DC Downhill Outlaw Race

Dave Gale · Post by **Dave Gale** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 1:06 am

Damn!! I wrote this and accidently erased it!! In a nut shell: Most areas require that boundaries be posted no less than every 100' or be insight and legible from one another. If not, they can simply inform you and ask that you leave. Ingress and egress cannot be denied and written certified proof is the 1st step in any further actions for future infractions.. Be sure that were ever you enter doesn't have signs posting boundaries and tresspassing condemnation! I wouldn't think you'd have trouble as long as you behave and respect the property, and for God's sake ,don't make a bad name for skaters wanting to carve!! Oh, and Smallwood should hide in the crowd if the fuzz are abuzz!!! lol
Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do!!

Joseph Cross · Post by **Joseph Cross** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 1:37 am

My mom freaked out when I told her it was an outlaw race. I might not be able to go, especially if there is a no trespassing sign.

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 2:53 am

Anthony,
Cut your hair and mabye if the same cop comes he won't recognize you. And where is Vandorn?

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 3:22 am

Hey Danny, I'll cut it into a green mohawk. I'm sure THAT won't piss him off!
Van Dorn is about 5 miles from Fountainhead on 95n

Seth Levy · Post by **Seth Levy** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 4:48 am

i dont care, i once got a 'ticket' from a police officer in vb and never got sent the payment info. I think he was just trying to tell me to get away. i have gotten tickets in texas and had to pay them though... either way, im in. i already told my boss i wont be coming in on sunday...

Jeff Bozi · Post by **Jeff Bozi** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 5:18 am

I think if Anthony had a mild bust today with him & doug being there, its not to bad, but I think if the same officer comes next week if its part of his regulare beat, he may be a tad pissed to fin our Anthony there with 20-30 people, that would not help him in the future, this being a local spot to him kinda.

Van dorn sounds possible, maybe the park as a backup. I have the Suburban I can haul people up the hill with , so we can have a handful go down & get em back up to increase runs & amount of time to get them done. If its a faster hill, then yeah, we could stay down hill a bit early on & if peoples confidence gets higher, then save full runs for end of day.

Just my random thoughts here, never been to either spot, its Anthony & Dougs call.

All I do know, is number one son must be takin speedboarding this weekend or Ill never hear the end of it.

Thanks, Jeff........glad the speedboarding interest is picking up here, more up my alley

PS, anthony, hit www.boziboardz.com , it the shopping cart site Im working on, not live yet, have one of your picks tweeked on frt page with kaylees pics

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 3:21 pm

Hey Jeff, I've been sporting the orange Bozi shirt and I'm already getting compliments and weird stares....should be a hit!!

As far as OCC goes, I don't mind risking it. My feeling is if the same cop comes back, he'll probably single me out since I was the "spokesperson" the last time. I just want Jeff or another adult to take my son home if I get hauled away. He lives about 20 minutes away in Stafford. It kinda sucks because I had the ripping little girl from the Van's park and Shaun from the Van's park wanting to come. I was suppossed to bring them, but I don't feel comfortable with someone elses kids, ducking from the cops.

If we can truly co-ordinate, we can ride OCC, but we've got to be slick. I don't think we're risking losing the spot for good.....I plan on riding it all spring and summer, because the rangers who actually run the place don't seem to have a problem with it. I've been given rides back to the top and Brian Parsons has related stories. It's the passing patrolman who has a problem.

This race was put together as an event that first timers could enjoy safely. We just want everyone to give downhill a shot in a nice, safe environment.

So you guys make the call. Maybe I should start one of those polls.

Dave Gale · Post by **Dave Gale** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 3:38 pm

Anthony, just some more impressions from outside..Don't try to justify future success because some of the employees didn't seem to mind and even gave you a lift! If the cop comes again, he won't be looking for maintenance crews etc.. to validate your story of acceptance. They'll go to those people's overseers and I'm sure that'll end it all!! I'm w/ Jeff on the fact that a crowd of skaters 1 week after a minor bust, may just finalize the future of that venue. I think too, that you would jeopardize the youngster's parental consent to attend future races/sessions held by you "outlaws" Just my take!! I have SEVERAL park rangers in our 50,000 acre park that allow me to "bend" the rules, but once they get the direct order to not allow it, it's either your skating or their jobs.. My gut says to let it rest a short while!!
My .02

Doug Dupin · Post by **Doug Dupin** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 4:49 pm

We got sort of "run off" by the cops. I think it was just really bad luck that when we returned to the car (which is the only way they know somebody is down there) that a cop was there. Another cop pulled up and they talked "off the radio" about some other issue. I think if we can park elsewhere there won't be a problem. Also, there are always other people walking, running, etc. We did not investigate the road uphill from the park's turn-in so that's something that needs to be looked into - there is no parking along the road anywhere below the turn-in.

