Thats right, you read correctly. Buckle up because this is going to be one long uphill battle. this is also a long post, sorry, but if you actually care you'll read it.
Myself, Zack Bright, Jake Bright and a few others are fighting to create a spot in Oceanside similar to what Daytona created in 1998. Oceanside being one of the top riding spots for freeride, we all think it would be great to not ride as far as we all have to and if we break down, not be towed what seems like forever. This is where we are in the process.
Earlier this week i called Randy Laine since he has been around surfriding since before it was illegal. I asked him his thoughts and he told me he had proposed what he calls "hot zones" in the past, which is basically a free for all area for jetskiers, kite boarders, wind surfing ect. he said their biggest concern was safety and getting sued for injuries. After thinking about safety we quickly realized that this "hot zone" wouldn't work and the zone needed to be modeled after Daytona, a strict PWC area.
This week we talked with the harbor master of Oceanside and asked him where to start. The harbor master was interested in the idea and told us there was a harbor and beaches city council meeting where we could bring up the idea. Because we only had a few days to prepare, we decided that we would just go, observe, meet and greet and get the feel for how to prepare for the next meeting. At the meeting we talked to the city manager of Oceanside. He told us that the hardest part of passing this is the fact alot of people want that land. He said dog owners love dog beaches, a group of sky divers want to land there, and so on. BUT we do have an advantage. A PWC zone cost them NOTHING and it creates revenue by selling permits to ride there and possibly hosting events like the daytona freeride. Not to mention we still have a solid group of guys riding in winter, and a community relying on tourism, they could use the winter help. Since the meeting, i have emailed the director of Daytona and asked him questions such as safety, revenue, economy boost and started getting facts.
The next step. The next city council meeting for us to propose our idea is in April. We will be creating a power point presentation and basically giving a speech. Following that we will have to answer questions from the council. We only get 10-15 minutes so we have to organize it. We have broken it down into
1. revenue creating: PWC passes, bring riders, we pay parking already, increase tourism
2. safety: follow daytona rules, liability release? possibly winter only not to interfere with other tourism
3. Environmental impact: (California go figure). basically none, we already ride here, just location change
We also have an introduction talking about the origin of the jetski, the popularity of Oceanside riding and the revenue created by the PWC industry. We want a small area (100 yards, 200 yards?) nothing ridiculous. The city manager thought that we wanted a few miles at first.
I would love input from people who have any experience in this. i would NOT like to see someone who puts, it will never happen. that doesn't help anybody. Also anyone who is somewhat local to come and show support when Zack, Jake and I have to give this presentation. The council meeting had only a handful of citizens there, so if we can show up with a good chunk of riders, I'm sure it would help the cause. Let the discussion begin.
Myself, Zack Bright, Jake Bright and a few others are fighting to create a spot in Oceanside similar to what Daytona created in 1998. Oceanside being one of the top riding spots for freeride, we all think it would be great to not ride as far as we all have to and if we break down, not be towed what seems like forever. This is where we are in the process.
Earlier this week i called Randy Laine since he has been around surfriding since before it was illegal. I asked him his thoughts and he told me he had proposed what he calls "hot zones" in the past, which is basically a free for all area for jetskiers, kite boarders, wind surfing ect. he said their biggest concern was safety and getting sued for injuries. After thinking about safety we quickly realized that this "hot zone" wouldn't work and the zone needed to be modeled after Daytona, a strict PWC area.
This week we talked with the harbor master of Oceanside and asked him where to start. The harbor master was interested in the idea and told us there was a harbor and beaches city council meeting where we could bring up the idea. Because we only had a few days to prepare, we decided that we would just go, observe, meet and greet and get the feel for how to prepare for the next meeting. At the meeting we talked to the city manager of Oceanside. He told us that the hardest part of passing this is the fact alot of people want that land. He said dog owners love dog beaches, a group of sky divers want to land there, and so on. BUT we do have an advantage. A PWC zone cost them NOTHING and it creates revenue by selling permits to ride there and possibly hosting events like the daytona freeride. Not to mention we still have a solid group of guys riding in winter, and a community relying on tourism, they could use the winter help. Since the meeting, i have emailed the director of Daytona and asked him questions such as safety, revenue, economy boost and started getting facts.
The next step. The next city council meeting for us to propose our idea is in April. We will be creating a power point presentation and basically giving a speech. Following that we will have to answer questions from the council. We only get 10-15 minutes so we have to organize it. We have broken it down into
1. revenue creating: PWC passes, bring riders, we pay parking already, increase tourism
2. safety: follow daytona rules, liability release? possibly winter only not to interfere with other tourism
3. Environmental impact: (California go figure). basically none, we already ride here, just location change
We also have an introduction talking about the origin of the jetski, the popularity of Oceanside riding and the revenue created by the PWC industry. We want a small area (100 yards, 200 yards?) nothing ridiculous. The city manager thought that we wanted a few miles at first.
I would love input from people who have any experience in this. i would NOT like to see someone who puts, it will never happen. that doesn't help anybody. Also anyone who is somewhat local to come and show support when Zack, Jake and I have to give this presentation. The council meeting had only a handful of citizens there, so if we can show up with a good chunk of riders, I'm sure it would help the cause. Let the discussion begin.
