ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

For 2005. Is anyone in the East US, interested in planning a 2005 CAN/AM event? July 1 and 2 in Ottawa and July 3 and 4 ? Let's get on it soon if you are interested. IT's a 1 hour and 40 minutes flight from Ottawa to Washington and we could call the event The Capital Cup. The 2nd Annual Dovercourt Open will be the Ottawa leg of the Competition.

I'm sure we could secure some great airfare deals and sponsorship for such and event. Maybe it could be part of the talked about world tour or US season series for 2005.

You can count on a 2 day event here in Ottawa regardless for next year.

If you do organize this contest, I'm sure many french skaters would make the trip. I haven't really seen the East coast yet, and the last time we spoke with French Canadian skaters was in Vancouver 86.
Hoping to see some of you (Europeans) in Germany and some of you (all) in Morro Bay ! RIDE ON
Jean Paul (a French freestyler lost in cones.)

It aint a Capitol, but Fayetteville is a county seat! And they have pestered me to use downtown(same hill as MSSS on the 4th for a Heritage festival race!!

July 4th is the date we usually hold the boston July 4th race. We were hoping to do a bigger show next year for adults with prize money. I don't know what kind of problems would be caused if we did them on the same date.

If your really set on that date, I might just not do July 4th next year if the boston september 18th event comes together.

Otherwise I like the idea. Maybe I can make it up.

Now Now.. I was only suggesting! Gilmooooore and I dis-cussed this a few years back! Boston is where it should be
Merely a thought!

Karl are you interested in trying to run a Major 2 day race to coincide with a Canadian event on July 1 and 2?

I want to have it combined and it would be a midseason race that would be part of the race series for 2005. You could still run a smaller event if someone wants to incorporate that date into the Major. No one wants to run two big events the same weekend.

I do know you put the emphasis on a kids race last year and that is great. We need more of that. What I am proposing is a Major Event.

The July 1,2,3 and 4 dates makes sense for what we want to do and for the continued advancement of the Sport of Salom skateboarding.

Dave G. Thanks for the Interest. I still need the the Airport to fly into for your race in October. I'll be trying to go after Morro Bay. I may drive from Ottawa rather then fly from LA due to the price.

C-YA

In the meantime...

I really doubt I want to pull a major event. Probably a local skate session. Or New England Championships at most. But I got a couple months to make up my mind. I'll talk to you when the 2004 season ends.

Okay Karl, I will seek an alternate host for that weekend but only as a possible alternate.

Let me know if and when you make a descision. Should other sponsors fall into place and we need to make a descision then we will need a firm descision on your part.

I am still kind of confused about how I could do an event in Boston that would work together with a race in Toronto.

I'm in Ottawa!

L8R, EH!

Claude- I would consider doing an event with you- particularly if the combination could encourage European skaters to make the trip- however I just don't want to submit them to the July 4th heat.

This past year was the best forecast for July 4th in many years- yet the heat was still enough to make most skaters feel heat fatigue by 1pm. If other people want to throw a July 4th race- that is up to them- but for 4 years we ahve had racing- and it has always been waaaaay too hot.

Instead- I would I would rather look towards an Early June race- perhaps the 1st week of June or last 2 weeks of May.

We would have several things in our favor then...

Some of the longest days of summer. Less driving at night.
Moderate temps in the low seventies and slight breezes- cafe scene is happening for the wives. Lodging is available cheaply at local colleges.

Less road construction in late spring.

How many skaters would consider coming from Europe? Claude Post something up on Riderz.net in French would you...about the possibility of an Early June race and see if we can guage the interest.

Slalom isn't a summer sport- its what you do when its too cold for the beach. IMHO Urethanes don't work as well over 90 degrees.

John I totally appreciate your concern. If no one wants to run anything to coincide with us on the 3rd and 4th that is fine.

We certainly understand some of your concerns and those expressed by Andy in a private e-mail. I hope you are healed enough to make it up to our race next year.

We are going ahead and planning a 2 Day race on the 1st and 2nd of July. Hopefully it will be part of the North American Slalom Cup in 2005. With the race planned for the folowing weekend in Chicago there should be some Europeans that will make it.

Many have expressed an interest and very few of them have ever been to the East Coast. I know 4 Days of racing in two Major cities is a big venture; but the sport will be in it's 5th year of World Championships next year. How long should we wait to try and plan some big International Contest that can cross the border at such an important time in both our Countries' History?

If more people looked at what this event, right dab in the middle of the 2005 race season could mean, with both Canada and the USA involved we could pull it off. It would certainly help the sport grow. Next years World Championships could even be better. Because it seems to me every year they just keep getting better.

If there was ever a united points system counted in Major events around the World we could truly have a valid ranking system. The talent pool has been proven Worldwide. The Worlds could have Double point values and then more people would make the effort to attend them.


This really doesn't matter because we are all getting paid so much that we do it for the fun of it anyway.

It won't be easy. harder for some then others. I will work on putting it on up here and if someone decides they can host the other half then that's it. I've already looked into the possibility of a charter to get us out of Ottawa on the 2nd and fly into ? We'll see, K!

