La Ventana Kite Expo Race issues and suggestions

[gnukid]

In Tim's reply you see his complete denial or ability to acknowledge the failures-even though he knows they didn't score the riders-they unfailrly dsq the winner of the long distance and they couldn't get a kite off the beach in the demo? I wonder what would be so bad about acknowledging the issues and working together to fix them--but you can see he won't and it won't happen. Sucks.

[airess]

hey gabe,
make sure that there are a lot of people to catch kites at the end.
Gracie-Marie, i don't remember seeing you there but by your passionate posts you must have been there, and i'm sure you would agree that the finish became quite dangerous as there was no one that i could see designated to catch kites. i just went to beach to observe and became the unwitting event 'non-volunteer' last year stuck running around trying to catch kites with other kite lines dropping on top me, kites coming down all-over with no-one to catch them, etc. you get the picture. i know it's a small thing and easily overlooked....i'm glad that they are making more room with demos etc. another huge issue as kites came out of the sky was no room and a lot of tents, people and other obstacles .

also, i heard that there was supposed to be lunch provided on the island and that they ran out before all competitors got some. (it quite possibly could be the fault of the mood enhancing bonfires provided by the local mexi party girls Maria y Juana making people a little hungrier than normal) however, if you want me to leave at 7am in a boat and sit on a rock until the wind comes up, last year 1-2pm, and you tell me lunch is provided...well, i get a little cranky when i'm hungry.
good luck and lots of fun. rita

[KillaHz]

Paul, I have been in communication with Tim and Marina over the last couple days. They are definitely working to make this years event as flawless as possible and really fun for all involved. I am trying to help out in any way that I can as well.

As to the dsq you are referring to from last year, I spoke with impartial parties from last year who said that this windsurfer in question was informed the night before that he would be dsq'd if he sailed over. He did not agree with the rule and actually got a bit heated about it. He then decided to break that rule anyway and he knew he would not be credited with a finish. I wasn't there, so I don't for sure but I see no reason for the people I discussed it with to lie.

The demo area has been expanded and I think as long as each station is sufficiently manned, there should not be issue with launching and landing.

Every event has it's growing pains and in a sport we love, we help to avoid them in the future. That is my intention and no matter what happened last year, the towns of La Ventana and El Sargento are better off because of it.

[Greg]

This topic of safety in the Landing Zone was the intent of my original post..
I will stay and catch kites, etc... for the"RACE"! (I can do the crossing anytime)
As far as making space between booths- THAT is GREAT! We can have several places to stack kites as riders come ashore..
This year is gonna ROCK! (sounds so cleche comming form me)
L.M.G.

[GracieMarie]

Yup, I was there Rita, catching kites and running around trying to be helpful like everybody else.

My posts are passionate because it's wrong to let Paul run amok and defame Tim Hatler, or anyone else that I know personally. Especially when they're slaving madly for the good of others. I didn't see panga-loads of people jumping in to correct the slander that Paul was posting about Palapas Ventana et al.

Hence my vehement disagreement with the garbage Paul was throwing around... disguised as righteousness and "concern".

Paul is using this thread as his personal axe grinding station because (I'm guessing) Tim didn't cave to his demands last year. I'm not saying that Paul doesn't have any valid points; it's just hard to hear them when they are caked in his resentment at Tim.

The organizers are doing an excellent job, and of course there's a learning curve. They have addressed the problems from last year, and will probably continue to fine tune this event as it grows.

Have a little faith, Paul. Try to get over your issues with last years race. It makes you look freakishly bitter, and any good in your message is discounted because you keep stabbing at Tim in the course of delivering it. GM/Torauni

[K. Cliff]

Who, where and when do I talk to to put my name in the hat to be a volunteer? I'll help catch kites and hand out beer! OK, I'll keep the beer for myself but I'll catch kites :) . The only reason I'm not racing is cause..... I don't want to show any of you guys and gals up! OK, I'm not racing cause I suck but I'll catch kites and drink beer! That's only if I'm not kiting 8) .

[Greg]

Rightous Brother!!
We just need to add a few more assistants to help land and stack kites after the big race... Having a few people roam the beach and assist kiters coming ashore will make the landing areas MUCH safer! (We don't want the general public assisting kiters- that is a bad situation waiting to happen)
Having kiters stay on top of the situation, where ever that happens to be- is key to making this a safer event for the local population as well as the kiters...
Everyone- please kite safe and be kind to each other.
Roll up lines, stack kites, remove excess gear from the water front,
Be Helpfull without RUSHING kiters who may be new to equipment..

Make it a policy to use PROPER HAND SIGNALS!!
THUMBS UP for SAFETY- launch assistants please PAY ATTENTION to release signals.
LAUNCH TOWARD THE WATER, keeping low and go!
Land at the waters edge and roll up ASAP.
REMEMBER: an organized beach allows everyone to have a better time with LESS DANGER to the public and THEMSELVES. Lets make this an event for the skoolbooks on how to HAVE FUN!!

Have a BLAST,
L.M.G.

[thekiteboarderusa]

If you would like to volunteer, please contact Tim@palapasventana.com or come to the skipper's meeting on Wed Jan 21 at the Palapas Ventana Restaurant. See the posting I did on the event updates and the PDF document for schedule.

Thanks!

[gnukid]

Tron, is it freaky that we care about the results of the event that purports to be a major race and demo and charity? If you call for a race and charge money for entries, make it a race, score it and recognize the winner. Period.

I spoke up is because the issue is not just "have fun" or a "simple mistake". The organizers must be cognizant of the requirement to play a set of rules, achieve results and to achieve the demo, safely and effectively.

If someone asks for your money to enter a race, then that event fails to meet the most basic requirements and the organizers are open and notorious in their failure to score, post rules and stick by them then at some point it would be an issue of misrepresentation. By calling for a race and accepting the entries in exchange for your money the organizers enter a contract to at least try to fulfill their obligations to achieve the result.

At some point its reasonable to say, that if there is a serious disregard it is misrepresentation of the event.

I spoke up because I felt strongly about what appears to be disregard for the racers, the winners and the overall results last year in the case of the dsq of the winners and the failure to score people or to properly account for the scores of the long distance. There was no recourse for the racers.

This year if they fail to achieve the results fairly, again, they will face more criticism.

[gnukid]

Ok I get the point that my position is unpopular among the posters here.

If Tim said, "Yes, we probably shouldn't have DSQed the winners who sailed the course correctly and won, we should have scored the race from the island more accurately and we should have provided some recourse to correct all those finishes which weren't scored and we probably could have done better at the Demo organization. We are going to to try harder next time," then I would believe in him, but he doesn't acknowledge these issues. He says, it was big success and he raised a lot of money.

Now, if Greg and Tron were training partners and they worked hard to compete, they traveled a long way having spent their hard earned money to race and they sailed the course correctly and fastest and won first place in their respective divisions, but then Tim threw them out because of a rule he decided upon but not posted prior to the race, and he failed to score the following finishers correctly I bet they would be irritated as well.

So, that fact that Tim and Tron are so outspoken in denial of the facts and say it was a huge success, to me is freaky.

This is outrageous. I am critical because its the right thing to do and if it helps achieve a better result you will each be thanking me for speaking up when you didn't.