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Shannon Best on Cape Cod

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jkrug
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Postby jkrug » Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:51 pm

Chaz: no, SB did not say 'f-u' to me, or to anyone else as far as i know. but if you read what i wrote, i said 'if you tell SOMEONE...blah, and they BASICALLY say f-u...blah'. I think you understand what I'm saying, and I understand what you're saying. probably too much has been said already, so from my end, i'll put it to rest.

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Postby gipseysurfer » Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:48 pm

vietkiter thanks for 4 irrelevant points that add nothing to the subject of the thread which is maintaining access to kite beaches globally.

1) At the worst... shannon was told not to kite and did so anyway...
Is this bad... sure... he's not just a kiter but an 'ambassador' of the sport
-any kiter that jeopardises access should be censured and educated. if you don't get this go take up another pursuit.

2) Perhaps his appology is not as contrite as you would have preferred... just realize Shannon spent his life becoming a world class wakeboarder and kiter... not a global ambassador... and we all know kiteheads, like surfheads, don't use good judgement all the time
-i have no problem with shannon's apology, i think he has winged in a major way by saying there was ambiguity as to whether he could kite the pond. he also got into a personal pissing match with the proprietor of a full service kite shop on the cape that has done more to secure kiting access on cape cod than anyone on this forum.

3) Most important... Shannon, for all his faults... is one of the more decent, considerate and sensitive human being you will never meet... -irrelevant, shit has happened and it's up to the kiting community to learn from mistakes. when your beach is closed and you miss a sesh try to think about what a great bloke shannon is, that will make up for everything.

4) Just because you hate Best the company doesn't mean know anything about Best the person or other cronies... and you should certainly give up being a psychic... you don't have a good track record at all... - what are you implying? that i have an agenda driven by hatred. i love kitesurfing, have met alex and shannon personally, deal with a retailer that stocks best and have a personal friend that rides for best.
i am not going to rehash past misfortunes of best that i posted on because i believe the company has moved on. the waroo as the hottest of the 2006 flat kites speaks volumes for that. i even posted on alex's thread:'what do you see at your local beach' that best has at least 50% representation on north east beaches, cape town and dominican rep.
this is well up from a year ago.

once again you move in on a topic, add 4 irrelevant points and resort to personal attacks.

at one point you listed your location as sandy hook yet your total lack of knowledge of the facts surounding this incident suggests you have never kited or visited neighboring cape cod.

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Postby vietkiter » Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:20 pm

gipseysurfer wrote:vietkiter thanks for 4 irrelevant points that add nothing to the subject of the thread which is maintaining access to kite beaches globally.
Beach access is being loss mainly to a) privatization of beaches and b) non-kiters are realizing how dangerous kites are near bathers...

Here, we are talking about one alleged transgression... which no one denies should be an example of kiters being more considerate... and you want to paint it as a wanton and callous pattern of behavior of Best the guy and Best the company and that will somehow adversely effect global warming and supply of dental floss? Where's your sense of reality?
gipseysurfer wrote:at one point you listed your location as sandy hook yet your total lack of knowledge of the facts surounding this incident suggests you have never kited or visited neighboring cape cod.
Access to kite beaches is not as important as the preservation of global bird diversity... this beach is too fragile for kiting... as one of 1,002 neighboring cape cod kiters... I voluntarily will not drive 4 hours to kite at this neighborhood beach at any time of the year to avoid potential bad press for kiters... I suggest the other 1001 neighboring 'north east kitesurfers' do the same... Cape cod belongs to the birds...

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KidKiteRock
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Postby KidKiteRock » Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:50 pm

We have hundreds of kiters that come to the cape to ride and most do so with no problems and abide by the rules.

We have worked with the Mass Audubon to make sure our access is preserved as well as the birds.

A little cooperation and give and take goes a long way.

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Postby kiterfighter » Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:50 pm

:thumb: Gipeseysurfer, Kidkiterock.

Dead on.

Vk :roll: pathetic as usual. (Yes a Best bashing, VK personal attack)

And Best still makes great kites!

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Postby gipseysurfer » Wed Jul 12, 2006 4:50 am

vietkiter i've made my point . this topic is getting long in the tooth. making jokes about access problems in cape cod is not appreciated by locals or visitors.
you've earned your lack of credibility status bestowed on you by numerous members of this forum, myself included.
if i come across you in my travels i'll tell you that to your face.
tell me what you are going to do about that from your cyber kiting ivory tower?

