Nothing Stays the Same: We are Rebranding (Sept 2017)
Hey, thanks for being
interested in our journey from an organisation known as “KB4Girls” to
our rebranded organisation: “The Women’s Kiteboarding Collective”!
Here are the top 2 reasons why we changed our name, logo, look & feel.
1. KB4girls was a confusing name
KB stood for kiteboarding but that was not clear at a glance. It was hard for us to link with women kiteboarders around the world.
KB is also our founder Kristin Boese’s initials, but that was not evident and women new to the sport were not always aware of Kristin’s impressive kiting history. As well, Kristin got married, changed her name to Kristin Solbach, retired from full-time international travel, and in the fall of 2015 withdrew from active work on this project to focus more on her farm in Maui.
‘Girls‘ is not the same as ‘women’
Our organisation has always served women of all ages, not just children, as the previous name might have implied. Indeed, one of the first things Elea Faucheron and I did when taking the helm was a member survey. We discovered the average age of our women is 41 years old!
Some
women also reacted to the word ‘girls’ and saw it as demeaning and
disrespectful to women who are strong, able, bright, competent,
articulate and excellent kiters!
Kiteboarding keeps us youthful, and we absolutely embrace our inner “girl spirit” …….HOWEVER….
2. The times changed
When Kristen withdraw after years of work on this project, the organisation’s management changed. A group of women volunteered to be Board Members and work collaboratively to empower women through kiteboarding. We share the dream that as empowered women we all will advocate for improvements for our lives and the lives of others.
In addition,
the environment for women changed around us. More and more women of all
ages are joining the sport. Women-only kite camps, tours and our
women-only facebook page seem to be increasing in popularity. More women
seem more inclined to stand up for themselves and others.
Our New Name
Our new name “The Women’s Kiteboarding Collective” reflects our progress and development. It clearly explains who we are, who we serve, and how we’re doing it – TOGETHER.
So……Welcome to the brave new world of The Women’s Kiteboarding Collective!!!!
We began this project at the end of 2010. I’m proud that we’ve lasted this long and I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve women kiteboarders around the world.
Here’s to moving forward….to helping women navigate the rough seas and squally winds we all face when kiteboarding….to giving female kiters a place to connect, share stories, give advice, learn, laugh, and yes, sometimes even cry….to celebrating being women, being strong, brave & amazing.
With that, I’m out! Back to work on making great things happen.
Thanks for reading and being part of this exciting movement.
xx
Laurel Eastman (Co-Chair, The Women’s Kiteboarding Collective)
