There's been a few complaints about disrespectful behaviour on this site!

Well here's a message, putting someone else's sport down, intimating it is inferior, old hat, not as cool..... is geuss what?

dis-respectful!

Coming up to windsurfers and asking why they haven't converted to kitesurfing or why they are still windsurfing when kiting is available is disrespectful!

If we wanna be one big community, which I would hope for then let's all respect each other.

BTW I kitesurf about 10% of the time (8-12 knots), I like it, just at this stage in my life find it hard to give up windsurfing time to get good at it.

As for my sickasnakes name, I'm sick of surfing snakes mostly, which are the worst, windsurfing snakes which are the 2nd worst, and Kitesurfing snakes who are rapidly catching up to windsurfers!!


Peace bro's, and sis's all all of us respect each other!!

quote:

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Originally posted by Hardcarve1

To each to their own I say. But I just can,t get myself back on a sailboard now, I just love the kites and how small & easy it all is. But I agree if you have not sailboarded for at least 5 years and become good at it then you should shut your mouth.
I just wish the kites were out 20 years ago

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Yes one of my friends is as you HC, can't go back to wsurf. I like the physically harder elements, I'm in my early 30's and just wanna go to the max all the time.

Must admit I was once discriminated as a kiter by windsurfers and it felt awful. About 18 months ago went to a holiday spot with my friend, was light so kited, got a very cold reception from local wsurfers, was treated as leper. Next day was windy so wsurfed, and all crew were friendly with me, but not my friend who kited? So being on the receiving end of that was not good, discrimination certainly happens both ways. Not really sure how to bridge the gap, other than showing respect, and not bagging each others sports. Most of the good spots aren't big enough to segregate, but segregation leads to alienation, so I just don't know?

Any ideas how we can all get on better?

sickas man, there's absolutely no reason what so ever to bring this subject back up. Just let people do and say whatever they want... Good to say what you think but i rekon in this case, just give the respect you are talking about, and you'll surely get it back!

see, another reason why we need to windsurfers vs kiters section...

my two cents on the subject...having been a surfer for about 18 years, i've seen a similar debate raised with the emergence of bodyboarding...one day it just seemed there were hundreds of them, with the inevitable arguments claiming who/what was better etc.

The only issue i've ever had with bodyboarders was that i found it hard to accept that someone could do the sport for a season or two, and be competent enough to cause havoc in lineups that it would take a standup years to master, ie: heavy reefs etc. Not that i have an issue with someone taking off deeper than me if they can...i just have issues when they repeatedly do it and don't realise how their use of a given spot affects others.
Now the shoe is on the other foot...i've been kiting for a year, and i'm lucky that they guys who i ride with are all ex-windsurfers (some still do it if it's over 25kts). However i have copped flack off some other windsurfers with regard to safety...they feel scared of what i'm doing - even if i feel perfectly in control. Probably 80% of kiters are just cruising out there anyway, not madly divebombing and jumping onto windsurfers...well, around here anyways.

The key thing is tolerance...you just gotta understand that eveyone is doing their own thing on a common resource( the ocean) like it or not you've got to say g'day to the "oppostion" and just learn to get along. If someone is doing something stupid, let them know what you think, but don't go trying to rip heads off. I think kiters as a rule have to accept that are the "newcomers" and have got to respect the guys who have been windsurfing for years, but on the other hand -kiting is here to stay, so you can either get your knickers in a knot about it, and spoil it for yourself, or you can learn to deal with it, and everyone stays happy.