Where to Ride 6/30

[RickHeninger]

That is a great apology with quite a few buts... Craig Goudie has just dedicated so much time to give us weather reports that it is more than just his weather reports that gives us a smile in the mornings.

About a year ago he didn't post for a while because of a bad back. It was too painful for him to think about windsurfing and not be able to do it! So we all suffered while he was gone. When he returned we were all so happy.

Craig still catches great airs on his sailboard like a teenager, however you reaped the whirlwind of the "elves" and the "hobbits" when you went for the wizard! CRAIG is the Gandalf to some extent of the windsurfing community and many of the Kiteboarders used to and still do windsurf. If he was Gandalf the Gray before his back, he came back Gandalf the White! A YOUNG VERSION OF HIM! There are a bunch of Gandalfs' whom we all have great respect for who have been dedicated to this sport for years.

So, you just picked the wrong guy in the wrong way at the WRONG time. Because Mitch was a friend to MOST of us. We are all upset about it.

I think we all knew your motives were good. It was the judgement in timing that took the hammer. This was a great lesson in waking Kiters and future Kiters up a little more to weather, especially micro-meteorology... But a better lesson in timing.

I forgive you. It looks like most others have too. Pretty cool to see such forgiving people. You've had a pretty good cleansing, I think that it'll take time for people to want to buy gear from you possibly, but I say, keep posting. We'll get over it!

Sincerely, Rick Heninger.

PS... Emmanuel, Windsurfing is relatively safe, but I get tweaked out when I see a dark cloud... Lightning is pretty scary for me. Ivan has a friend here who is a windsurfer who was struck in Florida... Not a fun sounding experience. I would like to hear where people draw the line for lightning...?

PSS... Please forgive the Lord of the Rings analogy just seemed like a fun one. Not a real fantasy buff here. Although I did read the series in Jr. High.

[miker]

Thanks for your recent posting Steve. I feel all our emotions have been running high. I was contemplating selling all my kites last week but I rode the Saturday after Mitch’s accident and realized I love it too much to quit. I think all windriders will have greater degree of judgment from Mitch’s and accident and our subsequent posting.

I encourage Steve’s continued posting and I applaud the fact that he is servicing kiteboarding with his retail location. I like Steve’s quote “you only kite in PERFECT wind, nothing strong, nothing gusty or you or someone you know will get hurt”.

The more we can learn about weather, the safer we will be and our days on the water will increase. The best days at RUSH for me have be on steady North thermals when the NWS says nothing about wind.

RIDE SAFE

[Matt Greeff]

Thanks for the post Steve. Your shop helped me get into kite surfing years ago. I know your heart is in the right place. We all need to be more safe!
Craig, your posts are invaluble to all Utah Surfers, Keep it up!
Matt Greeff

[jaynesjared]

i think i is very clear at least to me as kiters that have a very real saftey factor it is up to the individuals to make good calls based on one own comfort level, let watch out for each other and be safe thanks craig for the forcast if anything it has been better for mr cause i have been able to learn more about the wind and make my own decision on when to go out and when not to...

later

[jaynesjared]

i think i is very clear at least to me as kiters that have a very real saftey factor it is up to the individuals to make good calls based on one own comfort level, let watch out for each other and be safe thanks craig for the forcast if anything it has been better for mr cause i have been able to learn more about the wind and make my own decision on when to go out and when not to...

later

[Kenny]

I have been out of town for a few days, so I got to read the entire thread at once. Here is my two cents:

I understand Steve's anger, but Craig should not have been your whipping boy. I felt some anger last week as well. I even sat down and wrote a long missive, but I deleted it because I came across the wrong way.
Here are a few reasons why I am angry:

1. My wife has been terrified every time I walk out the door to go kite boarding.
2. I am angry at the kiteboarders that take needless risks and don't worry about safety.
3. Foolish kiteboarding behavior leads to injury, death, and kiting bans. All three are bad in my book.
4. I am mad at Mitch because I genuinely like the guy and I am going to miss him on the water.

