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Old 05-24-2010, 01:06 PM
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Steve-O Steve-O is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: largo
Posts: 1,043
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To all that read this.

All I am saying about the silence is this.....

People make announcements/suggestions on here and the next thing I know there are 10000 views and a stream of threads with all kinds of opinions. In the end, more lines get drawn, and no progress is made.

There have been many suggestions on this forum in the past regarding signs, streamers, associations, rules.....the list goes on.

Clearly, by using the forum as a tool to try and regulate has its limitations and personally I haven't seen much progress over the years in any type of organized front. The Tampa Bay mentality has been very much defensive and not offensive.

I think the folks in Miami have finally realized that if they are going to ride for the long haul, that they must get on the offensive and make it happen.

Props to Miami Kiteboarding and ASM for taking the leadership role that is required to maintain access is S. Florida. With that said, it should be a reminder that this is no guarantee. If there is any question about that, I am sure Neil of Tiki Beach can elaborate on that subject.

I look at it this way. If I have to pay a yearly fee to be able to ride, that is a small price to pay. With that fee I am guaranteed access, someone is going to police the place for bad riding practice and insure quality certified instruction....then sign me up. Considering it cost an average of $75 per day to fly down a snowy mountain, "a ticket to ride" is such a small price to pay.

My only real complaint about this entire process is the certification process that will be required to ride spots. I say this because I have a friend that I taught to kiteboard that lives in Ft. Lauderdale. He wanted to ride so I sent him to Crandon Park knowing he needed to get a card. Long story short, he set up his kite, did one tack, and got his level 3 IKO card. He did not have to demonstrate much of anything to get certified. I sincerely hope that is not the norm and only the exception. I lost alot of respect that day to the adminstration at Crandon Park and their list of rules and regs. I hope that ASM can stick to their guns and not just give out cards and charge $$$ for access.
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