1) Why do you want to be President?

First and foremost, I think every AKA Member has a right to say "What has the AKA done for me lately?" I think the AKA has alienated a lot of dedicated, talented and skilled people who will never be back to be a part of this organization. One of the best Sports Kite Chairs the AKA ever had was summarily fired. I would like to see if we can stop or even reverse the 'brain drain'.

It's time for a kinder, gentler, more user-friendly AKA.

2) Why do you feel qualified to be President?

I think the AKA should serve its members, not the other way around. I think that dissent and contrary ideas are contributions that should be encouraged instead of discouraged. I don't think I have all the right answers. I do think I have most of the right questions. I know I can be wrong. When I am wrong, I can accept it, learn from it, and move on. I think there are people smarter than me, and people much better versed in various aspects of the kiting experience than I am. Their opinions are valuable. I believe the purpose of Robert's Rules is for the MINORITY TO HAVE THEIR SAY, and the majority to have their way.

I have a record of success in many positions in many kite clubs over the years. I have worked production and logistics for half a dozen Conventions. I have worked every position there is at Sport Kite Competitions and Single Line Competitions. I also claim a basic understanding of most kinds of kite events including leading workshops for adults and children.

3) A previous AKA President compared working with the Board to herding cats. Describe your management style and why you think it would work "herding" the Board.

When everyone is treated as a valued member of a team, they generally work well together. AKA's Founder Bob Ingraham described us as a congregation of individualists. That is probably the most accurate description of us as a group. That individualism should be embraced instead of discouraged. It is part of the President's job to moderate, or 'ride herd' if you will, the Board during conference call meetings. The President should encourage open discussion and contrary opinions. The purpose of Robert's Rules is for the minority to have their say, and the majority to have their way.

4) What are the top three challenges facing the AKA and how would you address them?

1) Brain Drain, otherwise described as Membership loss. My solution is to start treating AKA Members as if they actually had a clue.

2) Sport Kite. Stay or go? The AKA has demonstrated gross disregard for the needs of the Sport Kite community, especially when it comes to the National competition. Should the AKA continue to be the sanctioning body for Sport Kite competition?

3) Is the AKA a dinosaur? There are those that say so. There is more than one group of people across the country who say it is time for a new national kite organization that can actually listen to, respond to, and serve the interests of, its members.

5) What are the top three opportunities facing the AKA and how would you take advantage of them?

1) Brain Drain/Membership loss. We can reverse the trend.

2) Sport Kite - We can give them what they need.

3) If the AKA is a dinosaur, we can wake up and smell the coffee. It is a simple matter of listening to our members instead of belittling them.

6) What do you believe are the premier benefits of AKA membership?

A magazine and access to people with similar interests are the best I can come up with. Sport Kite Competitors get their points counted towards National competition. Some people point to insurance, but experience as an Event Organizer shows that the insurance may not be there, even after the AKA takes the money for sanctioning an Event, if the Event happens to occur during a 'renewal period'.

7) How would you address the erosion of membership? (may have been answered above)

I intend to start a campaign of information. Too many AKA members have left the AKA saying, "WHY THE HELL DIDN'T SOMEBODY TELL ME ABOUT THIS?"

8) The president nominates 8 of the 21 members of the Board and all committee chairs. Who would you propose for the Executive Committee (1st VP, 2nd VP, Treasurer, Secretary, Director at Large (DAL) 1, DAL 2, DAL 3, and DAL 4) and to chair Sport Kites, Kitemaking, Fighter Kites, Convention, Education, Kite Art and Fundraising?

My dream list of people to fill these positions would consist of folks who once made great contributions to the AKA but now think the AKA is a four-letter word. Due to the erosion of AKA membership, the discouragement of contrary opinions by the AKA, and the necessity of folks to 'drink the Kool Aid' for previous AKA administrations, it will indeed be interesting to find warm bodies willing to take the chance of embracing the AKA to the extent of accepting a role as an Officer.