Thanks to everyone. We look forward to seeing you.

Would you consider moving your race to the 1st or 2nd week in June- we have nice temps and bery long days then. I think we should stay out of the heat of the first week of July.

However, one of these days I'm going to get my own life back in-hand, and should that happen between now and next summer... I can imagine that Canada could be an excellent place to be in early-July.

John, moving it would mean perhaps missing France or the planned Europen comps next year.

We have a partner and a Major Sponsor involved and that is a perfect time for us. It may be hot but there will be shade. We will do everything we can here to accomodate the racers.

Possibly some free lodging and the use of community centre for an assortment of entertainment. Apart from that we have been approached by a Hotel/Motel interested in a Corporate Sponsorship for the event as well.

Most of this comes from our work in the community from our Skatepark. Canada Day like the 4th of July is a party. We pulled last years race off in 7 days. Start ramps, timing system 20 people from Hamilton to Montreal including some locals. That was our 3rd event in 9 months.

There was some great racing all the way thru the heats right down to the finals. We had conehead volunteers, fans and even some autograph seekers. Next year it will be publicized early and it will be great.

It wasn't huge but we impressed a lot of people. Last night we met the neighbours that allowed us to close the road and they were quite happy with the event.


Some were quite impressed with older participants. Most thought it was going to be young'ns. Next year it will be bigger and better. Next year it will be publicized early and it will be great. We may even make it a Canadian Championship so some one else can finally take over.

maybe a corporate sponsor to fly some of us young'ns over

Claude-
The dates for the 2005 Gorge Games have been set for July 16th and 17th in Hood River Oregon. Hope that you can make it out west!
Later-Gareth

Oh Yeah Baby.

It will be on my race calendar. My ankle injury is pretty much the only thing that stopped me from booking it this past year.

I wouldn't mind trying to do a combo w/you on those dates. I'll check w/ Anthony Smallwood,lbk, and BP and see if we could pull something off in DC, however, just as JG says, it's hot then and down here in DC it's even hotter than up in Boston....but atleast people can travel via 3 airports and train and bus to the DC/Baltimore area. DC is a zoo on Independence day but Baltimore may be worth checking out too. Keep in touch.

Sounds great John. That 's all I was hoping for.

I'll keep plugin for a possible sponsorship for a deal on flights between Ottawa and DC on the evening of the 2nd.

We may even be able to hook up an auto rental sponsorship deal for both locations.

This is how it is looking for the 2005 Season. The goal here is to move the races around a little bit, and have a nice cadence leading up to the worlds. There are A LOT more races than will fit into the series. This is still open for debate. If someone would like to have their race in the series, you need to let me know. I'm open minded, and yet, I have some clear objectives.

April- Luna
May- Virginia Beach? (DC, Virginy crew working it)
June- San Diego
July- Hood
Early August - The Farm
Late August - Breckenridge
Sept- Morro Bay

That's 2 East Coast, 3 West Coast, 1 Mountain.

Lots of talk about adding a Bank Slalom to the schedule. We could do that if the event was above board permited race. This is simply a sponsor issue. If no big legit sponsor signs up, we could do an outlaw gig, most likely the Indian school race, assuming the organizers even want any attention on that deal. Kona another possibility.
Cyber will probably not be considered an Am Cup event next year. It should remain it's own deal I've been told.

Gary,

66 just posted the dates for the Red Clay Cup in April. It is definetely a serious event that is well organized and well attended. I would certainly consider it part of any America Cup racing series.

Unless, of course, the inestimable Rickmeister has indicated otherwise.

The MSSS #4 will be on Oct 16th this year. But the City of Fayetteville is wanting Heritagefest on 4th of July to be a venue, They will repave etc..
Any interest?

Wes, see my earlier email to you. Red Clay was invited in 04 and declined. Same gig in 05 I reckon. Dave G, Anything post Morro Bay is not likely as we want to conclude at Morro Bay, at the Worlds. July could work, but we have Hood then. A lot of guys have asked to limit it to 6 races (12 individual events). There must be another way to include events like Georgia State and MSSS in some sort of way.

Gary,
I understand wholly!

September 2005

Slalom
Tight Slalom
Super G
Park Slalom
Grand Prix Street Racing
Thursday Night Dash for Cash

More information soon.

There will definitely be another banked slalom race at Lansdowne, in south Baltimore, MD in '05...probably in the spring. I'm still working on some other possibilities for ya, Claude.

There's a good chance the city of Mount Clemens, just outside of Detroit, will give us permission to host a race in '05. This is a mid sized town with a downtown that has a bar-and-restaurant district, a couple hotels and allot of nightlife. We'd get to use a main street that the soapbox derby races use, which starts in downtown and goes over a three lane bridge, over the clinton river, and down the other side. It's not a huge decline but it's a decent hill with decent pavement. It would be a rare opportunity to race in the middle of town and it would be the first skateboard race held up here.....ever?.......
Only issue would be if a race in Detroit in May would generate enough interest for out-of-towners to come to.

so....

If you think you'd want to come to Detroit to Race in early 05, post up or drop me an Email

thanks

Chris B
Kill City Racing