Matheson Meeting Announcement & Rules

[ricki]

I hear you, I am still planning on coming down from two counties away, baby willing. Miami traffic is tough! A summary of the meeting will be posted for those that can't make it. Comments, concerns, ideas can be posted here or sent directly to ASM.

[Kiteboarding Tampa Bay]

Originally Posted by RickI

Considering past events at the launch, accidents, guys getting stuff out of cars with kites flying, congestion, lessons mixed with riders, it should be a great improvement on things. Many thanks to Kent and all the folks at ASM for doing this.

A thought about the lack of comment. It may be related to why these new procedures are necessary in the first place, rider apathy. Apathy can be at the root of access problems in many areas. Let someone else deal with it, well fortunately it looks like someone will and they are putting a lot of thought and effort into it as well.

Not sure why you guys are so surprised with the silence around here....
The "apathy monster" has been running wild around here for what, 4 years now?
Our launches in Tampa Bay definitely show the overall lack of care or concern by anybody to do anything the past few years. The only rule established here is to protect your own image and don't say nothin' about nothin'. In that regard, we've had massive success.

My thought on the new concession:
Personally, I think its the best option for that area, and once again proves the need for standards and instructor training, such as IKO or PASA. I would have preferred to see a more industry neutral, collaborative solution myself, but remain hopeful the respect for quality instruction grows as a result of this.
I can also see the other side of the coin, where some people might view this as a silent backdoor takeover of a riding spot by a retailer, and if you're not in the ASM fan club, you're outta luck (and/ or out of a job), but once again, I am in support of regulation down there and wish them the best.

One might also logically forsee a run by other retailers to stake their claim at other spots, which raises this question in the back of my mind:
Had I done this at Ft. Desoto several years ago when things clearly started going downhill in our area, would you guys be as congratulatory?
No response necessary because I'm 100% certain of your answer, and yes, I did look into it, decided I wasn't going to be "that guy", and subsequently chose to focus my efforts on other ways to help the sport.

In closing, I would like to again give props to Kent for stepping up to help restore access, and to say to those who are "too reserved or refined" to call out a kook, unqualified instructors, or stand up for your spots:
"Look on the bright side, at least you didn't damage that squeaky clean, alias internet forum public image of yours...Nice streamer, BTW, it matches your dress."
I look forward to seeing how this plays out.
Un-apathetically and always truthfully yours,
-KTB

[kent]

Thanks for the comments. Regarding the meeting time, in an effort to insure that all feel welcome, we made the decision to hold the meeting in a public area as apposed to ASM. Additionally, we were also trying to make the meeting convenient for Park staff as well and therefore 6 P.M. was as late as we could start. I agree that traffic at this time is horrible, but this is the best that we can do for now.

While we hope to have a large group on hand to show our appreciation to the Matheson officials, anyone that’s not able to attend will easily find all pertinent information online and at the concession trailer.

Regarding the management of this venue, I highly doubt that any non-interested party would have volunteered to manage the venue with little potential to re-coup costs, etc. Additionally, as the trailer must be there 7 days per week (windy or not) this might not have been too attractive to many groups. As only a small handful of instructors have even bothered with getting certified to teach, it's a stretch to expect that they would have obtained the proper insurance, captains licenses, permits, etc. to become a long-term and successful management entity with in the park. Aside from the organization required to do this properly, the implementation of management at this venture required a significant start up cost. Computers, generators, compressors, trailers, automobiles, and boats all needed to be purchased in order to accomplish our mission. There is a financial risk involved, but to our organization it's worth it. We have more invested in the industry than any other entity in Florida (and likely the United States). Preserving access is vital to all that we do and it's a responsibility that we take very seriously. All recreational riders that want to continue to ride great spots like Crandon Beach Park and Matheson Hammock will benefit by these efforts.

In short, the issue remains that "self policing" of the venue has never worked. Just in the last week, 1 kite flew into the kiddy pool (this was a beginner taking a $39 lesson that ended up getting away from his “instructor” and had to emergency release his kite), and 1 rider that found himself down wind of the normal riding venue decided to climb the rocks with his kite in the air and walk though the kiddy pool exiting to the north (this can NEVER happen). Saturday was the final straw that could have (or may have) broken the camels back. A rider that clearly wasn't ready to be riding on his own kited through the no kite zone and then fell resulting in dragging over the rocks directly to the east of the launch zone. He landed in the parking lot, hit the side of Francisco’s truck (resulting in a dent), and then hit another car resulting in a larger dent. This necessitated 2 police cars and an emergency trip via ambulance for the rider. No word on his status yet, but broken arm and foot are likely according to those that were closest. A similar accident resulted in a fatality at this park not long ago. The guidelines presented would have prevented all of these incidents.

