1. your qualified enoughKrazedkiter wrote:Honestly LWC, I don't think 1. your qualified enough or have the proper experience yet to engage in the development of such a database. I think your initiative is great but you will 2. most likely do more damage going on the path you are going now. You are 3. not willing to accept that and that alone is a critical flaw.
4. Misinformation and misunderstanding is a major factor in how those who don't kitesurf and those who have the authority to regulate kitesurfing at a particular location interpret the sport and the safety of the sport,
Trust me, being a OG (old guy) in the realm of kiteboarding, most of my friends and peers look at kiteboarding as a reckless sport with a bunch of irresponsible kids with long hair and tattoos that skateboard in the streets running the show. How many no skateboarding signs do you see posted in your neighborhood? How many YouTube videos are out there that depict a bunch of wreckless 5. kids sliding down stair railings cracking their balls and then getting hit by a car at the bottom of the railing. Funny right, but damaging yes.
It is only now that in urban areas the powers to be are building skateboard parks in urban areas. But.... How long has skateboarding been around relative to kiteboarding and how 6. long did it take for them to realize they need to react more positively to skateboarding?
Rick has been the safety guru since the beginning. I don't know how he started and he may have been involuntarily initiated but...........he has been the only person willing to track, maintain and evaluate incidents. No one else has stepped in to accept and handle this task. And all of us have accepted his role and consulted him on safety issues. There has been no equivalent, trust me. Even those that disregard and disrespect his role must understand he is the only one at this level. Not to say that there are not very experienced and responsible individuals that promote, educate and advocate safety out there, but no one near the level and experience Rick has.
So with that said, your approach has been very disrespectful and wrong. 7. There is always a courtesy factor, a respect for your "elders" factor, a respect for those that are way more experienced than you are factor, etc. that you MUST follow. Think of a surfer lineup, etc. also, would you just go to someone else's launch and post up your own rule sign? No friggin way. This happens to be Ricks beach. And it can not only be Ricks beach......but before you go 8. changing the rules and creating policy and disseminate information on Ricks beach, you need to consult and work with Rick and both reach an agreement before you move forward
Thats what I see here and that's the major problem with this interaction. Rick lives in a location that has 9. had more beach bans and regulation than anywhere else in the world. There are more places in that location that require membership, membership fees, IKO level 3 certification cards, and kiteboarder insurance than anywhere else in the world.
Nuff said and I hope you understand and respect that experience. Now with this database. IMO, 10. this information must be displayed in a way that depicts the situation, the accident, and the solution in one glance. Screw the 1.6 comparison because I dont think browsing or skimming the Internet is comparable to the time spent on a website once you find what your looking for. You may skim your Google search result for discount kite gear but once you find your site, you spend a hell of a lot more time then 1.6 seconds. And before you buy that kite 11. you have properly compared your brands, evaluated pros and cons, and made sure you were getting the best price before you made your final decision on interpretating that information.
12. This database must have a description of the conditions, the equipment, the kilter experience, the contributing factors, the potential cause of the accident, and most important the potential solutions for this project to have the desired outcome.
Good luck.
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