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RickI
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Postby RickI » Wed Jun 05, 2002 10:53 pm

The AKA Kiteboarding Committee has created a website at:

http://www.aka.kite.org

Under... "Kiteboarding", (in the Table of Contents)

So, check it out!

With the growth of kiteboarding, safety and access issues are also growing and may impact how and where we ride. The AKA Kiteboarding Committee has been formed to help find and support solutions both in the USA as well as internationally. We were created to help keep you riding and to assist new riders with advice on how to get into this great sport. Lots of ideas on how to form kiteboarding clubs and associations, negotiating to restore and maintain access, working in and with the community are already present on our website to help the kiteboarding community. So get involved and check it out, there is more to come.

Good winds,
Rick Iossi

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Postby phree » Thu Jun 06, 2002 2:55 am

Image

These guys are stepping up and doing allot to promote responsible kiteboarding. We owe them our respect and gratitude. We need good leadership to help us develop a genuine culture of safety in our sport. Let's follow their lead and do everything we can to make kiteboarding safe for everyone at the beach. Here is a list of who's who on the AKA Kiteboarding Committee:

Jeff Chang
Hawaiian Kiteboarding Association-
Oahu Chapter Secretary
Offdalipp.com
Kitesurftech.com

Gilles Fumat
President of Bump and Jump(http://bumpandjump.com/)

Jeff Howard
President of Precision Kite Company

Rick Iossi
Chairman, AKA Kiteboarding Committee
Florida Kitesurfing Association Director

Martin Kirk
President Hawaii Kiteboarding Association - Maui Chapter
Kiteboarding School of Maui (http://www.ksmaui.com)

Ryan Levinson
President of the San Diego Kiteboarding Association
Head Instructor with West Coast Kiteboarding (http://www.westcoastkiteboarding.com/)

Paul Menta
Florida Kitesurfing Association Director
PASA Head Kiteboarding Instructor
President of Kitesurf the Earth (http://kitesurftheearth.com/)


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: phree on 2002-06-06 03:58 ]</font>

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Postby Toby » Thu Jun 06, 2002 8:20 am

whatever this forum can do for the AKA, it will!

great work guys, I bet thousands of future and present kitesurfers will owe you a big one!

Toby

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Postby jever98 » Thu Jun 06, 2002 9:28 am

I have to second this opinion.
On the other hand, I am always surprised how stupid and irresponsible people act sometimes. And then it's not only beginners, but actually people who should be a role model.
To be more precise: last year, I saw as some guys were teaching beginners on the beach at St. Peter Ording, right in between where people were walking and kids playing. They kept on crashing the kites into the people until somebody threatened them and made them go on the parking lot (also sandy), where there is lots of space and nobody was endangered.
What really pissed me off about this episode was that the guys teaching have a leading position in the GKSA (German KS Association) and didn't react to initial nice "could you please go somewhere else, what you are doing is pretty dangerous", but it was necessary to force them off (don't worry, nobody actually got into a fight or so).
So much for that...
Nico

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RickI
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Postby RickI » Thu Jun 06, 2002 8:37 pm

Hello John and Toby,

Thank you both for your support and confidence. This sport is really starting to take off with more people getting hooked on all it has to offer by the month. Unfortunately, with increasing numbers come problems in many areas, as we know. It is time to get organized a bit and focused to keep us out there flying. Diving, hangliding and parapante went through similar evolutions in the past. So, please check the site out and particularly the Safe Kiteboarding Guidelines. If enough of us follow and promote these guidelines, our access problems should become a thing of the past. Then all we have to deal with is what attracted us all to this sport in the first place ... RIDING!!!

Good winds,
Rick Iossi

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RickI
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Postby RickI » Fri Jun 07, 2002 2:53 pm

Hello Nico,

I have heard of similar incidents on this side of the Atlantic as well. Human nature at work again. The only common solution to this particular problem involving experienced riders is peer pressure. Then there is the not particularly pleasant pressure that restrictions and bans bring. It may take more of that kind of pressure to compel folks come together and protect their access privaledges. If enough folks are active in promoting responsible riding, it shouldn't come to that. That said here is notice of a ban that appeared today in another forum:

-----Original Message-----
From: Gianvi [mailto:gianvi@loose.it]
Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 7:37 AM
To: kitesurf@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [ksurf] München/Gardasee Kiter gesucht


Attention that the North Coast of Gardasee (Riva - Torbole) is banned for
kitesurfing. You must descend to Malcesine very good in the morning thermic
but not so good with afternoon thermic.

