No not unlucky - when have you ever seen a comp/demonstation event cancelled over 3 days out?

If you check the BoM website - over the data years of 2001 to 2005 there is an almost 75% chance in Feb of about 20Knots. No not unlucky just poor KBV organisation.

On Sunday despite high profile KBV advertising as part of the St Kilda Festival [400,000 people predicted near foreshore] there was absolutely no KBV presence whatsoever.

And what ever happened to the Victorian comp advertised briefly on the KBV Website for 23/24 Feb? It's just disappeared.

And if you think I am unhappy with the KBV abilities and organisation process - you are right.

Lots of people put there hands up to help, but the guy in charge of the event decided by himself not to go ahead. Just like every other KBV event.

If people have a bitch about KBV they have good right to, it is a BOYS club with self interest people on the committee, it is not for the kiters by the kiters but for the ego of the committee.

it has been done, they don't give a rats and by the sounds of it neither do you.

This is the 1st time i have said anything about them on the forum, but i have been dealing with them for 3 years.

people don't want to speak up because people like you slap them down, so the truth never gets out.

Think about it

Whilest its not good to speak behind fake names, sometimes people feel its the only alternative if they get no results going through the usual channels. Business is no different, thats why Sarbanes Oxley requires annonymous whistle blowing in companies. I'm not saying that is necessarily the case with the KBV, but having annonymous feedback is not necessarily always a bad thing.

It does seem strange that with so many kiters in Vic that something can't get organised. I'm sure the sponsorship would be bigger than us here in SA, the kiter numbers would be more, and there would more people to help out to run the day. When we ran ours we made sure we had a back up day/weekend and we made sure everyone knew about it.

Is it not common sense? Even if everyone got dpown the beach and the wind didn't co up, there's nothing like a few beers, a game of beach cricket and a meal at the pub afterwards, If everyone was at the beach on a day that there was no wind then at least they could all be informed of where and when to turn up for the backup day.

Love how quickly people jump up and have a little sook in this sport, can see why it has become a joke to so many people. Fact is a call would have had to be made a few days out for most of the competitors to make arrangements to lug gear in there. You guys would have been the first to stick your hands up and have a sook if you had carried all your gear into the competition zone and there was no wind. Maybe you guys need to take up another sport…? I hear rollerskating is the ****!

I am not overly keen to allocate time to running a committee as I have enough of politics doing my normal job. However, I am happy to pay my membership under the belief that some of the funding is used to compensate those more civically minded. When I troll through the events organised it seems KBV have done very little compared to WA, Qld & SA, maybe somebody should talk to those guys and learn from their successes.

A link to KBV on seabreeze would be a good start, every other state has managed to do this. It is a good point of reference for people new to the sport looking for Info on rules etc.

Events cancelled 4 days out seems to have disappointed quite a few. Turned out to be a great day, sunshine, spectators and WIND, oh well back to the daily grind….

Rob as a member of the kbv committee surly if you where so upset you could have sort out and posted signage yourself? I guess you didn’t have to deal with gear last year when we got skunked with wind.

Good for you Rob R,
As i understand it the St Kilda role was given to the KBV events committee, It is that committee that has the responsibility to let all know including the public if there are any changes. Some of the members of that committee weren't consulted at any stage, (great management)

Now watch the other members of the committee have another secret meeting and vote to kick you off for being a man and telling it like it is.

As a member You have my vote

Point taken RobR.

WOW! I do believe this is the first time I've seen a Committee member (of any industry/association) give the very association they're meant to be representing such a spray... If we have KBV's own secretary shooting the organisation down, what hope is there?

I find it really disappointing that someone such as James has pulled the pin on supporting/promoting events, just coz some new cowboy decides to enter into the sport a solid 4 years after someone has pushed and pulled off events, that this person clearly isn't even aware of prior efforts coz they're too worried about a slander match and having a crack at everyone else instead of taking a good hard look at themselves... should I list a few...
1. 2004 Australian Kitesurf Tour - Round 2 or 4 (was awesome and went off, even got some TV coverage)
2. 2005 Downwinders
3. 2006 Vic Titles / Downwinders
4. 2006 Australian Freestyle Nationals (Went back and forth from St Kilda to Point Henry due to shizzle winds. Had all of Aussie's top riders here from Qld, WA etc. etc. )
5. 2007 Vic Titles / KBV Extraveganza (Was an awesome event)
6. 2007 St Kilda festival demo event (only a handful of us turned up for)

I'll leave you all with something to think about, the amount of time spent with everyone throwing their two bobs into this topic, I'm pretty sure a ripping event could have been drafted...

Lets just ride!

ooops didnt mean to start a cat fight just thought it was unlucky coz the wind came up anyway i thought that they boys did a great job last year with big wheels bar and ruben lenten even comin down to say g'day anyways i think kbv is doing there best and that i look forward to the next event hope theres wind and P.s if theres anything that we can do to help just ask coz i'm sure the boy's and girls who had fun last year would love to help this year.

