In the last six weeks, I have been fortunate enough to attend four great festivals, and talk to many readers of the magazine. We received a lot of great suggestions and ideas…be assured we will consider each and every one, after all, we are a magazine BY and FOR kiters. One comment that we received really made me grin. Gina Ignazzitto, from team Shanti Air, said, “Great name…once you get the kiting bug, it becomes a lifestyle”. When we were developing the concept for the ‘zine, we knew the name was most important, it was nice for a reader to so directly connect with our concept of the whole effort.
Your response to our efforts is incredible! As of June 27, we have received 486,806 hits, with almost 3 gigabytes of information downloaded from the site. Assuming you like what you see, let our sponsors know, and reward them with your business. Without their kind assistance, we would not be here for you to enjoy. None of our sponsors are getting rich from kiting, by and large, it is a labor of love for them, as it is for myself and the contributors. The sponsor’s early support for KiteLife, before it was a proven entity, shows a commitment to the growth of the sport, in our opinion.
We have a few new faces joining us this month. Corey Jensen, longtime leading figure in kiting, will be doing a monthly buggy column. Bob White, an historian, will be doing bi-monthly articles on early figures in kiting. We are sure you will enjoy their first efforts in this issue. We also have a few new tricks up our sleeves..watch this space for further news.
Our Six-Point Plan for World Peace
1. Put implementation of the International Rulebook on hold until flier concerns are addressed. We bet that, in the USA at least, the draconian penalties for boundary violations will not be accepted, or enforced. The rule about inappropriate music editing just seems, well, goofy. The IRB is a great idea, but needs more work, specifically, a critical-eyed real world analysis of how it will play in Peoria, or Istanbul. US fliers, if you agree, let Sherrie Arnold, AKA Sportkite Committee chairperson know, at sportkite@aka.kite.org Don’t you dare mail her until you have read the next point!
2. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. All of the USA fliers that are complaining about the IRB, start participating in the discussion. Waiting until rules are published is too late to be whining about them. Take positive action, contact the AKA Sportkite Committee at sportkite@aka.kite.org , give feedback, offer help. Same goes for everyone who carps about anything. Stop bitching and help fix it.
3. Take a kid kiteflying. Take your mom kiteflying. Take your boss kiteflying. Every time you go to the field, have a sportkite, and an easy-flying single-line kite ready to go. When the inevitable civilian shows up, get a kite in their hands!
4. AKA and AKM, GET TOGETHER!! The American Kite Circuit has been a ship adrift for several years, and the AKA Conference system could use a national layer added on top of it. Bury the ancient hatchets. Benefit the sport. American Kite Magazine, change your season to match the AKA season, and make the AKA Convention the “All-American” EVERY year. AKA, make the Convention an “open” event to accommodate the 2 or 3 fliers who show who would not have qualified under existing rules. Remember Santa Monica in ’96? Incredible competition! Remember Grand Haven, the ’98 All-American…only 44 competitors. We really need your combined leadership! Agree? E-mail Daniel Prentice (American Kite Circuit) and Richard Dermer. Tell ’em KiteLife sent ya.
5. Fly ’em all!! Hard-bitten sportkite competitors, kick back with a beer and a Sutton Flowform, or rip a fighter around. Single-liners, learn to do an axel with a Jam Session. I know I have them all in my bag, and many of you do too. Don’t get pigeonholed! Enjoy all that this great hobby has to offer.
6. Join the AKA! If you fly kites and live in the USA, it’s the best twenty five bucks you can spend. Go to http://www.kite.org to find the reasons why you should join.
That’s all for now. Enjoy the issue, feel free to contact us with any comments or ideas.
Mike
