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Kite Safethy at Tour Level.....

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Xboy
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Postby Xboy » Mon Nov 04, 2002 10:23 pm

Guys just want here your thoughts on the following.

I've been milling around the photos section at KPWT and I'm shocked to see the lack of Safety devices on the Male competitors. I've seen a few of the Female competitors using Safety leashes but that about it. I would have thought by now after recent events in our Sport that Safety devices would become mandatory! Our Pros should be setting examples by wearing Safety gear at all times. Does anyone know if Safety devices at Tours such as KPWT and PKRA are encouraged,or is it the riders that are dictating to them ? I mean you look at Wakeboarding no way near as dangerous as Kiteboarding, and these guys are forced to wear helmets at Comps as well as Impact vests. Bottom line is, the two main Kiteboard tours we have at this stage are great Ambassadors for our sport with T.V coverage being sent all over the world. And its unfortunate that the image that is being sent out is that Kiteboarding is such a safe sport that Helmets don't need to be warn and neither do safety leashes. I mean how can we get messages across that SAFETY is of utmost importance when almost 90 % of the media exposure we have be it Vid's or pic's have the leaders in our sport flying around with little or no safety devices attached to them selves.

1. none of the Competitors use Helmets.
2. Few of the Competitors use Safety leashes.
3. none use Impact vests.

Thing is we are dealing with a sport that uses Mother Nature as its fuel and Mother Nature has a tendency to through us Curve Balls now and then, so when she does we need to be prepared for it no questions asked. Until Tour Organizers have a Direct line to the Man up stairs, they should be taking a harder stance towards Safety amongst Competitors and use the Tours to promote the Wearing of Safety gear at all times no matter how good they think they are !


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Xboy on 2002-11-05 09:43 ]</font>

Marley
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Postby Marley » Mon Nov 04, 2002 11:20 pm

Can't make little Johnny or little Suzy eat their beans or peas or whatever but you can strongly suggest it. I stopped helmet wearing periodically but now fulltime safety again. No idea why stopped but definately back on it.

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Toby
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Postby Toby » Mon Nov 04, 2002 11:50 pm

recently I had a discussion about this topic with a female pro rider.
I was informed that the comps are very safe due to comp areas with large distance to hard objects and rescue boats.
Still, the pros don't act as idols.
And the biggest problems they don't think of: they have to practice tricks like handle passes, but for sure the safety precautions of a comp is not given wherever they practice!!!!
The solution would be: at least no more handlepasses then you still can ride with safety!

Toby

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Postby RickI » Mon Nov 04, 2002 11:57 pm

The Trophy Fehmarn not only encourages use of helmets, impact vests, QR and kite leashes, it requires them to be used. I am working on an article about this new competition series. It will include rider perspectives on these requirements. Reform is coming to competitions elsewhere but perhaps a bit more slowly. Hopefully the example provided by the Trophy Fehmarn will extend to and influence other competition series.

Rick Iossi

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murdoc
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Postby murdoc » Tue Nov 05, 2002 1:23 am

rick,
it's not only been the trophy @ fehmarn (that's a german island) but others, as far as i know all competitions in germany, where kiteleash, impact vest and helmet are required as well as quick releases at both chicken and harnessloop.

the VDWS (the german watersports assosiation)
requires helmets and impact vests as well at their instructor courses (no quickreleases yet, but they're workin on it [but they are slow]).

i see most riders (90%) here equipped with a QR at their chickenloop and an increasing number of helmets used (got mine last week).

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Postby Cal » Tue Nov 05, 2002 1:30 am

On 2002-11-04 23:50, Toby wrote:
recently I had a discussion about this topic with a female pro rider.
I was informed that the comps are very safe due to comp areas with large distance to hard objects and rescue boats.
Still, the pros don't act as idols.
And the biggest problems they don't think of: they have to practice tricks like handle passes, but for sure the safety precautions of a comp is not given wherever they practice!!!!
The solution would be: at least no more handlepasses then you still can ride with safety!

Toby
A local rider has a leash setup that allows him to do one handle pass. It also allows 4 spins before any issues appear.
Not good enough? BULLSHIT!
If theses guys and gals are tourlevel they should be able to spin both ways - do a double back and then a tripple foward followed by a one foot back 360 transistion - no spins left now, into a handle pass on the next tack etc etc

Leash's should be compulsory in comps, and leash management should be a judging criteria!

As we all know even the "pro's" can get hurt (even killed) by not wearing leashes at comps...

Callum

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Postby Guest » Tue Nov 05, 2002 6:29 am

XBOY, as usual we are on the same frequency, I think it is not good for the sport that the pro's are not setting the example, and still it is stupid of pro's to think they have everything allways under control, there are enough accidents that prove their wrong.

I know however that there is another reason why these safetygear is not being used... it just doesn't look nice for on the pictures or movies, they had been complaining that they only took pic's and movies from people that were not wearing safety gear at comps , so the pro's were forced to do the same.
Because at the end of the day it all ends up with marketing etc...

Therefor I think the power of setting this issues up is up to the tourorganisator.

And yes they are setting incredible examples to all the beginners out there, first of all if you see them busy it looks ooohhhhhhhhhh so easy and second of all people are not seeing all the safety issues or safety gear !

Second of all I think that a lot of people are putting all their money in kite equipment and not into safety gear, and this should be prevented by using certificates, and decent rules...

cheers

PS : XBOY see you tomorrow on the water :wink:

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Mr Jo Macdonald
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Postby Mr Jo Macdonald » Tue Nov 05, 2002 8:35 am

Yeah I'm sorry Toby but I don't agree with that either, people have died competing and if you watch the SS Gorge vid, (apart from the lack of style in some of the exasperated moves) there's people jumping over bystanders on shore and one guy wiping out a jump on the rocks, not to metnion the bridge downwind.
Neadless to say not a leash or helmet in sight.
Jo

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Postby Xboy » Tue Nov 05, 2002 9:19 am

The whole "Doesn't look cool" with all the Safety gear, don't gel with me I give you an Example.

When Tony hawk done the First ever 900 at a comp on live T.V it was awesome , in no way would it have looked less spectacular if he hadn't been wearing a helmet. Now put Adam Koch in the same frame , if he had just pulled off a 8 spin no boarder, in no way would I have thought the trick had looked less impressive if he was wearing safety gear. We have got to shake off this "Gath looks Naff" syndrome so many people seem to have. In the wakeboard world (I'm sorry I keep using this as an example) you find that pro's that use Safety gear always push the sport to the max knowing that they are protected and can perform even more spectacular tricks knowing that if something did go wrong they were at least protected in some way. I would think the guys would be more adventurous using safety gear and we don't keep seeing the same old tricks as per a previous post on this forum.

There is no excuse whatsoever for not wearing Safety gear

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Postby Toby » Tue Nov 05, 2002 9:34 am

On 2002-11-05 08:35, Mr Jo Macdonald wrote:
Yeah I'm sorry Toby but I don't agree with that either,
...
Jo
Hey Jo, I think you got me wrong, didn't you? I require safety and if someone can do handlepasses with a leash, that is fine, but not without. Because I saw it many times now that good riders are doing a h-p and had to let go at packed beaches. Luckily no one was injured, so far, but unfortunately it will and then our sport isfacing serious trouble. Don't want that so if someone is doing this without any precautions like on any empty beach or upwind of other riders, they face trouble at the beach from other riders.

Toby


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