Kiting Etiquette for Wisconsin Kiters Club
In the discussions with the committee, these topics came up numerous times. Common courtesy, common sense, and proper etiquette. How can we achieve this?
- The number of Kiters and the size of kites have grown larger , the fields have not.
The number of kiters have increased in the past few years, while the flying fields have remained the same size, some having gotten smaller. This is a good problem, as we, as members want to increase our club’s footprint.
- Allow all club members to have a spot on the field.
What we as a club, a ‘family’ kite club, should strive for, is allowing every kiter, whether they fly some very large, or small to mid-size, a place at the table. Or in our case, a place on the field.
What’s being asked is that if the event starts at 11am, and you arrive earlier, stake out your spot but keep it to one line, until after the official start time, thus allowing others an opportunity to be part of the field. If space allows, add to your display, keeping in mind your ability to multi-task lines, laundry, etc.
- Please do not leave your kites unattended for long periods of time during an event.
If you ask your ‘neighbor’ to watch your kite(s) while you go get a beverage, etc. realize that if something happens, like a wind shift, no wind, etc., your ‘neighbor’ will be dealing with their display first and foremost. Please keep this in mind when you walk away. Remain mindful of that and don’t venture far off so are able to return quickly if need be.
- Please consider wind shifts and space when staking on the field.
When you do arrive at an event, and others are staked out, please try not to launch under or too close to an existing display. If space is scarce, a double anchor point may be needed, keeping a kite from travelling too much to the right or left.
- Always be willing to help each other out.
If a kite does get tangled with your neighbor’s, help out with getting things airborne, keeping the sky filled. Again, being Wisconsin, throw in a couple, Opes, my bad, you betcha that was a mess, You’re a FIB? Well, I’ll help you out anyhoo, and of course,… Geez, Louise, that was a doozy.
Any event is not about ‘you’ per se, it about a much larger entity – kites and kiters in general. As such, please conduct yourselves in such a manner as what you do and how you act reflects on all of ‘us’.
In short, have fun and please play well with others on the field.