Sherman kite parking/launch?? WTF

[S I LOCAL]

This kite forum is the best way to get the word out to all the people, thats why its here, great tool!
as for the tone, get over it!

[dewey]

S.I. Local? Dewey? Could it be really that hard to speak to people when you're there? You need to be clear with people about what their doing and what would work best, under the circumstances, however your tone at present is not a welcome approach.

Now I am looking for you to talk to about your improving your tone of voice.

You're welcome to talk to me anytime. Do you think I haven't tried to talk to people? Do you think that all the people that are in the trailers haven't tried to talk to people? Hang out at the launch and listen to all the kiters trying to find owners for the kites laying around. Try to catch the kite that is coming down fast in the field of kites. We have been saying it on the beach for some time now. Nobody listens!!! I don't want to handle someone elses kite. Try shaming people to get them to work together.

Funny how you make ME, the guy that will always give the launch, catch, advice, and help, the problem. I'm not the problem! I'm one of the nicest guys on the beach! SI Local is not too bad either ;-)

BTW - Nice try to distract from the REAL problem. Try to further your kites all over the launch agenda some where else.

If you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.

Sorry about the spelling errors!

[gnukid]

People are not aware, they need super clear information presented politely with humor and logic, not angry like you two approach it. This is the oldest story in the kiting book. You can address it at the launch. Its something easily resolved with communication.

[Skipow]

Sometimes it takes a couple of folks to get upset to bring the opportunity to communicate out. Stir up the hornets nest, as you will. As the Sherman situation continues to get more and more clustered and the kiting population grows at an alarming rate, I wonder what it will take for us to decide to work as a group and control the situation a little. Stacking kites seems like common sense to me, but since when has common sense been a dominant trait amongst the masses? In addition, why are first timers launching from the back? I truely dislike signage and would not like to see rule books handed out, so what do we do? Perhaps the best approach is to LEAD BY EXAMPLE and stack a kite or two in additition to our own without muttering under our breath. As far as landing kites in the back goes, you shouldn't even be launching/landing back there if you can't self land your kite. I like landing my kite next to its parking spot and would prefer no one even touched it.

I've been waiting for the oppotunity to ask: How is it that the 'others' claim so much real estate and build structures to keep the sails they rarely use out of the sun? Who do we need to talk to to build custom kite garages?

What I really want is to keep my whole quiver pumped and ready with bars and lines attached. Maybe I'll just bring some spray paint next weekend and make myself a spot. 'Reserved for J13--Unauthorized kites will be deflated.'

[S I LOCAL]

100% right Paul, no argument.
you are not one of those people, no worries!
I have talked with park host , ranger , and many people about things that go on in a County Park.
Self regulating may be the answer.
Dewey started this post and I am going to support him no matter what the tone!
You know what they say about opinions?
I say we have a witch burning.

try laughing when your reading some of this crap. :mrgreen:

[wjb]

Rigging up your kite and walking away from it is like parking your car in the middle of a busy intersection. It seems so basic that it should not even have to be explained. A "gentle" talking to might not get though to somebody like that.

The 7th was definately a crazy day. Here someone going out is wrapped up in the lines of a dropped Caustion Answer

[dewey]

People are not aware, they need super clear information presented politely with humor and logic, not angry like you two approach it. This is the oldest story in the kiting book. You can address it at the launch. Its something easily resolved with communication.

Tell you what. You could join the group that trys to keep the launch clear. When you tell people and they walk away, or you can't find the owner of a kite, you'll see what I mean. Like I said I'm one of the first to help out back there, but enough is enough.

At lease people are pissed and talking about it now, not just getting pissed.

10 in support 1 not???

[Scotty]

I was out there on Saturday and it took me a while to launch because people wouldn't move their SH&^$T....But i only go up there maybe five times a season and even though I want to tell someone to move their stuff, I do not know if I am going to piss off some local. What i am saying is, it is up to the locals who are up there all the time to enforce these issues.
Yeah, posting here helps, but ultimately, dealing with it at the launch in a diplomatic manner is the best solution. I know people aren't trying to be a@#%^holes when they tell me to do something, it is all in the manner of how you tell them. Keep it a self regulating sport, no need to get rangers involved. I will do my part if I go up with people and they are unfamiliar with the scenario.

scotty

[OliverG]

Self-regulating is the key! A few times on busy days I've noticed excess kites sitting out in the launch with no one attending them and got a little irritated. The next few times, if there was no one around, I just took note of which kites were clearly unattended and moved them. Except for one blue '02 15m Fuel which sat out all day for maybe six hours, which I kindly deflated and moved (doing them a favor really, anyway!).

The best thing to do is for everyone who recognizes this as a problem to be pro-active and just inform people what the deal is. Bringing it to everyone's attention here is effective too. Repeat offenders should be subjected to attitude as needed.

I've been so busy working and moving and working on moving that I didn't make it there in the last week and a half, since the party anyway, so I wold have at least liked to be there to see the mess!

Give everyone my love and see you soon. :P

[berrisbob]

Every week it gets more crazy back there. Sunday was very bad - not a lot of kites, but a few staggered around in the preferred landing zone making it very difficult to catch a kite. It's already risky to launch and land kites back there due to the flaky wind -- even worse when there are unattended kites scattered about making it difficult to move around as needed to launch or land someone's kite.

I don't know who the worst offenders are. I don't know if it's locals or guests. But as more and more people come to SI to kite, it will continue to get worse until we find some kind of solution.

Kudos to the few locals out there who have set aside private parking areas for their kites. I know for a fact that they are not part of the problem. I used to have my own spot, up against the trees between the two grassy sections, but I mostly stopped using it because it is very difficult to launch again from there since the wind is even worse there and the grass there is really mowed down weeds with lots of bent twigs that have a bad habit of snagging kite lines. Adamrod, is that the area you are talking about?

Anyway, step 1 is to talk to the people who are leaving their kites out in the middle. That has been done and needs to continue to be done. Step 2 is to post a complaint here on the forum (thanks Dewey). I think most of the kiters who ever ride at SI read this forum, so only the few others have any excuse going forward. Step 3 is to move any kites that have been unattended for a long time. I suggest moving them to the middle of any of the stacks along the edge of the area. That way it will take the owner a bit of time to find his/her kite, and that might make an impression. Step 4 - well, I can think of lots of things. But most of them border on being mean. So let's hope we don't ever have to go beyond step 3.