[ricki]

This question came up recently, this is what I responded with;

“I don’t believe kiteboarder certification is inevitable. However, continued loss of kiting access and public favour seem inevitable without kiteboarding reforms. Fair and effective mandatory kiteboarder certification might help. There is a great deal more that should be taught in effective kiting instruction than basics. Things like self rescue, weather planning, launch selection, emergency procedures, access preservation, etc. Mandatory ‘anything’ isn’t desirable, but the consequences of the lack of effective certification seem far less appealing.” —Rick Iossi, Florida Kiteboarding Association

This is what Todd Gréaux, Cabrinha USA had to say;

“In some areas where access is heavily restricted, this is inevitable and desirable; in others, it’s unnecessary red tape. Take Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for example. These are restricted riding areas with a large transient kiting population and lots of new people learning the sport (between 750 to 1,500 per year). Having the ‘rider license’ would ensure that the heavily restricted access isn’t accidentally barred because of the actions of a newbie, tourist, or worse yet, a self-righteous local. However, just by making it mandatory for all, we will lose some participation and increase the cost of riding by having to fund the infrastructure to administer such a program. Some riding spots are underdeveloped and are not in need of such a program; so there are definitely two sides to this issue.”

(sbckiteboard.com)


What do you think?