The following is from the AKA website at:
http://www.aka.kite.org
IV. How to "Keep" Kiteboarding [top]
It is important to work to maintain kiteboarding access without restrictions where ever you launch and ride. This means new kiteboarders seeking proper instruction and practicing well away from bystanders and crowded areas.
Once you have advanced in kiteboarding, have developed some skills and even some tricks you can really rip loose and show the world how it is done, right?! Yes and no. As long as you follow the safe kiteboarding guidelines and other responsible practices, yes go to it and show the world. The guidelines are designed to try to avoid accidents, incidents and complaints. Unfortunately, there has been a tendency shown by some kiteboarders to ignore good practices and the safe kiteboarding guidelines. So what, we are all adults or at least most of us, we can do what we want? Out in the boonies, far away from others, you may be right. Near other people in populated areas, we have to be careful if we are to maintain unrestricted kiteboarding access. This has been proven by the creation of restrictions in some areas already. When you travel to a new area, please research local restrictions or guidelines, if any, with the local kiteboarding association, kiteboarding shops or riders before you go out.
This sport can be dangerous to both the participant and to bystanders if it is not approached with suitable caution and good judgment. If caution, good judgment and the safe kiteboarding guidelines are ignored it becomes easy to cause complaints and potentially incidents and accidents followed by restrictions on kiteboarding. It has happened many times already, testing the limits will only result in restricting what ideally should be a free sport, if practiced intelligently and responsibly.
So, what should you do? Read, understand and practice the safe kiteboarding guidelines. Always be courteous to bystanders and beach goers, help other kiteboarders when needed and generally use common sense. Also encourage other kiteboarders to follow suit. If you see someone ignoring the safe kiteboarding guidelines putting the free practice of your sport in jeopardy. Please talk with them as tactfully and persuasively as you can to protect your access. If you have a kiteboarding association or club report the situation to the leadership so they can formulate an effective solution if needed. If you are aware of problems with the lifeguards or governing authority notify your kiteboarding organization. If you have a kiteboarding association or club, join it and support it. If you don't have one, consider forming one, it is the logical thing to do to keep out there flying. The AKA would like to help.
V. Kiteboarding Clubs and Associations [top]
A. Why are they important?
Kiteboard Clubs and Associations have been formed to promote safety and continued access to beaches and launches for kiteboarding. Our numbers are mounting by the month and incidents and accidents are also becoming more frequent. Some launches are imposing restrictions or are thinking about doing so. Associations and clubs act to serve the interests of the kiteboarding community and advocate and negotiate over issues important to them. They provide local leadership and a point of contact for officials that might have concerns regarding this sport. Clubs and Associations distribute and promote safe kiteboarding guidelines to improve safety and to aid in maintaining access.
B. How to form a kiteboarding club?
It is relatively easy to form a kiteboarding club. Start with some goals, get the word out, discuss local issues and solutions with other riders and you are on your way. More details follow:
1. Figure out the goals of the club and area of coverage. Ideal goals would be to promote kiteboarding safety and maintenance of access to local launches. The club could also organize fly-ins, clinics, competitions, flea markets and even negotiate with local officials to try to maintain or restore access. In these ways a club can be very similar to an association only smaller and less wide spread geographically.
2. Approach people to join. This can be done at the beach, over the Internet, through local shops and person-to-person. All it takes is two and hopefully more will follow with time.
3. Setup an initial meeting for a fixed date and time. Circulating a written announcement with a short itinerary would be a good idea.
4. Discuss local issues including launches, problem areas for resolution, improved procedures and potential local safe kiteboarding guidelines. The local guidelines should supplement the AKA kiteboarding guidelines to address local conditions and restrictions. Identify suitable launches for beginners versus more technical launches that are more appropriate for experienced riders. Identify an individual or a group of riders who will write the local guidelines.
5. Circulate the draft guidelines for comments and modification before finalizing them. Distribute the final guidelines to the membership. Become an affiliate of the AKA.
6. Try to promote awareness of the guidelines and compliance with them. Encourage members to approach and tactfully discuss the guidelines with other riders and those that might not be following suitable practices.
7. Encourage local instructors to put on clinics at fly-ins or festivals. AKA membership is required for the in-water participants so that event insurance can be acquired.
8. It is important to secure local approvals and permits if necessary for organized events. A safety plan should be prepared planning for various scenarios and a safety officer designated.
C. How To Form a Kiteboarding Association
One approach that has been used for the formation of kiteboarding associations in the USA appears below.
1. Talk with other kiteboarders, kiteboarding retailers, lifeguards and park rangers about concerns they have about kiteboarders, kiteboarding access, specific incidents, ongoing problems, etc. Make a list of concerns, potential restrictions and problems to be resolved.
2. Form a list on yahoogroups.com. Post the creation of your group on other existing kiteboarding lists and spread the word through kiteboarders and kiteboard retailers in your area. This list could be your initial primary means of communication with members. An example of this approach for the Florida Kitesurfing Association, an AKA affiliate, appears at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FKSA/
3.
Other approaches are presented for various Chapters of the Hawiian Kiteboarding Associations, appear at:
http://www.hawaiikiteboardingassociatio ... apters.htm
Finally another approach is presented for the San Diego Kiteboarding Association, appears at: http://www.sdka.org/
4. Identify potential area coordinators (ACs), in your area or state. ACs could be people involved in the kiteboarding business, retailers and instructors as well as other experienced, concerned kiteboarders. Initially the AC volunteers would be responsible for helping to write and comment upon area specific safe kiteboarding guidelines, distributing them to local kiteboarders in their areas, encouraging membership in the kiteboarding group and warning the group in advance of potential kiteboarding access problems. ACs may be individuals already involved with local kiteboarding groups. ACs would be encouraged to form and participate in local kiteboarding chapters of the association. At some point assistant ACs can be designated and committees formed to aid in association goals and functions.
5. Circulate the draft area specific kiteboarding guidelines among the ACs that address unique local conditions and restrictions. Finalize the area specific guidelines and post them in the “Filesâ€