To Dangle or to Wake! That is the question...

J.P. · Since 10 Mar 2005 638 Posts Addicted

What a wounderful way to start the new year off... with another ridiculous 'religious war'

Take a lesson form ANY history book you choose, there are no winners in "religious wars"...

cheers

John

ps. given the fact that it' the dead of winter, I do understand the need to create some healthy banter... but...

Moto · Since 03 Sep 2006 2698 Posts Still a gojo pimp! Moto Mouth

forrest · Wed Jan 21, 09 11:05 am

I'd take the criticism constructively and work on it.

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

So thoughtful all the concern for the sport, Very Happy

one never knows when the next newb
will become a fast friend.

But I suspect it's mainly who's cool thing. Sad

Why would anyone care weather someone from the shore "gets it"
unless of course you are concerned they might think you are not cool
I too have some opinions on whats fun and not
but how does that make any diff?

I'm not promoting this sport and if you are what is the reason?
$$$$,
exclusiveness?
look a little deeper and you will find something in yourself you love

Idle bigotry for the sake of it is pretty lame.
Look for something bigger in life (work?,family?)and your fun will be so much more enjoyable.

I've done my share of grinds over the years and probably most of them before most of you were born (started skateboarding in 1968)
doesn't make it any more or less fun now.
If you think you are helping out the community by showing us something better
save it,
only the dudes in your clique care.

Like stated before in a few years what you are doing now will be seen as totally
lame,
(prolly by you).

but keep up the stoke
I for one am glad you are enjoying it
even if I could care less.

this is not a put down
I ride with all sorts
"Nothing will kill a sport quicker than a bunch of old fat fucks
getting into it"
this is what an "Old windsurfer" told me in 2002
and look how it's killed it so far Laughing

anyway didn't wakeboarding die off in the 90's? Laughing

forrest · Wed Jan 21, 09 11:16 am

For me it's all about being recognized as your lord and savior Blowhard. You can call me Forrest Christ from now on.

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

nathan b · Since 20 Jul 2007 2 Posts New Member

HA! Wakeboarding was just coming alive in the 90s and has not stoped progressing since: http://videos.wakeboardingmag.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=961&title=Keith_Lyman_Gap_Teaser_Push_Process_Wake_Movie

J.P. · Since 10 Mar 2005 638 Posts Addicted

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

The point is, is that we dont want to be rollerbladers, or windsurfers. We want this sport to endure, and become something other than just a crazy wind sport. No other wind sport has had the potential that kiteboarding has to appeal to other board sports.

Show a surfer, snowboarder, skateboarder some ultra dangletastic maneuvers and they will be like, shit that is pretty gay, like to just fly into the air and be a ballerina, i think ill just stick with aforementioned forte.

But show one of them a video of someone with boots, powered up, hitting sliders, and they are like shit that looks pretty sick, I want to try that for sure.

Dangling is only cool to kooky bystanders on the beach, are those the people you want getting into kiting??

Im not saying that dangling isn't fun, or a part of kiteboarding. What I'm saying is that it isn't legitimate. It isnt hard to do. It doesnt look good. Its not hard to do a trick hooked in, thats just all there is to it. It isnt hard to do a trick with your kite in Neutral and it sure as hell doesnt look good either. Trying to push dangling to the masses, like most mags do, wont give kiteboarding the respect it deserves, and will eventually kill any chance of it becoming legitimate.

So yes people dangle, but do you think these pictures should be in magazines, or up for best photo of the year when the content of the picture does not a contain something legitimate??

The best photo of the year thread should not only be about quality of the photo, but what is in the photo?? Is it just an everyday dangle? Or is it something legit??

So, dangling is fun for sure and no one is hating on it,
but as far as trying to push dangling as a legitimate form of kiteboarding,
that is what we are hating on.

