Windzup wrote:One example of a concept gone wrong that killed an entire sport, Windsurfing. I grew up in Las Vegas, where in the 1980's there was a highpoint for windsurfing and at one point there were 3 shops in town.
This is an interesting perspective, but I have a different one (I do appreciate that I wasn't there so you may be correct for your case).
Non-national sports tend to move in cycles of popularity (BMX, skateboarding, rollerskating, fondue), all the while having a few keen enthusiasts keeping the torch alive between cycles.
Kitesurfing is cool now and everybody wants a piece. There are shops everywhere. People like me are travelling 100+ miles from the cities to get to the beach. After a couple of seasons, the shine will have worn off, everyone will know someone that has had a real kitemare and the general population will not be so keen to have a go. Some will drop out because their progress won't be fast enough (i'm seeing this already) and, here in the UK, some will just get sick of being cold
The shops won't all survive and you will be left with 15 guys at every beach...
The mail order issue doesn't just affect our sport, it is an issue for white goods, too. Increasingly people inspect and choose products in a showroom and then buy them off the internet.
I tried to buy a dishwasher in a store and they told me that it would be 2 weeks delivery so I bought it from the internet, got 30% off and got it quicker!
Many kite shops are unable to carry all of the stock that they sell. A friend of mine 'ordered' a kite at the shop and it took the distributer 3 MONTHS to get it to the shop and then they were charged more because it was a 2004 model! Hmmm....
The market will decide for better or worse...