I think that if we can manage the parking elsewhere it should happen. I can't imagine the cops arresting us for trespassing on county parkland. The cop yesterday said he personally did not have a problem with it. If he came after us, he would also have to round-up a fair share of outdoor enthusiasts who visit the park.

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 11:23 pm

We should just drop people off and then park somewhere else. I think parking the cars at the park entrance would be begging for a bust. I don't think my dad would mind us getting busted. Nothing really to worry about much I think.

I'm in wherever it is.

David Riordon · Post by **David Riordon** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 5:30 am

Danny Crawford wrote:..... I don't think my dad would mind us getting busted. Nothing really to worry about much I think.

Sure about that Danny? You know, I bet my son says the same thing when he gets older and it will most likely be with Brian Parsons' kid.

Here is an alternate spot that will have a low bust factor, the Park & Ride in Woodbridge, VA (the one on the north bound side of I-95 at the exit for 123). If you start up at the top, you can loop around to the bottom on the outside of the parking lot for a long ride. Although, somebody needs to check that the construction equipment is not in the way. Most important, remember to wear full pads including gloves. The surface is not forgiving at all; I left skin and blood when I fell there last year without pads.

Slappy Maxwell · Post by **Slappy Maxwell** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 6:13 am

Was it a Fairfax Co. Cop or a Park Ranger?
If he was a Fairfax cop he's more concerned with the closed prison property next door.
Fairfax doesn't have the resources to have a bunch of officers watch over the entire old prison property like the Feds had before the land turnover.
I know if I was a cop, I'd be pissed with that giant pain in the ass now added to my beat. There is four or five seperate closed prisons on that property, not just the one you can see from Rt.123.

If this was the case, I have found a stealth way into the park from the back. There is a unpublished road that runs behind the park between Furnace Road and the park. It's used on the weekdays for Dump trucks to take stuff to the Sanitation Plant. There is zero traffic on it during the weekend. You can park on the shoulder of the road and cut through the woods to the bottom of the park at the soccer fields.

I'll find an aerial map and post it.

Seth Levy · Post by **Seth Levy** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 7:09 am

come on! we gotta do this! i already told my supervisor i would be calling in sick that day! (dont worry, ill pick up the doughnuts the night before!)

Anthony Flis · Post by **Anthony Flis** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:13 pm

that park and ride that David suggested wouldnt be a bad backup actually. if you start at the very top were you exit off the ramp down into the p&r and go down around then down the middle in the right lane itd be awsome. the turn might be a little technical but id love it. and that construction equipment isnt in the way of anything at all. it cant be in the way of anything cuz itd block the actual road. you could get some serious speed if you can take the turn good but im sure thatd be a little hard for the mass of people and probably me too but thatd just be the fastest way. theres plent of lines to take through there.

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 2:42 am

Yeah Slappy! If you're going to dodge the cops, might as well make it as interesting as possible. That sounds like it would work. See if you can hook up that map.

As far as a back-up goes, I imagine Doug would make Van Dorn the call. I don't think he was too into that P&R the last time we rode it. If we end up at Van Dorn, the key is to simply bomb in increments. Maybe we'll have heats at different starting levels.

I just got a call from Doug. He saw Slappy's post and he said he's totally into the Occoquan backstreet barge session. Sounds like it's on.

Slappy Maxwell · Post by **Slappy Maxwell** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:43 am

Cool, let me throw down Tom Clancy style...

Here's a map where I've drawn in the unlisted "Dump road" in black.
If you want to approximate in your favorite flavor of map (Mapquest, Yahoo,etc.) just throw in Furnace Road, Lorton VA.

Here's a larger aerial view of the area for reference. The area with the white little X's and V's near the road is one of the closed prisons.

Here's a close up of the best place to park and cut thru to go to the top of the hill.

Seth Levy · Post by **Seth Levy** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 9:53 am

dude, thats killer. i think if it is a bust, we say f@$& it and hit vans!

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 8:32 pm

Good work Maxwell Smart...or is it Lancelot Link??
I still think we should meet at the P&R off 95 to pull out in a convoy.
12:30 is the call. Race from 1-5.

