Teenage Kiteboarders? Where are they?

[reyrivera]

I think what is missing in this discussion is some self awareness. The majority of people that do this sport are middle aged white guys, and amazingly enough, nothing is less hip or has less street cred than this demographic.

This is a growing sport, it doesn't suffer for lack of teenagers wanting to do it. Any teens I see doing it, do it because their dad and possibly their mom are already kiting. Okay, now think about the kind of teenager that wants to do something their parents are doing-normally, during the teenage years, you are rebelling against your parents-you don't want to be anywhere or do anything with them.

The cost, the hassle of all the equipment, and then getting to the water, this is not for teenagers.
I have two boys, and they both agree that kiting is really dweeby, and I totally agree.

One of my teenage nephew thinks kiteboarding is lame, he is more into skateboard downhill bomb runs and surfing.

Regarding orthography, I think for some posters on this site, English is a second language.

English is my fourth language, so I'm excused in this generalization?

[manplesvanuatu]

hi Tomerp and Jrg..

Haha I love it! Good to know you guys are stepping up the plate. I am trying too cause I feel some pressure from the lower launch guys:-). Maybe that's why I decided to launch from the upper now and hide from the peanut gallery (for awhile) cause I am afraid they may laugh at me mowing the lawn too much. Down the road when I can look a bit decent I'll go back down there haha. I noticed though that I have been crashing my kite very often..which is a good sign..somehwere it is written or said: "if you don't crash your kite that means you are not trying hard enough":-)
But you are absolutely correct..man we are sure not made of rubber anymore like those 16 years old that you see in the Netherlands (or euros) video..man I got smacked early season and one instance I though my knee buckled, the second one I though my ribs were broken..knock on wood.

It's hard to self realized that you have to go back to work on Monday.

but anyway good to see everyone have fun out there..keep trying...with your trying..

this stuff is just too damn addicting!

paul

[adamrod]

i dunno, the CKA (collegiate) competitions are pretty popular....a lot of those kids are teenagers...

Are any Bay Area Schools represented? Or West Coast for that matter?

yeah, SLO does some competitions, I think UCSC and UCSB as well...there's definitely a solid group of people...

Stanford has a club, not sure about Berkeley, but I don't think they compete...

[adamrod]

Cant speak for lower launch where the experts are - Because I kite at the third upper launch as well.

well. perhaps you should come and throw down with us. I like to kite around people who are pushing it. it inspires me. hopefully I can inspire people too. I don't kite at the upper launch cause nobody does anything up there.


as for the talent pool around here vs. elsewhere? I dunno, i've travelled a lot for kiteboarding and I think our ratio of expert vs. intermediate vs. beginner is pretty normal. Even in the lagoons in brazil, there might be 3 guys doing handlepasses but there's still like 100 other people mowing the lawn.

i think you'll find that in the popular kite spots around the globe, yes, you get some young rippers, but you also get tons of intermediate riders, so the ratio isn't any different.

the reality is, it takes a ton of practice to become an advanced kiteboarder, and most people would rather cruise around than spend an entire season crashing.

[zgur]

Its so much more simple....when you are a teenager, all you care about it being accepted and sex, not in that order....kiting does not help w/either one.

Get sum, Z

[Bulldog]

All the teenage kiters are pros because it's so much easier for them to nail the strapless and unhooked stuff that makes the old guys drool and buy new kites/boards/harnesses etc. so they can do that stuff to.

That's the only way teenagers can afford to kite anyway, unless their parents already kite and buy them the gear. Seriously.

Just saying.

[recoprianto]

Cant speak for lower launch where the experts are - Because I kite at the third upper launch as well.

well. perhaps you should come and throw down with us. I like to kite around people who are pushing it. it inspires me. hopefully I can inspire people too. I don't kite at the upper launch cause nobody does anything up there.


as for the talent pool around here vs. elsewhere? I dunno, i've travelled a lot for kiteboarding and I think our ratio of expert vs. intermediate vs. beginner is pretty normal. Even in the lagoons in brazil, there might be 3 guys doing handlepasses but there's still like 100 other people mowing the lawn.

i think you'll find that in the popular kite spots around the globe, yes, you get some young rippers, but you also get tons of intermediate riders, so the ratio isn't any different.

the reality is, it takes a ton of practice to become an advanced kiteboarder, and most people would rather cruise around than spend an entire season crashing.

After being on Maui this weekend. There is a much larger than normal number of expert / badass young kiters here. Bay area is probably typical.

[behindThePeak]

are we the rollerbladers of water sports? ... we might be the rollerbladers of water sports...

[Aloha]

Kyle I think the difference is groms pull out video games when the wind picks up and big boys pull out kites

[NCKite_Ryder]

are we the rollerbladers of water sports? ... we might be the rollerbladers of water sports...

I can't be... unless the windsurfers are the OG roller skaters.

NAH. No way.. i can tell by the way teenage girls come up and ask me on the beach what they call it.