All that said, I can't be mad at Craig. It would be like getting mad at Mark Eubank every time trailers on I-80 turn over due to a big wind storm.

I understand your anger Steve, I just think it was misdirected. Keep posting.

Kenny

[Kenny]

Before I get flamed - I wrote my last message too hastily. My anger was past tense. I am no longer angry. I am sad about losing Mitch. I hope we all learn something from what happened. I also hope that if we see someone doing something unsafe that we will venture over in a friendly manner and ask them if we can help them out.

[newkiteguy]

I have been reading these posts with mixed feelings. I guess I come from a different mindset and I have resisted posting in the past, but feel a quick note might be good at this point.

I know Steve and thus read the message differently than most. I was one of his students years ago and continue to learn (paragliding) from him and his team of exceptional instructors.

His number one focus is safe flying. I guess when I read the original post, I pictured Steve looking out at the sky and going "what the heck is they guy thinking?" Steve's heart is really in the right place, that is safety for everyone. Like kite surfing, the accidents in paragliding are 75% weather related in some degree. I know if someone predicted that there might be flying on those days 2 weeks ago (a week solid of afternoon thunderstorms), he would have gone nuts and there would not be any negative fall out. Kite surfers are also limited in the type of air they “fly” in, and I believe this was his point.

I spoke to him a few days ago and he was a bit down on himself and sheepish about the backlash. That was not his intentions to upset anyone and he wishes he could take it all back. We both talked and felt that the closeness to the accident is what stirred everyone up. We all are saddened by the loss to the kite community. Steve picked a bad week to start reading Craig's posts. I did review them myself and knowing there were forecasted T-storms all week, I choose to stay at home. I can see where some new Kiters may have read the posts and not used there own common sense and gone out to the lake.

Another point I want to bring up is some of the angry messages directed toward steve (both before and after his long second post) seemed to come from wind surfer, when he clearly was directing his comments about weather to the kiters which rely on a totally different set of rules.

I applaud Craig for his reply to Steve, I think we all can lear a lot from both of these guys. Steve told me he has not been in the mood to go out to Rush, order more gear, or even talk on the phone about kite surfing to anyone. This is sad. He is the only one stocking a good selection of gear, offering near cost on most items as far as I can tell, and he and his other staff take time out of there day to set up and go over the kite gear (even one I bough used off the web). Plus, he loves to kite! His dedication to paragliding keeps him working honestly from 6 in the morning till as late at 9:30 in the evening many nights. Believe me, no one is getting rich in his industry! Ozone along with the Soaring Center also began a free "kite night' to introduce people to kite flying. I took my kids last month and had a ball on there dime.

Final note, I was in his shop to buy the book he recommended and he told me they sold 6 of them to UWA members that week based on his posting. He said, something like "I can't care what people think about me, I feel there was some overreaction first on my part, then on other's part, but I know in my heart that at least one or two people will take more time to review and re-think the conditions we get mid day in the summer for kite surfing" he then went on to say that if this tread keeps one person from getting drug and getting rush lake mud up there bum, then the overall experience was a good thing.

Craig, thanks for what you do for the Club, Steve, thanks for teaching me to be safe and make my own decisions!

blue Z-One

[BrettLinde]

Just a few words of encouragement and apologies to Steve. Forums are an interesting form of communication. It allows anyone to read/write anything about anyone or anything. For me like most others it is a great resource and help mate for many things. It can and does provide a great exchange for ideas and opinions. It also can be a total nightmare if people get after each other and are generally mean spirited..
My post was not meant to hurt or belittle which I may have done. I apologize for my emotional reaction to your post. Like I said in my original post, writing something down can be taken so many different ways. Your intentions were solid, just misunderstood by many of us.
This sight can use your insight and comments so please continue to participate.
Thanks
Brett