| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
30knotwind
Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 239
Location: White Salmon, WA
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
30knotwind
Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Posts: 239
Location: White Salmon, WA
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jingebritsen
Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bred2shred
Joined: 02 May 2000
Posts: 989
Location: Jersey Shore
|
 Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 7:36 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| jingebritsen wrote: |
the wind range of any one kite kit is rather narrow, so there will be either lots of scheduling slips or tons of gear regulations? either way, it will be a mess to administer.
people get tea bagged in kiting. deaths and maiming occur monthly, still. a couple of well publicized accidents will probably shut it down. wonder why the proponents of windsurfing were not allowed to show the GMA coverage of that idiot in ft lauderdale during that tropical storm a while back? again, ill informed, or corruption? |
Blah, blah, blah. Sounds to me like you're the corrupt/uninformed one. Same ol' misconceptions & stereotypes about kiting that have been preached by windsurfers for the past 10 years. Yes, there have certainly been incidents, but the equipment continues to progress. Not to mention that these are going to be olympic caliber athletes, with events run at a professional level, so I don't think we're going to see too many adminstration hiccups or kitemares at the event.
I'm a windsurfer, not a kiter, so in some ways, I am sad to see that windsurfing has been cancelled for the olympics. Yes, another blow has been dealt to our sport. But is it really that significant? How many of us actually even follow olympic windsurfing? Olympic windsurfing doesn't represent the type of windsurfing that the VAST majority of windsurfers do. The equipment used in the olympics (RSX) doesn't even represent the type of equipment that is used by the majority of racers.
Time to face facts. Kitesurfing is the new thing, windsurfing is the old. Apparantly watching a fleet of windsurfers pump their way around a race course is just as boring to watch as it is to do. Compare that to watching dudes ripping around a course at 25 to 30mph and boosting big air and it's pretty much a no-brainer. The Olympics are driven by money just like everything else. If the public isn't going to support events, then what's the point of holding them?
sm
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
acctx
Joined: 28 May 2008
Posts: 76
|
| Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 8:24 am Post subject: |
|
|
| jingebritsen wrote: | some like to watch sports, i typically do not. some like watching sail racing of any sort, i tend to rather sleep or wave sail.
but for kiting to displace windsurfing in olympics? that's uninformed or corrupt. |
Surprised that they didnt do both. the research article they posted though showed about 1.5 million kitesurfers world wide. No idea how accurate that is. The windsurfer # is lower
| Quote: | | kites take up tons of space on the water. |
how is this relevant for the olympics?
| Quote: | | they get really dangerous in confined spaces, esp in large groups. |
could be true. They are most dangerous in gusty winds. but i didnt think danger was a criteria for the olympics. It seems like downhill skiiers at 90mph are pretty dangerous.
| Quote: | | the wind range of any one kite kit is rather narrow, so there will be either lots of scheduling slips or tons of gear regulations? either way, it will be a mess to administer. |
didnt do a ton of research on this, but I dont think it is correct. Windsurfing manufacturers are liberal in the wind ranges because it isnt dangerous to be outside the wind range. I see real ranges posted by people on forums in the 6 knot range for windsurfing sails. the mfg typically have a 10 knot range listed. Kites typically are shown with a more conservative wind range so mfg can avoid liability. However wind ranges as much as 12 knots are listed. You can actually go 2-3 knots lower with a bigger board and you can typically go 4 knots higher if you are skilled. I typically ride a 10m kite from 14 mph to 30 mph. With windsurfing I had 5 sails to cover the same wind range as two kites. However in under about 5 knots, kites simply will not fly so I dont know what they are going to do if the wind doesnt show. At least with windsurfers you can pump the sail.
| Quote: | | people get tea bagged in kiting. deaths and maiming occur monthly, still. a couple of well publicized accidents will probably shut it down. wonder why the proponents of windsurfing were not allowed to show the GMA coverage of that idiot in ft lauderdale during that tropical storm a while back? again, ill informed, or corruption? |
the guy was sailing a tropical storm. In typical conditions kiting is pretty safe and is definitely more safe than it used to be (starting from about 2006 when the technology dramatically changed). Kiting is more dangerous than windsurfing, but again, are you sure that is a criteria for an olympic sport?
if anything, the more dangerous, the better the ratings.