Seth, the back-up is Van Dorn. No Van's park. Hit the 10-12 session and come ride afterwords. The only thing that will keep us from bombing the hill is the weather and it looks to be dry, so buckle up!

Doug Dupin · Post by **Doug Dupin** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 9:08 pm

Excellent cartography.
Looks like there is a cut through the woods from the parking location.
It's on.

Jeff Bozi · Post by **Jeff Bozi** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 7:11 am

Just to be clear on park & ride location we're meeting at for out of towners, & nimrods like me, If this is the same place we had the big skate thing with flippys & slalom race last year, there are 2 park & rides in the general area, yes?

Everyone thats coming make sure you have Anthonys cell # maybe.

So, 95 south, 123 exit, then if I remember, go left on 123 to correct park & ride?

Sorry, just want to make sure everyone knows where theyre going to be at 12:30.

Vlad........you in? Russian Missle......I mean, Sexy Russian Missle, no face slides.

Jeff

Seth Levy · Post by **Seth Levy** » Fri Feb 20, 2004 10:48 am

good question boz, i didnt even know there were two! haha. yeah, anthony, could you pm me your cell number? thanks!

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 1:54 am

It's the P&R that's on the left hand side as you head south. It's below the hotel at the top of the hill. We should meet at 12:00 with the convoy pulling out at 12:30.

My cell is 202-607-1495 and Doug's is 202-262-2360.

So, who's gonna show?

Wes Eastridge · Post by **Wes Eastridge** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 3:16 am

I plan on being there.

Just to be sure, is it the P&R that is on 123, almost as far as to Route1 (the one that Anthony Flis was describing)? There is a TacoBell on 123 nearby, and I believe an Ames store. I don’t arrive there the same way as other people, so I wouldn’t recognize the directions that Anthony Smallwood is giving.

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 3:26 am

I'm riding Whitetail in the morning, and trying to make it to the SpeedDump at around 2.

BozzzzzzzzzEEEEEEE roolz!!! Do I get to ride one?

Doug Dupin · Post by **Doug Dupin** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 4:15 am

Reminder that the race is Sunday 1:00 pm.
Anthony and I will not be wearing leathers but gloves and helmets. Hiking with the leathers is hard work - it also looks like it might be kind of warm.

Anthony Flis · Post by **Anthony Flis** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 4:22 am

im definately showing up and this time dannys dad is driving us. i didnt buy randal downhills just to show them off....im so excited for this weekend because on sunday theres the race then monday night is Ska Is Dead concert im going to at the 930 club and saturday should just be a nice day that will equal fun

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 5:20 am

My dad is gonna stick around and probably take some pictures. He's got a Honda Odyssey that can fit 7. And it has 9 cup holders.

Joseph Cross · Post by **Joseph Cross** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 2:32 pm

You guys are going right by my house. The Ames is closed and does not have the sign in front of it and so is the K-Mart.

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 8:23 pm

Since it will be more of a hassle for my dad to drive to the parking lot will it be possible for us to hang by that little town by that bridge? Or will this mess up the master plan? It doesn't matter either way.

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 8:30 pm

Danny, I think it's settled that we're meeting at the P&R, which is right across 95 from the village. Plus you and Tony can take some runs there to get warmed up. You guys could just meet us at the bottom of the dump road, but it'd be wise to meet with the crew before hand. Hell, Slappy's pretty much the only one who knows how and where to infiltrate.

Anthony Flis · Post by **Anthony Flis** » Sat Feb 21, 2004 11:52 pm

yeah danny we could easily get screwed over if we dont go to the park and ride and its not much further or much of a hassle to go there. Its just up the way from occuaquan.

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 3:54 am

Alright, I dig

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Sun Feb 22, 2004 5:43 am

There will be some newbies tagging along with me and Tony tomorrow by the way. My friends Gareth, jimmy (who was there last week) and Jay, who is actually pretty good.

And Seth, are you gonna still hook me up with them pads?

Mike Ohm · Post by **Mike Ohm** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 12:46 am

The downhillers ended up at Oakwood Rd. in Alexandria. All was cool until some kid (not sure of his name) was skitching a ride up the hill and fell. They said the van ran over his hand. He seemed to be in some major pain. Anyway, I think his dad was there but not sure what happened. We walked up the hill and left about 10 minutes later. Hope he is alright. Some one let us know how he is.

I wasn't on a downhill board but was carving some GS turns. It would be a shame if we did'nt run a GS single track race there. I was using Avalons, white in front and blues in back. Good grip and the rough pavement wasn't noticable. Good practice for LaCosta. It will be a screamer. Any takers?

