RB Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 I have spoken to a few people and it seems that clubs dont talk together, if they did all get together we would have enough people to make kiting a recognised sport and hence beat bans! With so many on this forum Shouldnt Flexifoil aid us in getting everyone together to get this sport recognised! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jangla Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 Some kind of AGM could be a good idea - give clubs the chance to publicise themselves, talk about developments in their area, discuss action for bans etc. I realise companies like Flexi may not have the time or inclination to give up their time for free for something like this but if we could even use the name and perhaps have the odd representative their it would give us more impact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 In a nut shell I think that kite companies need us the customer as their bread and butter, bans will effect them in the end if people cannot find places to fly hence sales could drop! plus its good PR for them. My main bug bear is that clubs act alone and don’t communicate properly, I spoke to the SWATK people a while ago and they have tried uniting with other clubs but it didn’t move along. What I propose, which would not be that hard to add to this web site (or another) would be a register of all members in a united club, separate from their local clubs, then if we had (is it 5 or 10 thousand members) the sport would be recognised, but someone needs to take the lead and the initiative, banning kiting from all over the country is getting out of hand by un-educated politicians. Ideally if everyone registered here signed up to the united club and then got their friends and families to sign up we would have the power and backing to fight bans with an officially recognised sport! At the end of the day so many people are registered on here the jobs half done! Team up with Kite Forums and KiteATb and your onto a winner. Until we do this and get our sport recognised things will only get worse! Any yes if it comes down to it I will happily liase with kite companies etc etc to try and organise this, Let me know what you all think. ta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Posted April 7, 2005 Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 Ideally if everyone registered here signed up to the united club and then got their friends and families to sign up we would have the power and backing to fight bans with an officially recognised sport! er.......are we talking kiting friends and familly or just anyone? might have a bit more clought if all the members were actually kiters think it's a good idea though, and this seems as good a place as any to get the ball rolling what with the gazillion members and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2005 mmmm not much support for peoples fav pastime, think there are a couple of issues here, 1 is that we cannot think its too difficult to organise or it does not effect me or I will leave it to someone else, it effect all of us and as I said will only get worse! 2nd is I believe that any kite company would probably be only too happy to help out!, however if your happy for your local council to ban you and close your fields and beaches then dont worry. We all moan at this situation but no one is going to solve it and councils wont change their minds over night unless we (you) do something about it! And you can by just grouping together. Combine web sites like this and hugh kite festivals and the support could be hugh! I don’t want to moan on but I bet most people are tired of the constant moaning about bans when we could have options! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 so far no positive reply’s? makes you wonder why we are all more concerned about complaining about bans and doing nothing about it! I have read the other thread about exposure which links in with this, get the sport recognised as an official sport and the exposure will go up but it appears no one can be bothered to get it recognised as an official sport, unless your all willing to do something about it then dont moan about bans! you cant leave it to someone else, its us that need to be pro active. As I have said before, bans will increase and flying sites will decrease until we act and get the sport officially recognised. All these threads on kite size, lines, which board and which kite wont matter if we don’t have anywhere to fly and the sport is seen as a hindrance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jangla Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 OI - I made a positive response To be honest, I think most of the Oxford bunch are keeping their minds on the most recent ban and are therefore distracted from the bigger picture. Anyway, I'd be more than willing to get involved in some kind of centralisation of clubs to put on a united front. Can't say I know much about it or how to go about achieving this but I can pick most things up given a push in the right direction. Perhaps the first step should be an open letter to all clubs in the country outlining the plan and asking for their support. Once that stage is out the way, we can begin liaising with those that reject the idea to try and find out what we can do to bring them into the fold (coz without agreement from nearly every club it's going to be difficult). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Just to let you know that I have contacted the UK Sports Council for advice about getting a sport recognised and how to go about this! once I have a reply I will let you know, I know its a hugh job but we need to start somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarudi Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 people power! I'm sure we can get things organised with the useful facility that is this forum. Everyone is becoming more and more concerned that they cannot have their fun and this fourm can be a great way of uniting a common cause nationwide, rather than concentrating on their local issues. I appreciate that having somewhere locally is going to be more important to some but if we get behind a unified campaign we will have more clout. I'm in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jangla Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Just to let you know that I have contacted the UK Sports Council for advice about getting a sport recognised and how to go about this! once I have a reply I will let you know, I know its a hugh job but we need to start somewhere. that's an excellent place to start mate. let me know what they say. I think we need some media exposure too and as it's coming up to election time, mp's will bend over backwards if enough people highlight an issue to them. perhaps we could even lobby the mp for sport and leisure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gandromedus Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 I think this is a stunning idea, and simple too (if a little harder to instigate), I don't know about all this political mullarkey but this sounds like it's gonna help kiting, where do I sign, where do I sign? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Ahhhh that's better, I will let you know once I have a reply from the sport council, after that I guess contacting all kite clubs and people like Kite ATB and the lovely folk’s at flexifoil to see if we can get help using their website, or I will set one up where people could register! Anyway as I said I know that this is not an easy task and a hugh one at that but its got to be worth while and could be rewarding in the future. Anyone know if there is a list / directory of kite clubs anywhere or a list of email addresses?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doz smith Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 In a nut shell I think that kite companies need us the customer as their bread and butter, bans will effect them in the end if people cannot find places to fly hence sales could drop! plus its good PR for them. My main bug bear is that clubs act alone and don’t communicate properly, I spoke to the SWATK people a while ago and they have tried uniting with other clubs but it didn’t move along. i agree that the companys must realise that they need us, is flexi making a start on this with wallop? What I propose, which would not be that hard to add to this web site (or another) would be a register of all members in a united club, separate from their local clubs, then if we had (is it 5 or 10 thousand members) the sport would be recognised, but someone needs to take the lead and the initiative, banning kiting from all over the country is getting out of hand by un-educated politicians. I would sign up to a club along with most of my family as they do fly. But being reconised does not protect anything! It means that there can be broad bans easier, for example i fly on the moors, if the sport is reconised and believed to be dangrous/dodgy it will be drawn to there attention? i dont think they are uneducated, (well in the main:D) the sport is potentially dangrous and very easy to get into. Ideally if everyone registered here signed up to the united club and then got their friends and families to sign up we would have the power and backing to fight bans with an officially recognised sport!. yeah, that is true, it would be good. i agree it is silly to moan and not do anything. The biggest thing that worries me is, this sport is unregulated. It has the potential to hurt people and takes up alot of space. People who do not do the sport will resent that, and people like Braunton will ban it so that they protect them selves from injury claims. If there was a movement to make every one have insurance before they could buy a kite larger than x, that may well help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Doxsmith, if it is recognised with an official body with rules and regulations it would protect the public, if you had a body which all clubs came under rules could be made to enforce members to have insurance, if flyers were not members of a club or the overall body then they could be banned from flying, same with any sport you have to be a member of a body to be protected. A body would also show we are serious and organised, have insurance and could impose training on all members to show they are of a certain level able to fly. What I think is all clubs abide by a governing body and its rules & regulations, all members of the clubs under the body would have to undergo proper training or pass a test to certify they are safe and have insurance. Anyone flying without membership or insurance would be warned that they need to be a member of the local club or overall body with a minimum flying standard. It’s the only way any council etc will accept that we can be safe and are organised. As you say anyone can go out an buy a 10m blade with no experience, this is dangerous very! But impose rules and regulations and it can only make things better. An idea is for all members of the Governing Body and local clubs to have a licence which states if they are trained or capable to Static Fly, Board or Buggy, this to be decided by your local club or a qualified instructor. Anyone without a licence could be pointed in the right direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songalolo1 Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Hi All, so far we have been very lucky down in our neck of the woods, and things like bans have not effected us... But I read all the threads about these bans taking place and I feel for the guys effected. Now that I am starting to take the sport more seriously (willing to spend the cash), being part of an organised body, makes sense. But to do that, I need the insurance. So I have just signed the BBC form and stuck it in an envelope. But I've been flying for a year now with out it. Before anyone has a go, I know, I know. I did not know any better. The insurance, has only come to light quite recently and I am sorting it out. So my point, 1: Things like insurance and safety, should be at the top of a shop's/e-shop's list when selling a kite to someone. I think the idea of proving your insurnace cover before buying a large kite of "X" size is a great one, as well as having a central body to turn to for help on all aspects of the sport, like this forum. Now I am willing and able (permanent job - which includes travel, permitting - I need the cash to fly) to be part of, organise, help and research where and when I can. This forum as has all been said before is as good a place as any to start. Let's get the forum administrators to help setup a noticeable thread that all can read only. The information contained, is obtained as a starting point from Red Barron talk with the sports council. Not sure where else to go from there, I will have a talk with a few guys at the SEKA "fly in" next weekend. Organise and Unite! Later Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamski Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Hahaha! Try to go one step further and you will be hit with a wall of apathy! Try it... I will do my bit but DON'T be surprised at the number who will just pick fault! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jangla Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 I've just emailed the following to Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP - Minister for Culture, Media and Sport: Dear Tessa, I would like to draw your attention to one of the fastest growing sports in the country; that of kiting. I don't know how aware you are of the sport so allow me a moment to wax lyrical on it's many varieties and benefits before I get to the point. Kiting comes in many forms and is for all ages, from small children right through to the elderly. Of course, if the fancy takes you, a kiter can move from small recreational kites onto "trick" or "sport" kiting where the focus is on performing aerial manouvres with the kite (sometimes even to music and often in groups of "formation" flyers) or traction kiting where the objective is to use the kite to power some form of transport; this is most likely to be a land board (basically a skateboard with all terrain wheels) or a buggy (in which you can sit and take the weight off your feet). All aspects of the sport provide an environmentally clean and fun way of getting outside (away from games consoles and televisions), getting fit and seeing some of the most beautiful countryside the world has to offer. However, the development of the sport has recently been hampered by an increasing number of bans at popular flying locations. Some of these bans are completely understandable; as with any sport, there is an element of risk and therefore minimising this risk to the general public (who are, as a rule, unaware of the sport and perhaps slightly wary of large