KPWT Jamaica Canceled?

[Toby]

Just a note on the side:

Kristin and Sean stood up for the rights of the riders...and guess what: they got fined for stupid reasons...someone wanted to show power to shut them up.

Richard, this is just wrong, and I am sure you agree.

The riders make a tour, not the tour the riders.
Time to realize it, since without riders a tour can't make money...finally the riders get the power to change things to their benefits.

[piedroporto]

Toby can you specify what you know about those 2 riders standing up for others and getting fined ?!

cause without evidence i can also come here and say that they disrespected the rules and that's why they where fined.

i'm really interested in knowing whay they stood up for.

thanks

Pedro

[Toby]

E.g. Sean was fighting to not pay the "tax", which first was declared as "ika fee", then half ika and half administrative costs, then all administrative cost...

He was very angry about this tax, since almost all riders pay on top anyway...
So he discussed with the head of kpwt.

Then it was later in the day, the riders were released for the day, and Sean went to ride and have someone shooting him for new pictures.
Then a kpwt member came and gave him a fine for not wearing the event lycra...
Same story with Kristin...

And if you don't believe it, just contact them directly and ask!

[piedroporto]

Well it seems to me that if that tax was declared as you say, then if riders register, they must submit to the rules...

as for going in the water with no lycra and being fined, from what i know it is also part of the rules that while in the competition location and during the competition time (from day one to last day), even during training or other situations, the competition lycra must be used. Which makes sense as sponsors have stickers and prints in those lycras...

so honestly, in my opinion, they can get as angry as they want but my interpretation of your facts and according to my knowledge of the rules, they where breaking them. it is that simple.

this is what i wanted to know. There are always 2 sides for a story and it is very easy to judge everyone when only one side is known.

how hard is it to use the event lycra when going in the water ?! if every other rider does it, why should one or two riders be treated any different ?! it would be a complete mess and bad for sponsors if the rules were not respected.

just my opinion anyway... maybe it is a true hassle for riders to drop the kite for 2mins and go back to the beach and get back the lycra that they forgot...

[kpwtmagazine]

Toby.
I cannot of course discuss this on a forum, because I do not know what has triggered this Sean Farley, Kristin Boese discussion?
Lets not get distracted from the topic here.

[piedroporto]

i think Richard's right. we are going offtopic...

anyway i decided to give in my 50cents because all i said is public. Riders have rule books at their disposal and that's that.

[Toby]

A private shooting after comp has been cancelled?
A daily thing at PKRA...
And why not just warn before? Why fine immediately?
Because to shut them up. Be honest, we know how someone uses his power.
Shame.

And ask kpwt what their contract with ika said about prize money.
I think they had am agreement...

[Mattjamaica]

I went to the event as a spectator and arrived late Friday afternoon 26th March, there was little wind and no one kiteboarding at long bay. The following day I went back to the event location where they had the registration area, judging area etc. There were two kites on the beach and once again very little wind. When I enquired with some of the locals about the competition the response was the organisers did not pay the local parish council to stage the event and that the ministry of health had concerns due to no rescue craft in case of an offshore incident. Hence the event could not yet go ahead. The followng day I returned and no change. I was advised by one of the local wildcard entrants that they were now waiting a court order as the IKA would not let KPWT call the event an official world championship tour Jamaica World Cup 2010 and that they would have to wait until Monday to find out. I drove back Sunday afternoon 3.5hrs to go home and drove back the next Friday to watch the event to find that everything had been packed up and the event cancelled. No one to be seen at Long Bay. To answer some other questions, the prize money was 40,000 Euro - 16,000E freestyle, 16,000E wave master, 7,000E course racing/slalom, and 1,000E junior. Jamaica does have consistent winds sufficient for kiteboarding generally from the East, which turns NE on the North coast, and SE on the south coast. There is a group of maybe 15 core riders on the island (mostly from Montego Bay), this could be more now as it has been several years since I tried to learn at Bounty Bay on the north coast where they practice. I hear some people kitesurf near Port Royal on the south coast also, but not many. There was a picture in the local paper of a foreign kite boarder kiting boarding at Long Bay, I think just before the event was scheduled to start. The second weekend I went there was consistent wind from the ENE on Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon. I was dissapointed the event did not take place, like many others, the locals in particular felt very sad, citing poor organisation of the event. I would like to give my respect to Billy Mystic for his contribution to this thread, he has done a great deal in the promotion of surfing on the island. I consider him a legend here as he was the last to surf the best break on the island, the Zoo, before Hurricane Ivan washed it away, he surfed it the day the hurricane approached, very big clean waves. I don't believe there is a kiteboarding association in Jamaica www.kiteboardingjamaica.com was at Long Bay distributing business cards, which I believe were for kitesurfing instructions i.e a business. I hope this helps a little. these were words that were spoken to me at the event site, but I cannot confirm if they are true and factual.
Regards,

Matt.

[Toby]

Hi Matt,

thx for the info and sorry to hear.

I hope one day there will be a kiteboarding event on Jamaica.

How about a national event? Which then could be taken to something bigger if things work out.
Should also be a good way to get trust back from the tourism board, if locals organize it.

[Mattjamaica]

Hi Toby,

Thanks for the encouragement. I have been a little out of the kiteboarding scene myself lately, but want to get back into and was looking forward to being hyped up by the event. I am closer to the south coast and most the kiteboarders are on the North coast, at least a 2hr drive for me !
Kiteboarding has a relatively small following on the island, and I guess some local competitions could generate some further interest in the sport. Surfboard riding itself has only really kicked off to a reasonable level in the last decade or so and that is a much older sport than kiteboarding. For many locals it is difficult as the equipment is relatively expensive, many cannot afford just surfboards. So you generally find the more well off persons enjoying kiteboarding on the island. There is potential however, Jamaicans are very talented, and ingenious in making things happen when they really want to. As Billy had suggested the first step would be to formulate an association, members, and then some regular events, sponsors, marketing etc.