Gianvi

----- Original Message -----
From: "calevi2001" <calevi2001@yahoo.de>
To: <kitesurf@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 12:23 PM
Subject: [ksurf] München/Gardasee Kiter gesucht


Hallo,

welcher Kiter aus dem München Raum fährt oder hat Lust mitzufahren?
Wochenendtrips zum Kiten am Gardase.

bitte mailt an westernpony@hotmail.com

ciao

Robert

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Postby jever98 » Fri Jun 07, 2002 6:08 pm

Actually, this ban has been in place for a few weeks. I know Lake Garda. It would be next to impossible to launch where kitesurfing is banned. The mountains are right at the edge of the lake. I am not that concerned about this ban.
But if the good kitesurfing spots get taken away, where we have a lot of space and everything should be fine, is when we should be concerned.
Hope you have nice conditions in Florida,
Cheers
Nico

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Postby RickI » Fri Jun 07, 2002 8:54 pm

Hello Nico,

I have included some other posts on the subject of conditions in the area of the ban. It does sound very crowded. You are right, losing access to such sites may not be such a bad thing. It might even be good for the kitesurfing association to anticipate the conflicts and promote riders to avoid the areas in conflict. It would buy some good will in theory. I agree, losing access to perfectly good, better launches would be bad thing and something to work hard to avoid.

Rick Iossi


From http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kitesurf/

North Garda is heavily congested. ITS RIDICULOUS. you cannot immagine
without seeing it. People get into long lines with their windsurf kit to launch
and come out of the water. the place has so many windsurfers and other sailors
you are in danger just going for a swim. Its so bad it gets gridlock of sailing
traffic. I am not exaggerating. I wouldnt want to windsurf there... forget
kitesurfing !

and

It was said yesterday to me by a windsurf shop that we propose our ban.
The North part of the lake between Riva - Torbole - Ponale is one of the
best summer italian spot in Italy for assured wind. For that a lot of
sailing races are organized every year and in the meantime a crowd of
windsurfer, private sail boat, catamarans of every size from midday run up
and down, right to left onto this part of the lake.
Other reason could be also the absence of a space for launching and landing
due to the rock and very short beach, crowed by windsurfer and sun bath
lower.
Other bad thing is that in the morning the wind blow offshore 100% and the
afternoon on shore 100%.

But isn't so bad, because if you decend the lake for 10 Km. you will arrive
in Malcesine and ever with a little of difficulties, you can lunch and the
wind is side shore
100%; a little bit less crowed, expecially in the afternoon, teh wind has
less force than in the North part, but more regular.

Kitsurfing Association is the FKI, but i don't know if they are moving for
this thing. They organize races and teachers school.

For the summer, another place Jesolo, placed in the Adriatic North Part has
a wonderful and amusing type of ban.
They don't ban kitesurfing, but banned the possibility to launch and land
kites onto the beaches and banned the possibility to do kitsurfing between
the beaches and the first 500 mt. off the beaches : this means that if you
want make kitesurfing, you must swim off the beaches for 500 mt. with the
kites in the water, all the lines floating around you and the other swimmers
and, at the limit requested, letting go the kite into the wind and make the
water relaunch whishing that the kite start in the right direction, else you
must swim another time.
The Local Kite Club and The shops are fighting for that.

We must say that from middle June to the end of August, Italian beaches are
crowed by family with children, tourist, etc. etc. and for sure the benefits
for the touristic places will arrive from that. But 200 mt. of sand to make
happy 100 Kiter, I think will cost nothing to the comunity, right? Or
better, this pieces of sand can give work to the local shops, school, bar.

All that ban arrived like a flash in the bright sky, without that any big
accidend occurred.

If i will know others places, i will let you know.

Gianvi


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