Wes Eastridge · Post by **Wes Eastridge** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:19 am

Sh*^%$@!!!
Was it Danny?
How bad was it?
Someone fill us in, please!

Anthony Flis · Post by **Anthony Flis** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:40 am

yeah it was danny....hes alright i think. he didnt go to the hospital. I think he was just really shaken up and he claims to not have gotten run over but i dont know i was on the other side of the car. We all had crazy fun up until that point. That hill is so gnarly. Oh yeah as we were going by the other way on the beltway (after going the wrong way and makin a u tunr) we saw a cop at the hill with his lights on and all. What was up with that?

Jeff Bozi · Post by **Jeff Bozi** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:43 am

I heard from Anthony, that it was Danny, dont know how he is though, Im sure someone will post. That really sucks for him, glad it wasnt a leg or ankle though.

I was planning on being there, Kyle really wanted to go. We ended up on a last min trip yesterday to pick up a new dog, Id been looking for a Blue Merle Australian Shephard for a couple weeks, finally found pups, had to be sat to get them. Glad we went, Today they would have been gone. But felt bad missing race. Sounded like you guys had a full day.

Ill see you all next weekend.

Danny, hope your alrite , glad your Pop was there to take care of things.

Jeff

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:46 am

That was young Danny Crawford who took the spill. He was in a lot of pain and you could see that his hand was messed up. He seemed to be in good spirits as they left the hill, making sure to get his new DCDC shirt on the way out. I haven't found out the final outcome but I wouldn't be suprised to hear he's "plastered"

I can say this though, Danny charged today. He was hurt in an unfortunate accident while being pulled up the hill. He wasn't hurt riding.
Today was very cool in the fact that we had some young chargers mixing it up with the old dogs on a very fast hill.
We had speedboards, streetluge, gravity bikes and even Mad Mike Ohm, ripping Super GS lines on a slalom board.

Anthony and Danny's friend Jimmy took a blazing run on the streetluge in his first time riding. Danny and Anthony were mixing it up, along with other members of the NoVa Bombers. DrNo and his girl Kim rode luge and bikes with Crazy Rollin from NJ. Doug Dupin was his usual speedy self. I was stoked to watch my son charging his first serious downhill with good fast form. Ohm's son was going big as was his friend, but I think Mike displayed the biggest sack. Ohm's runs were super fast and super smooth.

The earlier part of the day was ridiculously madcap and not even worth repeating. You had to be there.

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:54 am

I just saw Anthony's post. I was leaving as the cop pulled in. Dr.No talked to him and told him what happened and he just shrugged it off.

On a side note, Neil Orta aka DrNo, Mike Ohm and myself were plotting a gravity event on Oakwood. It's really about time. Stay tuned.....

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:02 am

*looks at hand*
It got ran over?

I'm perfectly fine everybody. I just have a little headache and a bruise on my butt. I actually remember something TOTALLY different.

I was skitching up the hill and the board got ran over and went flying in the air. I picked the board back up and skitched back up the hill. And my dad kept asking if my hand was okay and that it got ran over. I really had no idea what was going on. When Anthony gave me the shirt I was like "What's this for? Did I pay for this?"

So yeah, I'm fine everybody!

Wesley Tucker · Post by **Wesley Tucker** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:18 am

So, let me see if I have this straight:

A bunch of skaters in DC and NoVa get together and have a gnarly day of downhilling, racing, slaloming and just getting completely high on speed and . . .

. . . a race in Southern California gets called because of rain?

What's wrong with this picture?

(Sorry, MG, I've been waiting two years to rag on you people for getting wet on race day. Trust US, we know how it feels!)

David Riordon · Post by **David Riordon** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:53 am

Glad to hear that Danny is ok. Wish I could have been there to ride with the crew but I decided to keep a low profile as well did John Dillion. John Dillon and I are heading out next weekend to snowboard Colorado w/ my brother Steeb. Last thing I need to do before the CO trip is get myself runover.

Once snowboard season is over, I'll be back skateboarding with you chumps.

