It's time for the Southeast to scope out a regular slalom sp

Slalom Skateboarding in the Southeastern U.S.A

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Wesley Tucker
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Post by Wesley Tucker » Tue Sep 23, 2003 7:53 pm

I've been pondering something that bastard 66 said about the South being the next DC. It's a definite possibility and all indications are that slalom is growing 'round here.

Here's my problem with this development: we need a "spot" where we can all assemble on a regular basis. What has really facilitated (that means "helps" for all of y'all in Mississippi,) the growth of DC is the Park And Ride. It's a great surface, NO TRAFFIC, good slope and really ideal for outlaw racing on a regular basis. Personally I've been hyping my Exit 46 hill, but it is far from ideal. First of all, it's so isolated it's almost scary. If someone ever fell and got seriously injured, we would be hard pressed to get them evacuated to emergency care. Also, it's a spot that's only semi-convenient to ME. The next closest racers are the guys in Athen and it's four hours from them.

Now, speaking of Athens, they have a really good spot (whatever the name of that new hill is,) but it's only temporary. I think everyone is waiting for the axe to fall and the developer to start building houses in that neighborhood. c'est la vie. Also, Byrddog and his crew have a good spot in Jackson, but it's in Jackson. That's convenient to them, but hours from everyone else. (I'm not putting anyone down, but you know what I'm getting at.)

What I'm thinking is we need to find a spot in either Atlanta (lots of asphalt, hills and easy access,) or maybe even Chattanooga, TN. Same benefits as Atlanta, but maybe different because it's in Tennessee instead of Georgia (different laws, different mass transit, different parking lots, who knows?) What about that parking lot at the Picnicville skate park? Was it decent enough to handle regular racing? Is it sloped and with a good run out?

Does anyone know if MARTA has the same set up as the DC Metro? Are there vast parking lots scattered around the Atlanta metro area? What about around Georgia Tech? Any good spots that might be available when there's no traffic on the weekends? Or maybe city or state parks that lend themselves to a good hill with good asphalt similar to Seneca Creek? If we could scope out such a spot and make it a regular happening, then we can aspire to emulate what's happened in DC.

Also, I know none of this is convenient to everyone. The Florida guys are pretty well left out. But you have to admit that eight hours to Atlanta is a helluva lot better than 16 hours to DC! Plus, with Hartsfield, it wouldn't surprise me to find out there's commuter flights to Atlanta that are cheaper than buying six tanks of gas for a round trip by car.

I'm rambling a little bit (kudos to GT,) but I hope my intention here is clear. We really need to find a permanent, regular and primo spot for running cones where everyone can get to in less than six hours. Why six hours? Well, that's kind of a set mark for me for driving to a Saturday event: get off work Friday at 5, leave by 6 and be in a motel no later than midnight-1:00 AM. Get up Saturday, race all day and be home either late Saturday night or drive home Sunday. That's a weekend of racing for the price of gas, one night in a cheap hotel and eating three or four times. That's less than $150 if you play your cards right.

Of course, what's funny about me hyping Atlanta as a skate spot and then apologizing to the Florida guys is that maybe Chuck Gill has the info for the best possibilities? He went to GT and skated all over Atlanta. What about it, Chuck? Anything come to mind where you remember as a kid saying to yourself, "man, that would be a great place to set some cones?"

One last thing. Most of you guys know me and know that I'm a football fanatic. NOTHING interferes with me watching the 'Cocks in Columbia. So maybe I'm be a little anxious by mentioning this in September knowing full well I probably won't be involved until December. But, there's no reason why those in a position to know (Chuck, 66, Patio, Tom, Low J, etc.) can't at least be spelling on the problem and making some suggestions.

Anyone here agree with me or does it sound like I'm talking through my hat?

Rick Stanziale
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Post by Rick Stanziale » Wed Sep 24, 2003 2:48 pm

geographically not feasible

we're too spread out

perhaps for those of you without familial obligations, but a 2 hour ride, 2 hours session, and 2 hour drive home is my limit for most practice sessions

Wes, I don't see you signed up for West Virginia, are you racing? I got $20 says Brady places higher than you. But seriously, Thompson and I are gonna throw down a practice session next weekend (post Worlds).

