ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

Posted: **Thu Aug 22, 2002 10:39 pm**

Welcome to slalomskateboarder.com

It is our intent to build a slalom skateboarding specific web site dedicated to the GLOBAL community.

You will find the people who are involved with this site have a great resource base in regards to slalom skateboarding. Many are a part of the "roots" of the sport. Others are new to Slalom racing. What ever our involvement is, you will find that we are dedicated to the advancement of this sport. At this web site, you will be a part of the advancement of slalom skateboarding information found online as well.

In this site you will find many features.

1. User Profiles
2. Searchable Content
3. Private Message Option
4. Membership List
5. Ability to HIDE your e-mail address (no spam)
6. Frequantly Asked Message Database

Use the site to network with like minded or even un-like minded slalom skateboarders.

Please be polite.

Posted: **Thu Aug 22, 2002 11:43 pm**

I'd like to take this first opportunity to thank Adam for beginning this forum. I met Adam on ncdsa and it's been a friendship of many miles between us yet I feel like a friend.

Thanks Adam

Now I'll go post something clever in the equip forum.

Posted: **Fri Aug 23, 2002 12:06 am**

Thanks BoBo.

You have a couple of prized boards talked out from under-my-feet. Nothing less than a original "Fat Boy" Turner Blackbird and a Santa Cruz "Graphite Loaded" that I've had for a long time.

Yes, we meet at NCDSA, but I am not the Adam N from there. (for all of those of you who visit NCDSA)

My name is Adam Trahan and I help make slalomskateboarder.com

Thanks again BoBo for visiting, I'll see you around.

Posted: **Fri Aug 23, 2002 1:17 am**

Adam2, looks like a good format. Hopefully we will see Arab soon. NCDSA is still a good place to be but these forum breakdowns, including a yap section about board companies and wheels is totally rad.

Posted: **Fri Aug 23, 2002 3:38 pm**

Adam2, that's funny!

I fought hard for Arab's return at NCDSA. I got to know him, meeting him at Skatelab's "Old Scool Skate Jam II" What a nice guy. He is welcome here.

Threaded content is organized. In a large forum where everyone posts everything to one forum, it's like when someone farts, everyone smells it. In a threaded forum, the content is organized AND user editable. Here we also have multiple identified specialty moderators. Hopefully this will be a progression.

The NCDSA is a great resource that I enjoy, I will still visit.

Bad H, I am honored to have you aboard.

Adam2 (not, LOL)

On 2002-08-22 19:17, Henry Hester wrote:
Adam2, looks like a good format. Hopefully we will see Arab soon. NCDSA is still a good place to be but these forum breakdowns, including a yap section about board companies and wheels is totally rad.

Posted: **Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:36 pm**

Adam, thanks for starting this up. it is tough for a first year racer from my prespective. i started racing again (last slalom event 1978) in Nov 2001 at La Costa. i was only able to make L/C this year and hopefully Morro Bay for 2002. my how racing has grown. new products are really pushing the envelope. last year there were only old wheels, Hypers, LaCostas, Comet/G&S, or Stingers. what great growth and my thanks to the manu's. i would also like to thank all the racers and the stoke that is totally unbelievable. it truly keeps me motivated as i run cones alone most of the time. FCR you guys are great. skate safe George.

Posted: **Fri Aug 30, 2002 5:21 pm**

Adam, the site looks good. Easy to navigate, this is a good thing.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2002 7:40 pm**

Hi, Adam & all --

I'm glad to see another slalom forum, and I want to join everyone in thanking Adam for taking the time to create and manage this site.

I do have a modest reservation about the system architecture. In my opinion, one of the things that makes NCDSA "click" (and occasionally leads to that forum melting down) is that it uses a very simple, straightforward architecture -- so simple that it somewhat resembles "live" human interaction. When you wander into the Slalom forum on NCDSA, you might be wading into any number of threads, on numerous topics, some of which may veer wildly into unexpected territory -- for better or worse -- which is pretty much the way actual human conversation works. (It's also fairly close to the loose structure of Usenet, which has proven successful over the years.)

