Matheson Meeting Announcement & Rules

[kent]

Dear Gonzo,

You have very good points. When drafting the guidelines we wanted to be very careful to insure that riders would have a place to work on their skills. I understand your frustration regarding the additional costs. On the other hand, we do have to pay the individuals that will actually be on the water supervising beginners riding. We will have a very reasonable rate to avoid having people like you looking for a new location to ride. Our goal is to have a safe place for you to practice so that you don't try to do it at Miami Beach, Hobie, or other areas that could cause larger problems.

In short, this is a work in progress and we are very sympathetic to new riders needs. Let's get you up and feeling comfortable so that you quickly bring your knowledge and skills up to being an independent rider. After 7 hrs. of instruction and a few more hours of supervised instruction I’d guess that you would be getting pretty close.

[ricki]

Matheson and really Miami have had a lot of issues for a long time. As a result, opportunities for new kiters to practice without worry of problems have diminished over time. Out of SE Florida or down in the Keys this can be far less of an issue. More people + more kiters over long period of time = more access issues.

Kent and ASM are still developing the concept but if things go as they would like there should be new kiter provisions not only at Matheson but also out on the Flats. Before now, just enter the fray and hope you don't run into someone, witness access being lost by a bad accident or travel out of the area. Hopefully in the future there will be some new good and affordable options here for folks in your position Gonzo.

[miamikiteboarding]

Great for ASM, they have been the most pro-active in keeping the site , so they deserve it.
Great mostly for the overal safety and the long run of Matheson as one of the major kite spot in MIami.
we can;t loose this venue, that is sure.

Finally it's even greater for futur students in Matheson, bc as long as quality of instruction is maintained and done professionnally , with integrity AND commitment, the sport will grow safer and longer.
The newbies we train today are the kiters we ride with tomorrow... better make sure we are all on the same page on Safety, rules, Right of way and proper skills.
Thats is not too much asking to a certified instructor who is trained for it.
whereas it is impossible for the ones serving approximative instruction with no lesson plan, no teaching skills , no training, no business license, no linsurance, and just release a load of un-prepared and incompetent students on the water , when we are trying to keep our spots safe.

So we should expect Matheson safer and more under control, for the sake of students themselves, riders, and spectators!

IKO Certification? quick answers:

an IKO SCHOOL must : be ran by an Level 2 instructor and only hire IKO instructors; carry a kiteboarding liability insurance, certifiy ALL students, and follow the Teaching standards!
this to avoid mis-use of the IKO school definition and label !

An IKO iNstructor Level 1 is completely able to certify Riders ( at least ), but can only teach with 2 kites at a time with a maximum of 4 students .

[ricki]

There is still a lot to do in organizing things at this launch, lots of work, communication and development. It would be good to focus on the information side of things in threads like this. This program is in its infancy but it has some strong promise to secure access at this launch.

Created another thread to grapple with instruction and come up with ideas on how to try to improve it at the following link. Looking forward to constructive input and ideas to bring quality kiting instruction forward there. http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=9705

[ricki]

Looks like we have some somewhat unseasonal breeze on tap for the next several days. Just spoke with Kent and he tells me the van is at Matheson seven days a week (off Mondays unless there is wind), from 9 am to as late as 7 pm IF there is wind. Otherwise they close a bit earlier. They have streamers and are giving exams as detailed earlier in this thread. So, review the rules above and if you're ready,head on down to grab some wind time.

[troubleshooter]

check ur PM Rick

[ricki]

We've heard it from the folks that run the place, that we were on our way to being booted out of Matheson until Kent and ASM came up with this concept. A big problem at many other launches not just here is lack of support for the few simple things needed to keep us flying. ASM is spending a lot of time and money to put things together to keep us flying well into the future here. The program is new and is only getting started. Lets give them what help we can getting things going. Extra patience would be a big help and please remember the probable alternative to things would be driving somewhere else if Matheson were to be closed to kiting.

Thanks!