[2010] BRIXLEGG BLITZ WORLD CUP AND WORLD INVITATIONAL

[Donald Campbell]

please take your time and check here for all the information and news surrounding the most legendary race in slalom history and the official issa sanctioned event.
riders from all over the world are signing up for this event
we offer 3 days of intense racing,a gigantic skatepark which will host a death race,some of the best tracks europe has to offer,including a fast and long gs hill(over 60 seconds),a big and exhausting skateparty going along with the death race,special trophies,european tv-coverage,international press-coverage,live online feeds and co-operative work with some of the biggest and most influential forums,good and solid sponsors,prize purses tba,2 timing crews,2 ramp sets for 2 race types,and many more things to come.
in the meantime check here for signup:
www.brixlegg-championships.com

visit this page from time to time to check for updates and refer back to this main post here for the same reason.

thank you very much for your interest so far.
below some pics of the first event we had a few years ago,enjoy!


steve hinzen germany running the gs hill in the upper section



jason mitchell usa charging into 1st place at the same hill



lynn kramer overall womens division winner showing off the special ring,smiling
and walking away with the biggest prize purse ever presented at a race



luca gianmarco italy overall mens division winner with the same special ring,also
in a very happy mood his pockets filled with the biggest purse he ever received at a
race



a general overview of the cradle skatepark

[Rob Ashby]

I can't wait Donald - I'm still hearing tales from Ed and Paul K about the last Brixlegg!

Speak soon.

[Donald Campbell]

we will have a special rescue team all 3 days at the racetracks.
all racers will get 1 free meal per day and we will have cooled water for free at the
tracks for your convenience.however this year we will ask for a deposit(0.50 euros) so
that you either return the bottles or have the guy who cleans the area around the venue run around with a smile on his face cleaning.

[Donald Campbell]

coming to brixlegg you have to prepay the entry fee,latest by june 20-that's also where the registration closes down,we will not accept anybody coming by at the race and wanting to participate without proper registration.
entry fee for this race is 150 euros for any european country and 150 usd for north america,brazil,australia,canada.






some people will ask:"why is it so expensive?"
well that's a good question and here is the answer:

you get for your money:
3 free meals,free drinks during the whole event,the only exception is the death race,where you get free entry to the skatepark,anything you consume there must be paid,but it goes into the pockets of the skatepark,so basically you are supportig the park,the park really needs support,since the locals have to fund it on their own.
oh yes,you get a free shirt at the race too.


the social aspect of the race:
part of the entry fee goes into flight tickets.
since there are racers out there,who can't make it on their own,we will help those to come over.you all want to see the best guys at a race and with your entry fee you help to make this possible

infrastructure:
coneheads are paid workers
2 brand new ramp sets will be built for the race
we have to pay for blocked roads and permits
timing crews(yes we have 2 crews) are paid too

[Donald Campbell]

ISSA STANDARD RACE
starts 8 am-ends 2pm
men/women
ramp height roughly5 ft
tight
hybrid
gs(dual lane)-each rider 2 runs best time counts( very fast course here,roughly max+-50)
practice 1 hour sharp!
open class racing and bracketing into a+b groups
classic format according to the rulebook done by the issa
cone penalties for tight and hybrid are 0,1 sec and for gs 0,2 sec

we will invite the top 6 racers from this group over to the invitational race starting at 2.30 pm


INVITATIONAL RACE
starts at 2.30 pm
men/women
ramp height between 7-10 ft,steep entry
tight
hybrid
gs(dual lane)(very very fast course,please note 50+ is nothing!)
1 hour practice
the format is as follows
random mix of riders 2 runs-left and right lane-best time advances

cut to top 20

next is losers-the top 5 of the losers advance into the top 20 builing a group of top 25
again we will have 2 more races and cut down to top10

top 10 will then have 4 attempts to race their best time,we will always switch lanes.
the fastest racer will remain at the finish line sitting in the "hot seat",waiting for any opponent to kick him out of the seat.
the "hot seat" will be the area which highlights sponsor and where short interviews will be done by the press.
you all have seen this at formula one or mtb racing f.e..
final standings of the top 10 will determine their placing from 1-10

cone penalties for the invitational race:
there will e no penalties.
we will set a limit of cones to be hit at any race in conjunction with top participants.
we want to assure you that the limit will be low.
we don't want anything easy for anybody.