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Postby waveslave » Wed Jul 12, 2006 6:35 am

Why are gifted athletes, professional sportsman, referred to as 'role models' ?
Why are they sometimes referred to as 'global ambassadors' ?
Who started that nonsense ?

They do sport at an elite level.
That's it.
Simple.

They are fallable and they do dumb shit sometimes.

Don't tell me John McEnroe in his heyday was an ambassador for tennis.
He was a champion, an entertainer, a superbrat.......
but not a role model.
Doctors who save lives are role models.

PS. Did a bird die ?

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KidKiteRock
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Postby KidKiteRock » Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:27 pm

waveslave wrote:Why are gifted athletes, professional sportsman, referred to as 'role models' ?
Why are they sometimes referred to as 'global ambassadors' ?
Who started that nonsense ?

They do sport at an elite level.
That's it.
Simple.

They are fallable and they do dumb shit sometimes.

Don't tell me John McEnroe in his heyday was an ambassador for tennis.
He was a champion, an entertainer, a superbrat.......
but not a role model.
Doctors who save lives are role models.

PS. Did a bird die ?
Actually, Like it or not all of us are ambassodors for this sport. The Sport is still small and new in comparrison to other activities that go on at the places we ride. We are very visalbe and take more beach room per person than any other activity I can think of.
We are the new visitors to the beach and like it or not, we will be scrutinized and will be the first group to go if there are problems.

We all know that in many places kiteboarding is a sensative issue and the actions of one can effect everyone.
Therefore we must tread lightly.

A well know person be it an Athlete, Politician etc will always be under the spot light, it comes with the territory and people will hold you to a higher standard. Right or Wrong its the way it is.

John McEnroe was a role model, just a bad one as far as what people saw as acceptable. His behavior was in some ways good for tennis and in some ways bad, but he was in the spotlight and famous which by default makes him a role model.
But he was never in Danger of getting the sport banned. This is the main difference. He brought in money and enough that the behavior was overlooked.
We dont bring in the kind of dollars to the town that give us any push.
We have to work with them.

As far as a Bird getting killed. One was not killed, but a death is not the only problem. These things are protected here like crazy. If the State or federal Government feels that the town is not doing its job in making sure the birds are not Hassled, the town is subject to a fine up to $50,000. There does not even have to be a death. This fine has been levied at another town in the general area. So it is far easier for the town to avoid the risk and say "NO KITING" rather than risk the Fine.
In past years they have closed off 1/3 of the parking area at one of Cape Cods most visited beaches (West Dennis) because the birds were crossing the lot to get to thier feeding area. So trust me when I say the town is not all that happy with the birds and the amount of protection because it costs them a lot of money and causes a lot of headaches. I personally dont want to be another headache for the town.

The above statement is general commentary and was not aimed at anyone either real or fictional.

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John MacEnroe was alright in my book.

Postby Chaz » Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:40 pm

waveslave wrote:Why are gifted athletes, professional sportsman, referred to as 'role models' ?
Why are they sometimes referred to as 'global ambassadors' ?
Who started that nonsense ?

They do sport at an elite level.
That's it.
Simple.

They are fallable and they do dumb shit sometimes.

Don't tell me John McEnroe in his heyday was an ambassador for tennis.
He was a champion, an entertainer, a superbrat.......
but not a role model.
Doctors who save lives are role models.

PS. Did a bird die ?
JM was a true sports entertainer and great role model. I loved watching him cuss and swear and hit the Gatorade cups with his racket. A natural Irishman. It made me want to play tennis but he did stand up for unfair calls made against him. He knew the officials in tennis had a dislike and were not impartial to the man kinda like the kiting industry has for SB but as usual all we are good at is speculating without understanding the facts. When people are jeolous of talent they often look for a flaw and define that person based on his flaw(s).

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Postby kiterfighter » Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:50 pm

Oh by the way SHANNON never apologized for this incident. He apologized for the "controversy" and stated that the "facts are not completely correct".(check it out yourself on the Best forum) That is not an apology. To apologize one must admit one's mistake. He did not do so. Therefore one can also assume he may do this again and has not learned from his mistake.


Shannon be a man and admit you messed up. Tell us it won't happen again and you regret having made the decision to kite in an off limits area.

Otherwise you are not an ambassador to the sport.


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