This sport is already seems to be more based on gear and not conditions or ability.

Will racing bring a new realm of wankers to our sport?

Will it be "thy who spend the most on gear wins?"

Who actually cares if we go faster than windsurfers?

what a load of ____

last summer at altona i saw a guy with the oldest c-kite i've seen on the water in recent years with a broomstick bar and he was throwing down harder than all but a couple of guys on hadlow-pros.

yes, course racing will bring a bigger tech and $$ factor in but you don't have to do it. raceboards will be more difficult to ride, more fragile, more expensive, and more rapidly obsolete than twintips or surfboards, so for those who do want to race it will be expensive, but for most people these factors will put them off the whole idea.

i predict that fewer than 5% of kiters will ever ride a raceboard and of those fewer than half will buy one. if i'm right that leaves the vast majority of us still with the cheapest performance wind-water sport going.

the industry should fear over-commiting to the elite racing game. the consumer has nothing to fear.

Sorry I thought we were talking about racing. Old gear is still fine for wakestyle.

IMO race kites and boards will only ever be a small niche .Racing will eventually morth into such a technology based discipline, it will be a long way removed from the type of kiting the majority of us enjoy. I beleive it will end up an olympic sport.(how exciting do most people find olympic sailboarding). After the novelty wears off the focus will be back on what makes kiting the best. Fun freeriding, old school boosting, teched out freesyle, and smashing waves to peices

I think Racing will become a big part of the sport - but it will never overtake the freeriders (including wakestyle, freestyle, surfers and cruisers - your all freeriders)

What WILL become very popular, is the new FreeRace boards - that are durable, easy to ride, gets you out in 8-9 knots and has you doing upwinders more commonly than downwinders....

bjw - its not the gear but the rider.
Speed opens up a whole new level of competition for the older riders who cannot compete with the freestyle gymnastics of 18yr olds.

The young pros of today will be able to extend their career further, I'm sure someone like Len10 would be good at going very fast when he's double or triple his age.

I think the sport needs it to grow more in its own direction, It will mean there will be less focus on beginner gear and safety and more on speed and tricks that progress the sport in its own direction.

It will become less of a 'family' sport (like what happened to windsurfing once upon a time) and that will mean less wankers.

Most social course racing consists of at least 2 classes - race boards- and then everything else or 2 sub classes of twin tips and surfboards.
Racing will grow the sport IMO

Kitepower Australia said...

Most social course racing consists of at least 2 classes - race boards- and then everything else or 2 sub classes of twin tips and surfboards.
Racing will grow the sport IMO

Many people like to compete, look at triathlon, but not everyone is capable of, or interested in, the freestyle moves so popular in magazines, movies and kiting competition. Once you leave your mid 20's this is no longer achievable or interesting. Racing gives an outlet that anyone with an ounce of ability can have a go at with their mates on a social level. The outcome to a race is easy to understand unlike freestyle competition which to a non kiter is incomprehensible.

It certainly will not kill the sport just add an additional discipline to choose from. The choice is up to you.

sammyd said...

Racing is the perfect outlet for euros who live near lakes and have no waves and love to have kites with lots of fluro on it
Then after they race they go to the bar and have apre race drinks followed by some hot disco dancing
thank god we live where there are waves

Can't we have waves and hot disco dancing?

sammyd said...

Racing is the perfect outlet for euros who live near lakes and have no waves and love to have kites with lots of fluro on it
Then after they race they go to the bar and have apre race drinks followed by some hot disco dancing
thank god we live where there are waves

For those that do buy a race board be prepared for it to be with worthless in a few months when some builds a faster model -
the only way I can see it being fair is when they go for a one design concept

After the cocktails and disco dancing, we can jump on our SUP and paddle on flat water under the moonlight.

not's to worry friend's i think it's evolving and getting ready for the Olympics now isn't that nice?we'll still enjoy the best of both