Yeah I am Chris, what's your point...

Hi Chris - the "Cowboy" here. You must be naive not to understand why a person may distance themselves from a decision supposedly made by an organisation to which they belong. Please let me explain.

When the cancellation notification for the StKilda Festival goes out under an email titled "committee@KBV..." then as Secretary I will set the record straight. As a KBV Officer I was not consulted prior to the cancellation. It appears we might have more than one "cowboy".

And KBV knew immediately after I received my cancellation email at 9.33am Thursday 7 Feb about my concerns of how the StKilda Festival event scheduled for Sunday 10 Feb at 3.00pm was prematurely cancelled with no fallback position. On Thursday all winds were still forecast by BoM to be 20+knots on all days leading up to Sunday and for Sunday to be 10 to 15knots. It was not unreasonable to suspect that Sunday would also be higher than 15knots. I presume you did not get this email as you are not a member of KBV. By Friday BoM were forecasting 20knots for Sunday.

Interestingly, the Minutes of the KBV indicate you are a member of the KBV Events Committee. How did you get this position when not a KBV member? Does this go back to an earlier comment made by "wind power" - "it is a BOYS club with self interest people on the committee, it is not for the kiters by the kiters but for the ego of the committee."

I notice you are apparently associated with Katani. Isn't James and another member of the Committee directors of this company and you get paid by them?

Given you were at the 2007 KBV AGM you were aware that Katani advertised on the KBV Website without permission from the Committee. [The KBV Web Officer is also a director of Katani so KBV Website access was easy.] I understand there was some sensitivity about those related to Katani acting without permission [more "cowboys" maybe]. As a result all advertising was pulled from the KBV Website immediately.

So when you ask "wind power" - "what's your point..." from my perspective you should be declaring your self interest not hiding behind a watery name. As it stands James pays you so I would expect you will support him. That's the "point".

And in my capacity as "cowboy", given you are, by the 2007 KBV AGM Minutes, a member of the KBV Events Committee, I have been trying to contact you [Ref email sent to James and KBV President 5 February 2008] to send you a copy of the KBV Committee Meeting Minutes. Despite a reminder nobody has come back to me so can please provide your details by PM. It appears you are not on the 2007/2008 KBV membership list and are therefore not financial - maybe I am a cowboy for trying to sort this out.

And "smurfo" as for trying to get something sorted out for Sunday after knowing of the cancellation I immediately sought permission from the President to see if KBV could at least have a presence at the StKilda festival - promotional tent etc even if to advise that the primary demonstration/comp was cancelled.

James was fully aware of the efforts made by me [the cowboy] to try to get permits and passes transferred so KBV would at least be on the beach. Without these permits/passes access is impossible.

Also on Thursday and then Saturday I was advised that KBV has no signage or tent etc - they do have a generator though - so any KBV public presence was going to be very low key.

I was finally advised by an industry party [a financial member of KBV and a Member of the Events Committee who was not contacted by James to assist in the StKilda Festival Event] who at my request attempted to assist in giving KBV a presence and who has a tent and kiteboarding signage to establish a KBV presence at the designated KBV StKilda Festival site that the StKilda Festival Officials were not allowing transfer of permits at this late stage. For the record other local industry reps were also contacted but were unable to assist at such short notice.

What's the "point"? James [who it is now apparent has an interest in a Kite School] did not include a fellow member of the Events Committee who runs another School and was keen to assist [and was later the potential fallback position for KBV]. Yet James included yourself [an instructor working for James]. Again - was this self interest? And if KBV had your contact details you could have read for yourself in the last Committee Meeting minutes dated 31 January 2008 what James was requested to do regarding StKilda.

Don't forget "wind power's" comment - "it is a BOYS club with self interest people on the committee....".

And it's commendable you are able to list all the events James has successfully run. This is the same James that pays you though.

Before I go you might care to check why the KBV Member contact system did not advise all members of the then forthcoming StKilda Festival Event. I and many other members received no notification so something appears wrong with their system. And with no Seabreeze, posting unlike all other States, it's a bit hard for anyone to know what KBV are doing unless you are in the know which, as an employee of James, you no doubt are.

Anyway hope that explains my earlier so called "spray" and I thankyou for the "cowboy" tag as it appears I have uncovered a few people who would not otherwise contribute to KBV.

I will follow up with all who have indicated they are keen to assist KBV going forward.

And in closing I congratulate James in issuing his apology posted on the KBV Website for pulling the event too early.

PS - Update - I may have got the christian name wrong - H2O is Matt not Chris - but two people are on the events Committee with these christain names and nether are financial KBV Members. 1.40pm 13/2/08.

Well said Saffer.