kites) is paramount. However, in some cases a blanket ban on all forms of wheeled transport which was intended to prevent, for example, motorised quad bikes from using a site, has inadvertantly resulted in the loss of rights of many other users of said site; kiters included. And so I write to ask for help. Through the hard work of both kiters and local authorities, many kiting clubs have been set up in the last couple of years to address the bans by providing local authorities with risk assessments, safety regulations, and assurances that should a site be reopened with conditions, these conditions will be adhered to and regualted by the club in question. While all this hard work has been greatly appreciated by the kiting community (and in many cases has belayed the fears of the public to such an extent it's now developing a good spectator base), we would like to go futher by setting up a more centralised, countrywide club or association so that blanket bans that affect more people than originally intended can be challenged. This centralised club or association would be able to provide a resource for news and upcoming events, thereby making the sport more visible. The intention of increasing visibility is two fold; of course we would like more people to become involved in the sport but the core aim is to reduce the public's view that kiting is inherrently dangerous. In fact it's no more dangerous than riding a bike, provided you take the relevant safety precautions such as wearing proper padding and a helmet (much as you would do on a bike, in fact). My personal view is that all steps to minimise injury should be taken for the benefit of the individual and the sport as a whole. We would also like to move towards some form of official recognition as a sport. Again, this would help disolve negative public opinion whilst encouraging other to get involved. Of course, the media always comes up with occasional horror stories of peple being injured when kiting. My aim is to highlight the thousands of others that kite every day of the week without incident. Official recognition could only help this. Now, all of this is just in it's infancy; I'm simply taking some steps to gather information on what we can do to achieve our goals, hopefully with the help of yourself, local authorities, kite clubs and even kite manufacturers. Our aim is to provide everyone with the opportunity to enjoy a safe, environmentally clean sport and do it in the right way so we are supported and recognised for the hard work we do to maintain the safety of oursleves and those around us. Any information you can provide on offical recognition as a sport, aid in setting up a central association, or anything else of interest would be greatly appreciated. Yours sincerely, James Gough Hope she can help. At the very least she should be able to provide us with some decvent information on how to go about achieving our goal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayens Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Hi Red Baron Just caught this thread and at nice to see someone else with the same point of view We (SWATK) have been going down this tack for about 12 months nows so here are some of the problems encountered - maybe someone else has some answers 1) Getting recognised by a national sports organisation gives you much more credibility and also , as I undestand, local authorities have a duty of care to offer facilities for sports. You will not get recognition with the Sports Council - they have closed the doors to new sports due to reduced funding from central government so have decided to funnel all monies into 10 or so sports that will produce Olympic results (hence justifying their being) There is another option we have worked on which will give us recognition but demands that the approach is made by the National Body. We do not have one !!! If this can be sorted it is cheap and easy to achieve 2) We work closely with a few other clubs - so its true that we can all get along. The problem occurs when we try to get affiliated to a "national" body - they are not interested or do not have the capability of running as such. 3) There are attempts to get a UK kite body around at the moment - one is BKFA ( DETAILS HERE ) I know it has a few limitations and seems to take forever but at least they are doing something. The idea is that they are a Representative Body only and club committees make up the membership. I still say that we need a full time Organistaion that deals with the following: All PR and Press comments - being proactive rather than defensive Insurance Competitions - National and International Training Land access for all - not just designated sites Constant relationship with Local Councils, National Trust,CLSA etc etc to make them feel comfortable with kiting and show them that its not dangerous and "an accident waiting to happen" ------------------ I thank You Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayens Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Just seen your letter Jangla - well done mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test Pilot Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Well done Jangla. I have been speaking to friends in the mountain biking scene. They went through these trauma's about 8-10 years ago. Being a recognised sport helps enormously and places responsibilities upon local authorities to provide facilities. This is a good start. All the best Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted April 8, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Jangla, Whole host of respect to you, any help you need as a result, just ask! Rayens thanks for the info, are you up at Ashton Court on Sunday? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lead Weight Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Would I be right in suggesting that kitesurfing needs to be dragged into this debate. Using its current strengths and similar history of problems can only help. Plus we have a World Champion which wont happen again in the future if the sport is killed off. My 2p Cracking letter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarudi Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 good work dude. (unfortunately you've got to remeber that jowell is a muppet who does not know a lot about ANY sport!!) but it all helps and defo moving in the right direction. need to lobby local MPs too. One for White horse is Robert Jackson Esq. MP. mailto:comments@whitehorsedc.gov.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songalolo1 Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Nice one Jangla! Bringing Kitesurfing in to this is a must! the one thing that joins us all is kites... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jangla Posted April 8, 2005 Report Share Posted April 8, 2005 Nice one Jangla! Bringing Kitesurfing in to this is a must! the one thing that joins us all is kites... yup - totally agree. was rather enthusiastic about getting the email off and instantly regretted not expanding on several subjects. Hopefully will get a response and have anchance to elaborate. Red Baron - pleasure mate. Would really like to see this progress and I'm eager to get involved at whatever level is required to achieve a result. I'll also be faxing my local MP. You all could also do the same here - it's free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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