Conceptual structure

[robmueck]

I have been following this forum for a little while now and was disappointed that the gathering at Lake George was postponed (due to water on the lake). I note that the thread on competition formats and the fun, excitement and injury that the Sandy Point gathering generated. I have been enjoying kitebuggying for five years now yet have never seen anyone else use a kite buggy other than videos on the net. I have a suggestion to make that ties a few of the forum threads together. I would welcome any response.

A conceptual structure: A hierarchy of regular local, regional, state and national (and international) gatherings.

A conceptual structure may seed the initiative for more gatherings.

A gathering can be as formal or informal as those local participants want it to be.

With an awareness that there will be a regular gathering of the next level of the hierarchy, gathering participants would have an optional focus (other than just relaxing and having fun) for their skill/equipment development.

The smaller the local area that the participants come from the less effort is required to get to the gathering and the more likely it is that a local participant would turn up. It wouldn?t matter if there was no other participant at the scheduled ?gathering?, you had not come far, you?ve gone to your local buggy spot as you would have anyway and if the conditions were ok you had fun.

Regular, scheduled gatherings would provide more impetus to find suitable alternative venues. If we just wait for the conditions to be right at our favourite spot we might never know about another spot that could have been providing lots of fun at other times.

Regular gatherings would probably attract more newcomers and enquiries.

Regular gatherings would stabilise important aspects of this pursuit. Contacts and information about where to get gear, insurance, repairs, learning etc, would be easier to come by. A regular gathering would also provide encouragement for those that may be struggling with the pursuit. Maybe they have had a bad experience and without the fellowship and shared problem solving would probably give up.

A structure may provide a more favourable interface for the traction kite industry. While we can not expect anything for nothing, regular meets are more likely to attract support from those wanting to sell their wares than one off gatherings that are an unknown potential market.

As a suggestion I propose local gatherings are held/suggested by anybody. The venue and frequency can be of their choosing, to suit their commitment.

Regional gatherings then can be held monthly or quarterly, state gatherings can be held twice a year and an annual national gathering.

I note that AKFA has regular gatherings and that they had shown interest in the Lake George gathering.

This forum seems well suited to advocate and develop land traction kiting in Australia. Although less utilised, the Kite ? Buggy Australia site seems set up for advertising state/ regional even local regular gatherings.

What would hold this conceptual structure together is a posting of the gatherings and someone or some committee to maintain it. As a web posting anybody could organise a local gathering, someone known to be reliable could take responsibility for organising a regular regional or state gathering, and a volunteer co-ordination committee could take responsibility for the annual national gathering.

As a start I am proposing a buggying evening starting at 8pm at Long Reef on the night of each full moon. Meet at the lookout at the top of the headland. The full moon this month is the 18th, tomorrow.

I have also committed myself to being at Newcastle for 9th & 10th of September as the alternative venue for the postponed Lake George gathering.

[Sparky21]

Like your train of thought and happy to see lights going on around the place.

The Lake, well, sorry but we can not control the weather. It is a excellent location once the surface has firmed up, doesn?t matter where the wind is coming from. But onwards and upwards, as they say.

Like the idea of national calendar a lot, noting that in spite of how much noise I have been making lately the number of hard core buggiers in our little group is four, and with the lose of Wato will reduce to three. There are others in Canberra, but we do not seem to bump into each other enough. So just be mindful of the numbers that might make the effort and rock up to any event.

Our intention in the event at the lake was / is to hold this as a national annually (at least) event so if we build a calendar then put us down for at least two ?events?.

Of a given year then:

January (of any given year)

When. Every weekend

Location. Lake George, NSW

Intent. Casual, racing if interest shown

Contact. Sparky21 [email contact info]

Feb:

When Third weekend of the month

Location Lake George, NSW

Intent National event, racing, free style.

Contact Etc

When First weekend of the month

Location Sandy point, Vic

Intent Club meet, interstate welcome

Contact Goshen.

March, April, May etc.

Is this the type of thing you are going for?

I would be surprised, knowing the lack of numbers in our sport today, that going into State and regional events, separated from a national calendar would bear fruit.

Wato, what say you as to the best time to take advantage of the conditions at the Lake, from an annual perspective?

Cheers

[Gav]

What would hold this conceptual structure together is a posting of the gatherings and someone or some committee to maintain it. As a web posting anybody could organise a local gathering

This is a good idea to have a separate spot to advertise meets and events. There is now a new category on this site to do this -

Meets and Events

Gav

[robmueck]

Good on you gav. Having someone with the IT prowess that you have serves us well.

