Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 22:45:54 -1000 From: jim@oasis.icl.co.uk (Jim Cheetham) Message-Id: <4gc1o2$c1r@eccles.dsbc.icl.co.uk> Organization: ICL, Bracknell, UK Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV Steve Hammatt (steveh@pyramid.com) wrote: : ... : British Sports Council refuses to recognise kite flying as a sport, : on the grounds that it involves "insufficient physical activity". Unlike, for example, archery. Or bowls. You could possibly include golf in that, a slow stroll through the countryside is not exactly energetic. Anyone want to add any more? -- _____ ceci n'est ____ _ pas une _ _ email (__ __) o ______ ( __)( )_ ___ ___ _( )_( )_ ___ ______ (____) (_)(_)()(_) (____)(_)_)(__=)(__=) (_)_(_)_)(___)_(_)()(_) www.guernsey.net/~jim +44 1344 472537 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 19:22:01 -1000 From: windwiz@west.net (Dan Rubesh) Message-Id: <4gblpp$njb@acme.sb.west.net> Organization: Wind Wizard Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV In article <4g9gfs$d9s@sword.eng.pyramid.com>, Steve Hammatt wrote: [deletia] >British Sports Council refuses to recognise kite flying as a sport, >on the grounds that it involves "insufficient physical activity". ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Excuse Me??? Perhaps someone should invite select members of the British Sports Council to fly a 10m2 Peel in 15+ mph winds, then see if they still feel that way.. :-) :-) :-) -- Dan Rubesh GO Wind Wizard windwiz@west.net FLY A P.O. Box 5747 http://www.west.net/~windwiz SPORT KITE San Buenaventura, CA 93005 (805) 659-5769 (voice & fax) T.B.N.K. Member: AKA & KTA = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 23:39:08 -1000 From: steveh@pyramid.com (Steve Hammatt) Message-Id: <4g9gfs$d9s@sword.eng.pyramid.com> Organization: Pyramid Technology Subject: Airkraft on UK TV Airkraft were featured on BBC1's south-east regional programme "Newsroom SouthEast" last Friday (16th) evening. The feature talked about the fact that Airkraft had become the World Champions, yet the British Sports Council refuses to recognise kite flying as a sport, on the grounds that it involves "insufficient physical activity". Jeremy Boyce and James Robertshaw were both interviewed, and Airkraft were shown flying a small part of their World Cup routine. STACK UK are still lobbying the Sports Council to persuade them to change their minds. Steve. -- Steve Hammatt | steveh@pyramid.com | Camberley | - or - | Surrey, UK | steveh@pyra.co.uk | = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 07:41:38 -1000 From: rfs1@york.ac.uk (Rob Stone) Message-Id: <4gd14i$qvo@netty.york.ac.uk> Organization: Dept Psychology, Univeristy of York, UK Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV In article <4gc1o2$c1r@eccles.dsbc.icl.co.uk> jim@oasis.icl.co.uk (Jim Cheetham) writes: > Steve Hammatt (steveh@pyramid.com) wrote: > : ... > : British Sports Council refuses to recognise kite flying as a sport, > : on the grounds that it involves "insufficient physical activity". > > Unlike, for example, archery. Or bowls. You could possibly > include golf in that, a slow stroll through the countryside > is not exactly energetic. Anyone want to add any more? snooker = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 15:33:23 -1000 From: mark@murder.compulink.co.uk (Mark de Roussier) Message-Id: <4gdtbu$hcu@zinc.compulink.co.uk> Organization: damage Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV jim@oasis.icl.co.uk (Jim Cheetham) wrote: >Steve Hammatt (steveh@pyramid.com) wrote: >: ... >: British Sports Council refuses to recognise kite flying as a sport, >: on the grounds that it involves "insufficient physical activity". > > Unlike, for example, archery. Or bowls. You could possibly > include golf in that, a slow stroll through the countryside > is not exactly energetic. Anyone want to add any more? Well, I've got some sympathy for their position, but I agree that its extremely easy to find counterexamples. There is a school of thought that seems to believe that 'if its competitive, its a sport', and a school that believes that sport must be firmly based on ranking competitors by means of the *measurement* of physical quantities ( speed, distance, height, weight etc ). Then there is the subtle distinction ( if it is a distinction ! ) between a 'game' and a 'sport'. I tend to follow the second school - many things that people generally think of as 'sport' I would call 'games', and would reserve the term 'sport' for those activities where actual measurements could be made. Whether 'counting events' constitutes 'measurement' is another subtlety i.e. is soccer a sport because it requires the counting of goals, or is it a game because such counting does not amount to measurement ?:). But the question of 'sport' is, in fact, a Red Herring of classic proportions. The point is, does 'Sport Kiting', whether it be a true 'sport' or not, deserve State Support, which is