World Skateboarding Championships Rolls into Ashland

Ashland, Kentucky September 18-20, 2015

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Jani Soderhall
ISSA President 2011-2024
ISSA President 2011-2024
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World Skateboarding Championships Rolls into Ashland

Post by Jani Soderhall » Fri Jun 12, 2015 9:14 pm

World Skateboarding Championships Rolls into Ashland

Once again, the world’s fastest amateur and professional slalom skateboarders will roll into town for the 10th Annual Poage Landing Days Southern Fried Cone Fest (Cone Fest X for short), with one major twist. This year, Cone Fest will also be the the World Championships of Slalom Skateboarding, as sanctioned by the International Slalom Skateboarding Association (ISSA). The race, now a staple of both the Poage Landing Days Festival and the ISSA’s racing circuit, had grown larger and more respected each year, which led to the race being awarded World Championship status. This brings literally the best racers from around the world to Ashland for the three-day event.

Cone Fest owes its large and growing success largely to the festival atmosphere and how receptive the city has been to the racers and the race itself. Racers have commented that they often see a larger crowd of spectators, and sometimes experience more “stage-fright,” in Ashland than they do at races held in much larger cities both in North America and in Europe. This, combined with the truly world-class hill, Ramey Street, the site of Sunday’s Mule Farm Giant Slalom race, brings racers back each year to Ashland for a great weekend filled with great skateboarding.

The top racers not only come from out of town. Some of the talent is home grown. Ashland’s own Joseph Kyle Smith won the amateur division of the World Championship of Slalom Skateboarding 2013 in Houston, Texas. Kyle’s first race was a Cone Fest. The 2015 season is Kyle’s second season ranked as a professional.

Cone Fest X will have a total of three races. Hybrid slalom will take place on Friday September 18. Tight slalom and the Wesley Tucker Memorial Vintage race will be on Saturday, September 19, on 17th Street. Racers and spectators can expect more technical courses, which rely on maneuvering boards through courses with cones from 5.5’ to 8’ apart. Sunday’ September 20’s “Mule Farm” Giant Slalom will see courses where the cones are much further apart, but speeds are much higher. Racers achieve speeds in excess of 40 mph. On Friday and Saturday, practice will begin on Saturday at 8 am, with racing starting at 9:30. On Sunday, Practice will begin at 9 with racing starting at 10:30. Newcomers are welcome to race, especially in Saturday's vintage race. Helmets are required to skate the course, and other safety equipment is strongly encouraged. Entry fees are $40 to race for one day, and $85 for the whole weekend. The fees, which go to prize money awarded to the top three winners of each race, are not refundable. Saturday's Vintage race will have separate entry fees as it is a fundraiser for suicide prevention and counseling. Children under 18 must have a parent or guardian present in order to sign the waiver and race. For more information, please contact head organizer Lenny Poage at ashlandconefest@gmail.com.

For those not familiar with slalom skateboarding, racers skate through a course of cones in a timed, head-to-head race. Time penalties are added if a racer displaces or knocks over a cone. This is much like slalom skiing or snowboarding seen in the Olympics, except on concrete instead of snow.

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Miguel Marco
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Re: World Skateboarding Championships Rolls into Ashland

Post by Miguel Marco » Fri Jun 12, 2015 11:35 pm

So the dual Hybrid is on the same hill as the GS, right?

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