Agreed... you guys have behaved very well...

and that is totally against what these forums are for.....

Where are the slinging matches Kiters vs Windsurfers?

The olympic dreams stolen from a bunch of 40 year old pole boarders and given to a bunch of young dudes who wear polka dot boardies over their wetsuits....

Nah, Im just kidding, I both windsurf and kite (and neither to an olympic level) so am totally abiguous to the decision...


it is nice to see though that snide comments and pot stirring have been left aside....

Dude you got to realize that probably a good percentage of kiters come from a sailboarding background , none of us are happy to see windsurfing dropped from the Olympic games , same thing happened several years ago with the catamarans in the games , and thanks to a huge outcry they are back for 2016 .
With any luck sailboarding will be back in the near future , hopefully they will dislodge one of the other dinosaur classes out of the games , as there are only so many spots . I think kiteboarding racing will be in for a fairly long time looking at the spectical of the racing and the overall popularity of the sport.

I agree, I didn't really see any smartarse "windsrfing has ben cancceled loz" comments, nor windsurfers whinging about kiters in general. I think it was a pretty mature discussion.

Let's hope for both sports in 2016.

Tone it down

Nah, I think it was a genuine thanks for the mature approach to an obvious sore spot that could have been pushed....

Even though its often funny to watch the kite vs windsurf battles play out on seabreeze.

I've sailed all all my life in heaps of classes (dinghies, skiffs and keel boats) and represented Aus couple of times but never elite level. I agree with Chris that Olympics is focusing too much on high performance/spectator friendly classes. Anyone who has sailed rafts (catamarans) and even 49ers knows that they are way less boat-on-boat tactical than Lasers or Finns or even 470s. Winners of the last three classes I respect more because of the tighter competition and higher participation numbers in these classes.

NAaaah just a total lost of interrest! Tea bagging at the OJ's................... baaaaaah who cares........ pass another beer!

Since when was getting a sport like this into the olympics a good thing?

Isnt everyone just a bit bemused about the whole incongruence of purist/discipline types of sports (based on the Greeks concept of the strongest person/fastest person/most accurate etc) alongside modern 'creative' sports which are based on trying to do something other people are NOT doing... ie a new twist, a new invert, a combo not achieved before.

it seems a bit like a bmx stunter showing up at the tour de france, if i can use a poor example to demonstrate. Its even slightly demeaning to be wheeled out as a sideshow for the more 'respectable' set to chuckle haughtily at.

lets be honest, even the olympic commitee doesnt take this side of the games seriously, its a marketing angle to attract more viewers, with the intention of maintaining support for the classic central themes of running fast, jumping high, and behaving most like a herculean greek.

its 20 knots. i now vacate the soapbox.

IMO, kitesurfing is not yet mature enough in terms of numbers (around the world) to really justify participation at an Olympic level.

As I understand things (happy to be corrected), the ISAF decision was for course racing to be "the" Olympic demonstration. Whilst I understand that course racing is a bit of a growth area currently, IMO it's nowhere near as exciting as freestyle or waves, and I'll be surprised if it draws 'crowds' as much as freestyle or waves might.

If we look at the number of kiters who are actually 'in to' course racing as a proportion of the total number of kiters, it is probably a pretty small number - whilst it might be growing in popularity, the actual number of course racing enthusiasts doesn't IMO, justify Olympic demonstration.

felixdcat said...

NAaaah just a total lost of interrest! Tea bagging at the OJ's................... baaaaaah who cares........ pass another beer!

is pole dancing still a sport

IMO I think 99% of kliters & windsurfers have no idea of the actual amazing performance of kite racing boards from 6 to 15 knots and up to a mind bending 25/30 knots. The 2012 race board and kites are actually very mature in their performance and handling and are easy to ride at extreme speeds if you put in the time. For bang for your buck in wind sports from 6 to 15 knots nothing comes close for a balls to the wall rush when most kite freestyle and wave riders are bitching on the beach about no wind.

I think the people who organise these things were shown a easy to organize, extreme performance sport that could be raced legitamitely from 6 to 15 knots and above if wind fills in. On my race board In 6 to 10 knots I average 15 knots around a 4 km triangle up wind coarse with max speeds of 22/23 knots down wind, radical when you think most other kiters on beach can't even keep a kite in the air.

This link may shed some light on people who organize racing events from 2 days ago...

http://kiteracingblog.blogspot.it/2012/05/us-sailing-statement-on-kiteboarding-vs.html

P.S I use my raceboard because nothing else works in kiting in light winds and gives me an excuse to pissoff from work and get on the water in very light winds.

WAKSA is organizing a new 2012/2013 kite raceing series focusing on fun and learning how to ride and race / rather than race results on night from 6 to 15 knots plus. If anyone wants to race at a higher level this series will help to give you the skills. At a minimum series will get you out of work and on water LIT in 6 to 15 knots.

Johnno Keys

what kites are you using in 6 -10 knots?

I know you are the richest guy in Perth and prob can afford the some customized SpaceX developed Lithium gas kite but are you using off the shelf?

I love your stoke for course racing, which of course I retired from when I beat you in the Rotto race. Wal 1 John 0..... I am happy to go out with a perfect will loss ratio against national champ.

seriously though, am interested in kite choice.

even giving you a chance to spruik!

I don't think windsurfing should have been dropped in favour of kitesurfing. Both sports should be at the Olympics.

There could also be a downside for kitesurfing - some locations are now already quite crowded.

I agree with Juddy too - course racing is currently a very small part of the sport - and I have a race board (sort of, Sector 60).

www.peterskiteboarding.com/2012/05/kitesurfing-in-olympic-games-but.html