sweetriffs said...

I responded to another thread regarding this but fact is KS is IMO not an extreme sport. Those bold and beautiful young whops who continue to denigrate 40+ KS (or other sport) need to get a real life. Extreme means the most dangerous, ultimate of its kind. KS is totally tame, and can be taken up by grandma's, pappa's and teens. Just get 3 or 4 lessons first and any fat, pudgy, balding 'old' person can eventually carve. Those in this forum who denigrate older people have never lived. Born in the burbs and found something that looks cool but in reality is deceptively BASIC.

They confuse extreme with stupidity. Any sport, activity, can be 'dangerous' in the hands of a moron. I can stab a toothpick in my eye and end up in hospital. Does that mean I'm an extreme toothpick user? No, just means I'm stupid. So too with most KS accidents. Just stupid. Not extreme.

Get off your high horse. If you have issues with the numbers of grandma's, grandpa's, fat balding dudes, budgie smugglers, whatever, doing this sport then do something really extreme. Stop pretending. Join the SAS, do advanced NITROX diving, rope free rock climbing, Caving, I guarantee there's no grandma's or fat balding dudes doing that and you'll get real respect not just an image.

Isn't that the beauty of the sport? That an absolute beginner can have as much fun as a pro in the right spot? And that u make it as extreme as u want.

Climbing, BMX-riding and skateboarding are considered as extreme sports as well. I would say that all new sports popping up is considered extreme sports.

The thing with kitesurfing is that u can kill urself as well as someone else if u screw up, that is pretty extreme.

Is this really a big concern?

Kite surfing with the right training and equipment for task extremely safe.
kite surfing in 40 knot winds with the chicken loop around your nut sack now thats extreme we all know were I am going with this! Having sex when your 80 smacked up on Coke and Viagra with a heart condition now thats extreme. were do we stop any situation any sport its all just in the application

Nice replies you mob.

Outside the emotions I think this is a valid topic. IMO extreme is a word/label used so often today as to have absolutely no practical meaning anymore. It's like 'adventure tourism'. Or - 'expeditions'. What a laugh. You see coaches trundle by full of the elderly heading up north with ' so and so adventures' on the side. I'm sure the people on the tour are having a great time, possibly an adventure at their age, and I'd hate to denigrate the 'elderly' but in reality this is hardly a real 'adventure'. So too with Extreme sports. It's a marketing tool and also an ego trip for some. KS a case in point. Some people in the forum have pointed out and rightly so that KS can become extreme. I agree, but the point IMO is that true extreme sports are sports that take a significant BASELINE skill to enter the sport, not a sport that anyone can start and make 'extreme' by doing insane/stupid things. Almost anyone can start kite surfing. They may not get to the point where their actions are 'extreme' but they can happily be a kite surfer.

There's numerous sports where this is not the case. No matter how much you want to do it you just don't have the physique, temperament - whatever to succeed. And they're dangerous. Not just dangerous if you do the wrong thing but dangerous even if you do the right thing. These are extreme sports.

So to fuel the fire again, those in this forum who think they are some sort of superhuman extreme sport dude just because they kite surf should get a real life and stop playing with miss palmer. Those who love the sport for what it is and accept all that enter the sport (mutually of course) have a far healthier attitude. If you resent being one of the crowd then do a real extreme sport and stop bitching...

I agree with the initial post -

Kelly Slater is not extreme. Maybe if he wins pipe again he will be.

Or maybe if he takes up Kite Boarding.

sweetriffs said...

I responded to another thread regarding this but fact is KS is IMO not an extreme sport. Those bold and beautiful young whops who continue to denigrate 40+ KS (or other sport) need to get a real life. Extreme means the most dangerous, ultimate of its kind. KS is totally tame, and can be taken up by grandma's, pappa's and teens. Just get 3 or 4 lessons first and any fat, pudgy, balding 'old' person can eventually carve. Those in this forum who denigrate older people have never lived. Born in the burbs and found something that looks cool but in reality is deceptively BASIC.

They confuse extreme with stupidity. Any sport, activity, can be 'dangerous' in the hands of a moron. I can stab a toothpick in my eye and end up in hospital. Does that mean I'm an extreme toothpick user? No, just means I'm stupid. So too with most KS accidents. Just stupid. Not extreme.

Get off your high horse. If you have issues with the numbers of grandma's, grandpa's, fat balding dudes, budgie smugglers, whatever, doing this sport then do something really extreme. Stop pretending. Join the SAS, do advanced NITROX diving, rope free rock climbing, Caving, I guarantee there's no grandma's or fat balding dudes doing that and you'll get real respect not just an image.

You sound like you have accepted your Mid Life Crisis...

Enjoy KS it's extremely addictive...

this banter is better than the sunday mail anyway. I'm getin a chuckle out of it!