Better help or not help a newbie?

[jmayot]

Yesterday at 3rd, a young guy near me on the rigging area ask how firm should he pump his kite. I asked him "have you kited here before" he says no. "did you take lessons?" he says yes. "did you take lessons here?" No.
I then tell him he should definitelly not pump up his kite today without knowing exactly what to do, especially here at 3rd. That his best bet is to go to Helm and get a lesson from one of their instructors. And that today he better roll up his kite and just observe. But I stayed very nice and at the end told him that it was my advice, but he had the last call.
He rolled his kite and put it away.

Then later, he was standing on the bike path observing 75+ kites on the water. I ran into him going to upper beach. He was a bit shy and on his own. I told him he could stay with me and observe how to watch for bikes and people on the bike path, how to run lines perpendicular to the wind, and watch me set up my kite. He just observed. He didn't do anything nor launch my kite. I thought it was better for him to oberve me that day and then take a lesson here at 3rd if he really wanted to kite here. Other than me, nobody seemed to care at all about this guy, that was pumping his kite 2 hours before and was going to go out on his own.
I think i did the right thing, to tell him not to go out on his own but just observe and take a lesson. At some point, a fellow kiter saw me talk to this guy while rigging and asked me if he was my friend. I said I had just met him. He seemed to judge me doing this. Letting me observe. SHould I have just ignored him instead like everybody did?? Is it better to give advice: do not go out, take a lesson and observe today or just ignore not to be involved with any newbies? What is the right thing to do?

[charlie]

sounds right to me.
good job

[josha]

as a newbie, i personally appreciate any advice i can get! i've taken lessons, but lessons can't cover every detail you'll encounter at every location, and there are always different ways to do things at different places. i think you were smart to advise him to just watch and generous to let him watch you. after all, how else do we learn?

[Bob]

Better to teach him about walking the sidewalk then to peel him off of it later...

[OliverG]

I think you did the right thing. We've seen this many times at Alameda and have declined, usually politely, to launch some people who were rigging improperly and appeared uneasy on a nuking day, advising them that maybe it's not their day and it might be better to just watch...

[Greg]

I've got the same delema, I run into kiters all the time that either need or should be getting additional help like a follow up lesson. I'll admit it's rather perplexing to find a kiter that doesent know how much air to put in a kite but "took a lesson". This happens far more often then it should....
I think I'd have to ask the person you discribed, where did you get this lesson, who was the instructor and how long ago did you take this lesson??
It's sad but true that many folks that have taken lessons failed to get moving along with the sport for weeks or months at a time. If I run into a kiter that just needs a little reassurance becouse they a rusty, I often give there kite a pre-flight exam and then agree to launch them if they got it right. But if they dont understand how the kite works na d how to set it up, I send them to a school, sometimes they just ask someone else.
If I run into a kiter that wants specific information on a new peice of equipment (bow or 5th lines kite) I generally go over the kite with them and check it out for tuning etc by breifly flying the kite myself (with there assistance) then swich positions and send them on there way (kiting). Now if I run into a person who is bullshitting me or I'm worried about about there skills or equipment under the given set of circomestances I give them a SORRY! NO-GO ansure.
I hate to think I've torn down someones STOKE but after having a few minor STROKES as I've helplessly watched someone get worked over I've become rather cautous,
L.M.G.

[panzerfaust]

yeah, something like this happened to me this weekend at Alameda. I saw a couple dragging the kite wrong toward the launch site, so I offered to help. Needless to say the launch didn't go so well with kite on the other side of the wind window and huge hole through the canopy. My next suggestion was to NOT try to fly a kite that day, however, I feel it should have come much earlier.

[Pablito]

It's a pretty cool tribute to this community that everyone is so willing to spend time and try to be positive with people in this situation. Of course it would be so much easier for us all just to look away and keep setting up our own gear.

Yesterday at Sherman a woman was just gushing to me about how amazed she was how everywhere new her husband has gone to kite people have been so helpful and community oriented.

I feel like Im just paying it forward now, from all the help I got while I was getting started. Hopefully we can keep that vibe going as the numbers keep growing.

[Greg]

I think kiters are almost univerisally cool, however when the pressure is on- people want to get going. No one likes getting hung up on total bull...

[robertovillate]

I think you did the right thing to step in and offer constructive advice. It's a possibly life-saving service to do so, and if you can do it without coming across with an attitude...more props to you. =D>

And to those on the receiveing end of advice...be cool, these people are trying to help you or trying to make sure someone else isn't hurt.

I believe that it is an unwritten credo that you should always assist others in need or about to be victims of their own lack of knowledge, especially on the water and with big kites, where things can go from OK to DISASTER in a matter of seconds.

As someone else here pointed out...it's really cool when you go somewhere and a total stranger wants to help you and befriend you...I wish it were always like that but sometimes you will run into the opposite attitude.

Keep it positive, always help each other, be respectful, and remember that karma connects us all.