ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

Long time boarder. Mostly freestyle and simple downhill. Always had a board and assume I always will..... at least one, that is......

Aging quickly, but refuse to give up the sport. Going on 44 and becoming more and more interested in slaloming, the more I read in this place.......

From north of Allentown, PA and other interests include motorcycle racing and spending time with my family.

Great site and I'm sucking up this stuff like a sponge.... Thanks for having me.

Dave

Welcome Dave!

I was in the same shoes as you going on 2 years ago. I think I registered and read this site for close to a year before I finally came forward and met with the other slalom riders in Georgia. Oh, and I just turned 44!

It's a great site full of great people.

Ron

Indeed welcome. I too am a newbie, and and old fart (48) to boot. I stumbled across this site 3 months ago, and now am a junkie. If you can find somebody to skate with, you've got a great resource, because they probabaly have made mistakes in the past that you can hopefully not duplicate!

Skate on!

Marty

Marty Agather wrote:Indeed welcome. I too am a newbie, and and old fart (48) to boot.
Marty

That's great Marty.......!! I hope I'm doing this for a while longer... Like I said, I've been doing it all my life and not riding my boards would mean giving into age and society's stereotypes of what people my age are "supposed" to be doing.....

Get old and die? I tend to avoid that for as long as the gods and my health allows me.

Some Pennsylvania slalomers:

"PADan" Dan Mitchell - York
"KMG" Kevin Gamble - Near York? Not sure of Kevin's home address
Justin Pannula - Philly
Henry Julier - student at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.

There may be more, but that's who I can think of at the moment.

Dave,

Funny you should mention giving into society's stereotypes. I skated for 4 years in college, and then put the boards away up until 3 months ago. Less about giving in than moving away from friends and gravity rush terrain. But the stereotype thing is prevalent, isn't it.

I remember one sorority type's comment like it was yesterday. I was skogging uphill on a sidewalk on campus, she was walking down hill looking at the ground. I must have shook her out of the clouds, because all of a sudden she looked up at me like I was a mass murderer.

"Why don't you grow up?" was her invective. 'If you are to old to enjoy life, better get fitted for a pine box' is my attitude.

Then the other day, I had set up a ts course on the road next to my house, when who should drive up, but the father of friends of my daughters. He, his wife, and two younger kids were in the back seat, looking googly eyed at the crazy old man in the helmet with the skateboard under his arm. He's a dentist, big water skier and a world class distance runner, so I know he likes adventure. His wife is CEO of an organ donation outfit, so they are pretty staid, upstanding members of the community. Anyway, there I am, sweaty after a half hour of practice. He grabs his camera, says, "Ive got to record this for posterity", and then they pulled over to watch me have a run. Obviously I was abit outside the norm, but hopefully appreciated.

Skate and stay young!

Marty

Hi Dave!
Just turned 43 and still at it. I found NCDSA in 2000 and was blown away that poeple were slaloming again. Been at it ever since (less so since racing died in DC).

There are a few spots in York where I practice, but nothing really great. 'Course it's always more fun with another person. Any places up there worth driving to? You'd be between Justin and I, and I don't think I've met him in person yet.

Kevin is way west of here, 3 or 4 hours I believe.

I have 7 or 8 slalom boards you're welcome to come down and try, but most of them have Seismic trucks, which not everyone likes.

I tried to throw a race as a fundraiser for our new concrete skatepark, but was shot down by the city at first mention.

Dan

Dan Mitchell wrote:Hi Dave!
Just turned 43 and still at it. I found NCDSA in 2000 and was blown away that poeple were slaloming again. Been at it ever since (less so since racing died in DC).

There are a few spots in York where I practice, but nothing really great. 'Course it's always more fun with another person. Any places up there worth driving to? You'd be between Justin and I, and I don't think I've met him in person yet.

Kevin is way west of here, 3 or 4 hours I believe.

I have 7 or 8 slalom boards you're welcome to come down and try, but most of them have Seismic trucks, which not everyone likes.

I tried to throw a race as a fundraiser for our new concrete skatepark, but was shot down by the city at first mention.

Dan

Hey Dan,

I'm not aware of anyone....ANYONE...in my area that's doing slaloms. You're right: It is more fun with other people. Funny you mentioned Seismic trucks. There's a guy in the classifieds that I've contacted that has all but a whole board for sale, in parts, and Seismic trucks are part of the gig. He hasn't contacted me yet.

