You can’t do that….
“You can’t do that…” For the past several weeks I had been thinking about what my first blog entry should be for losethestraps.com. And then whack, it hit me like a kite loop gone bad; a long time kiting friend, who shall remain nameless, told me today that I could not take my skimboard out in 3-4 foot surf in 20 plus knots. There he was blasting around the waves on his twin tip riding like a bull in a china shop. But guess what? Maybe he missed it – I was riding on my skimboard and having a hell of a time!
“You can’t do that” is a comment that I often hear in regards to riding my skimboard, whether it is riding on it in over 15 knots, doing a long distance race, or wave riding. To me it means that most people do not understand or fathom the possibilities of riding strapless. However, I love hearing it because it gives me that added motivation to break some barriers and help push the sport in other directions.
About 3 years ago when one of my best friends, Todd Greaux, dropped a skimboard on me at the beach and said, “here try this out” I have to admit I was like, “why would I want to ride that?” I think that skimboard sat in my house for at least a few months before I even tried it out. I can only tell you that when I first tried kiting with my skimboard it was like that feeling you got the first time you got a jump, or landed a trick kiting. It was an exhilarating, mind blowing rush – one that I have yet to quench… Certainly one of the reasons I think most of us are drawn to the sport in the first place.
The odd thing about riding anything strapless with kiting is that it is hard to find information about it. Yeah there are some videos showing guys riding nice surf on a surfboard, but let’s face it most of us do not get backyard conditions like that. Most of us ride in mediocre waves, chop, or flat water and generally without great wind. So, I was searching the web trying to find a place that I could find others that enjoy strapless riding and could talk about it, enlighten others, and learn from each other. After I could not find anything on the web I decided I would use my inspiration for riding strapless to host a place for other kiters to come and learn about strapless riding and all the possibilities of expanding their understanding of kitesurfing. Thus, losethestraps.com was born, although I have to give my wife credit here, she came up with the name. Props to you baby!
So that it what I am here to do. I want to form a community of riders that are passionate about riding strapless, be it a surfboard, skimboard, wakeskate, or whatever! In the future I hope to post videos, the forum will host discussions, and also have a blog for myself and others that wish to share their thoughts.
This is the start, and I welcome feedback from the community to share their thoughts and ideas about the site – even if you tell me I can’t do that!
About the Author
Lonny Founder and Admin of Lose the Straps, the original site dedicated exclusively to the progression and evolution of strapless kitesurfing, Lose The Straps.
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