Calhoun & Erik Stone

[RandyL]

Sorry I didn’t post this on the original post but I wanted to start off on a better note.
I want to apologize for how I handled my response to Erik’s post yesterday. There was no need to go off the way I did and as I look at it now I feel very foolish. I’m sorry to you Erik and any other people who had a chance to read the Calhoun post.
I don’t agree with Erik’s decision, or the way he handled himself either, but it certainly doesn’t give me the right to act like an idiot. I hope some good will come out of this in the end. Erik, will you please at least reconsider your decision on riding Calhoun again? I wish you luck, as it would definitely be a shame to lose your BEST ride over something like this. I would also like to thank Tighe for his role in our sport. It is obvious not everyone agrees with his thinking and like the rest of us, he is far from perfect, but overall it’s very clear (at least to me) he has the sports best interest in mind. As far as I know the summer bans have been discussed by many riders at the beach and on the forum and then as a group requested a Sticky on LAKAWA. I think Dave H was responsible for the Ramsey summer voluntary ban and for the most part it was as easy is asking everyone to simply ride at Rutherford Beach, which has very few if any beach goers. A big thanks goes out to you Dave H.

My hats off to all of you who handled yourself in a more professional matter.
I wish I could have “The Randy Johnson Post Filter” on yesterday. That Randy is always posting a good vibe. DAMN RandyJ is cool!!! Just check out his post in regards to Monday.

Thank You,
RandyL

[Nathan B]

Randy,

dont feel foolish, we all go off sometime. you seem like a very humble and nice person, cheers to you.

It was nice to meet you at the crossing , question I remember you had by your signature at one time that you were a Scuba Center/ Slingshot rider ? are you direct with Slingshot now and on the Team? if so congrats , if not why not support the shop that supports you?
no negativity intended, just wondering.

cheers

NNB

[Debbie]

Actually I think you are the "cool" one Randy. Being able to admit to having screwed up is a trait to be admired.

I also admire Tighe not coming back with a negative response. Hopefully this doesn't hinder his desire to make this a safe community to kite in. There really are some awesome people who kite!! I've made some really good friends through my kiting experience, especially here in friendly MN .

Deb

[Travii]

Randy,

Don't feel bad. I wanted to go off and I started to, but then I decided to say something from the heart and hold my tongue. It was hard to do but it made me feel much better in the end.

Travis

[face plant]

Randy I sense you are feeling down. You really should not be feeling like an A$HTray. When my wife is down she goes shopping. Might I suggest you go buy some kiting gear. maybe slingshot or best, but i don't want to offend cabrinha. just go buy something. Also my mom told me giving makes you feel better. might I also suggest that once you get your new gear you give something away. Just let me know when I should pick up your old Octane.
sincerely Gilligan

[RandyL]

Thanks Deb, Nathan and Travis,
Nathan I have heard very good things about you especially from Larry @ Scuba Center & Adam Krey. I also look forward to get to know you better. Please keep me posted on your new venture as it sounds very interesting.
I absolutely recommend Larry @ Scuba Center to everyone I talk to and have since I got to know him during my first trip to Padre. I happen to have the pleasure of being very good friends with both Larry and Tighe. Larry was kind enough to ask me a few months ago if I would represent Slingshot for him and of course his store too. I made sure I told him that I’m an overweight old guy (which is obvious) who is at best an intermediate kiter with a wife, kids and way to big of a mortgage and also way more worried about a good safety system than doing a kiteloop. He said perfect!!! The reason I switched to Slingshot from my previous brand was the above referenced family and responsibilities are far more important than becoming a great kiter. With the below the bar safety system on the 08 and newer Slingshots it was a no brainer. As I said before Tighe and Larry are both very good friends and both make their living in this industry and they both know I don’t want to get involved in any of our BS politics. So I chose (with Larry’s blessing of course) not to include Scuba Center on my signature from the start. With out being sarcastic this time, I hope this makes sense to you and anyone else who may care. Is my signature misleading? It’s very clear when you see me ride I’m not a national team rider. For the record on Monday I received a call from a guy looking for new Octanes and I referred him to Larry. He got my name on the Advisor section of LAKAWA. Even Face Plant aka Rog buys his gear at Scuba Center
Heading to the Bear!!!
Randy

[Nathan B]

Randy, thats awesome man I am glad Larry @ Scuba Center has a solid rider like your self ! , I look forward to riding and getting to know you better also, might have to join you on the da Bear today.
no worries makes sense, what does not make sense is that Tighe would care if you had Scuba Center in your signature, it actually states it in his forum rules that its a requirement so. Ill copy and paste them below.

Introduction: Please read before posting

Anyone registered can post on Lakawa Forums. The only requirement I have is if you have an association with a business or company, your Signature in your Profile has to reflect it. Only fair to let the community know that your opinion may be biased because of this connection.

Larry at Scuba Center is a business and has represented kiting in our community longer than any store.

[RandyL]

Sorry Nathan, per usual I never read the directions and I'll make the change now.
Tighe never told me I could not put down Scuba Center.
The only reason I have not is to avoid stuff like this and as I said earlier Larry has been very good to me from the start and I appreciate it.
I was late to the party at the Bear but Keith and Alex scored a windy, cold and wet session along with Barnabus earlier in the day.