As of now, I've only ridden old school stuff like Tracker, Indy and Gullwing trucks. Seismic looks like you'd have to get used to the springs, and knowing motorcycle suspension the way I do, I can guess that the springs have to be rated for your weight.... so chances are anything I get will have to be weight rated for me.

We have one skate park near me, PennSkates. It's an indoor place with ramps for bikes and boards. The owner and I were chatting and the liability insurance is killing him.....

When spring rolls around, Dan, we'll have to hook up. I'm reading as much as I can to help determine what size board, type of trucks and A-grade of wheels I'll need. I live on a cul-de-sac that's a great downhill run and barely any traffic, so praticing is out my front door.

My neighbors already think I'm mental, so this should pretty much ice the cake....

Who knows...I might get the neighborhood kids into skating and start the trend all over again for the east coast... LOL.

'If you are to old to enjoy life, better get fitted for a pine box' is my attitude.

Words of wisdom my friend.

I may only be 21, (although with the knees of a 90 year-old) and i ve got no intention whatsoever to stop skating, i will skate until i am physically unable to, and even then ill probably figure something out.

Good to hear of another PA guy, we seem to be a dying breed or something, hahaha!

chances are anything I get will have to be weight rated for me.

Yeah, thats a big thing in slalom, getting the right equipment for not only your weight but style. Parts that work well for someone lighter or heavier than you can really break a good setup, so weight is a big factor with bushings/springs, and board-flex, even wheels.

My view on the whole "age" thing is: Age shouldnt matter unless you are a wine, or a cheese (or maybe a Turner foam-core). Hahaha!

Hope to meet you one of these days, and chuck a wiggly through some cones.

I've never actually acted my age. When I was younger, I always acted older. Now that I'm nearing middle age, I find myself doing things that generally are thought to be for "younger" folk.

I had my first child at 41, and started racing motorcycles 2 years ago. (trackdays) I figure that as long as I'm OK with it, and don't wake up hunched over too far the next day, all's good......

My daughter keeps me young and the thought of becoming "one of those old guys" depresses me. I've made some pretty drastic life changes in the last few months, including eating better, weight loss and I gave up alcohol and coffee. I feel better then I ever have and I noticed an almost immediate increase in stamina and energy.

I agree that age is just a number, but I also realize a difference in my flexability. I'm currently working on that. Not only will it help to keep injuries to a minimum, but also help me avoid future injuries and ailments as well. Or so I'm hoping....

What impressed me with this site was the sharing of knowledge and the lack of childish BS that I see on other sites. I hope to hang out and learn as much as I can, and hopefully contribute to the site as well.

I always believe that you should always give a little, if you take.

Appreciate the warm welcome.

Dave Krause

Childish BS? Stick around.

We race slalom, cruise garages, practice DH in CT.

Come join us.

Just be careful if Joe tries to take you to his "garage."

Marty Schaub wrote:Just be careful if Joe tries to take you to his "garage."

I see Joe's the one that beat me to the Custom feral arts complete with trippin pollen pistol graphics, 150's and clear kryptos for $75....

Is it a real garage, or one of them garages with an old stained mattress and some empty beer cans......{{shudder}}.......

Joe Iacovelli wrote:Childish BS? Stick around.

We race slalom, cruise garages, practice DH in CT.

Come join us.

I have family in Trumbull, CT......... Don't get there often enough.

No it's a real garage. He seduces you in there beacause he has about 50 decks lining the wall. Once the seduction is complete then he takes you to the room upstairs that has the old mattress and beer.

I only know this because Cividino told me so.

It's amazing how the proper urbanites of Connecticut manage to have all this STUFF laying about in their garages!! It's not like it is up here in Northern Appalachia, wherein you build a shack where the cars have died, so that you've got the proper lawn ornaments already in place!

P.S. The best parking garage in Vermont is up at UVM, although the one in Brattleboro actually has 3 old skateramps stuck down on the 2nd story.
I chose to improvise some 15 years back, and put my old halfpipe in the barn. I sold that to the Town of Chester to get the skatepark up+running. One of the 1/4 pipes still is in use, some 24 years after I first built it for Ian Spiro's skateclub(which includes alumni of James Kelly,Chris Yetz, and Akeena Pickett).

What you'll find in Barns is far scarier than Joe's Garage!

Marty Schaub wrote:No it's a real garage. He seduces you in there beacause he has about 50 decks lining the wall.

50 decks = skater-bait.