ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

Thank you Jack Smith for the 2002-2003 FCR Series.

It is honorable what you have done and I personally appreciate reading about those series, attending two races and even racing in one. There was one time my whole family, my boys and I were watching one of the races during a big holiday last year, that was awesome.

It's sad that you are not going to be running the show any longer, you did well, thank you.

Thanks for talking with me about it and thanks for letting me know that you would help anyone who had a good plan with a new series of races in 2004.

Hopefully someone will step up to the starting line.

Actually this could be a good thing for the sport. If I were a potential sponsor I might not jump into promote slalom skateboarding for fear of being overshadowed by FCR. I would be nervous about atendance at my races.

Lets all hope for a sponsor to step forward and lets hope for a series that is beyond our previous expectations.

This sounds pretty serious to me. Is it true that there will be no FCR series in 2004? Jack, will you be doing at least one or two contest next year or is it down to zero? What about the already announced Worlds?

Are there any plans for an alternative series? Or maybe we don't need a series, but at least there needs to be a fair number of events. Help me update the contest calendar as events are planned.

Howard proposed that we put together a World Series for next year, but I was initially a bit reluctant as we might have to go some distance before we can get such a series together. Maybe he knew that Jack couldn't go on eternally carrying the whole burdon.

If we don't manage to put together a real series, which seems difficult to me, maybe we should at least bring out a ranking (such as the ISSA World Ranking) to add up points for participation in any event, series or not.

John, can you explain your comment a little more? You seem to be saying that if there was no FCR it would be good for the sport?

If a sponsor is afraid of sponsoring another series because that series would be overshadowed by the FCR in attendance and attention (if that is what you meant), then it would seem to me that the smart sponsor would just sponsor the FCR and "promote slalom racing" (and themselves) that way! I mean, if FCR already has the power you are alluding to, it would be silly to let it die and start over with some other sort of series. No?

Let me begin by saying Jack Smith has done amazing things for skateboarding. I am proud to call him my friend.

FCR has acted as an organizer and promotional organization up until now. I believe their mission should change, to act as a standardizing and sanctioning organization. That way the momentum and prestige they have created over the last 3 seasons may be maintained.

I think FCR should publish race guidelines, then act as a sanctioning organization. FCR would act as the keeper of the points, awarding season's-end championships and trophies.

By specifying everything from start ramp specs to some sort of weighted point values, local organizers can have an FCR race without the tremendous amount of direct hands-on work (by FCR) that an FCR event has required in the past. FCR provides the guidelines, and perhaps even rents the equipment (as they have ramps, timing systems, etc.), but the local organizer/promoter puts on the race, pays pro purses, etc.

An added benefit would be that it would take away the (necessarily) Western US slant FCR races have had up until now.

Skateboarding has had a thousand associations and organizations throughout the years, and continues to spawn new ones, but I believe FCR can be successful in lending its prestige to local races, by establishing high (but attainable) standards for slalom racing.

Rich Stephens wrote:John, can you explain your comment a little more? You seem to be saying that if there was no FCR it would be good for the sport?

If a sponsor is afraid of sponsoring another series because that series would be overshadowed by the FCR in attendance and attention (if that is what you meant), then it would seem to me that the smart sponsor would just sponsor the FCR and "promote slalom racing" (and themselves) that way! I mean, if FCR already has the power you are alluding to, it would be silly to let it die and start over with some other sort of series. No?

Rich,

Lets say for example- that Microsoft had a large well bundled operating system. For the moment we will pretend that other operating systems don't exist, and merely smaller individual apps exist (think of those like single contests).

The fact that Microsoft exists may deter others fom trying to promote their own operating system- And I am not necessarily saying that a replacement operating sytem for Microsoft would be better... quite possibly it would just be different- but like anything the possibility that some areas might be introduced that were new- or possibly improved upon is conceiveable.

So we have a few options- one is that "smaller contest" promoters from races like "da farm, JPL, WLAC, Luna Jam, Red Clay, etc.... all get together and devise a system of points to create a "series" out of different events- I think that might an immediate step in the proper direction for now.

I also think that the idea that a New promoter COULD step forward and introduce a new series is also good. In snowboarding for instance we used to have more than one series.

All that really matters is that more good racing is accessible to more racers- it really doesn't matter what we call it or who erects the scaffolding, its the racing that matters. And of course should Jack decide to throw another race years from now- its likely no one would miss a beat signing up again.