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Post by Wesley Tucker » Wed Sep 24, 2003 5:50 pm

Rick,

Maybe I wasn't clear on my intentions. I'm not thinking about regular sessioning, but being able to hold RACES on a regular basis as the DC Outlaws do. Possible 5 or 6 annually. I agree completely that getting together once a week to practice ain't gonna happen. Knowing, though, that we have a place where we can definetely set up cones and run dual races would make things a lot better. It's the Park And Ride that's helped the DC scene to grow. Not because it's available for practice, but because Parsons & Co. can announce in advance regular races and know there will be a location to run. That's what we don't have in the southeast. If we announced in February there would be a race every other month on the 3rd Saturday through October, then everyone would have something to look forward to, practice for and plan in advance to attend. That's what has really spurred the DC guys and we need to do the same ("need" being a subjective term. We're grown ups riding skateboards. We don't "need" to do anything! :smile: )

Also, I'll let you know what I told Dave Gale: I'll probably know Saturday October 18 if I'm headed to West Virginia. It's just a question of conflicts and money. My registration is paid as a left -over from last year, so I guess all I have to do is show up and race. I'll let Dave know in advance if I'm coming.

Will J
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Post by Will J » Wed Sep 24, 2003 6:37 pm

North Alabama, S.Central Tennesse seem to be pretty centrally located, and both have NIIIIIIICE hills.. i like the idea, SEC SLALOM, now that would be great....

mmmm.. louisville, ky anyone... it's still in the south (not quite the s.e. but is below the mason dixon).. GRREAAAAT PARK, maybe they'd be interested in doing a slalom competion, if not, i've got family about 45 min. from there in the mountains, i'm 99.99% sure i could find a hill there somewhere.. have a killer race, as always, and then skate an amazing park(park slalom also??)....

i like the whole idea, us southen boys gotta stick together... :wink:

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Post by Wesley Tucker » Wed Sep 24, 2003 8:27 pm

Will J,

Northern Alabama-South Tennessee sounds good. The farthest north I've been is Huntsville, but the territory is certainly downhill friendly. One of the coolest sights in the whole wide world is coming over that hill on I-565 and seeing the complete 365-foot tall Saturn V-Apollo looming over the countryside. (Geez, why else do you think I'd go to Huntsville, Alabama? The night life? Please.)

I'd have to say, though, that Kentucky is probably out of the question. Let's not forget my arbitrary "Six Hour Rule." That means about a max of 350 miles driving. According to my map, Louisville and Lexington are close to 600 miles from Mississippi, 450 miles from me and around 500 from you in Athens. That really kills the possibility of a weekend ride for racing. And let's not even think about the drive for the Florida guys.

I think you and I are pretty much thinking about the same territory: Atlanta/Chattanooga/Huntsville. Finding something in that triangle might be ideal for us as a regular skate spot.

I'm still waiting to hear from Chuck Gill. He's GOT to have some insight into what's around Atlanta that would be fun, fast and SAFE (I'm well aware of the fact that there are neighborhoods in Atlanta where setting up cones and trying to play in the street would NOT be a good idea!)

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Post by Will J » Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:27 am

Ly.Ky is a bit far, but there's got to be at least one race there a year, maybe put it in with a street/vert/bowl/freestyle comp... it's too beautifull not to..

but, huntsville/chattanooga is the area i wanted to put the most emphasis on. Big hills out that way. Theres a couple nice parks in huntsville too, and chatty is a pretty fun town. I think us MS skaters are down to drive/ride/fly just about anywhere in the south for a race, the bigger the hill the better.. :smile:

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Post by Wesley Tucker » Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:40 am

Will,

My MISTAKE! I was confusing you with LOW J in Athens. Didn't realize you were writing from Mississippi.