[Sparky21]

Gav,

An online calendar may be a more visual tool for this purpose, rather than a discussion forum. Any chance of having such a tool installed or feature turned on in this script perhaps?

Thanks for the new topic area in the mean time.

Cheers

[robmueck]

Having a forum for gatherings will work well when coupled with the locations tool on this site.

I can see a lot more postings to the locations facility that Gav has on this site and they will most likely become more detailed. A note could be placed in the notes section of the location record to advertise any regular gathering that is held there.

This would save having to trawl through the forum looking for a local gathering, especially if you were not familiar with the place names.

[robmueck]

I would be surprised, knowing the lack of numbers in our sport today, that going into State and regional events, separated from a national calendar would bear fruit.

I don't think that we need numbers of participants to maintain a notional four tiered structure. Sure it would be great if the number of participants came about so that the notional structure became actual gatherings. If the numbers aren't there it doesn't mean that the concept can't be kept to hang suitable gatherings on in the future.

It may be that at the moment there are just local gatherings and then a national one.

So sparky, you have got us all off to a start by putting your hand up for being the organiser of the inaugrual Lake George annual national gathering of land based traction kiting. Terrific. As the organiser sparky can make it as formal/informal as he likes it.

I note that the gathering is scheduled for November and is also suggested for the third weekend in February. Can I suggest that one is a national gathering, the other be a NSW/ACT gathering and the weekends in January be local gatherings. The reason for this, a tiered structure, is that it provides a focus and an opportunity.

I am sure that anyone is going to be welcome to any of the events. If you nominate which is the national event then you will provide a focus for the effort of those people who will have to come from afar. If someone has only the resources to travel to Lake George once a year then they should save it for the national gatheing (which hopefully is timed for the best season). If you nominate an event as a state event you are saying that, look this isn't the gathering of the year but for those of you who are enthusiastic enough to make the trip more than once a year, come and join us. The local and regional gatherings can be more frequent gatherings where you are going because you want to have fun and its easy.

Without a tiered structure to indicate what the intent is, there is a risk that the attendance and enthusiasm will be dissipated over several unco-ordinated events, none which is the gathering it could of been.

[The Duke]

We already have a regular interstate get together between SA and VIC on Australia day weekend at the Coorong, near Kingston SA.

This has been a good fun weekend and quite well supported by both states over the past few years. I only missed this years event due to injury :cry:

So there's one for the calender already.......

[Gav]

I should be able to put together some sort of calender... not sure about cross referencing with links from the locations db though. This may take more thought.

What are everyone's thoughts on having a calendar?

cheers,

Gav

[schultzie]

as for regular meets at our local spot here in vic there arent that may good spots that are local for the group and have good wind conditions. we genetall meet once a month and as persay the sandy point meet is a once a year thing...

i know for me it is no use organising an event at my local sopt becasue i wont even use it.. ok the area is large but the linds are continuesly shit... so i go to geelong (EDIT) and kite there... this is generally the once a month as well...

i know that a lot of us have been trying but in all honesty this winder has not provided us with any good winds.. at one stage for 2months i was going to gellong every 2nd weekend and crap wind or even lack thereof... so i know that i have personally gone in to an hiatus...

but none the less good idea in the calanda

and yea australia day weekend we go to kingston SA and then 2nd weekend of march i think is the adelaide internation kite festival....

realistically how often can we really sustain a national/ interstate event every year and acheive good numbers?

i know personally i would love to get to all of them but due to work this is not possable.

mm i need to go kitey kitey (bloddy wind is shit.)

[goshen]

Schultzie; it's GEELONG!

[nigel]

[The Duke]

:shock: Judging by the rest of the spelling I think you should respond when you are sober Justin

.

[schultzie]

i just should not reply.... i tend to rush for one... and 2ndly my spelling is rather crap any way....

[Sparky21]

I don't think that we need numbers of participants to maintain a notional four tiered structure. Sure it would be great if the number of participants came about so that the notional structure became actual gatherings. If the numbers aren't there it doesn't mean that the concept can't be kept to hang suitable gatherings on in the future.

Ok here goes then.

Let?s make the first assault of the Lake, and all invited event, being the 18, 19, 20th of Nov 2005. Interstate event.

Then "The Nationals" on the 26th, 27th 28th of Jan 2006, again at the Lake.

This will take in Australia Day, so that folk will have to take the Friday off work, which I am sure is very normal for most people. I?ll post this up as a separate event in the discussion forum. Hope for good winds and a hard dry surface!

Cheers

[schultzie]

we all go to SA (kingston) the australia day weekend... battle of the states

[Sparky21]

My suggestion moved therefore to the 17th 18th and 19th of Feb.

Thanks

Cheers