After learning of Saturday's accident, I made the decision to move the trailer to Matheson to allow riders to get used to the idea and to check the spacing required for the operation for a final time. I sat and watched riders the entire day. While some meager attempts were made to inform people of the "no ride" zone directly to the east of the launching area, people didn't have any real authority to enforce it. Riders were walking with their kites high above their heads only 2-3 feet from parking lot and curbs. The same girl rode back and fourth though the zone as did many other riders. The Park has repeatedly asked that this no be done. They not only wish to avoid getting riders hurt, but also those that are walking on the path around the kiddy pool (keep in mind that the Park is for ALL, not only kiters). While watching on Saturday, I witnessed 4 separate kite wraps, 2 of which happened in the "no ride" zone. One kite wrap happened only half a kite lines lengths from the parking lot. With our management of this venue, potentially disastrous incidents like these will not happen. Reasonable riders that are simply looking to enjoy riding at Matheson will have no problems with the new guidelines or the enforcement of them. Those that are only interest in showboating meters from the parking lot or those that are unwilling to abide by the reasonable guidelines presented should probably ride elsewhere. We can not allow the actions of a few to endanger any individual or threaten our riding access in Miami or any other location for that matter.

Lastly, while no one wants to be “that guy” (just ask Tim or Lock, who thanklessly undertook the task for several seasons resulting in continued access, when closing the venue was probably easier for the County), clearly someone has to be as our riding access depends on it. We have come a long way with respect to equipment, etc., but we have never been able to jump the "self police" hurdle. The new management of the venue will be better for all recreational riders regardless of which shop they like or which brand they choose to ride. Give us some time to work through the initial implementation as there are sure to be a few bugs. After things are running along, let us know about the things you like and please inform us of those that you don’t. Matheson is YOUR beach so let’s all help to protect it. Hope to see you Wednesday night.

[Steve-O]

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.

[greg meintjes]

I would happily pay $75 a year to not have to be the guy who goes up to and talks to the kiters who are acting like jerks or riding in an unsafe manner. As for the certification, process I have found out that it generally does not take too much time talking and interacting with someone to determine if that person is a competent rider and able to be self sufficient when kiting or someone who is not. There are thousands of kiters out there that have no cards or certificates but are good competent kiters and I am sure that Kent and the guys will have a way to distinguish who is capable or not.

I wish them all the best with this as with all the problems they have up there this is a good thing for kiting. I just hope and do not think this will ever be necessary in Key West.

Greg

[mbs]

Great work Kent and ASM! I'm fully in support of the plan. I mostly ride at Crandon and what Cristoph and his crew have implemented over there has been working great. The "rules" are nothing new, just common sense things that everybody should be doing anyways. The only difference is that now there will be some means of official enforcement. I have seen many times at Crandon employees of Cristoph roaming the beach to make sure that kiters have their streamers, and calling people out if they do things that are idiotic. Self policing doesn't work b/c during during my precious riding time when time off from work actually corresponds to wind, I want to be on the water riding, not confronting riders acting unsafe. Matheson's launch is way smaller / more congested than Crandon's and there is much more potential for rider and bystanders to get hurt. Some semblance of official enforcement has worked well at Crandon and should stand to improve the situation at Matheson as well. I will be happy to pay a yearly fee to Kent and ASM for this service - not only to preserve the access, but also to help keep people safe. Now all we need is to get all the rocks off the beach and to truck in some sand. Matt.

[troubleshooter]

This is my beach. I lived here all my life. I windsurfed the south side of Matheson and this launch long before many of the kiters were even in existance.

Everyone has a right to say this is my beach. You have a big job ahead of you. I know you will represent us and make us proud. We are down to 3 launches and 2 of them are now under formal regulation.

Any plans to get permanent mats down on the rock beach? I would gladly join a club with dues to make that work.

Second. I cant find matching socks in the morning let alone my IKO level 3 card. Can we just show you our Crandon streamer?

[kent]

I hear you trouble shooter. Being a long time windsurfer myself, I fully understand your concerns. It's a big job, but it has to be done as our access can not sustain any more "parking lot rides". Two of three launches being controlled is better that zero of zero launches being available to ride in my opinion.

Regarding your IKO card. It would be best if you can find it or ask your certifier for another one. We will not simply be able to accept the Crandon streamer given current concerns over actual certification examinations at that venue. I'm sure that it's being done correctly, however our staff's name will be on the card and they respect what it is intended to represent. I need to take my check out as well and will gladly pay the $15 for it. In truth, I think I self rescue about 50% of the time I ride, but I couldn't tell you if I'm doing it properly. I hope I pass!!!

Improvements will be great and we will undertake projects as they are authorized by Park management. I'm sure Mr. West can provide more info on this at the meeting.

PS. In posts above there were some comments with respect to fees, etc. Please read the original post regarding this. There are no mandatory fees for riders that are already level 3 certified. If you choose to opt into the "ticket to ride" program, you may do so at your own discretion.

[mathesom park]

http://miamikiteboard.yolasite.com/blog.php

look the new guide lines.

Camilo

[mathesom park]

SURE:

Safety rules means all does you mention plus physicali demonstrate that you can go upwind and be in control all the time.

IKO CERTIFICATION

u$35 - 30 min to be Certify for hammocks riders $ 15

IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) is the leading global organization that promotes and develops our sport worldwide.

Present in 40 countries, IKO set an International Quality Label that recognizes proper learning Standards for Kiteboarders, as well professional teaching skills and logistic for Instructors and Schools.

We have been certifying students and riders with the IKO card Level for the last 2 years, which allows you to purchase a kitesurfing liability insurance via IKO website.
( for now insurance is now unavaillble for riders)

http://miamikiteboard.yolasite.com/