KZN Newsletter - 001

I've been thinking again and it's never a good thing as it always seems to land me in some kind of craziness, it seems that's my style. So here I go on another plot.

My ponderings have led me to make a decision to withdraw myself from a deep involvement in the paddling circles. I will always paddle and have a strong belief in cross training but getting out of the politics of it all is rather freeing. I have always known that I am a kiter first and foremost, but there has also been these tugs in other directions, whether it be skating, surfing or kayaking.

Father and Daughter Rivalry - Alec and Tyra - Ozone Kites at home on flat water

Things in kiting seem different now to what they have been. There is this maturity in the sport. Surf kiting has finally arrived with strapless riding on normal surfboards and then the new KSP Tour, Freestyle has blossomed in all its variety and is becoming more understood and the PKRA Tour is now more focused without the surfing discipline to put on. Speed kiting in Africa just dominates and Race kiting, well it's in the Olympics.

So with all of this I am keen to show more interest and put back into local kiting, and I mean local, really local, like grass roots. Not government grass roots, just grass roots, you and me at our local spots here in KZN. After all surely, if you don't look after the grass roots, then you don't get the long grass, then waht ya gonna smoke? Sorry, the south coaster rising again.

Alec checking that Tyra is not passing him

Putting back into a sport is a risky business. Done wrong it can absolutely sap the life out of you. I have been down that road in paddling and kiting. Correctly done you need an Association, with Affiliates, Clubs and Members and pretty much in that order too. Do it backwards and you are wasting time and effort.

Well it's pretty obvious to those who have been in the loop that we are not going to have an association of any value any time soon. We officially, apparently, have one but with misguided intentions. So for now we have to ditch any hope of outside help, which brings me back to the grass and the roots.

That's you and me people. So my proposal or rather the effort I am willing to put into the sport of kiting is to try and make a small difference maybe nationally speaking but a big difference hopefully locally.

Tyra - Alec, she's this side of you

It may sound all dreamy and full of illusions but no, I have been down the dizzy road and won't go there again. I am not even hinting at people getting all excited and doing things. Big events do little or nothing for kiting, make you tired and leave the sport exactly where it was before the show was put on.

I believe that a strong local scene is where it all starts and ends. Keep your local beach happening, get a vibe going and things only get better. Well, at my local it's happening and I simply want to give everyone credit for that and then maybe put in just that little bit more.

the A and Bdog with a Crail Grab - beauty in motion, and good shot camera dude.

Back to the proposal, which goes something like this. I am thinking a newsletter, like the one you are reading right now, we just keep it going. Strangely enough, back in the day I was putting one out for the handful of kiters that there were. To have a platform like this Kitesports site was a dream in those days, now with blogs and all the rest we seem to have forgotten the good old news piece.

It's no big effort on my part to write, if their is subject matter and free accessible pictures floating around. All the pictures in this letter are courtesy of Kitesports or it's members.

Bdogg - Stylemaster in the flats and the waves

To have this much around you and to not give credit to those who took the pics and then to those who made the effort to get off the couch and go kite would be a shame. So it goes like this: Keep taking pictures and keep being awesome.

Paul mowing his first upwind lines on the Kitesports barge

Thereafter it is simple. If you want to have something said in the newsletter just message me the info through this, the Kitesports website. Refer to any pics you have taken and uploaded and I will do the rest.

Stevo - No straps, will ride

The newsletter will go out when it goes out. There are no deadlines, hell I hate that. When there is something to push out then I will push.

Stevo - Strapless, free to ride

As for content, I envisage it being rider focused, beginners and "pro's" but always local, right down to your beach here in KZN. No international stuff, there's a web overflowing with that. Be your own hero right here. You give it and I will do my best to help show it.

Dustin rips in the surf, keep an eye on him

Maybe I will drop in a secret spot review here and there but only if we get some riders on them. Progress reports on who's ripping and who's starting out always makes for good reading and with that some build up to events when and where they affect us.

I was in I was in I was in I was In on the inside - Slimchance of that

Other than that there is not much else to write about that's worth reading and does not distract from the core issue here and that's, all of us, out there, kiting.