Postby MKM » Wed May 23, 2012 9:17 pm
Nevin’s real accident was to use a very, very old accident that occurred at a time when there was no legitimate instruction available, and none of us had any idea of safe riding practices, to promote a very personal agenda at the expense of all of us.
Sure he has a lot at stake. He works for Bic, and the 293 windsurfing surfing class is a feeder to Olympic windsurfing. Additionally, he is the father of a very promising young female racer that had a very good chance at representing the US in 2016.
Nevin has worked tirelessly to promote windsurfing via sailing clubs, etc. He is surely among the best in the business and deserves recognition for outstanding achievement in the area.
The tragic tale of this story is that for purely personal gain, Nevin is seriously jeopardizing riding access everywhere for kite surfers, windsurfers, and surfers “and para gliders for that matter”, due to his careless, misrepresentation of kite surfing. To law makers, park managers, municipalities, and enforcement agencies, WE ARE ALL THE SAME.
Now, when decision makers are scanning the internet looking for information on kite boarding safety, Nevin’s dated, fanatical misrepresentation of this sport may become an overwhelming factor in banning access for all of us.
While everyone is entitled to express an opinion on the mater, I’d have guessed that someone of his stature and position in the water and wave sports industry could easily have taken a higher road and promoted the best aspects of windsurfing in the Olympics instead of carelessly attaching kiting access with old accounts and gruesome accident photos from the earliest days of the sport. As someone that has, and continues to work in the wind and wave sports industry for over 16 years, this embarrasses me. It’s up to Nevin if he wants to allow his children to participate in kite boarding, not us.
I agree with Nevin that windsurfing should be in the Olympics. It meets all of the criteria and is the 2nd most popular, and lest expense discipline in sailing. Excellent youth and junior programs support it worldwide. The fact still remains however that irrespective of whether or not kiting participates in the Rio 2016 games, Nevin will also no doubt be deserving of credit for helping to ban all types of water access around the globe. I’m sure that US Sailing doesn’t give awards for this…
Kent Marinkovic