First Impressions

Remember the first time you saw kiteboarding. For some, it was only a short time ago. But in 1999, on the North Shore Oahu, I was there on a surf trip. I had recently broke up with my girlfriend and I had exiled myself to a six month surf trip starting on the North Shore. I was couch surfing at V-Land apartments where my buddies crazy roommate kept talking about this "kiting sport". I just laughed him off as a tweeked out surf rat running a little too much ice in his blood. Finally, after constant badgering and a flat day in March I was pulled away from the "seven mile miracle" to see what this was all about. We drove across the Haleiwa bridge and were off the Kaena Point. Kaena Point was famous for Ace Cool trying to surf the biggest wave in the world . There was a post card in every shop to prove it. We arrived and for the first time I saw kites in the air. These kites were large and I laughed at the sight of them. There was only 3 or 4guys trying to fly. This is fucking crazy. What are these lunatics doing? I sat on the grass and watched. The reality was that it was not that amazing. It was cruel and unusual. What I witnessed was more like a comedy act. Someone would launch, get dragged through the sand, get dragged though the reef, get a respectable ride, crash, get dragged back in. The more I watched, the more thought, this is not what I want to do. Finally, one of the boys asked if i wanted to fly a trainer kite. I thoughtfully declined. The nut jobs are going to get killed and I really wasn't planning on going out flying away. That was it, I was not impressed. There wasn't any magical moment. I did not have the vision to see into the future yet, in fact I pretty much thought it was ridiculous. I kept surfing all the way to Australia and didn't have real thought of kiting for another year and a half later. I look back at that time and realize I really was not that far off. The kiting equipment was sub standard at best; these first kiters had found something but really weren't sure what it was or going to be. My thought was, "look at these poor crazy bastards...getting beat up for a cheap thrill " Years later I got married, quit my rat race job, moved to Maui and look, now who is that poor crazy bastard.?....Rotten Tomato