some of you might say that a no cone penalty will encourage people to just plow through the course.
here is what we say about it:
the # of cones allowed for a hybrid or tight would be say 3 out of 50 or 60 cones.
you will always race against one of the best riders,you won't have the same secure feeling of a regular race,you will have a very high entry speed,the courses will be way faster than average courses
please do not forget these factors,they translate into this:CONSTANT PRESSURE

[Joe Iacovelli]

BRIXLEGG MEDICAL SITUATION/FOOD AND DRINKS

good idea

[Peter Klang]

I just watched my video from last time in Brixlegg, best time ever.
Donald, I am very greatful you're doing this again.

Yours fastest

[Donald Campbell]

most of the invited racers are already aware of the situation
there are too many factors beyond my own possibilities-which are also limited-which led me to cancel the event.
people that have signed up will get a private e-mail
and that's it
i will not go so far and explain into detail why not
one thing i learned though is that the "community" aspect didn't really work the way it was supposed to.
too many egomaniacs out there,too many private interests and feuds that led to the cancellation of the toughest an biggest competition ever.

i will do another race on that date though
please check in another topic for this race

thank you for those that supported the idea and thank you for those who destroyed it.

[Ramón Königshausen]

Maybe face reality: Slalom's dying. 28 participants at the Euros? Not a single racer from one of the strongest slalom nations? No Brits but Sam Gordon? No Spanish, two French, two Italians? Merging Pro and Am? Yes, but only because it doesn't make it look pathetic to have to divisions with 14 racers each. No because it raises entry fees and eliminates technical courses.

Hey, wanna open a Museum? I'm sponsoring one of my pro model decks....


Seriously, what's happening guys? One steps up and wants to give slalom a boost but all he's getting is skepticism, critics, envy and boycott? They're just cutting off their own nose to spite their face - period


rmn

[Joe Iacovelli]

Sad, all the way around sad.

[Rick Floyd]

Sorry to hear Donald. Something is happening though, Ramon is right. I'm not sure any of us can do anything to change it. Maybe start at the bottom again? We started a regional series here - www.sk8racing.com - and are getting 10-15 people per race so far, with sponsorship offers and even offers for footage from our events to be included in skate video productions. I will say that it is hard even at this level to get everyone on the same page and keep them there, unless there is one person with ultimate decision-making responsibilities. Endless discussion to try to please everyone goes nowhere. The problem is, that one person making decisions is always one of us, and instead of sk8 friends we become adversaries. It's a tough position. May be we should dispense with the idea of points/rankings for now, and just try to throw some fun/gnar contests, and have that be that. Maybe EUR/NA/SA/AUS each run their own Series the way they want to run them, BX/GS/Straight/Banked/DH/SG/SL/Park, and we see what rises to the top? Dunno, just ideas. I like the race Jack is planning in Morro this fall. Brixlegg sounded very cool. We're smart people. It's an exciting and challenging sport. Why can't we pull this thing together? I don't know.

-RF

[Ramón Königshausen]

May be we should dispense with the idea of points/rankings for now, and just try to throw some fun/gnar contests, and have that be that. Maybe EUR/NA/SA/AUS each run their own Series the way they want to run them, BX/GS/Straight/Banked/DH/SG/SL/Park, and we see what rises to the top?

