Quote:
>Is it my imagination? Or has the number of competitors dropped off in
>the past few years???
<snip>
> Take a friend kite flying.
> Bob and Danielle Fermin
>Sent via Deja.com http://SportToday.org/
>Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Bob, I think you're correct in your assessment of the dwindling
competitions. My kite pal and a frequent competitor, Alan Brooks of
Las Vegas, is facing the possibility of dropping from the competition
rolls for the remainder of the season, due to the cost to him to
travel to the competitions, and to the lack of opportunity to practice
new routines for his ballet. Time is just so precious, to many of us,
these days, and the costs of travel so high. Those of us who are
lucky enough to have lived most of our lives on the beaches of
California have had more opportunity than most to participate... alas,
I didn't get into sport kite trick flying until I'd moved 500 miles
inland to Las Vegas.
I had recently decided to take up Allen Stroh's challenge to enter
competition, and had resolved to enter the novice precision and ballet
events at the upcoming July 10th event at Belmont Shores. I began to
practice my tricks with the thought of competition in mind, and found
myself growing anxious about it, and enjoying my flying much less. So
I changed my mind. I'm a park flyer, and a buggy rider, and I don't
need additional sources of stress, outside my daily work schedule. I
felt immediate relief from the pressure, once I resolved not to
compete, and see no reason, at this time, to waffle back to
competition as a pursuit. It just, apparently, ain't my "bag".
HOWEVER: I will continue to attend comp events, and to lend a hand as
pit crew for any flyer in need. I will buy raffle tickets. I will
play chauffer for my friend, Al Brooks, who works nights, so he can
snooze on the way down to Long Beach. I will drag out everything in
my bag at these events, and fly on the beach, answering questions and
assisting others, especially those brand-new to the sport. I will
write articles for KiteLife, praising the talents and efforts of folks
like Bob and Danielle Fermin, who compete for fun, and so obviously
enjoy it, and whose joy we all can share. I will contribute my
energies and efforts to any kite-related event in my area, in the hope
of growing the hobby side of kite flying, as well as the sport (comp)
side. And, I will continue to hone my buggy skills, until perhaps I
choose to compete in that venue. Or not.
Will there continue to be enough Shane Snowdens and Susan Shampos out
there to keep competition flying alive and well? I think so. Will
Bob and Danielle kick some serious ***in pairs competition? I hope
so! Will the many, many contributors to kite flying competitions, who
never compete themselves, still show up at 6:00 a.m. to set up the
fields, hook up the sound system, tinker with unruly scoring software,
and lug heavy paraphernalia to and from the beach? I bet they will.
And will Corey Jensen still drive all night, just to provide his
colorful commentary and velvet vocal tones to the announcements of the
events? Is there, gawd help us, some way to stop him? :o)
Nothing is foolproof, to a sufficiently talented fool!