what Sports Council funds ( albeit meagre ) amount to ? My position, as a non-competitive flyer, is one of studied indifference. I can certainly see no direct benefits to me. Indirect ones *may* result, if Official Recognition stimulates commercial interest, and this interest transmutes into activity - but I find this chain of reasoning tenuous at best. But neither can I see any drawbacks that would affect my ability to take my kite to a field and have fun flying it, *unless* recognition was used by third parties to *regulate* flying activities. I must admit that I regard this as a much more likely scenario than the 'indirect benefits' one. And the creation of a Kiting Bureaucracy would be certain ( although in practice this may already exist ). Wearing my event - organiser hat I might present the arguement differently, but I think the net result would be similar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Final thoughts, as breath is taken, Fall to rhythm, and the Edge of pure obsession, Resting in the wind blown cradle, Nothing moves, the world is still... = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 22 Feb 1996 03:58:55 -1000 From: mgraves@leadingedg.win.net (Michael Graves) Message-Id: <2809@leadingedg.win.net> Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV In article <4gdtbu$hcu@zinc.compulink.co.uk>, Mark de Roussier (mark@murder.compulink.co.uk) writes: >My position, as a non-competitive flyer, is one of studied >indifference. I can certainly see no direct benefits to me. Indirect >ones *may* result, if Official Recognition stimulates commercial >interest, and this interest transmutes into activity - but I find this >chain of reasoning tenuous at best. If it is possible to agree strenuously then I do...most heartily! Michael -- Michael Graves mgraves@leadingedg.win.net Brampton, Ontario, Canada http://www.interlog.com/~lepkites phone(905)456-9494 "Bear in mind, just bears in mind." fax (905)456-9493 = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 08:40:36 -1000 From: HeesNot@this.address (Vishnu Verheer) Message-Id: <3131ff1a.0@news.softronics.com> Organization: File Not Found, Inc. Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV >>British Sports Council refuses to recognise kite flying as a sport, >>on the grounds that it involves "insufficient physical activity". > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > >Excuse Me??? > >Perhaps someone should invite select members of the British Sports >Council to fly a 10m2 Peel in 15+ mph winds, then see if they still feel >that way.. :-) :-) :-) I was going to mention the very same thing. Perhaps when they hear the word "kite", they automatically think of those blasted "Hi-Flier" diamond kites made of paper and balsa wood that were so popular 20 years ago... :) -Vishnu Verheer ..Go fly a kite (preferably a REAL one) = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Sun, 25 Feb 1996 19:04:27 -1000 From: Richard Bettis Message-Id: <639236229wnr@fats.demon.co.uk> Organization: Health & Safety Lab Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV In article: <4gdtbu$hcu@zinc.compulink.co.uk> mark@murder.compulink.co.uk (Mark de Roussier) writes: > Well, I've got some sympathy for their position, but I agree that its > extremely easy to find counterexamples. There is a school of thought > that seems to believe that 'if its competitive, its a sport', and a > school that believes that sport must be firmly based on ranking > competitors by means of the *measurement* of physical quantities ( > speed, distance, height, weight etc ). Then there is the subtle > distinction ( if it is a distinction ! ) between a 'game' and a > 'sport'. IMHO: If you do it to *WIN* its a sport. If you simply do it for *FUN*, perhaps its not.... Some forms of Kiting are already a sport. (mine isn't but I'm not unhappy about it....:) The difficulty seems to be in persuading some arbitrary panel of people that sport kiting should join the Olympic ranks or whatever. (a) For now, if you can't get by without flying a kite, do it even if it isn't a 'real' sport. (b) If you want to be in the Olympics, get good at something else 'till they see how much fun the guys in (a) are having... Synchronised Swimming, anyone? -- +=============================================================================+ | Richard Bettis | "I make no warranty with respect to this | | | statement and disclaim any implied/explicit | | | suggestions of usefulness for any purpose" | +=============================================================================+ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Date: Thu, 29 Feb 1996 12:25:33 -1000 From: gpaa43@udcf.gla.ac.uk (R.mccall) Message-Id: Organization: Glasgow University Computing Service Subject: Re: Airkraft on UK TV Yeah, Bloody snooker, Fat diddies drinking lager and bursting out of there clothes McCool I'd rather glimpse a snatch than snatch a glimpse = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =