Here is the conversation IKSURFMAG had with Andy Yates:

Rou

Hi Andy,

You're nominated in our reader's awards at KSurf mag. You might recall we did an interview with you back in 2008, well I guess we knew that special things were in store. Well done on the world title.

To help boost your votes spread this link around to your friends and get them to vote for you. Simple.

www.iksurfmag.com/issue24/?page=135

Good Luck

Cheers

Rou

Andy

No Thanks, if you are going to compare me to Aaron and say I am not as good then put him there instead.

Rou

Hey Andy,

Aaron wasn't nominated this year.

You were. We're not in the business of blowing smoke up Aarons arse, far from it. As far as were concerned you dominated the PKRA and he didn't really do anything at all. Our nominations are for riders that made an impact, not took a year off.

Up to you though, I must say I'm surprised by your attitude mate.

Andy

Surely you can say something else apart from negative comparisons. I didn't put all that effort in last year to be told that I won because Aaron wasn't there.

Take me off the list.

Rou

Mate,

I'm not going to argue the toss with you; you've obviously got some major hang-ups and insecurities. Aaron won the title 5 times and defined kiting as we know it. We don't say you aren't as good as him, we say "people will always argue" Which is a fact, they will until he returns to competition or whatever. Probably the reason you're so hung up is because people are arguing that you aren't as good as him. Get over yourself, you're the world champ, you won, you should be setting an example to other riders and not throwing your toys out of the pram when obvious comparisons are made.

Seriously disappointed by your attitude, never come across such a jumped up rider. Get over yourself.

I was keen to do a full interview with you and promote your achievements in the mag. But actually I shan't waste my time.

Have a great day and seriously reconsider how you talk to the press and kite media.

Cheers

Rou

Andy

Have a great day too.

Cheers

Andy

Conversation Ends.



ON YA BRUS!

I'd like to think that Andy got a little better than 50% off his next kite?

The thing is the whole mag is a complete load of crap, story or not. Andy realised the guy was a rook and denied him. Thats how it should be done and other budding "pros" need to take note. Instead of selling out and giving away free content, photos and generally just giving wristys to whoever will give them a bit of coverage. All that does is fuel this ****ty media and wreck it for the real photographers out there trying to make it better.

Dunno what everyones wingin about. People get compared all the time n not just in sports. You've got a 5 time world champ, then some one else wins. Of course people are gonna compare the 2. Who gives a sht.. Sounds like Andy spat the dummy first, then the mag spat the dummy about him spitting the dummy..

If Andy keeps winning then he's gonna get compared to other people like hadlow / langeree or whoever. Then if someone else wins, they'll get compared to him..

As a professional sportsman Andy has every right to have a say about the content that was going to be written about him. This year, most in the know said Youri Zoon was the man to beat, regardless of Kevin Langeree before his injury. Andy smoked him. Mabe trying to compare Andy to a guy who had a dummy-spit about how the riders were being judged is not a story he wants anything to do with. The journo could have come up with many alternative stories about the year and the challenges ahead, including a possible return from hadlow and Langeree

IKSURFMAG concept and design is good but the content is unintentionally hilarious. Articles about bye-laws, bridals, and how to crave a surfboard. I'm not sure I'd call it journalism, more stream of conciousness run through a spelling checker.

jev7337 said...

Of course you will be compared to the top guys when you're competing at a pro level - especially when you win the title while the top guy is having a break. The first question that comes up is 'would he have won against Aaron' - and that's a legit question.

Look at any sport or just at the recent Tennis. Novak wins the AUS open and is constantly being compared to Nadal and Federer. But it's how you play the media and media exposure will eventually have an influence on your earning potential, apart from the price money you get from wining a comp.

I agree, article is crap but unfortunately it will be read across the world and people get a picture of a rider based on magazine articles and this article portrays him as a spoiled brat. I'm not sure if that's going to do him any favours for new sponsorships, because I doubt that is just battling to get 50% off the next new kite quiver.

The jurno was just being a d!ck head but learning to deal with situations like that is part of the game.

The thing that I don't think anyone realises is that Andy doesn't care about "earning potential" etc. He is doing kiting for the love and passion to win and when he is done with that he will probably use his uni degree to get a better paying job than kiting would ever be. He's a smart dude, don't underestimate him.

INTHELOOP said...

Here is the conversation IKSURFMAG had with Andy Yates:

Rou

Hi Andy,

You're nominated in our reader's awards at KSurf mag. You might recall we did an interview with you back in 2008, well I guess we knew that special things were in store. Well done on the world title.

To help boost your votes spread this link around to your friends and get them to vote for you. Simple.

www.iksurfmag.com/issue24/?page=135

Good Luck

Cheers

Rou

Andy

No Thanks, if you are going to compare me to Aaron and say I am not as good then put him there instead.

Rou

Hey Andy,

Aaron wasn't nominated this year.

You were. We're not in the business of blowing smoke up Aarons arse, far from it. As far as were concerned you dominated the PKRA and he didn't really do anything at all. Our nominations are for riders that made an impact, not took a year off.

Up to you though, I must say I'm surprised by your attitude mate.

Andy

Surely you can say something else apart from negative comparisons. I didn't put all that effort in last year to be told that I won because Aaron wasn't there.

Take me off the list.

Rou

Mate,

I'm not going to argue the toss with you; you've obviously got some major hang-ups and insecurities. Aaron won the title 5 times and defined kiting as we know it. We don't say you aren't as good as him, we say "people will always argue" Which is a fact, they will until he returns to competition or whatever. Probably the reason you're so hung up is because people are arguing that you aren't as good as him. Get over yourself, you're the world champ, you won, you should be setting an example to other riders and not throwing your toys out of the pram when obvious comparisons are made.

Seriously disappointed by your attitude, never come across such a jumped up rider. Get over yourself.

I was keen to do a full interview with you and promote your achievements in the mag. But actually I shan't waste my time.

Have a great day and seriously reconsider how you talk to the press and kite media.

Cheers

Rou

Andy

Have a great day too.

Cheers

Andy

Conversation Ends.



ON YA BRUS!

I cant read the article ( damn screen resolution thing ) was the above conversation in the article ?

Did Andy give them permission to publish the conversation he had with them ? I would have though that the conversation between the journalist and Andy be it telephone or email would have been considered confidential unless Andy agree to take part in the article ...obviously he didnt.

Jesus wept, what a horrible lot of repetitive bull****e. Is it about Aaron or Andy?

By the time they had repeated the fact that Aaron was off tour and everyone has a chip on their shoulder about him, for the 5th time, I was asleep.

Ditch a photog and pay for an Editor, or go back to English 101.

Awful.

What goes around comes around..
All the dude from the mag did was congratulating on the title and saying here spread the link to get some votes. Of course it's promotion for the mag, but just as much for Andy and his sponsors, who I suppose like to see him present in mags as well.

"No Thanks, if you are going to compare me to Aaron and say I am not as good then put him there instead."
What allegation is that, the guy didn't even mention Aaron. He then explained that they didn't even nominate Aaron and congratulated Andy once again for his achievements.

"Surely you can say something else apart from negative comparisons. I didn't put all that effort in last year to be told that I won because Aaron wasn't there."
Again a pretty blunt assumption against someone who contacted him without any negative intentions.

The article was still quite objective imo, but based on that conversation I don't blame the author on the side blow in the last paragraph.

Anyway, it's quite amazing to see that much antipathy against a free kite mag. Personally I found some of the pictures quite nice, and especially the story about the Blade trip quite inspiring.

KnutH said...


Anyway, it's quite amazing to see that much antipathy against a free kite mag. Personally I found some of the pictures quite nice, and especially the story about the Blade trip quite inspiring.

noob status confirmed.

In reality it's not free though, kite companies pay for advertising and this in turn pays for it to be put together. Thus this is passed on to the brands consumers.

Big eeeZeee said...

i don't think that email tells the whole story. It got out of hand real quick. How did Andy know that they were going to do such a comparison with such certainty?

^^^ this.

sir ROWDY said...

KnutH said...


Anyway, it's quite amazing to see that much antipathy against a free kite mag. Personally I found some of the pictures quite nice, and especially the story about the Blade trip quite inspiring.

noob status confirmed.

Then it's probably time for a sir Rowdy kitemag:
Written by former New York Times journalists, who happen to be competitive kiters/skaters/wakeboarders/surfers as well and are now happy to compile a kite mag for a negligible salary. Due to the high demand and general ability level of it's readers, the technical section boasts with tips like how to add more stylish grabs to a kiteloop 7. Part of the crew, which constantly travels the world in search for secret spots or just a legit swell at Teahupoo, some award-winning photographers who finance their lifestyle of travelling and partying with a few pictures in a monthly kite mag.

That would be great, but personally I would neither be willing to pay 20$ for a mag, nor buy a kite for 2300 bucks where a significant amount of that goes into marketing.

KnutH said...

What allegation is that, the guy didn't even mention Aaron

no but he sent him a link which takes you to a two page spread which basically says 'vote for PKRA world champion Andy...." "...he isn't as good as Aaron"

I reckon andy was pretty polite in the circumstances

riddim1 said...

I have restrained from even reading said article.....to do so would label me as a 'victim of media sensationalism' myself. iksurf would be stoked to have 2 pages of Seabreeze forum dedicated to them at this point.....regardless of whether its positive or negative......its all advertising in the end.

When all is said and done......Andy now has his name etched in the history books. For me.....whenever he is riding at the inlet, he is the only rider I have ever come off the water for, just to sit and watch him blow up. There are only two sports I would call 'artistic'.....skateboarding and freesurfing......The way I see it, Andy could be the guy to progress this kite sport of ours into an uber creative zone.

Keep it up Andy!

Peace....

I dunno Clint, sometimes you make hairless, strapless riding look kinda sexy!!