Fractured Axel

jaydub wrote:

bryan beasley wrote:

I spent about about 5 years doing a fair bit of travelling around organising, coaching and running competitions 'n stuff. 's a thankless task for the most part and generating enthusiasm enough to make the effort worthwhile is a challenge.

And very much appreciated by some of us, although perhaps we should have been better at saying thank you.......

......so thanks, Bryan

+100000 and well said .... it would be nice if Brian had maybe learnt something back from one of us but I think we know that isn't the case

Well after giving up as one of the organisers of the Streatham Kite Day two years ago after 12 years of fighting with petty council regulations I have to agree with Bryan and Keith that it is a pretty thankless task. I can remember when I started serious kite flying there were plenty of people around London who I could meet up with at any of five or six venues any weekend. These days you'd be lucky to see one other person with a kite (not counting power kites here) at Blackheath which ten years ago would have been full of kite fliers practising for competition, let alone all the fun fliers.

I still fly, but it's almost always by myself

<old fart mode, sweeping generalisations ahead>
In the mid nineties it was cool to get off your arse and get outside, anything a bit rad or extreme was good and kiting benefitted from that getting carried along with the likes of skateboarding. Things eventually got quieter by 2000.

Around 2003 everyone went pitch trick mad, kites were cool again in places like France and there were enough people still interested here that newcomers weren't on their own and the diehards had something new to learn. Things have gotten quieter again.

Sadly now it seems kids just want to sit at their XBox/phone, its cool to sneer at everyone else and deride their interests as gay and they are only concerned with how gangsta they look. Sadly I don't think their are enough diehards left to make it less embarassing for newcomers to play with a kite and those that give it a go are unlikely to tell their mates about it.

Anyone who has battled through the red tape and health and safety paranoia deserves huge thanks. With fear of being sued and no money I think councils are even less likely to give kite festivals the go ahead.

I think it may be some time before things pick up again
</old fart>

Yes it does seem strange...I agree with a lot of whats been said tbh, I guess a few of us came in at the right time around 2003 I think, there was an awful lot fliers and events around at that time, Its a shame I never started earlier. Never even thought about the costs, you just went wherever there was an event on, you just went.... be it Brighton, Middle Wallop, Weymouth, Rougham, abroad (remember CapD'Age guys ) many many many happy memories , with some of the nicest people your ever likely to meet in life .....Maybe it all needs to be resurrected.

Gary Matthews wrote:

Yes it does seem strange...I agree with a lot of whats been said tbh, I guess a few of us came in at the right time around 2003 I think, there was an awful lot fliers and events around at that time, Its a shame I never started earlier. Never even thought about the costs, you just went wherever there was an event on, you just went.... be it Brighton, Middle Wallop, Weymouth, Rougham, abroad (remember CapD'Age guys ) many many many happy memories , with some of the nicest people your ever likely to meet in life .....Maybe it all needs to be resurrected.

We could always make some more happy memories lads. "COME TO FILEY IN JULY" with the Northern monkeys

Personally, having both young and elderly dependents has seriously restricted the time I can spend away in the last few years. If I DO get time on my own on a fine weekend I'll more likely spend it on my MTB instead of flying kites.

I don't know what everyone else's excuse is

i will some day - after that, Thanks .

nice evening after my last repair Diablis gave me loads of fun 2day, nice clean 540`s, really cool Backspins - still can`t get a Taz.

Broady wrote:

Also, if you have a look at older posts - from 2005 let's say. How many of the people on the thread still active on the forum? If they no longer partake on the forum are they no longer flying?

That issue is not just here- if you look at the stat for 'most users online' on the prism forum...the most was a very long time ago

I have been flying for not so long I come from Liverpool but live in Norway go out flying as much as I can never seen anyone else flying but have a friend from Sweden who says has seen a lot of people flying there I try to get my boy to come flying with me and his friends my son like it but when he see the video and want to do all the tricks and I am not good enough to give advice on how to do them soon it's back to the xbox one time when we were out one of his friends ask if the was a kite game on the x box
The is hard competition against xbox and bmx and all the X game sports it's difficult to compete but I would Say it's not about what kites costs when you compare it to the other sports if you can tell me what Is cheap in in sports $ $hobby and a xbox game £30/40 it' last's for may two months and most kids have more than one play they simultaneously may be 3 let be honest most parents will go out and buy the kids most things but a lot of them like to give encouragement from there armchair any think to keep them quite so maybe kitting should be more promoted as more as family hobby or a newer approach I am no marketing man so I couldn't tell what way to go but I try to get anyone to come and try most don't come back but I think that because I and not the most impressive flyer out there I could think it would be great if the was placed maybe I could take my son on holiday to a kite school for a week in the sun I keep on a my friends to try I don't give up to easily

at least bmx is outdor fun like kite,

"sport kite summer camps" that is clever idea!!! isn't it???

Plenty of power kites do the tuition days or long weekends. Maybe it is a way forward? Even if they ran some lessons at kite festivals would be a start? Half hour slots maybe? With then details of longer courses if they want to learn more.

Broady wrote:

Plenty of power kites do the tuition days or long weekends. Maybe it is a way forward? Even if they ran some lessons at kite festivals would be a start? Half hour slots maybe? With then details of longer courses if they want to learn more.

There have been training sessions at kite festivals, but in my experience the uptake has been poor.

STACK used to do training days (I used to be a STACK trainer) where I remember as many as 30 people being given tuition. STACK also did boot camps for more advanced fliers or those seriously considering competition.

And at one time there were kite flying holidays in the Algarve where Chris Matheson would teach the latest techniques.

Those were the days.

I would be one of the first to sign up sun and flying what more could you ask for ok maybe few beers and new kite

I've attended a few kite festivals last year (and hope to attend more this year) and was looking to see if there was any tuition but nothing structured was available. If it is available then it needs to be advertised well.
I really hope kites bounce back and more and more get up in the sky. I used to love watching (and flying) on the beach. There used to be more flown down on Woolacombe beach ever day than I see being flown at most kite festivals

RoyReed wrote:

I used to be a STACK trainer

I remember you teaching me how to axel at Bristol kite festival quite a few years ago - I can still do it, so you taught me well