Here are some other dangerous olympic sports
http://blog.asiahotels.com/the-9-most-dangerous-olympic-sports/
Here is an article about snowcross:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/sports/olympics/15danger.html
I dont think corruption plays into it, but maybe the criteria they are using to prioritize sports is different than the criteria that you think are important.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
feuser
Joined: 29 Oct 2002
Posts: 1508
|
| Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 9:07 am Post subject: |
|
|
| acctx wrote: | | jingebritsen wrote: | some like to watch sports, i typically do not. some like watching sail racing of any sort, i tend to rather sleep or wave sail.
but for kiting to displace windsurfing in olympics? that's uninformed or corrupt. |
Surprised that they didnt do both. the research article they posted though showed about 1.5 million kitesurfers world wide. No idea how accurate that is. The windsurfer # is lower
|
What about the number of active Finn Dinghy sailors? The # argument holds no water.
| acctx wrote: |
| Quote: | | kites take up tons of space on the water. |
how is this relevant for the olympics?
|
Quite relevant for tactical racing around buoys.
| acctx wrote: |
| Quote: | | the wind range of any one kite kit is rather narrow, so there will be either lots of scheduling slips or tons of gear regulations? either way, it will be a mess to administer. |
didnt do a ton of research on this, but I dont think it is correct. Windsurfing manufacturers are liberal in the wind ranges because it isnt dangerous to be outside the wind range. I see real ranges posted by people on forums in the 6 knot range for windsurfing sails. the mfg typically have a 10 knot range listed. Kites typically are shown with a more conservative wind range so mfg can avoid liability. However wind ranges as much as 12 knots are listed. You can actually go 2-3 knots lower with a bigger board and you can typically go 4 knots higher if you are skilled. I typically ride a 10m kite from 14 mph to 30 mph. With windsurfing I had 5 sails to cover the same wind range as two kites. However in under about 5 knots, kites simply will not fly so I dont know what they are going to do if the wind doesnt show. At least with windsurfers you can pump the sail.
|
One 7.5 cambered sail could cover 5 - 25+ knots with one planing and one displacement hull. Both at a fraction of the price of a Finn.
I think kites falling out of the sky in light wind races will drive home a point that has killed windsurfing as an attractive discipline as well: racing in conditions or venues chosen without consideration for the sport. Windsurfers were still launched out of harbors (with support boats) in China!
Also, unless the Olympic kiting is jumping over obstacles or counting the number of handle passes, it is even less representative for the sport than one design racing was for windsurfing.
With both sports represented, there could have been more of an argument to split them from the traditional yachting format and move the venue to windy beaches. To not have windsurfing alongside, is actually a loss to kiteboarding.
_________________
florian - ny22
http://www.windsurfing.kasail.com/ |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jingebritsen
Joined: 21 Aug 2002
Posts: 3371
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bkiggins
Joined: 01 Aug 1999
Posts: 101
Location: Castle Rock, CO
|
| Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 9:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
| As far as the 2016 Olympics, I doubt they'll have a lack of wind in Brazil.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
feuser
Joined: 29 Oct 2002
Posts: 1508
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jamieinnyc
Joined: 26 Apr 2010
Posts: 108
|
| Posted: Sun May 06, 2012 11:13 am Post subject: |
|
|
Olympic windsurfing was always problematic, and moving from the Mistral to the RSX was likely the death knel. Yes, the vast majority of windsurfers practice something very different from course racing, and that was a major issue. And pumping around a course - no matter how athletic and skillful an endeavor - looks ridiculous (and is practiced by no one outside of the Olympics). As much as I would have favored a new division II class, I think formula was the only really good option for the Olympics - a board like the Apollo and maybe 2 sails? Not sure why they didn't go this route.
The biggest mistake is to think that it has to be either kiting or windsurfing. Both have far more to do with the direction of sailing worldwide than many of the old monohull classes that hang on. And the fumbling over multihulls is also a joke - there should be several multihull classes, since in the triangulation between tradition, tactical racing, and high performance, high performance always gets short shrift. The outcome will be predictabiliy - which is bad in every respect.
I am all for kiting in the olympics - there will be likttle predictability in this event. I have to agree that windsurfers griping about kiters sounds totally out of touch and defensive in 2012. Lots of great stuff happening with kiting these days - might want to give it another try myself (though for the kind of ocean sailing I typically do, it cannot replace windsurfing).
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
|
|
Search
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Register
