy was hurrying to launch his kite, I took advantage of the opportunity to say what’s up to him. Said hey bro.. not trying to be a downer, but you’re riding way to close to the beach and it’s only a matter of time before you hurt yourself or someone else. The latter being unacceptable. He seemed indifferent and hurried to relaunch his kite , so I said “Clearly you don’t give a f*ck”. Fortunately he replied saying that he heard what I was saying. He seemed cool about it but I have doubts as to whether his actions will change. If I see him again, while he's not occupied, I'll talk to him again. And his friends if I see them off the water.

His friends (a new crew.. never seen any of them before) were exhibiting exactly the same reckless behavior. Quite a few of them too….. Now listen, when your riding so close to the beach that you can high five people standing on the sand, and your kites are sining over cars and the tops of people's heads….. YOU ARE TO F*CKING CLOSE!!!

What’s the point of all this rambling? Please, Please, Please. For the love of god. Be responsible and when you see people doing this crap confront them. Not with hostility. Just be friendly and let them know that as a proud resident, we’re not accepting this reckless riding style. It’s only a function of time before some innocent person gets hurt. If the guilty hurt themselves… fine. They should know the risk they’re taking. But we all know what happens the minute someone on the beach gets hurt………

Those who have been on this forum for awhile know I rarely post. But this is important. We can’t become complacent. I know I’ve had a tendency to, year after year of witnessing this. But as our sport becomes exponentially more popular, our launches more crowded, and a new season approaching, it is even more critical that we inform new combers as to what is not acceptable.

......if anyone even reads this forum anymore????? I'm sure I'll feel motivated to re-post along the same lines during the season when hopefully there's more traffic on here
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Old 08-31-2010, 08:35 PM
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Steve-O Steve-O is offline
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Default

People read the forum more than u think.

Reckless riding does get places shut down.

You did the right thing and it always helps when dealing with a bad egg or eggs in this case to grab a few other riders and approach as a group. One on one can get confrontational.

Turning a blind eye is the worse thing you can do.

Thanks for the post and good luck with the situation. Won't be the last.
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Old 08-31-2010, 11:46 PM
Unimog Bob Unimog Bob is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2006
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Good luck out there. Seeing this kind of behavior can be a real buzz kill.
I agree with you, Kevin. I couldn't care less if people want to kill themselves or break all their bones. But breaking other's is not cool.

Try to not let it kill your buzz Kevin. I understand how overwhelming it can be if you are mindful of other people's safety. You start to feel obliged to confront every rider doing this stuff. But, then you don't ride (you can't ride AND talk to someone on the beach), your attitude gets adjusted (poorly) etc. Where do you draw the line? (do you come in from riding every time you see a close call?) You might try for a couple years, then just stop. I have seen several people go through this frustration. If every single rider confronted each problem in turn, every guy/gal would only need to confront one problem a year. Thing is, most turn their eye. I have even gotten to that point at times. It seems pointless when most don't seem to care enough to take the time to talk, etc.

So, I really don't have any answers regarding getting these guys to change. It's unfortunate there aren't some simple rules in place that all riders follow.
I feel strongly that this boils down to a personal view regarding personal freedoms vs. the public good. Therefore, it's not as easy as just informing them of what they are doing. In all likelihood, if they are endangering others, their view is that personal freedom trumps community concerns. Your value system (stating not to jeopardize others) is probably pretty foreign to their own. And the words coming out of your mouth probably sound like Vietnamese (maybe Martian). Hence, the blank stare you often get.
Maybe I am wrong. Maybe every time you make someone aware they are jeopardizing others they stop instantly. I don't think so though. I think those doing this type of stuff are too self-absorbed to even contemplate others.
I wish I was more positive about this view. Unfortunately, it has not been my reality.

Anyway... take it easy.

Last edited by Unimog Bob; 09-01-2010 at 12:41 AM.
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Old 09-01-2010, 07:06 AM
Whitey Whitey is offline
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You post at 8:37 PM and it has 111 hits before 8:00am. There are a lot of voyeurs out there. It's important to take the time to talk to these folks and take the time to post up asking for help. Good job. As a group you can make a difference. Stacking sandbags by yourself sucks.

Last edited by Whitey; 09-10-2010 at 06:20 AM. Reason: kan't spell
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