This structured approach is different. It seems to me that with this board architecture -- which reminds me somewhat of the B.A.D.A.S.S. forum in the UK -- you can't so easily stroll in off the street and grab a chair and see what's happening. There are many individual sub-forums, and each is fairly specific, and each in turn is broken down into separate threads. Moreover, while you're in any given area, you may only talk about that particular thing.

To draw a loose analogy, you might say that the freewheeling structure (or lack of structure) on NCDSA bears some resemblance to a neighborhood pub. Anyone can wander in, and offer any sort of comment that comes to mind, with the result that sometimes the conversation slides off-topic or gets a bit out of control. On the other hand, the place tends to stay lively, because everybody in the "room" is engaged in the same conversation, and may add to it anything they like -- or they may simply order a pint and sit there listening to everyone else "talk." No need to stand up and move from room to room or table to table to make sure you don't miss anything.

Structured forums, like this and B.A.D.A.S.S., might be likened to organized meetings of people who share some interest. Everything is mapped out, so if you want to talk about Topic A, you go to Room 101, then further choose between tables devoted to numerous sub-topics. It's a good way to keep the discussion focused. But I wonder if it's a good way to encourage discussion in the first place?

I don't say this to be critical or disparaging! This is a very thoughtfully designed and nice-looking site. I've found the question of how to design a lively forum to be quite interesting since back in the old BBS days, and for a while worked as a sysop on the old Genie network -- anyone remember that -- wrestling daily with some of the unfriendliest software ever created (programmed in Fortran, of course!).

Best wishes on making this a roaring success.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2002 8:29 pm**

Thanks for the post Richard, I appreciate your observation and agree but there is always another point of view or more to the story.

What you did not address is the "login." What we have here is a user site that one can quickly goto a user by looking at the memberlist and check EVERYTHING that the user has posted. Let's say I enjoy a particular users post(s) and I want to see what they have to say. I can go look up what that person is posting. The focus is really on you & the topic. It can quickly bring about wether someone knows what they are talking about or ???

USENET groups and ncdsa are quite popular, but just like you have said, a pub like atmosphere or a party. Pubs and partys have their own set of positives and negatives. I've meet some really neat people at a pub and or party, but I have also meet some ???

At slalomskateboarder.com it is important to not have a majority rule and or have a group determine who or what gets posted online. I want to hear what an individual has to say in a specific area and not have a group of people downplay what this person says because he may say it in a way that is not familiar. The site is about a community but the focus is what you have to say within that community.

Tu sabe?

Anyway, this sort of forum works. It is in no way a comparison to what you present, nothing like it at all, slalom skateboarding is our FOCUS. Times change and so do attitudes. Our members can edit their posts to keep up with the time as well as keep track of their posts. This puts the focus on the member and less on the Moderator or editor.

If it is discussion that one wants, I would say a chat room is best, (we may add this feature in the future) it's real time and you get to talk with another person in real time. If it is a bulleten board that you want to discuss a topic, then a general forum works ok but has time limitations.

This forum was designed by an international software team through a "trial and error" method or process. Then the software was configured by a specific group of international slalom skateboarders to put it into action. We chose this method. It's based on a succesful international recipe, not a specific geographical location and the forum that it is being likened to.

I like the beformentioned (USENET and ncdsa) forums for the reasons that you point out, I also do not like it for the reasons that you point out.

Anyway, the forums are only a portion of the site. Included with these interactive forums will be a online Slalom! magazine. What you have here is simply the interactive portion of the web site.

Have fun and best regards, and most importantly, thanks for posting your idea.

On 2002-09-16 13:40, richard grant wrote:
Hi, Adam & all --

I'm glad to see another slalom forum, and I want to join everyone in thanking Adam for taking the time to create and manage this site.

