My name is Kevin Kemp-Smith, I live on Oahu in Hawaii having moved from New Zealand 10 years ago to the US to study sports medicine and am in my dissertation phase of my doctoral studies. I am an avid kiteboarder and surfer.

I have developed an on-line questionnaire to gather and analyze data with my primary goal being to dispel some the myths about our sport and hopefully prove that it is a safe and enjoyable recreational activity. You can be involved in the study whether you are young or old, new or experienced to kiteboarding, injured or not.

The questionnaire is looking at participation, at all levels in kiteboarding, and the incidences of injuries within these groups. Those interested can enter the survey through;

http://www.stats-consult.com/survey-signup.html

However…before undertaking the consent or questionnaire, in order to verify that this is a true legitimate academic research project with no ties to any manufactures, distributors or insurance companies, I would encourage you to follow up with the following contacts, so that none of you reading this will accuse me of fraudulent activities, being a spam artist etc and then set up threads that ruin a couple of years of my work!

Please check in with…
http://www.fksa.org/ for some discussion points developed by Rick Issoi (Moderator)
Oahu Kiteboarding Association Moderators and discussion(http://www.kiteoahu.com/)
(be sure to follow the threads through)
www.rmuohp.edu (my Uni’s website in the US) call them if you like to verify I am who I say I am!
Institutional Review Board contacts provided on Consent Form at the end of the form (you can read this first without entering any information)

I do need to post on several forums in order to reach 241 returned responses, this would give me valid study data. That is why I am reaching both within the US and beyond. It is an on-line survey that is 100% anonymous and confidential. This is a unique investigation into our sport, with the findings to be published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine and on any of the websites that are willing to put it there.

Thanks again for your support and especially to the crews out in New Zealand, Australia, Florida, Hawaii and the UK who have contributed already!

Aloha, Kevin.