KenHo said...
I had a good sail today, on elitist, planing gear, and while I was packing up, I was pondering the idea that that kind of gear was the "downfall" of the sport.
I came to the conclusion that it is a rubbish notion, as all the supporters of long-boarding in this thread have convincing shown that long-boarding gear is available and affordable.
But no-one cares. Really. No-one cares. You could deliver a brand new Kona One, or Wally to every home in Australia, and no-one would use them. It's yesterdays yo-yo.
Further, am I supposed to not buy or use high performance gear, just because a beginner can't use it ?
What is the thrust of those arguments, really ? I can't see the point being made.
Funny, I re-read most of the thread and few have said longboarding alone is it - what's been said (mostly) is to start on learner equipment and plane later if want to, else plod around and have a good time. Yes you're right, this is the opposite of saying that planing is the only thing. It's also the opposite of claiming that planing is an achievement.
Planing is not elitism: anyone who perseveres at it can do it easily, it's the kiting of windsurfing, 4-out-of-5 at my local spot do it easily, about same at your spot. It's a characteristics of the equipment - plain planing on the right gear is very average sailing, skills-wise. And good on us.
If you really want to achieve something at planing, try racing the RSX gear or Kona (as in Florida last year) in 30 knots winds. Drop all the low-wind races, just pick on the windy ones. This way you can measure your level of elitism against the elite.
Anyways, as Barn points out, those who really want to see extreme stuff look at jumping 30 feet in the air or one-hand forward looping on the flat - certainly not just going back-and-fro.
Back to the topic: newcomers to the sport have to start somewhere - that's why we call them beginners or learners or something. They don't want to buy multiple gear that planing requires to cover a wider range. They want to learn at first.
People are not turned off by longboarding, it's that nobody teaches anymore. This is an undeniable fact. People used to teach friends and others, not anymore (it's still happening at kiting big time). Perhaps planing and other 'elitisms' have taken us away from passing on our passion ?