I do have a modest reservation about the system architecture. In my opinion, one of the things that makes NCDSA "click" (and occasionally leads to that forum melting down) is that it uses a very simple, straightforward architecture -- so simple that it somewhat resembles "live" human interaction. When you wander into the Slalom forum on NCDSA, you might be wading into any number of threads, on numerous topics, some of which may veer wildly into unexpected territory -- for better or worse -- which is pretty much the way actual human conversation works. (It's also fairly close to the loose structure of Usenet, which has proven successful over the years.)

This structured approach is different. It seems to me that with this board architecture -- which reminds me somewhat of the B.A.D.A.S.S. forum in the UK -- you can't so easily stroll in off the street and grab a chair and see what's happening. There are many individual sub-forums, and each is fairly specific, and each in turn is broken down into separate threads. Moreover, while you're in any given area, you may only talk about that particular thing.

To draw a loose analogy, you might say that the freewheeling structure (or lack of structure) on NCDSA bears some resemblance to a neighborhood pub. Anyone can wander in, and offer any sort of comment that comes to mind, with the result that sometimes the conversation slides off-topic or gets a bit out of control. On the other hand, the place tends to stay lively, because everybody in the "room" is engaged in the same conversation, and may add to it anything they like -- or they may simply order a pint and sit there listening to everyone else "talk." No need to stand up and move from room to room or table to table to make sure you don't miss anything.

Structured forums, like this and B.A.D.A.S.S., might be likened to organized meetings of people who share some interest. Everything is mapped out, so if you want to talk about Topic A, you go to Room 101, then further choose between tables devoted to numerous sub-topics. It's a good way to keep the discussion focused. But I wonder if it's a good way to encourage discussion in the first place?

I don't say this to be critical or disparaging! This is a very thoughtfully designed and nice-looking site. I've found the question of how to design a lively forum to be quite interesting since back in the old BBS days, and for a while worked as a sysop on the old Genie network -- anyone remember that -- wrestling daily with some of the unfriendliest software ever created (programmed in Fortran, of course!).

Best wishes on making this a roaring success.

Posted: **Tue Sep 17, 2002 1:48 am**

Hi All!

I'm glad I got that e-mail inviting me to browse. This is a super idea and the layout is great.

Thanks for putting it all together and I will try to add some coments and material worthy of the work bestowed upon this wonderful Slalom community.

It's been a long time coming!

But you know ! We're BAAA-AAACk
C-YA

Oh Yeah and Many Happy Pumps, EH!

Posted: **Tue Sep 17, 2002 3:44 pm**

Adam, i really like the concept of the site, I am a ncdsa user for more than 2 years, and i can dare to say taht it has grown in that short time, but one of the thngs i dont like, specially the slalom forum its that its too small to explain a million things this sport has to offer, i like the idea of individualize (sp?) the topics of the slalom so we can cherry pick what we really need.
best kudos to you adam, u have a great thing going on in here.

p.s
how can i post my pic?

Posted: **Fri Sep 20, 2002 4:34 pm**

Thanks for your hard work Adam!
This site is just what I need. I've already read some very useful set up tips.

How about a thread on slalom riding techniques like effiecient pumping how to's, foot placement...

Thanks again!

Posted: **Fri Sep 20, 2002 4:36 pm**

Maybe a spell checker...

Efficient

Posted: **Fri Sep 20, 2002 5:05 pm**

Thank you Ricky.

You can go in and "edit" your post. Take a look at the bottom and you will see an "edit" icon. You can edit as many times as you want and if you don't want to see multiple "message edited by Ricky Byrd" stamps you can delete those stamps at the bottom of the message.

There is going to be a online version of Slalom! a magazine of the ISSA. So you will have a little bit more to check out as soon as we get organized. I'm doing this in my free time and the time is donated so I'm having to fit it in here and there. I'm a father of two and I have a full time job, I'm busy.

I appreciate your visiting the site and making comments or contributing. It's nice.