Dangle on, or keep the kite low, whatever you likes!!
But in the end you gotta know whats LEGIT.

jonah · Since 20 Jul 2006 169 Posts Hood River Stoked

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

<<legit>>

According to MC Hammer, this is "Legit."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlRScuN-x5U

registered · Since 12 Jul 2005 1319 Posts tsunami Sandbagger

I think gliding is dangling..... is that lame??

maybe you guys should organize some comps that way you can judge people who sign up for your critisizm and care what the result of your opinions are.

can't we all just get along and have fun too. Twisted Evil

railgrab · Since 29 Mar 2005 177 Posts Seattle, WA Stoked

wakeup · Since 11 Sep 2005 328 Posts always Obsessed

4 pages later---------
this is why in my first post on this thread was telling this dude to ride like he wants,
so that it wouldn't start ANOTHER stupid 4+ page long of a bunch of bull shit.
someone is right, it is a religious battle

i was trying to stop it before it started, then he came back with some tude(all in good fun) the name calling was just part of the game, i was just poking back a little
but the stereotyping is what got me a little going.
several people on here keep saying "THE WAKESTYLERS this" THE WAKESTYLERS that" sounds like a bunch of "no one wants to play with me" broken records---
when in fact, you all are the ones portraying this "WAKESTYLER thinks he's cooler" attitude.
no one thinks that they are better
Granted there are some people in the sport/industry like that, but i am not them, the people i ride with aren't them, and they aren't usually wakestyle riders.
that kinda attitude just leads to localism and that sucks
if someone makes comments like "all the dangle pictures are getting old" the truth is----they probably are. yall post a ton of em. jus kidin, it's just their way of saying it is time to mix it up a little.

truth is--we just wanna ride---that is why even though our riding area in hood river is in the worst wind and the coldest water, we are still down there everyday riding and having fun. Not caring this way or that who is doing whatever, upwind in the steady stuff and 15 degree warmer water.

blowhard · Since 26 Dec 2005 2027 Posts Windward

Sella · Thu Jan 22, 09 9:01 am

I think Benny Franklin was the first true body dragger but at least Mary was wearing boots.

barfly · Since 31 Mar 2005 1216 Posts Portland BRACKISH

wow, and on it goes...

Being at the coast also lends to many small wave days that you'd be foolish not to use as kickers. I'm also tall and skinny with way longer legs than body. Even if I "stick" a move, I look like I'm dangling. Work in progress for sure.

Regarding wake, I think these guys actually have a stronger argument for what is "legit", at least a better comparison to the accepted mean - wakeboarding behind a boat. Kite culture now is trying to argue/prove itself into various other board categories... is kiting legit as a surf style? (why do we need to be accepted so badly?) is it legit as a wind sport/speed-sail craft, etc. When you think about it, wake style kiting is already ahead of all this.

Wakeboarding behind a boat is getting pulled by a craft - there really is no difference if you are getting pulled behind a kite except you get to drive the boat Very Happy

- and the kite offers much more flexibility in technique, more fun, etc. etc. Kiting in the surf requires that you get pulled too. This is NOT at all like surfing, probably never will be - even at its best it is more like tow surfing that pure surfing. Kiting in the surf opens a lot more opportunities for tricks and moves/aerials, etc. to but it is not surfing.

Boosting, hangin in the harny and all that comes from windsurfing (no one ever questioned whether you're hooked or unhooked as a style metric - you just did it depending on what you were doing on the water... unhook for wave riding, hook in for travelling/jumping).

Now that I've tried it, snowkiting has many elements of being the most flexible and capable of evolving the most. What I saw last weekend proves that kiting in the mountains has endless possibilities. Kite mountaineering is more like it. Ski/board straight up a 1000' butte with craters/pitches and rocks. Float down (dangle), go back up - amazing. Hit the flats and pop some tricks, whatever!!! I learned how to self launch a kite while having to get in snowboard bindings too. I have to self launch most of the time at the beach and a deterrent to having wake boots was the self launch. Now I can see myself doing it. It would be so fun to boot up on small/med days out here!!!

My comments have no pro/con argument for wake v. dangle, just my take.