ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

As all events of 2010 were done in Open class, there Pro/Am separation on SlalomRanking.com is based upon earlier years Pro/Am attribution.

If you are currently registered as Am, but you are a Pro level racer, you need to manually request to update your Pro status. Please do so here, or by PM.

Also, while reviewing the AM ranking we may auto attribute Pro status to the top level guys, ie those AMs who typically place among the top 8 finishers in events, but our job is easier if you request Pro status yourself.

/Jani

This needs another reminder!

If any slalom racers out there are ready to be classed as "pro" for 2011 we need to know.

Pro does not mean you have to live on your sport. Its just that you now want to compete and measure yourself with the best racers.

If you run an OPEN event your points will go towards the PRO ranking instead of the AM ranking. And if in a PRO/AM event you will run with the Pro's in the Pro course.


Top Am 2010
1 Thiago Gardenal, BRA 2050 6 342 (going PRO for 2011)
2 Steve Pederson, USA 1962 6 327 (going PRO for 2011)
3 Louis Selby, GBR 1845 6 308 (Pro?)
4 Christopher Dupont, FRA 1766 6 294 (Pro?)
5 Sebastien Leger, CAN 1748 6 291 (Pro?)

Good AM World Champ results
Petr Janousek, Czech Republic (going PRO for 2011)
Kyle McLaren, USA (Only junior so should stay AM)
Chris Pappas, USA (Pro?)

This is confusing. I thought the whole pro/am categories got abandoned and replaced by the Open category?

Sorry if I'm mistaken, haven't really been following up much…


rmn

Ramon,

It's hard when you have to reverse a decision just recently taken, but here's the logic for the BOD 2011 decision to do so:

For 2010, given the short time and huge resources already consumed to gather the results, we had no option but to use the ranking as it was. That meant that racers, although they raced in a common Open class, got sorted into the old Pro/Am categories. We asked Ams to jump up to Pro if they felt that was more appropriate, some did, others did not. Like it has always been, it was a personal decision.

For 2011, although we think that Open class racing is more appropriate with the expected number of racers at most races, we had to take several thoughts into consideration:

- Pro racers typically want harder courses, separate from the Ams (Europe only, US always runs the same courses for both classes)
- Can we afford, time wise, to have separate courses set?
- Should we ruin the 4 year ranking and restart from scratch?
- If slalom race participation increases 2-fold or 3-fold, is Open the appropriate?
- Some races have discussed having beginner classes (maybe Am has gotten too competitive, and that half of the Ams ought to go Pro?)

It was no easy discussion or decision, but in the end we came up with the following logic, at least for 2011:

- Rather than rebuild the current functioning ranking system we decided to use the efforts to continue building features around it. It's more important to move on and rebuild interest, rather than rebuild the ranking system.

- Keep the current Pro/Am separation in the ranking.

- Recommend that most races use Open class. Exceptions can be granted.

- Recommend that the 2 Majors in 2011 (Worlds and Euros) hold separate Pro/Am classes. Exceptions can be granted.

/Jani

Jani Soderhall wrote:half of the Ams ought to go Pro

** edit ** I should know by now not to comment on this...to each his/her own

-RF

Thank you Jani for the plausible explanation. I agree.

If I get all of it right, it's also allowed to run different group brackets at low status events to encourage more people to get into racing, right?

Event planning in Switzerland goes slow these days but I reckon the Airflow Slalombrunch and Over 80 Cones will most likely happen again.


rmn

Yes lower status events are allowed to run Pro/Am as they see fit. Only need to convince the status marshals that it's a good strategy and that you will have a reasonable attendance.

/Jani