Thanks be to you, actually it is your participation that makes the site what it is. I think people sometimes forget that it is the users input that makes the site valuable. So you can thank yourself!

Have fun, I am glad you like it.

On 2002-09-20 10:36, Ricky Byrd wrote:
Maybe a spell checker...

Efficient

[ This Message was edited by: adam trahan on 2002-09-20 11:06 ]

Posted: **Sun Sep 22, 2002 6:29 pm**

[quote]
On 2002-09-20 10:34, Ricky Byrd wrote:
(SNIP_
How about a thread on slalom riding techniques like effiecient pumping how to's, foot placement...

Ricky,
Why not start a "Topic" yourself, under "Discussion"?
I think that once people get used to this type of forum format that things will get rolling(no pun intended :lol: ).
Glenn

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2002 8:05 pm**

Adam!
About the current (October 03, 2002) front page.
As I click the REFRESH button on my browser all I see is: The Russkies are coming, the Russkies are coming!!!!
Good to see so many Slalom! pictures. Can't wait for the Slalom! online!
I’m still looking for the other Russians: Kozhin, Fomin, Alexeev and their fast women. Hope to have some info in a near future.
Vlad.

Posted: **Sun Oct 27, 2002 9:59 pm**

This is a test

_________________
-dsidlo
<image src='http://ramify.com/Slalom/Morro-olympus- ... 82_jpg.jpg' alt='David Sidlo'>

[ This Message was edited by: dsidlo on 2002-10-27 16:01 ]

[ This Message was edited by: Moderator on 2002-10-27 22:49 ]

Posted: **Wed Oct 30, 2002 3:00 am**

Nice site...how do I add my picture?

Posted: **Mon Dec 02, 2002 8:10 pm**

Adam,

I didn't know where else to ask this question, so I thought I'd put it here. Is there a time limit of some sort on some of these topics? It's not that I don't like the idea of a continuous archive of what is discussed, but the list of "random topics" is really getting lengthy.

A good example is Curt's recent post concerning the DC Outlaws. The link to the Washington Post will only last 14 days. Should the topic related to the story still be alive long after the link dies?

As racing gets going again and we see more people subscribing, I can see where the racing forums and each individual event would again lead to a long string of topics. It could at some point in the not too distant future get to be a bit unwieldy. Also, (heaven forbid) what if in the future some manufacture decides to give up the ghost? Should a forum go on and on about equipment that is no longer available? Although it could be moved to "vintage gear" or "used equipment," would there still be a need for a forum dedicated specifically to a piece of hardward that is no longer available on the market?

Again, this isn't a criticism, just some feedback. Right now, just the "Random Topics" forum has 38 individual entries and hundreds of replies. Will it just go on ad infinitum or is there some sort of "clean up" routine that will eventually pare it down? I also know the advantage of such continuous threads in that a topic that was started back in July may stay dormant for a year and then BAM! New posts start popping up next summer. Perhaps some sort of forum labelled "Idle Discussions" could hold all the old stuff that has seen no activity for a period of more than 30 or 60 days? Then if anyone wants to know what Gilmour said about tight slalom three months ago, they could go to the "Idle" forum and see what was discussed? A new entry, of course, would immediately re-activate the thread and bring it back to the fore for additional discussion.

Just some idle thoughts while I wait on the printer. Keep up the good work.

Posted: **Mon Dec 02, 2002 8:28 pm**

This is simple.

The site is a database. It is searchable and each post has a date stamp. If you want to keep posting to an old string, so be it. If you want to make a new one, then have at it. It's a Devo thing, freedom of choice.

It is our intent to have the site full of slalom information. Random Topics should be pages upon pages long full of lenghty strings of information. Volumns of slalom skateboarding specific information, tons of things to read about, choices upon choices of slalom related posts, topics etc.

A searchable database of slalom specific information. Try the "Search" feature one time and see what happens... Try it on a member, see their posts, take a look at what they are posting, who contributes, who complains or point it at a specific topic and see what comes up.

