Summers coming, beaches with 1000's of people and overseas newbie euro kilters rocking up with no idea and setting up in the middle of them.
So question is, who will be the kite police? If a noob is setting up in a stupid location and looks like a huge aggressive bastard, who goes up to him and says go away ugly prick? and can experienced or respected kilters who police there local spots get a black rashi with KITE POLICE written across the front? sound's like a odd idea, but a KITE POLICE rashi would give you more cred when telling noobs with no idea what to do. If I made some up would any one want them?
i would wear one only as long as i can have a gun as well and and able to shoot anything that moves ...ants...crabs ... flies. ....also would be better to wear budgies instead of boardies with the uniform - thinking reno 911, that would also help to keep any blowins away for miles!
Insted of calling them ugly pricks or eurotrash or something like that.Just be nice and say something like. Hey your obviously not from around here and your settin up in a bad spot i reckon ,maybe u should set up over there. If that doesnt work kick em in the balls and run
Personaly i would take less notice of someone who would want to wear a KITE POLICE rashi
This is a serious topic confronting as serious problem, one person doing the wrong thing can cause the whole sport to be blanket banned on local beaches. We all need to protect our local beaches and spend five minutes here and there helping people out or clueing in a noob. That cuts both ways though- experienced riders need to stop crashing their kites on the beach around people when learning tricks. There does unfortunately seem to be a need for some sort of identification when giving people the low down as many will listen to about five words before telling you to go f@#* yourself. Kite police sounds a little harsh but something like beach crew or a little less confronting might work ?
I think your heart is in the right place, wanting to ensure your local beach is not ruined by what I'm sure is the minority but I would probably go about it a different way. To start I probably wouldn't just call Mr X an ugly prick and tell him to go away. Perhaps a more subtle approach might pay dividends. As for the rashies, well, I don't want to be the one to have a go at lateral thinking but if it's credibility you're after then DON'T wear a rashie with Kite Police on it.
who's gonna police the kite police.....
Ohhhhh, I wanna rashie with kite police ombudsman, preferrably in pink.
Seriously though, I find foreigners,(including people from interstate) really receptive and happy with a few local tips and rules. Believe it or not most of these guys and gals thank you for the info......
It is beginner/intermediate kiters who are "teaching" their mates. Idiots that set up a beginner just upwind of the main group, have no idea about wind windows, and the CORRECT procedure to SAFELY teach. These guys usually think they are "locals" and have a "dont tell us what to do attitude".
Mabe it should be kite "instructor" police
Too many police kite as it is!
Get your local council to put up information signs relevant to both kiters and beachgoers.
Its difficult to police something unless you have a case that all kiters kiting at a particular spot (like a popular spot) have to be AKSA (or Vic or whatever your local body is) registered and the way of dealing with people who are being idiots is to have their membership revoked thereby removing their ability to kite at a particular spot.
There are a couple of problems with this approach, namely you'd have to have council buy in to put you or the council in a position to fine a person or remove them from a spot if they are not members although it may be easier to do this justifying it with compulsory 3rd party insurance or similar.
You'd need to put the correct disciplinary procedures in place and make sure they sign off on a code of conduct with their membership application as it would be difficult to revoke someone’s membership without following the correct procedures and disciplinary actions although a simple way to prevent steroid junkies from controlling the beach is to ensure that anyone who strikes another kiter intentionally receives a 5 year ban from a particular spot. That way if someone goes up to a guy who is doing something wrong and he takes a swing, he no longer becomes a problem, and you’re likely to have one or two situations like this with a bit of publicity in the community before it never happens again.
I was being a bit sily before with the whole kicking balls part, but council laws ect is a tad over the top i think. there will always be D$%k head's no matter how many laws u makeu just have to rely on the example set by and the scorn of the majority of the kiting community that are reponsable and hope that the rest of the water goers realize that one bad egg doesnt meen the rest are rotten and help out the noobs with a smile on your face
KITE POLICE rashies will go down well in the cross, and some botany beaches! Col would look just dashing in one I think!
Splatt, policing will only work when setting by example! (ducks) I have no issues in telling people there wrongs if I see something a bit dodge and I'm not exactly a big dude. however how far do you go? would you take someones bar and lines away from them if they were being dangerous?