-RF

"Steps taking forward and sleepwalking back again". But maybe that's what we need. Sounds reasonable to me. Like this you can run your local/national rules, don't have to worry about complying with any rulebook. By the end it's more important to have a race going than any sort of ranking or rules. Grass root races with A/B/C groups of 8...dunno...Workshops for beginners? Marketing?

rmn

[willy demis]

I will say that it is hard even at this level to get everyone on the same page and keep them there, unless there is one person with ultimate decision-making responsibilities. Endless discussion to try to please everyone goes nowhere. The problem is, that one person making decisions is always one of us, and instead of sk8 friends we become adversaries. It's a tough position.

-RF

I couldn't agree more. I stumbled on this thread a while back while trying to get caught up on this history of the ISSA. In the thread, Marcus Rietema at least outlines some of the problems he saw with Slalom as a whole and how he overcame similar issues in the IGSA. Until one person literally takes ownership of "slalom" I suspect we will always be in a state where you're lucky if 25 people show up to an event to race, and even more lucky if 10 people show up to watch it... As far as I can tell, slalom does not have the means to grow. That's fact.

Check out some really great ideas here:
http://www.slalomskateboarder.com/phpBB ... php?t=7125 (4th post)

[Rick Floyd]

Grass root races with A/B/C groups of 8...dunno...Workshops for beginners? Marketing?

rmn

NESRA in a nutshell.

[Claude Regnier]

Unfortunately it is all about the money! It is getting too expensive to travel to events these days. Donald's idea of having all of the best was no different then the goal of every contest organiser ever.

Unless you are paying their way or offering up some big ass prize money that pays down deep you will likely never acheive that goal. There are a lot of races going on. Some with fewer participants or a smaller field of top racers as people are choosing to spend their money if they have a chance to win some back.

Many top riders have not shown up at the Worlds over the years simp^ly because they never thought they stood a chance of winning anything in return yet show up to win or place in smaller events.

Too much grumbling internally has also caused seperation and boycotts internationally such as last years worlds and supposedly this years Brixlegg event.

It is genuinely too bad you had to pull the plug. There have been some excellent races and events over the years and they will continue. There are also great smaller events.

Pick and choose just shut up and SK8!!!!

[Gary Fluitt]

I don't know the details of the Brixxleg cancelation but I can attest to some waning of interest in Slalom over here in the States too. It's getting harder and harder to fill a contest.

We're not seeing a lot of new interest in the sport from the younger skaters and the same old guys who traveled from race to race are just kind of over it. The younger skaters are gravitating toward downhill races. The circuit in N. America is packed.

Downhill is the hot thing now, and that's cool. I love Downhill. We need to incorporate more of that stuff into our races. Maybe slalom needs to evolve.

I don't think the ISSA can sanction or globally organize slalom back into popularity. There are no rules and points and race organizer benefits that are going to bring kids out onto the hills to try it out.

It needs to be more fun and then it will grow organically. Ideas?

[Ramón Königshausen]

It needs to be more fun and then it will grow organically. Ideas?

No more races on flat ground. How many year's have I been saying this? Anyway we have the next level of slalom. Just wait

rmn

[Lynn Kramer]

I'm with Ramon. No more races on flat ground.
Also, a bit of prize money helps. I was talking to one guy who wins alot, and he wanted to go to Oregon. I explained there was no prize money, and he kinda just shrugged his shoulders. Not going.
Donald was not the first person with the idea of only the gnarliest. It didn't work the first time either. The sport needs to be fun. Fun is as scary as you make it, but look how many people golf, and golf is not scary at all.
Fun is lots of runs. ABC division. Separate venue times so you're not there all day long. Good scheduling and A TIMESHEET POSTER! Racers need to know how they are doing, and not be leaning over the computer table, but to see the results printed out every 10 minutes and taped up high for all to see, or someone with a marker board and a walkie talkie. Take the extra 2 seconds to announce the time and conecount. Put a speaker at the bottom of the course and one halfway. This all takes either teamwork or the hiring of an event company, but it makes a better race.
Punk rock helps too.

[Pat Chewning]

The State Games of Oregon skateboard racers are run in association with the Oregon Amateur Athletic Association (they run the State Games of Oregon). Payment of prize money is contrary to the group's rules.