Do you get the idea?

I can "LOCK" a topic where you can't post to it any longer, I do not want to do that. So what if you have to make an extra clik to get to page 158 of "Extreme Sport..." that is the whole idea, more information all slalom.

I would like for you to get a little frustrated because there is so much information on slalom skateboarding that you want to pull your hair out, that's the whole idea.

Regarding the link to the Washington Post. I can't do anything about the Washington Post.

Regarding giving up the ghost. Back to what I said before, it's a searchable database. Who am I to say that a classic turner summer ski post/forum should be put away.

The site will evolve but the content will remain.

I guess I don't understand what you are saying...

Is this a complaint?

I welcome your idle thoughts but they are just what you describe. No sarcasm intended or smarmy tone, just the facts.

Best regards and a seasons greetings to you and your family.

On 2002-12-02 14:10, Wesley Tucker wrote:
Adam,

I didn't know where else to ask this question, so I thought I'd put it here. Is there a time limit of some sort on some of these topics? It's not that I don't like the idea of a continuous archive of what is discussed, but the list of "random topics" is really getting lengthy.

A good example is Curt's recent post concerning the DC Outlaws. The link to the Washington Post will only last 14 days. Should the topic related to the story still be alive long after the link dies?

As racing gets going again and we see more people subscribing, I can see where the racing forums and each individual event would again lead to a long string of topics. It could at some point in the not too distant future get to be a bit unwieldy. Also, (heaven forbid) what if in the future some manufacture decides to give up the ghost? Should a forum go on and on about equipment that is no longer available? Although it could be moved to "vintage gear" or "used equipment," would there still be a need for a forum dedicated specifically to a piece of hardward that is no longer available on the market?

Again, this isn't a criticism, just some feedback. Right now, just the "Random Topics" forum has 38 individual entries and hundreds of replies. Will it just go on ad infinitum or is there some sort of "clean up" routine that will eventually pare it down? I also know the advantage of such continuous threads in that a topic that was started back in July may stay dormant for a year and then BAM! New posts start popping up next summer. Perhaps some sort of forum labelled "Idle Discussions" could hold all the old stuff that has seen no activity for a period of more than 30 or 60 days? Then if anyone wants to know what Gilmour said about tight slalom three months ago, they could go to the "Idle" forum and see what was discussed? A new entry, of course, would immediately re-activate the thread and bring it back to the fore for additional discussion.

Just some idle thoughts while I wait on the printer. Keep up the good work.

Posted: **Mon Dec 02, 2002 8:42 pm**

Adam!

It's important to learn something new everyday. Thanks for the advice. Instead of scrolling the list of FORUMS looking for new posts, I can just go to SEARCH and type in today's date ("2002-12-02") and up pops just the recent entries.

Although I looked at the search option earlier when I first subscribed, I had not used it since. The volume of entries was rather slim and easy to navigate. Now that the volume of entries has skyrocketed, this certainly works for me.

Thanks for the directions.

Posted: **Wed Dec 11, 2002 1:37 am**

Well our numbers are growing. The benefits of both sites are self explanatory. The growth of Slalom skating requires them more and more.

Links and members sharing the information need to be seen by as many people that can be reached. In the week or so I've noticed the numbers of slalomskateboarder.com numbers grow.

What is even more exiting is that I aslo see that there are many more people on-line as guests when I do my frequent visits.

I think that is a good sign and I am sure they will also be passing the word and joining us as members in the near future.

Adam and Jani, thank again for putting this site together. Lillis I'm sorry I haven't been visiting the Freestyle site nearly half as much as I should.

Posted: **Wed Dec 11, 2002 6:16 am**

Hey Claude,

Theres nothing wrong with lots of skateboard forums, the more the marrier.

