Accident at 3rd Ave Fri 7/1/05

[Scotty]

Is that a bad thing?

No it isn't a bad thing at all. the problem is people (like myself) tend to be ignorant toward taking lessons. I had a couple of experienced veterans who asked "Have you surfed and wakeboarded before? Naaa..You don't need lessons."
When in fact looking back, I wished I had taken lessons....Unless there is some sort of self regulation among the bay area riders requiring some degree of certification...Then we will start losing access....and that will create even more crowded spots in other areas. And it will become regulated like handgliding and paragliding.
Does it start with the gear shops pricing lessons into the gear they sell to Newbies? I hope so or something because the clock is ticking with regards to our kiting access. Some degree of certification should be mandatory on a self regulated basis or Big Brother will be in charge.

SLR

[sflinux]

IKO comes from the french (wipika). Sounds like a fantastic system.
In North America, the certification mainly used is PASA, a non profit organization which is very similar to IKO. My impression is that PASA exists mainly for insurance purposes. Shops adhere to PASA minimum standards so they are insurable which is important in America these days. I believe most, if not all, shops in the Bay Area use PASA certified instructors. I don't know the details of each shop but the ones I am aware are liberal in how closely they follow the PASA model.
It all comes down to money! If kiteboarding is heavily regulated, a system already exists that we can easily adhere to certifications. But for shops to strictly follow certifications, students would have to shell out more money than they are now. I think it is great that most new kiters are taking lessons, as I think they should. Every newbie kiter wants to be up and riding on their first day. The problem is kiting is not something that is learned overnight, it takes time (practice) and experience. Most shops are setup for two maybe three lessons, which could theoretically all be done in one day, but often is not; 1) land lesson. 2) water lesson 3) board lesson. Then there is wind to deal with which can cause frequent reschedules. I think shops are doing their best to get the newbie kiters safely proficient in their kiting in an efficient pace, but I'm sure every shop is a little different. I can't imagine any shop wanting to see one of their students get badly injured, or worse. Every newbie kiter is different. Some are "naturals" and pick it up in one day, others can take weeks sometimes months. But I agree that safety should be the number one concern when dealing with newbie kiters; teaching them how to minimize their risks, and to prevent them from every getting hurt.
But it all comes down to money. Every existing kiter who would want to kite in the bay area would have to become a certified PASA level 1, 2, or 3 level rider. Which costs money? I know David is certified by IKO, but what if IKO is not recognized in the bay area. Are you willing to shell out the money to get PASA level 1, 2, or 3 certified. Multiply how many kiters there are in the bay area. That is sounding like a lot of money... which may happen if one kiter has a serious accident. Until then, we are hoping for the status quo... which has been working... for now.
-bric

[dt]

It is my understanding from Art's wife that Art took lessons "Near 3rd" and a jet ski was involved. I wonder if it was a very safe lesson spent mostly on the water with very little time spent on dry land. Since everyone almost always launches on land and that is the most dangerous place to fly a traction kite, I think training on land is one of the most important parts of a kite lessons.

I hope we hear more about that.

dt

[Julien]

I am the "quick reacting beginner" that catched Art when he was passing by me right after launching that day. First of all I am relieved to hear he's alive and hope he will fully recover from his injuries.

I have been really shocked by this incident, had trouble to sleep at night. I not only saw the whole thing happen but really tried to help him and to see him fly away and hit the rocks that hard is difficult to forget.

I won't go back to what happened, it's been already described in many ways and pretty accurately. I am new to 3rd Ave, took lessons from Phil who's been a wonderful instructor He taught me a lot, mostly safety (I'd say about 80% of the lessons). I got to discover how nice the 3rd Ave. community is when you know how to respect the rules and help each other, launch, land, talk about the conditions, dangers etc.. and I think that's in that spirit I had the reflex to grab Art when I saw him passing by me, obviously with too much power in his kite. Way too much, I just couldn't hold him, he got lifted so hard and so fast my finger broke in his harnest, I also hurt my shoulder pretty bad falling hard on the ground. But it is so nothing compared to him so I really won't complain.

I am in shock of what I saw, it is the last thing I wanted to see learning how to kiteboard, and I hope we can avoid such accidents in the future.

At the same time, I am glad that even after that, I still feel safe, and will go out whenever I can (3 weeks says my doctor) because of all the learning I got from my lessons. I won't say nothing will ever happen to me, but that I feel I know how to avoid kiting when I shouldn't, how to use my QR system (we trained many times with Phil, crashed the kite, relaunched), learned to launch unhooked and use a safety leach should something go wrong.
Learned all this at 3rd.

And then whith those basics, learned the right way I think, which is to learn from others. My instructor first, and then from other kiters, very nice and helpful as long as you know the basics, don't put anybody in danger, launch and land where you should, secure your kite after landing, etc..
Just take a lesson from any 3rd ave. instructor and you'll know all that.

Yes, it is critical to take lessons, or a refreshing lesson at the beginning of the season or after buying a new kite.
I also think that sometimes accidents happen and that's part of the sport, we all know that. But maybe we can all help by teaching, talking, sharing and I am glad that's what everybody does at 3rd.

If Art or people who know him want to contact me, I'd like to hear about his recovery. I can be reached at julien_mayot@msn.com
See you all soon at 3rd.

Julien