Don't worry, it's all good! :smile:

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Post by Rick Stanziale » Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:52 pm

I must have misunderstood

Right on, we need regular regional racing down south.

All roads lead to Atlanta, that's a stretch for some of you, I know.....and doesn't even take into consideration that the Atlanta slalom scene is fledgling, at best.

Steve Docekal, John Wells, Alan Benson, Patio, Low J, Jason Thrasher, 66 and Tom Thompson should get something going on in the ATL this winter.

More Phil Elm at 11.

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Post by Tom Thompson » Thu Sep 25, 2003 2:26 pm

Thanks for bringing this up Wesley. Something we should really be thinking about.....

As far as Ga. locations, a couple of spots came to mind immediately. We obviously won't have Huntington Hill for much longer...But Rick, what about that awesome hill across from the skatepark? Any chance we could get that (sans permit...) for half a day once or twice a year?? just a thought.....Also, though Picnicville park isn't an ideal spot for racing, the parking lot that Stanziale and I used for practices this past winter is in a great location as far as VISIBILITY is concerned. Right next to a public skatepark. The grade is mellow, the asphalt is smooth and fast. The minor drawbacks are the course distance would have to be short and the run-out can be tricky. IE, at the end of the course, you have to turn sharp right or left to avoid hitting a curb. P-ville could be a good spot for some tight racing, 25-30 cones. I've run 25 cones at 5.5' there with plenty of run-out. The parking lots tend to fill up around mid morning(roller hockey rink beside the skatepark) on weekends, so we would have to get there early a.m. to do our thing. Once we "take over" thet section of the parking lot, my experience has been that drivers will steer clear of us and park elsewhere(there's plenty of parking). And I've never been hassled by Johnny Law at P-ville. Most importantly and without fail, we WILL draw spectators there...All said, I think we should seriously consider it.

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Post by Rick Stanziale » Fri Sep 26, 2003 4:50 pm

On 2003-09-25 08:26, Tom Thompson wrote:
...what about that awesome hill across from the skatepark? Any chance we could get that (sans permit...) for half a day once or twice a year?? just a thought.....
Yeah, matter of fact, I was out there skating with Low J and Thrasher when the law came by and gave us the thumbs up - only thing they asked was that we park cars at both ends of the hill to let people know what was up (and I've still got the road closed signs and barricades from the race).

Sounds like a plan, I'll start working something up.

BTW...I'm going to run the Georgia race late next September and bill it as the East Coast Championships - comments?

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Post by Wesley Tucker » Fri Sep 26, 2003 6:06 pm

Ummmm, not to sound too dim, but are y'all discussing a hill near a skate park in Athens or Picnicville? I got confused between this and that.

Hey, one other thing. I'm not suggesting the Georgia guys put on a race for the rest of us. This will DEFINETELY be a cooperative effort. Of course, with outlaw racing about the only thing needed is a timer and cones, so there's not a whole lot of coordination needed.

What I don't expect nor encourage is the locals SPENDING ANY MONEY. If it comes down to permits and such, then we'll just have to say, "no thanks." The only real inconvenience I expect to foister on the locals is they, of course, have to bring all the beer!

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Post by Rick Stanziale » Fri Sep 26, 2003 7:10 pm

The street Tom referred to is in Athens.

And while that spot is good for me, it's not good for the growth of slalom - Athens tops out at 100,000 when you include the students, Atlanta has a population of over 2 million. I suggest we find a highly visible location in Atlanta.

Join USA Rollersports Grass Roots Slalom club and we'll all be covered, not only at sanctioned events, but also at "official" practice sessions.

$20/year, what a bargain.

The Georgia racers should be receiving their membership cards shortly.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Rick Stanziale on 2003-09-26 13:18 ]</font>

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Post by Chuck Gill » Sat Sep 27, 2003 5:16 am

Wesley, when I lived in Atlanta I was riding 10 x 30 with sixtracks, so looking for slalom spots wasn't exactly on my radar. That said, there are SO many hills in the area it wouldn't take long for an enterprising person with an eagle eye to find something - probably even several spots. Heck, there ought to be someplace in Piedmont Park, unless the pavement there still sucks like it did in the 80's. Then there's 3rd St. hill on the Ga. Tech campus. Eeek! Steep and fast, plus the Athenians might spontaneously combust if they go there.

Ya know, the "bad areas" are actually a good place to skate....the "locals" just think you're crazy and leave you alone. Then again, now that we're all grown up with "nice cars", it sould be an entirely different matter. Hmmm, kind of reminds me of one of my favorite stories from "back in the day". Me and a bunch of friends were skating from the Omni after seeing Run DMC one night down to the Metroplex to catch Corrosion of Conformity (man, those were the days). Of course, all that stuff was in one of the worst parts of town...but we always navigated with impunity. The only rule was YOU DON'T GO NEAR THE PHOENIX CLUB. Of course our path took us right by there, but if you just passed by it was cool. There were some brothers sitting in a car out front listening to the Beastie Boys of all things. This somehow persuaded my buddy Randy to run up to their car, dive through the back window, and lie in the back seat rapping along with the Beasties. Why, we still don't know. Anyway, we all thought it was the end for him, and maybe us too, but the dudes in the car just started laughing at the crazy white boy. So where am I going with this? I don't know any specific slalom spots in Atlanta, but if someone finds a good regular spot I'd go up for some Outlaw action once or twice a year.

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Post by Rick Stanziale » Sat Sep 27, 2003 2:29 pm

I think I've shared this story with Chuck before, but we were skating downtown Atlanta that same night (Run DMC at the Omni and CoC at the Metroplex).

We were on the opposite side of the Omni when Run DMC let out, we heard a gunshot and circumvented the crowd to make our way back to the Metroplex. Just before we reached my friends car, we were surrounded by a group of around a dozen 12-15 year old Run DMC fans. I realized we were outnumbered and split, heading to the Metroplex as fast as I could, along with most of my friends. My buddy with the car, he stood his ground, ended up losing his skateboard and his wallet, and having his windsheild smashed in. He came driving up to the Metroplex a few minutes later, having explained that he ran a few of them down with his car post-mugging.

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Post by Brady Mitchell » Sat Sep 27, 2003 5:00 pm

What is this with crowds trashing stuff up after concerts or sports games and such?



Never heard of anything like that down here with exception of the Led Zepplin concert at Orlando in 77 or 78? During the 3rd song of the set, the sky opened up and poured and the stage got soaked. After about 20 minutes, some dude came back on stage and said the concert was cancelled.



Well, the crowd went bezerk. They tore up the stadium and later on I saw TVs being tossed out of hotel windows.



I didn't have any part of that and me and my bros loaded the car and headed south.



I quess it was a bunch of nordners that did all that mess..



Back on track with subject...



Are the FL boys gonna run some events down south? WP? Dump RD? Who'd come?

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Post by Rick Stanziale » Sun Sep 28, 2003 12:57 am

I think McCree wants to do a MAJOR race in West Palm. In the meantime, I hope Bobby moves ahead with plans for a winter race in the Daytona area soon.

I'm just stoked to still be riding skateboards at my age and enjoying it as much (if not more) than I did when I was younger. Mollicas Breck '03 DVD showed up in my mailbox today and made my day (no, it made my funking year) to see my mug up on the boob tube.

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Post by Slappy Maxwell » Tue Sep 30, 2003 3:39 am

You know you really don't need just one spot.

We should have a lo-fi east coast series next year using ISSA rules and US Rollersports for insurance.

There could be 3-4 races in each region. North region from Maine to Virginia. South from North Carolina to Florida. Points could be interchangable between regions but you must run the majority of your races in the region you reside.

Then we have an East Coast Championship Race that moves between the regions each year.

Wesley Tucker
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Post by Wesley Tucker » Tue Sep 30, 2003 3:57 am

Slappy,

Good idea. BUT, that's not what I'm aiming for. See, you're in a position to almost take the Park and Ride for granted. You show up, 20 or 30 guys show up, you lay down some cones and skate til you're tired (unless Officer Do-right shows up.)