Oh and Jani is a guy that plays new age piano, Jani is a gnarly slalom racer from Europe. this post would probably get removed from other sites for correcting somebody so we will see how long it last here.
Arab

Posted: **Wed Dec 11, 2002 2:47 pm**

ARAB,

I'm not going to edit you out.

You won this one.

One of your posts got edited out not because of content, because I could not "move" it to your original account. I did however "erase" some names from an aggressive post that you made where you called a few people names, that one included me, no more. But your post still remains with the intent and feel intact.

Go take a look...

I am able to "sneak in" and take a look at ncdsa every once and a while and the last couple of posts that I made were immediately deleted. They were nice and with kudo's to the site.

I don't have any problem with Adam N or you. I made a forum dedicated to the http://www.ncdsa.com here at http://www.slalomskateboarder.com This is proof that I have no beef with the "other" site. We all have to stand on our own merit, our own action. I think that with the help of some friends stateside and global, WE have put together a good site here.

Apples and Oranges is the best that I have heard in regards to it.

I dig slalom and now that I have raced at WLAC and know where I stand there, you will see even more of me as a RACER and less as a KOOK.

Anyway, try to run this course clean, it's the fastest line.

Take it easy and Best Regards this Holiday Season.

Posted: **Wed Dec 11, 2002 8:16 pm**

Hey Arab, where did i say that I didn't welcome more Forums?

I must of missed it somewhere.

Posted: **Thu Dec 12, 2002 7:56 am**

Claude,
Thanx for asking! When most people dont understand a post I make they retaliate with negative posts.... I was actually agreeing with you that its all good and the more the marrryeyeyryer.

Adam
I was trying to make a funny about getting removed, seems my post and myself get removed or edited because people dont see my humor or get the jest of what I'm saying, In Claudes case he asked for a clarification instead of trying to slam me, Claude knows me all to well now.

Whats funny is the Brady/Wesley thing goin on else where, Somebody is gonna have to clue me in who Wesley is though, When your banned for a year you miss alot of whats goin on, whos who and What is Folly Beach?

Posted: **Thu Dec 12, 2002 6:51 pm**

Eric,

I'm a guy who lives in South Carolina and has slalomed since '75. I quit riding with any consistency around '92 and started back again in Feburary. The two things I take the most heat about is my equipment (which when I started back riding was 100% ALL vintage,) and my stance. I'm the only rider on the East Coast who still practices a parallel stance. I came back to racing in time for the Gathering in Maryland in May and rode pretty much all summer from Boston to Georgia. I made it to Morro, failed to qualify and met you briefly at Howard's house.

As far as what Folly Beach is, it might be easiest to suggest you find Issue #3 of CONCRETE WAVE? It has the story of the whole race in June (yeah, I know: the contest was in June and it hits the newsstands in November.) To make a brief synopsis of the event, it was a LONGBOARD event that also featured regular slalom. Gilmour, Chaput, Mollica, Paul Price and a slew of East Coasters all were there. Between the caliber of racing and the weather, it was without a doubt one of the more memorable events this year.

As far as Brady is concerned, I won't go into it here. That's what the "dark side of the cone" is for.

Posted: **Thu Dec 12, 2002 7:19 pm**

Eric,

We are all set, no worries.

You have never been banned here, I was rooting for you over there, you have always been welcome here.

Slalom skateboard racing is what it is. The site will reflect what it is and I will try to have a light hand in it. That's going to be hard though, I want to be a part of this community.

I truly believe that you guys will figure out on your own what is going on "over there" and that is the way it should be.

It is flat out fun to race, I got a good dose at WLAC and will make some more and even practice a bit more too!

Nice messaging with you too. The Chat Room is comming, there we can keyboard race as well...

On 2002-12-12 01:56, ARAB wrote:
snipped...

Adam
I was trying to make a funny about getting removed, seems my post and myself get removed or edited because people dont see my humor or get the jest of what I'm saying, In Claudes case he asked for a clarification instead of trying to slam me, Claude knows me all to well now.