When I first approached the State Games, they were adamant about NO PROS allowed (at all). Then I took it upon myself to allow PROS, but not give them State Games medals. This year, since the ISSA has declared that there are no PROS, I am happy to say the event is open to all.

But still no prize money ... sorry.

This event is geared toward the racer who wants to race for racing's sake. Not for the money (there is none), not for the admiration and applause from the fans (there are none), and not to get a boat-load of ISSA points (it is only a REGIONAL -- PRIME sanction).

I enjoy this type of event the most because it is prettly low stress to put on. I would rather put on 3 events per year like the Oregon State Games rather than 1 BIG_ASS event like Hood River.

From my point of view as a part-time helper at BIG_ASS events, I can see why those BIG_ASS events are becoming more rare. They are a big pain to put on and people get burned out. Since this is supposed to be FUN, maybe race organizers are dialing it back a bit and putting in less effort in order to have more fun. I know I am.

[Jani Soderhall]

I don't think the ISSA can sanction or globally organize slalom back into popularity. There are no rules and points and race organizer benefits that are going to bring kids out onto the hills to try it out.

A bit sad to hear that from the President of ISSA, isn't it? Then why did you bother to break up the sanction and ranking system?

The fact is that the popularity decreased already several years ago but the ranking kept the interest up. And it did a very good job at that. It's pretty much the only thing we have holding together the race season. Without it, it's just one race "against" another one. People can't go to them all, so a selection needs to be made. With the ranking I think people did the extra effort of going to just one more race. That's not going to happen without a ranking system.

/Jani

[Ron Barbagallo]

First off, very sorry Donald. Sad to hear. It sounded like you were gonna throw one helluva race. I would've loved to have been there just to watch the best of the best.

Next - what's wrong with racing? It's probably better brought up in another thread, but I'm here, you're here, doesn't that make it OUR time Mr Hand?

Lynn has good ideas. I like the punk rock best But posting times or placings is a good idea. Especially if you wanna attract spectators. It's hard to get stoked about what you're watching if you don't know who's placed where. It just looks like a bunch of skaters going fast around traffic cones. But if I know the chubby guy from Canada is within a coupla tenths of a second to the shirtless guy doin' curb slappies between runs, I'm a little more interested. But it would hafta be a seperate person to do it - Danny G is busy enough getting the times. Maybe a cute gal. Maybe she wears something slinky, like an evening gown. OR maybe when a pro gets eliminated, they get to wear the evening gown and post the times. That's some incentive right there! Hollien would easily up his time by a few tenths to avoid that little Bob Mackie number - I mean how could he conceal the holster?

A mic and speakers is also a good idea. If someone is walking or driving along and hears Holiday in Cambodia and sees a bunch of idiots with skateboards wailing down the street, common curiosity is gonna take over. "Hey! What's that over there?" They'll likely stop if only to see the carnage when the cops show up to arrest the skating scofflaws. But wait - "they have permits for this? Hey is that a girl goin' that fast? No wait.....just a fat guy in a dress. But hey THAT'S a girl - what's an Axe Army? Cool! Look at those little kids goin'! Masters??? You mean there's 45 year old people doin' this? That's pretty neat. Oh no.....us? we're just spectators, just checkin' it out. Whaddya' mean? You'll loan me your board? And that guy has extra pads? Wellllllll okay, I'll give it a shot. I used to skate when I was in high school. Hey this is FUUUUUUN!!" Okay so maybe that's a little far fetched. But not too far fetched. We did get some kids in Antrim like that. There is a certain "hey I could do THAT" aspect to slalom racing that doesn't exist in ramp or pool skating. Then they find out it ain't so easy, but by then it's too late - they're hooked. Happened to me once.

