John Barresi Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Hi all, I finished my first AKA Convention as President last Sunday night, a successful venture with roughly 170 kitefliers in attendance... We had generally good flying weather, and a ton of successful competitions with some of the finest sport kite pilots and kite makers around. 4 more championships on the wall now (Masters Multiline Ballet and Precision, Open Pairs Multiline Ballet and a precision) for a grand total of 24 accumulated since 1992. Fumbled my way through a previously political environment, just by being myself and reaching out to the fliers in attendance, as equal participants in the event and future of the association... Worked wonderfully, my faith in humanity is secure. At the moment, I'm playing catch up on email, social media and forums, working to cover the bills and dealing with some personal (non-health related) issues that are keeping me very busy right now. I'm grateful for all of your support and patience, will work to bring everyone up to working speed as fast as I can. Thanks so much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Take your time John, send your kites to me and I'll look after them for you.... Big congrats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbailey49 Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Sounds like things went well. I know you will defer, but a lot of the credit goes to you. Congratulations! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Farlow Posted October 17, 2013 Report Share Posted October 17, 2013 Fumbled my way through a previously political environment, just by being myself and reaching out to the fliers in attendance, as equal participants in the event and future of the association... Worked wonderfully, my faith in humanity is secure. Further evidence that you're the right guy for the job! Thanks for your leadership. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reef Runner Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Hang in there John............. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makatakam Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Smile, and don't forget to breathe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khal Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Thanks for taking the reins, Bucko! See ya next year in NC. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted October 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 All I do is set a positive, encouraging tone, and I remember that everyone has a gift - when I do that right, people make better use of the ever-existent space and fuel for their own greatness - defer nothing, it's a shared asset. Thanks all, partially caught up now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Farlow Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 All I do is set a positive, encouraging tone, and I remember that everyone has a gift - when I do that right, people make better use of the ever-existent space and fuel for their own greatness - defer nothing, it's a shared asset. ! At the risk of belaboring the point, that's one of the definitions of good leadership. Let's hope that whoever succeeds you as AKA president in the future is paying attention and learning from your example. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Barresi Posted October 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Thanks Jay, and everyone. == Tapped into a point of passion for me - reminder for anyone, if you SEE a gap, there is a good chance you're the best qualified one to get involved. That's been my biggest hurdle as President - not everyone can see what I see, and I just don't have enough hands to get to it all, nor can I illustrate all to someone else. If you've run into any issue with the AKA, somewhere, no matter how minor, it's probably already been considered and is simply suffering from a lack of self-motivated bodies. Always share your thoughts, reminders and wake up calls are most welcome, but specific offers of help in your areas of passion are even better. One of personal my mantras - you don't like it, change, adapt or remove it - recurring complaints with no action chaps my ass. Anyone with the interest, we have something here (kiting) that is most definitely worth sharing and growing, it's more than a simple pastime... Kiting really does have a unique ability to equalize, bond and engage people from any part of the world, separately or in concert... I've seen it heal, empower and awaken countless people, some just for moments, some for a lifetime... Here, geeks can be gods, shy people can share in human energy and still feel safe, age is no barrier in almost every aspect of kiting, that, that, that is what I wake up for every day, quite literally - to spread that goodness as far as I can while there is still time to affect this world for the better, it's all we've got imho. At the same time, containing all of that, no matter what we project, it is inherently still the simple act of kiting - something I always fall back on in my worst days. The AKA went through some tough times as an entity, the collective mood and sense of mission statement went a bit askew, like a family caught in drama but none really desiring the drama, with too many eyes toward a longstanding aristocracy for answers (not implying malintent, only the facts of partial vacuum, natural dynamic when the soil isn't cared for) - what I saw and felt in Seaside filled me with nothing but pride and affirmation in our little window of humanity, what we're doing with all this, the long game, never mind the petty human things along the way. One person alone, hundreds in formation, old to young or young to old, complex or simple, sporty or smooth, active or static... Kiting is a beautiful, benign vehicle for something so much more that comes from beyond sticks, fabric and string. I'm tempted to quote John F Kennedy at the moment... lol Any guesses? /ramble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbailey49 Posted October 18, 2013 Report Share Posted October 18, 2013 Ask not what the AKA can do for you, but what you can do for the AKA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkieRob Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 "See a need, fill a need." Ok, it's a movie quote. An animated kids movie at that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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