9) The following are issues that have received some attention lately, what is your position on each of them:

9a) Are you for or against a permanent convention site(s)?

As someone who gets to show up at the Convention venue and turn rhetoric in to reality and figure out how to make 350-foot fields fit in to 200-foot spaces, I am in favor of several super-sites.

I also understand the appeal in having a new venue every year. This is very appealing for the folks who use their vacation time to go to Convention. It is also very appealing to Region 13 (out of USA) members who attend Convention. These groups of people bring a lot of money to the Convention, hence to the Auction, hence to the AKA. That is very appealing indeed. But a different Convention venue every year makes it hard on the 'grunts' who do the work.

Most of the people who want a new site every year are not kite competitors. Here is a point to ponder: Compare the number of pins purchased for each Mass Ascension, and the number of Comprehensives competitors, and the number of Sport Kite competitors to the number of people who attend Convention. It could be said that the vast majority of folks at the Convention could care less if they fly a kite, or if there is any kite flying at what is ostensibly a Convention by and for kite flyers. If the AKA wants to continue to host competitions at Convention, it will have to recognize the needs of the competitors.

The current vetting process for a Convention venue leaves AKA Members out of the loop. Members are urged to contact their Regional Directors with venue choices knowing little or nothing about the venues. The official decision of Convention venue is affected by factors which often have little to do with kite flying. There are many aspects of Convention Site Selection that need to be 'close hold'. Even so, there should still be more information available to AKA Members.

9b) Are you for or against eliminating Midwestern conventions and only having coastal conventions.

I am against eliminating Midwest Conventions. I have enjoyed plenty of terrific kite flying in the Midwest. The problem is not the Midwest, per se. The problem is selecting Convention sites that are sunken cereal bowls surrounded by hills and trees and buildings and trying to hold kite flying competitions in the worst wind conditions possible. The only problem with Muncie, IN was the rain. Even the AKA can't control that. The problem with Dayton, OH was TOO MUCH WIND. Hmmm . . .

As far as 'coastal' venues are concerned, geography may not my best subject but it seems there is a lot of coast along the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico.

9c) Are you for or against splitting Sport Kite Grand Nationals off of Convention? If for, how would you pay for the Grand Nationals?

I lean towards splitting off the Sport Kite Nationals. The AKA, and certainly its Board members this past year, have shown a great disregard for the site needs of the Sport Kite Nationals competitors. For that reason alone, splitting off the Nationals makes sense.

It has been said that Sport Kite competitors don't need anything that Single Line competitors don't. When Single Line competitors are disqualified for flying over a boundary, the statement might be true. When Single Line competitors are required to demonstrate stable flight BELOW 100 feet of altitude, the statement might be true. As the current requirements stand, Sport Kite competitors CAN'T fly at the altitudes that Single Line competitors are REQUIRED to fly. Said another way, Sport Kite competitors are subject to the caprice of irregular surface winds when Single Line competitors are required to fly above them. That would be another reason to split the Nationals from Convention.

How to pay for the Nationals if they are split off? The Nationals only require Fields and an Indoor venue. Nationals do not require the expense of several days use of Banquet facilities and function rooms that the Convention requires.

9d) Are you for or against turning Kiting into a web only publication?

"Web only'? I am against 'Web ONLY'. As wide spread as Internet access is these days, it is far from being universal. If KITING became a Web only publication it would effectively prevent web-challenged people from accessing the magazine/newsletter.

But this is not an 'either - or' question. Certainly it can be made web-available for those who have access and are comfortable doing it that way. It would certainly help people who don't get their issue of KITING until the deadline for writing articles for the following issue has passed.

There will always be those who want a 'hard copy'. Making it web-available for those who prefer it that way would substantially lower production and mailing costs.

9e) Are you for or against making Kiting a newsletter again, rather than the more expensive magazine?

I would not want to make this assessment without knowing the costs of production and mailing. Certainly, if the AKA is having trouble making ends meet, that would be a good place to cut costs.