Lotsa runs was another of Lynn's ideas that I support. I'm not a fan of how eliminations are done now. You qualify.......say last, like I usually do. Then I get paired up with the best guy and my day is done two runs later. $100 for three timed runs. I could get a lot of action at the Lincoln Tunnel after dark for that kinda money. And it's kinda boring to the spectator too - one guy just trounces the other, no real competition. In my case it's not so bad because I have a lot of friends at the race to goof around with. But if it's your first race and you're done in the first hour, that's kinda discouraging. Why can't the worst guy race the next to worst guy? It's the same number of racers for the semis. Geez - maybe I could make it to a second round! And the same way up the line - best time races 2nd best time. If Pappas races and eliminates Joe Mc, is that a bad thing? Aren't we sick of that teen bastard winning everything? I swear - who gave Justin Bieber a skateboard? Just kidding Joe.

Of course a timer that doesn't break down would also be ideal, but I'll be a little more realistic

So there's my first round of suggestions. As I am such a shitty racer, I'm basically a spectator. So this is what the common pedestrian would like to see to attract them to a skateboard race. Why does downhill put asses in the seats? It's exciting to watch. They go fast. They have spectacular crashes. Who gives a frog's fat one about NASCAR other than to wait for a crash. Hockey? All that skating is boring between fights. Yes I'm exagerrating, but not a lot. C'mon, we're a FUN bunch of people, let it show. It's infectuous.

[Robert J Herten]

Two words: Half Time Show.

[Sj Kalliokoski]

I'm pretty much in line with Jani's comments. And hope this ISSA discussions should be moved by some of admins from this thread to new separate thread,
i think we have high jacked this thread.

I think we as ISSA have made situation such that it has confused slalom field, otherwise i see sport in growing path.

Main problem is that new system was created without making sure that it will be implemented and new updated stuff will be published also in rule book.
All this generated situation where we are now. Racerse are not eager to travel for races without knowing if one will get any ranking points and if one gets,
what level they will be.

Trying to get youngster in to slalom by taking races to steeper slopes, would that work? why would they run slalom there
when they can run head to head close combat with longboards?
Why would they run slalom instead of downhill, what would be benefit for them?

Here in Finland, in country where slalom has not been around since late seventies, i can see biggst public interest when we run races in full flat,
this mainly due that makes folks wonder and follow how fast racer can go on flat. This is also area where youngster will come and ask about sport
and some times even test it.

My personal take to flat versus slope is looking more to direction of spectators that racers. Mainly on flat spaces it is more easy to find places
where good stand for them can be arranged more easily and that way bigger audience can be gathered. Think about having races on stadiums or on ice rinks,
as separate session or as part of some other sport activity.
I see also other option to try to build slalom as extreme sport where interest are on big crashes with high speed, but i think thatis not way to go.
Most eagerly followed track sport is 100 run, on flat, that should say something.
Instead to going steeper, i would rather see 6-8 pro guys running parallel track on tight course.

[Donald Campbell]

we need more flatland races

good stuff

more training

bring back the ranking system

move slalom skateboarding more to eastern countries,take it away from the us guys

it's a sport

it's not fun

training training training

fluitt ruined everything with his minions of doom

each skater should wear a body armor,a bike helmet,and full protection anytime

bigger bibs should be mandatory at any race,so the spectators can't recognize any skate company


train harder

young athletic bodies fighting for the glory of their country

kids will embrace the possibility of being a slalom-hero


sell cheaper beer at contests

each skater shopuld wear a sport dress

lipstick should be allowed so it's even more gay than it is now

more flatland,please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


make the procedures at races even longer than they are now,other wise the spectators might get the drift how that whole thing works,they might understand in the worst case.


contact all tv-stations because there are young athletic bodies out there in turtle shells,they might want to film that stuff for the comedy channel.

make the rule-book wayyyyyyyyyyy bigger than it is now

each issa member should pass a theoretical rule-book test before he is allowed to race

did i say that flatland racing is the future of the sport?

i say it now

know why?
because spectators can easily watch and understand it.

dominik kowaski should get his hair cut,he needs to look clean and sharp and boring?

is boring the right word?

fucking pathetic bullshit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

man...i'm laughing my ass off as i write this

thrills and spills is the keyword

dear lord:please bring back the GNAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Miguel Marco]

I'm sorry it didn't work out Donald. I definitely see the need to showcase the best of slalom to the media and general public.

