looking at the last few years results, Europeans are leagues ahead, interested in the reasons for our lack of competition

Sponsorship?
Funding?

Even if only for the gear and travel!

Many of my thoughts nobs, just had a mate over from the uk who said his local has a big youth contingent , gear cost I think is one of the main factors, if I lived in the uk I could kit out my son with brand new board , kite, harness, and wetsuit for under 900 Gbp 2013 gear,

NoBS said...
Because mummy and daddy baby them,

Teachers don't or can't discipline them due to being scared of offending or losing their job,

They are encouraged to stay inside and play video games,

Dress like little girls, get hipster haircuts too,

Taught no respect for elders,

And finally that it's ok to say F U to the law....

Throw in also the location they live in and the bringing up they have had and there lies the problem...

Also multicultural factors come into play....

Just imagine, fast forward 50 years and I wonder..........

And maybe due to kites being so expensive and lessons too... Kids can't afford 3 grand at 16 years old...

If they could then we may have some better kids out there kiting instead of being diks

Every should know it takes a specific type of person to strap a kite that can launch you into the air to yourself.
It's more the money to get into the sport. Like nobs said a 16 tear old can't afford 3 grand. I'm 20 and was only able to afford old second hand gear.
Otherwise kids my age just buy a snowboard or go the cable parks. Or a surfboard.

I completely dis agree with your 'summing up' of today's youth. Yeah there are a heap of douchebags but the moment you stop looking at the Justin beiber wannabe's you find we are all pretty well the same.
This of course does depend on a lot of factors when being brought up.


Now crucify me with red thumbs

agreed. i own a company, my wife earns over $200,000. I should be able to afford the newest gear but ****ing tony abbot takes 50% of our earnings. at the end of the day I can only buy second hand gear

Daniel1973 said...

cauncy said...

Daniel1973 said...
Sponsorship?
Funding?

Even if only for the gear and travel!

Sounds an excuse, name one kid that'd compete if sponsored

James Carew!
I kite with his dad all the time! James is sponsored by north for kites, axis for boards and ion for wetsuits. (I think I have the board sponsor right) he competes in everything, surf freestyle etc....

And to top it all off he's a great young kid with a great attitude and respects us oldies and will even help liters learn new stuff if asked!

There's one! (It's the only one I know)

I've watched this kid, sorry to say he's a long way off though compared to the Europeans,

Cash for equipment, to travel to windy countries off season and lessons. Parental support.. can be done without (v cheap older second hand kit but difficult..)

No worries in the surf! but..

Kiteracing has little or no chance of youth affordability with current equipment rules and there are way more trust funders in europe than aussie. I believe in an affordable one design for kiting if youth are to be involved in the future.

Freestyle has opportunity but equipment is still expensive, even more so with the change towards bindings. Ligament damage seems to have taken out a lot of riders over last few years too - better to snap bones.

Kiteboarding is in an interesting place right now, diversification/ specialization of equipment (one for waves, one for freestyle one for race one for freeride - and the middle aged "tech"marketing that goes with it) and hence cost I reckon has led to a downfall in popularity amongst younger riders, and i am talking even under 40 let alone youth....

Not sure what comps you looking at mate.Andy Yates won PKRA 2010, Keahi got several world titles under his belt. Ewan Jaspan has been top 20 last few years and wld have been top 10 if he didn't get injuries. We have heaps of racers in good positions at worlds and international regattas.At the nationals there was some good young talent showing tooAt the end of the day you need a lot of determination, talent and commitment to be up there plus the support from brands/ sponsors and parents.

when my daughter is older I cant wate to but her on a kite

Perhaps you could ask wifey really nicely to lend your company some monies and jump on board as a sponsor. Would be like investing in the future of kite boarding for the children's sake

I would like to see how the europeans go against james carew and I in a wave event.
Ive kited with Tom Bridge last year,he was exceptional,and sets the standard very high, but all europeans are not at his level. Luke Smith would definitely give tom bridge a run for his money.
what Australia lacks is a platform to showcase the up and coming talent.

Good topic,

Several answers that I can think of.

Firstly, it isn't just the cost. There are a heap of kids with parents that have the dough. It's the time that is the hard one. Parents need to take little Johnny to the beach everyday and there is the biggest factor.

There aren't a lot of great freestyle locations and on top of that there aren't a lot of older riders who will mentor the younguns. Everyone is so invested in the hedonistic aspect of this culture/lifestyle.

To compete internationally costs an Aussie punter a bunch because most of the tour is in Europe or US which costs a bomb for parents in terms of $$ and time.

Why aren't there comps? Again, comps cost time and money and usually the only people who have donated that time and money have been shops. The freestyle side of the sport makes up about 5% of total sales on a good day for a shop. The shops get nothing whatsoever back from hosting a comp, usually just people bitching about the conditions, the judging or the food or whatever. From what I know of, few shops are making enough money to invest the time and money into a comp.

Add to all of this the instant gratification nature of todays society and the fact that kids in school are taught that everyone's a winner and there are no losers and you have the reasons why there are no great aussie kids killing it. Anything other than a win every time is unpalatable. Biggest prob though is parents willing to donate with the money and more importantly, time.

A further consideration is there is too much choice for kids of today in terms of outdoor activities. Footy, surfing, netball, tennis, soccer, and the video games are all far cheaper options for parents.

DM

What is wrong with Seabreeze??? All my posts just end up looking more like one long incoherent sentence than they usually do...

Good to hear! Lets hope it comes to light.

Trapped said..

NoBS said...
Because mummy and daddy baby them,

Teachers don't or can't discipline them due to being scared of offending or losing their job,

They are encouraged to stay inside and play video games,

Dress like little girls, get hipster haircuts too,

Taught no respect for elders,

And finally that it's ok to say F U to the law....

Throw in also the location they live in and the bringing up they have had and there lies the problem...

Also multicultural factors come into play....

Just imagine, fast forward 50 years and I wonder..........

And maybe due to kites being so expensive and lessons too... Kids can't afford 3 grand at 16 years old...

If they could then we may have some better kids out there kiting instead of being diks

Every should know it takes a specific type of person to strap a kite that can launch you into the air to yourself.
It's more the money to get into the sport. Like nobs said a 16 tear old can't afford 3 grand. I'm 20 and was only able to afford old second hand gear.
Otherwise kids my age just buy a snowboard or go the cable parks. Or a surfboard.

I completely dis agree with your 'summing up' of today's youth. Yeah there are a heap of douchebags but the moment you stop looking at the Justin beiber wannabe's you find we are all pretty well the same.
This of course does depend on a lot of factors when being brought up.


Now crucify me with red thumbs

Also todays youth are hopeless at basic spelling and grammar.

Too busy tapapatappin out text messages on your Iphones..

I rest my case your honour as per above contribution my trapped.

kemp90 said..
when my daughter is older I cant wate to but her on a kite

Well for starters the youth of today could learn to read and write.

(When my daughter is older I can't wait to buy her a kite)

Maybe spend some of the 200K on self education. It's tax deductible.