Hmmm, seems some people think I would seriously call a noob an ugly prick, any how its a serious topic, I have spoken to many a noob since 2000 on the local beach nicely and most take on advice well, but there are a number who dont give a crap what you say and think they know better. So question is what do you do if a noob is going to get themselves and others around them in trouble and wont take you seriously? take out the scissors and cut there lines? Pull out your pink Kite Police Ombudsman rashi? How far can you go? It would be a good idea if locals policing there beaches had a procedure on what to do. Just an idea.
approach as a pair, that way the person will feel outnumbered and will be more likely to respond positively, if there are 2 people, take 3 locals.
and be nice
This is all great thinking except you've left out the part where no-one can agree on what's safe. I've been told off for doing ** more than a few times, for things I consider completely legit.
Who is a newby? Who's an expert? I think from reading this forum the only people we can agree have poor skill and judgement are the instructors!
On the rashies - forget kite police - go the whole hog (pun intended), and get real police uniforms. In lycra.
I really don't see what the problem is. All you have to do is be friendly. Most noobs welcome the help! I don't know why some people automatically expect to get a "**** off" and/or a smack in the gob for simply offering some helpful advice.
Quite a few times now, I've encountered noobs on the beach who were clearly in need of some assistance. A friendly "Hey mate, how's it going?" is all it takes.
If they're a noob and they're local, you get to potentially make a new kite buddy.
If they're a visitor, you get to encounter a friendly face if you ever turn up at their home beach.
If they do turn out to be a total spanner, well, that's life I guess. At least you know to avoid them next time you see them
If they looked like Borat and was wearing a yellow one piece gstring, yeh I'd have to tell him....or maybe I should be in charge of the "Fashion Police".and persuade him (with my best south drawl accent) to kite in the swamp out the back or in the cane fields...that mean's you echo
I would have to agree with you all. Wearing something such as a rashi with Kite Police would not assist your efforts. I know this well as I'm a Local Laws Officer with my local Council. Soon as a knob sees someone with any uniform of sorts on, it's on for young and old.
I did review a sugestion of local's outnumbering the visitor and offering advice, I would concur with this method of approach..
And another good suggestion for the knob's on the h2o causing havoc,,,
Get 3-4 local's to use their kite to muscle them outa the h2o. Then use a similar approach once their on land re advice..
I kited Fort Lauderdale Florida in 2005, the day before Katrina blew the crap out of it. Anyway they have a pretty busy main beach happening there with heaps of tourists swimming and a big kiting scene also.
They managed it by marking off a launch area with signs and cone markers warning the public and a series of bouys formed a channel through which you went in and out of the shore break. Once out the back you had to stay beyond the channel unless returning back through the channel.
This was all supervised by a kiter wearing "safety officer" jacket who would remain on the beach and assist with launching and landing kites for those without mates around to help. selfies not on. 2 or 3 warnings and you are gone. On arrival as new kiter to the area I was simply asked how long I had been kiting to make sure they were happy I could stay upwind and return through the channel. Then I was politely and in a friendly way given the local regs and had a good session.
BEFORE YOU S**TCAN this idea please think about 4 points
1)In onshore slop (popular with swimmers) out the back isn't so bad anyway.
2)This is probably only needed on a select few busy city beaches in summer.
3) The locals all get to be the safety guy and gets everyone doin the right thing
4) THEY STILL KITE...but we don't in Bondi and a growing number of ozzie spots.
If I lived near a city beach and my choices were either
A) drive half a hour to another beach with similar conditions OR
B) kite through a 150m channel with ridable waves beyond OR
C) move house to a country beach
Obviously C but B isn't bad for 6 months of the year.
Cheers
Tezza
Yep,
I'm a newbie euro kiter living in sydney, have had a few IKO lessons but am only starting out. I think I'd find it hard to take some dude rocking up to me wearing a rashi with 'kite police' wirtten on it seriously, even if it was pink!
Otherwise I'd take advice from most anyone who offers it if they are trying to help the whole situation. If I was about to make a blunder I'd welcome it as I'm not too interested in launching mysely down the beach taking out kids and old people or worse..
Hi Tezra and a lot of this makes sense but what can you do about the fact that St Kilda for instance has a boating(kiting) only designated spot with 'no swimming' signs 'no dogs' signs up all over the place and your biggest problem on any day over 30 degrees is trying to avoid the deadshots who are out floundering around in the boating zone oblivious of the fact that you have nearly slashed them to pieces
or the dogs swimming
Yeah, youre spot on ,that is an issue that is difficult to control but if the worst happens and a swimmer gets nailed in a "no swimming" zone with all the warning signs displayed .....from an insurance/legal point of veiw...we as the kiting community have complied with the requirements and the nailed guy would not have a leg to stand on (pardon the pun) in court, especially if the kiter has tried to avoid a collision.
Hey if it works in the USA where they sue each other for farting in the wrong key, it'll stand up here no probs.