Like Fatboy said, this might not be the right thread but since it started here... I don't see slalom dying just because the top guys travel less to the big, expensive to get to, events. No one I skate with in Canada can afford to fly to every Worlds/World Cup/Continental/National race in North America on their own dime. Flying to the US is sometimes as expensive as flying to Europe for us. And it seems there are more big races now then there are smaller ones.

To have a healthy "Pro" class you need a strong, healthy, and participative base that will help feed it with new talent and support it by buying decks, trucks, wheels and any product from the companies that will in turn financially help the top riders get to the big events. And it seems like I'm not seeing things the same way some of you are. I see a lot of interest shown, questions asked, and boards bought by new young riders. There's plenty of interest in slalom on local/regional forums and sites like Silverfish. It's those people in my opinion that need to be pleased and catered to first by the ISSA.

We need to get as much new blood into slalom as we can, either young or old. I see this being done by increasing the number of smaller local (oulaw or not) races and publicizing them worldwide on the net as much as the big events. We post all our weekly slalom sessions on our local longboard forum, as well as pics and vids from the previous ones. We get a bunch of kids involved that way. Newcomers need to know they can start locally (or fairly close to them) at very low cost (no $100 inscription fee and $600 plane ticket). Logically, there should be more cheap small local races then big expensive ones to get people into slalom. The way to get new people in is to get them hooked at a local session/race/clinic, then get them into the ISSA at their first "real" race, and so on. NESRA in New England, KHRT in Quebec, and MOSS in Spain are good examples.

Small single lane races are easy to put on at practically no cost at all. We had 34 racers at our last KHRT outlaw a few weeks ago. If it wasn't for the injured list and last minute "emergencies", we would have easily gotten over 45 racers. One third of the attendees were experienced racers, another third were on their second oulaw, and the last third were on their first race experience. It even was a very first try at slalom for a couple of them. They are all hooked now.

Pros should also get more involved in promoting slalom. Being a Pro doesn't only mean showing up at the race for the cash purse. They should be the firsts concerned by growing the fan base if they want to, at the very least, end up travelling for free at the races. Some of you are citing downhill as being popular now. Why is it so popular? Big parts of it is because the scene is flooded with cheap outlaw events, and some of the DH Pros are spamming the web with nicely done high quality videos and pictures showcasing it in an exciting manner. Let's face it, looking at a bunch of dudes tucking for 5 minutes touching and sniffing each others asses is as boring as looking at slalom. It just needs to be done in a way that makes it look exciting, like the DH vids. When is the last time a slalom Pro did that? From the top of my head, I can only remember Louis Ricard and Greg Fadell doing something like that in the last couple of years. Using sites like Silverfish, local forums, or Facebook to present exciting visuals gets more people exposed to it. Crossover from the popular DH/freeride scene is possible. Two thirds of the racers attending the oulaw I was speaking about are DHers/Freeriders first, but they all own a slalom setup now and show up at least once a week to run cones. They are ALL stoked on being able to do it all and now understand how slalom helps them become better skaters. They just needed to be exposed to slalom in a cool way.

Basically, what I'm saying is we need to grow the base first by making it look fun, exciting and accessible, and the rest will follow.

Oh yeah! More punk rock for sure! But old school style, not the shit that passes for punk nowadays. And most certainly NO FLATLAND SLALOM!!!

[Gary Fluitt]

Recommend we take this over to the Ideas for Improving Slalom Forum
http://www.slalomskateboarder.com/phpBB ... php?t=7441

[Joe Iacovelli]

Sad- that Donalds plans for an elite race and big media coverage have been subverted. I was hanging a lot of hope on it that it might finally make for interesting TV.

Gratified - that anyone else cares or has bothered to type about it.

