Coverage of the worlds 07

KAVA · Post by **KAVA** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:56 am

who had the best upto date coverage of the the World Kneeboard Championship: Santa Cruz, CA

crox · Post by **crox** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:51 am

Well Kava.......I've been loath to start on this one!....but I reckon we share the same views!

On the one hand I'm aware of the hard work that the KSUSA chaps put into the promotion, organisation & running of this contest....for which I am very grateful.....& on the other I think there was a huge, missed opportunity to involve all the participants on the forum who didn't make it to Santa Cruz.

KSUSA is it's members...the contributors....its all about this fabulous way that we've been able to unite & inspire so many kneeboarders from around the world via this wonderful, easy to use communication tool......the internet!

The whole site is based around this communication.

So what happened!

The contestants started to gather....& there was a huge story to be told.....we wanted to be rubbing shoulders & feeling the vibe....we wanted to follow each nail biting heat.....we wanted to be there!.......and nothing!....no daily reports....no results....no photos....almost to the point of it being very strange!

At the next Worlds, lets have a good quality live webcam & someone to do the daily write-up so that all those who so avidly follow this forum need not feel so isolated.

If it means starting a fund to help pay for these things....then it should be done.

The funny thing is, I felt the same about the Tahiti worlds & thought that any contest held in the USA would have superb coverage.........watching that wharf webcam for five days has permanently affected my character

DavidG · Post by **DavidG** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:12 am

Have to say I feel exactly the same as crox.
Back in the UK all us kneelos and others were really excited about the contest and to start with found it very difficult to find any information. It did feel very strange, then information started to filter through from our guys out there via the UK sites kneelo.org and kneeboardsurfing.co.uk
I am sure an opportunity was missed as far as a reaching global audience, actually from the beach where (and as) it was happening.
It would have been so good to have been able to see even the later heats and finals live.
Having said that it the organisation and co-ordination of any contest is difficult to say the least and for a world title competition! well looks like a really good job was done. I appreciate the work and hassle that must have been put in.
Perhaps I should have been there! 2009!?

Dunc · Post by **Dunc** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 6:44 am

I do agree that getting information out there is impotrtant. However knowing what goes into organisng a contest that lasts a meer day I can only begin to imagine what goes into organisisng an event such as the one we just had. To then post daily updates only adds to the work load so I can understand why the updates were not there. Also everyone at the event is trying to make the most of it and enjoy themselves so I would think no-one wants to be couped up in a room doing the update while the oparty goes on without them. As you could probably tell from the quality of the spelling in my UK updates they were done late at night after returning from the pub so please excuse it.

crox · Post by **crox** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:34 am

Duncs....if you could do what you did in getting the information back to us, while being in a different country & competing in the contest, it should have been possible to have someone, interested but not competing out of the USA kneelo population to do something to inform the rest of us!
Even if it were simply a photo of the results board on a daily basis posted in the gallery.
As it was, it took a non kneelo [Greybeard] who had nothing to do with the contest, to provide some photos.

Its nice to have those photos posted afterwards but the fun is seeing the contest unfold....to follow it.

How was there more information available from UK & Aussie sites than the USA?

gene west · Post by **gene west** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:33 am

Crox's assessment is right on point!!!!! Couldn't agree with you more Brah.!!!!

Smokin Rock · Post by **Smokin Rock** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:18 pm

KSUSA..........
"where seldom is heard
a discouraging word
and the skys are not cloudy all day"

Richard Hewitt · Post by **Richard Hewitt** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:04 pm

Here in the UK.....
where the skies are slate grey
we like to complain
in a most polite way!

(That's why the Aussies call us whinging pomms

)

Jack Beresford · Post by **Jack Beresford** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:10 pm

The critcism on this point is valid and accepted.

Our highest priority during the event was ensuring things went smoothly for the competitors. Hopefully folks will take this into consideration when making their assessment.

Plenty of lessons learned - but I believe our group is pleased with the event overall and the positive impact it will have on our sport!

Jack

crox · Post by **crox** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 2:44 pm

Jack.......thank you for your gracious reply.

....you are a real asset to the kneeboarding community both in & out of the water.

If we don't discuss things then we can't change....honesty is the best policy

jamie · Post by **jamie** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:07 pm

What were the directors from ksusa, the Santa Cruz local kneelo's and team USA best kneelos(with world title experince) doing during the world titles?
Why weren't they spending every spare moment updating the results and providing color commentary on the site?

1 They were being incredible hosts to the kneelos from other countries and other parts of the US who had travelled to Santa Cruz for 5 days upto 20 days. Many visiting kneelos stayed in houses of locals or relatives of other kneelos, bunked in upto 5 guys and girls from 3 different counrtries in a single studio apartment rental.

2 They were making sure that those kneelos who made it to the event were getting down to the Coastline Brewery most nights and swapping surf stories and design theories FACE to FACE over a cold beer or five.

3 They were using whatever spare time they had to stay focused and ensure that team USA had there most successful world title ever - which going into the event should have been a given based on the number of US competitors - someone forgot to tell the teams form NZ and Great Britain.

4 The directors of KSUSA also had a media focus that involved getting maximum coverage with the local print press and with main stream surf publications.
The stories that ran in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, The Marin paper, Surfing and Surfer online didn't come about by luck.
Bonnie Harris and Jack Beresford and the other KSUSA directors were working tirelessly behind the scenes for months before the event to make sure that maximum coverage was achieved.

5 Most people at the event were on annual leave - leave your PC at home and enjoy yourself. Some guys from the US who didnt want to let the opportunity pass caught the TRAIN from sth cal on friday before the finals just to witness the last days surfing. One of KSUSA directors drove them home on Sunday! Making sure that everyones experience was positive!

Jack diplomatc till the end.
In retrospect would you have sacrificed a semi final spot in the opens and finalist in the masters fifnish for supplying an online commntary of the event?
To anyone who thinks that both were viable - either you have never being involved in running an international kneelo event or you have never made a final in one or both.
There are few people putting there hand up to do the work and a stack whose competitive juices are bubbling when contests start.

skansand · Post by **skansand** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:23 pm

wheres the pro-junior pics/video???

.....
////
..i like the kneelo.org pic setup...just scroll down and enjoy

randiego · Post by **randiego** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:44 pm

Jamie - good on ya mate!

DarcyM · Post by **DarcyM** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:28 pm

It is a tremendous undertaking just to put the thing on. All of the KSUSA organizers were also contestants, so there was some crimps on our time. I know that Tom Linn was rushing back from the contest site every afternoon to update the results and get the heats posted for the next day. As some perspective, we went from 7 am to 4 pm most days at the Lane, then from 630 to late putting together the after hours show and announcements at the Coastline. Don and others were making sure folks got to where they needed to go including long drives from the airport and finding lodging for a few stranded kneelos. Mark Robertson and others were selling t-shirts and back packs and sweatshirts at the comp site, then running back to the Coastline to put on the raffle. Scott Wessling was putting together a video highlight every evening, and I had about two hours to download anywhere from 600 to 1000 digitial photos, pick out a few dozen, process and burn to a CD. As Jon & Nora would probably agree I had my nose to the computer screen so much that Nora had to scold me to put it away and come eat. And this was my vacation.

whew!

AND ... I'm still going thru photos. ..

So, there's a lot of behind the scenes going on. We probably could have used about ten more people just to do what we needed to do. We initially really wanted to have a web cam/simulcast, but the cost and logistics of it were just too prohibitive. I think our local coverage and post contest press was excellent though.

KAVA · Post by **KAVA** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:46 pm

Why weren't they spending every spare moment updating the results and providing color commentary on the site

The KSUSA Organization was obviously busy- accepted

but how many spectators were there with camera phones, laptops, free internet access from hotel room?, computer savy kids? etc, etc.... that could have made a small daily post (10 min)? all the pictures and movies and info was great post-contest. only problem was, the 1st 3 days of the contest there was nothing from the USA

However I must give props to

Joe. He did step up to the plate and began getting the info out

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