No permits, no traffic barriers, no coordination with the local authorities, no need to plan on anything in advance. Just show up and race. That's the kind of scenario I'm aiming for. Furthermore, it's in Gaithersburg. That's central to all the guys in Virginia, Maryland, PA Dan, Kevin, the guys in New York and so on.

That's what we need closer to home: a place where we can come online and say, "everyone up for some racing this weekend? Be there at 10. We'll have the course set by 11:00."

As far as an East Coast series, we're close to that now: Mississippi, Georgia, DC, West Virginia, 'Da Farm and Boston. That's six races. If we can add two more, that's a race once a month from March til October. Sounds great to me!

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Post by Will J » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:15 am

On 2003-09-29 21:57, Wesley Tucker wrote:

As far as an East Coast series, we're close to that now: Mississippi, Georgia, DC, West Virginia, 'Da Farm and Boston. That's six races. If we can add two more, that's a race once a month from March til October. Sounds great to me!
St. Louis.. it's the gateway to the midwest but it's too much fun to not count in the eastcoast..

1 more.. tennessee...?

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Post by Wesley Tucker » Tue Sep 30, 2003 4:43 am

Will,

St. Louis is cool. It just slipped MY mind because I didn't make the race this year and just forgot about it on the fly when I was typing. Of course, the same could be said of Mississippi because I didn't make it there, either, but hey, whadda 'ya expect for nothing?

If Tennessee starts happening then I'll definetely head there for a race. The only problem with it is right now there is ONE identified racer in Nashville and would he be able to set up a race on his own? Not that I doubt his abilities, but it's kind of hard for someone to organize and run a race long distance. As in, I don't know that Ricky, 66, the DC guys or myself could do anything about getting clearance and cooperation with a Tennessee location to run a race without actually BEING there. Know what I mean?

FCR can do that kind of thing because they can afford to a certain extent to travel to a city, get the permits, scope out a street and make all the arrangements to stage a long distance race. Plus, they rent the truck and all the accessories to make it happen. I don't know that we can do that right now out of our own pockets. So that means holding races nearer to home where we know we can afford to do the deed without too much logistical coordination and complications. we ain't NASCAR (yet) and taking the show on the road to strange cities might be shooting for too much too soon.

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Post by Jeff Boswell » Mon Oct 06, 2003 10:17 pm

Wesley Speaking of NASCAR maybe you should check out Talladega superspeedway There are some great places to slalom on the grounds. the pavement quality is real good.

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Post by Wesley Tucker » Tue Oct 07, 2003 5:03 am

I don't know, Jeff. I have a hard time considering some place to go skateboarding that's so far out in the country you can't even get AM RADIO. My goodness, Talladega is out there. I swear when I'm heading down I-20 past the speedway that at any minute I'm gonna see a sign tha tells me "Pyramids Ahead!"

I'll tell 'ya, though, another good spot on the other side of Birmingham is the Mercedes Benz plant at Vance. Last time I went to Tuscaloosa I stopped off at M-B to take a look around. There's is a GREAT access road around the back of the plant that is a just a gorgeous black ribbon of asphalt going downhill to a series of loading dock. Unfortunately, since it's an auto plant, I'm assuming they work 24/7, so there's no down time for the road.

I do like the idea, though, of a slalom race in the parking lot of a superspeedway. Another place to scope out is Road Atlanta up in Flowery Branch. I haven't been there in so long that I can just barely remember the landscape. It's another place I definetely have intentions of scoping out this winter. Might be a bust, might be perfect. Won't know til I go there and see for myself.

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Post by Rick Stanziale » Tue Oct 07, 2003 12:31 pm


Brian Parsons
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Post by Brian Parsons » Tue Oct 07, 2003 3:44 pm

GO CUBS!

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Post by Tom Thompson » Tue Oct 07, 2003 11:44 pm

The Ted full of Cubs fans.....

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