Donald - Good idea on the rule book test and cleaning up Dominic

[Miguel Marco]

No! I like Dominik just like he is. Naughty and dirty... Haaa! Haa! Ha!

[Robert Sydia]

When I grow up - I want to be just like Dominik!!!!

Fatty and Mig - great input!!

[Glenn Bukowsky]

Made my day Fatty! I'm so down with all you said!

First off, very sorry Donald. Sad to hear. It sounded like you were gonna throw one helluva race. I would've loved to have been there just to watch the best of the best.

Next - what's wrong with racing? It's probably better brought up in another thread, but I'm here, you're here, doesn't that make it OUR time Mr Hand?

Lynn has good ideas. I like the punk rock best But posting times or placings is a good idea. Especially if you wanna attract spectators. It's hard to get stoked about what you're watching if you don't know who's placed where. It just looks like a bunch of skaters going fast around traffic cones. But if I know the chubby guy from Canada is within a coupla tenths of a second to the shirtless guy doin' curb slappies between runs, I'm a little more interested. But it would hafta be a seperate person to do it - Danny G is busy enough getting the times. Maybe a cute gal. Maybe she wears something slinky, like an evening gown. OR maybe when a pro gets eliminated, they get to wear the evening gown and post the times. That's some incentive right there! Hollien would easily up his time by a few tenths to avoid that little Bob Mackie number - I mean how could he conceal the holster?

A mic and speakers is also a good idea. If someone is walking or driving along and hears Holiday in Cambodia and sees a bunch of idiots with skateboards wailing down the street, common curiosity is gonna take over. "Hey! What's that over there?" They'll likely stop if only to see the carnage when the cops show up to arrest the skating scofflaws. But wait - "they have permits for this? Hey is that a girl goin' that fast? No wait.....just a fat guy in a dress. But hey THAT'S a girl - what's an Axe Army? Cool! Look at those little kids goin'! Masters??? You mean there's 45 year old people doin' this? That's pretty neat. Oh no.....us? we're just spectators, just checkin' it out. Whaddya' mean? You'll loan me your board? And that guy has extra pads? Wellllllll okay, I'll give it a shot. I used to skate when I was in high school. Hey this is FUUUUUUN!!" Okay so maybe that's a little far fetched. But not too far fetched. We did get some kids in Antrim like that. There is a certain "hey I could do THAT" aspect to slalom racing that doesn't exist in ramp or pool skating. Then they find out it ain't so easy, but by then it's too late - they're hooked. Happened to me once.

Lotsa runs was another of Lynn's ideas that I support. I'm not a fan of how eliminations are done now. You qualify.......say last, like I usually do. Then I get paired up with the best guy and my day is done two runs later. $100 for three timed runs. I could get a lot of action at the Lincoln Tunnel after dark for that kinda money. And it's kinda boring to the spectator too - one guy just trounces the other, no real competition. In my case it's not so bad because I have a lot of friends at the race to goof around with. But if it's your first race and you're done in the first hour, that's kinda discouraging. Why can't the worst guy race the next to worst guy? It's the same number of racers for the semis. Geez - maybe I could make it to a second round! And the same way up the line - best time races 2nd best time. If Pappas races and eliminates Joe Mc, is that a bad thing? Aren't we sick of that teen bastard winning everything? I swear - who gave Justin Bieber a skateboard? Just kidding Joe.

Of course a timer that doesn't break down would also be ideal, but I'll be a little more realistic

So there's my first round of suggestions. As I am such a shitty racer, I'm basically a spectator. So this is what the common pedestrian would like to see to attract them to a skateboard race. Why does downhill put asses in the seats? It's exciting to watch. They go fast. They have spectacular crashes. Who gives a frog's fat one about NASCAR other than to wait for a crash. Hockey? All that skating is boring between fights. Yes I'm exagerrating, but not a lot. C'mon, we're a FUN bunch of people, let it show. It's infectuous.
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Thanks, Glenn