Andy Bittner · Post by **Andy Bittner** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 4:14 am

It's good to hear that Danny is okay, but I'd like to take this opportunity to speak against the very casual manner in which so many of us are willing to latch onto moving cars. I know that 99.9% of the time there seems to be very little danger, and it is certainly convenient compared to walking up a hill over and over again, but reading all of this reminds me that I have a cousin (of sorts) who was killed while riding a skateboard and towing from the doorhandle of a moving automobile (although, admittedly, the circumstances were quite different). I can also appreciate that Anthony wants to emphasize that this accident did not occur during downhill-speed skateboarding, but to say that it didn't occur while riding isn't right. This is absolutely a skateboarding accident, not only because the injured party was riding a skateboard, but also because it is typical (and stereotypical) of skateboarders to make no big deal out of towing from a moving car.

Just a thought, because the fact that someone got away in a close call, doesn't mean we didn't almost experience an almost incomprehensible tragedy. Don't tow from cars.

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 4:32 am

No question the practice is out. It's actually quicker to just jump in and drive up. We used to actually go one at a time and get pulled 35mph DOWN the hill holding on to the rear view mirror. I'd kiss my fingers and tap the bumper as I let go and passed. We would do all we could to break 45mph. It never happened and we are lucky no one ate it trying.
Another thing I'd like to see is everybody in full-face helmets. No more skatepark helmets on the hill. They've got to be cheap on ebay. I like what we've got going here, so let's keep it together.

Seth Levy · Post by **Seth Levy** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 4:36 am

arrrrgggg i was not too happy! i totally forgot the directions to the downhill cause i went from lansdowne on sat. to work that night, then to a babysitting job, then to vans, then to... oh wait, i left the directions to the downhill at home! AHHHH!!!! i still had a great day, but that was a little bummer. danny, sucks about whatever happened and if you still need the knee pads, ill give em to ya next time. i even had them in my car!

Anthony Smallwood · Post by **Anthony Smallwood** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 5:04 am

Speaking of towing behind cars, has anybody seen the footage of Daryll Freeman being pulled across a bridge in California and launching off a ramp 50ft into the bay? I think it was on Fox last week. He's nut's. If you ever get to watch "the Monkey" check out his slide at the beginning. Ugh!

Andy Bittner · Post by **Andy Bittner** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 2:54 pm

Anthony, I'm so glad there is some agreement here. I was really afraid that I was going to come off as a "wet blanket" again.

I'd like to make a very subtle distinction in the message though. In fact, if someone is going to tow from a moving vehicle, the best place to be towing from is the rear bumper. A fall from a rear bumper tow results in a skateboard fall that will be as violent as the speed dictates, but not much more.

It's towing from the side that's messed up. Towing from the side, a skater's "line" becomes very narrow. With the car immediately beside, there's no room for wobbles or adjustment; and, of course, if that skater loses control and falls, there's a very real possibility of getting run over by the rear wheel of the tow vehicle.

It probably wasn't an issue this weekend, but there's another real concern in towing from the side of a vehicle. Towing from the side of a moving automobile, a skateboarder is exposed to everything in his path or coming in the opposite direction. Often times the tow driver is fairly young, and I've seen some tow drivers do some crazy-bad, brainless stuff. I've seen tow drivers pinch riders against a curb, suddenly take a turn without slowing, slingshotting the rider to the outside (it's a good thing he didn't suddenly go the other way!), and drag skaters over bad road sections.

In the case of my cousin... he was towing down a residential street, hanging on to a rear, driver's side doorhandle, when a van approached, travelling in the opposite direction. The approaching van is over the speed limit at about 30-35 mph, and the tow vehicle is at about 25-30 mph. There's not a lot of room on the road, but hanging on to the doorhandle was the best option. Unfortunately, being young, and stupid, and being suddenly forced to make a decision with absolutely incomprehensible consequences, Mark cast off of the door handle at the VERY last moment of closing and hit the flat front of the 70s-era van at the closing speed of between 55 and 65 mph. He was killed instantly.

Danny Crawford · Post by **Danny Crawford** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 9:57 pm

Yeah, no more skitching for me. But anyways I think the riding was a blast. OCC was a great hill and I passed a couple people. I was also caught by surprise when Doug passed me going REALLY fast. Too bad I only got to skate it once.

Vand Dorn was also really fun since I don't remember screaming and rolling on the floor. The hill was REALLY fast and I was going probably the fastest I had ever gone. Riding that streetluge thing was also a blast. It was fast and stable and looked cool. ANd when I get up the money I'll be buying a full faced helmet.

Join the ISSA 25 cone series. One cyber race every second month!

Regular sessions allow newbies to join our community and discover slalom racing.

DC Downhill Outlaw Race

ok

race

Presidents race

Race

racing

parking

P&R / #

reminder

P&R

DC Downhill

crazy day

Cops

Towing From Cars

tow-ups