Different TS course components

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Fri Sep 13, 2002 6:58 am

There are different components to setting a course.

In GS most gates are all offsets. You may work across the fall line or with it.

in TS the closer proximity of the gates allows you to lead the body in one direction and the board in another.

Are there pople who would be interested in knowing the various componets of making technical TS courses? I would be happy to explain certain terms such as

line leaders
uneven spacing
gilmourian curves (constant radius, decreasing radius, increasing radius)
Half curves
Rippers
step overs
hooks
etc..

Gareth Roe · Post by **Gareth Roe** » Fri Sep 13, 2002 7:29 am

John-
A short description and examples for each of the terms you mentioned would be great. Also, when is it appropriate to use some of these in combination and when is it not okay.
Thanks
G-

Curt Kimbel · Post by **Curt Kimbel** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 3:04 am

John,

It would be great if you could post some info on the various types of courses, or parts of courses as mentioned in your post.

This is the kind of info I was hoping to find on this sight, something to make you think, and something you can learn from and improve.

Thanks,

Curt

Vlad Popov · Post by **Vlad Popov** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 6:41 pm

Interested. In everything mentioned.
Ready for a typical Gilmourian post. Long and informative.

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Thu Sep 19, 2002 3:31 pm

Line leaders.

A line leader is nothing more than a straight set of cones that is set to force a racer's momentum in a particular direction.

The use of a line leader can be to lead a racers momentum in one direction so that he must strategize to get his momentum going in a new direction.

For instance- You could set 6 cones in a straight line with 6.5-7.5 foot centers. Then set another line leader of 6 cones at a 20 degree angle to the right from the first line leader.

The racer then must struggle to get his newly established momomentum over 2nd line leader.

A strategy to cope with this is to take the last 3 straight gates in the first line leader as offsets all set to the left.

Now take the first 3 straight cones in the second line leader as offsets all set to the right.

This helps to "spread the difficulty" out over 6 cones ( 3 from the first line leader and 3 from the second line leader) to a manageable level. Otherwise the first cone in the second line leader will seem very hard and quickly the next cone is a bit easier and finally the 3rd cone is so difficult that it is unmakeable. Since your body was prepared to go straight. You must use the hip placement and in this instance you'll see that the path the board follows is different from the path your hips follow.

Line leaders can be used to establish momentum to lead people into curves both left and right curves and left reverse and right reverse curves (those have been too sketchy to set in a competition yet).

A line leader can also have no angle associated with the next line of cones as the next line of cones can be set a few feet to the left or right of the last line leader (take care not to create a gimmee gate) this is called a "step over" where you must step your entire body over to the next line leader.

Regardless, the strategy is similar as some "straights" are treated as offsets to make it possible.

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Thu Sep 19, 2002 3:44 pm

Uneven spacing can be used to force a racer to check his speed or force a racer to take another line. Perhaps even to force a criddle.

You could imagine a row of cones say 5 cones in length and 7.5 feet apart with a single cone say 5 cones in that is 5 feet apart or even 4.5 feet apart. In order to make this cone you have to turn very early in the previous cone. That way you treat the 7.5 foot cone as a 6 footer to hopefully give you 1.5 more feet to work with in making the otherwise unmakeable 4.5 foot cone. (not unmakeable for Euros).

One could also set every left cone distance at 5.5 feet and every right at 7.5 feet which would either make for uneven arcing.....or people running the course as if it were a 6.5 footer.

Uneven cone spacing breaks the rhythm of a course and is a fun thing to set in a long row of cones that are relatively straight.

Why set a long row of cones that are relatively straight??? Well perhaps you have a long hill and there is a section that has pavement of lesser quality... better to set straight gates that require the less traction (some gimmme gates can require less

that way you can use the whole hill but break the monotony of straight cones.

Uneven cone spacing when combined with other things such as line leaders, gilmourian curves, half curves and offsets makes things interesting very quickly.

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Thu Sep 19, 2002 3:47 pm

I wish I could draw an example of these things...is there an easy way to do this wihtout needing a scanner?

Any comments ...questions on the above before I describe another TS trap?

ur13 · Post by **ur13** » Thu Sep 19, 2002 5:06 pm

John, You can use MS Paint in your "accessories" folder to roughly draw things. It works like a poor mans photoshop, but it allows you to roughly draw stuff and add type. Save as/export out to .GIF or .JPG (if you can), if you can't the default is .BMP (which is windoze standard), most non windoze browsers can't by default read .BMP files, but people can download them and view them offline.

If you want, any .BMPs you create, that you need to have as .GIFs, e-mail them to me and I will save them as .GIFs for you and you can post them.

(ur13)

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Wed Sep 25, 2002 7:58 am

A "hip ripper" is when you set a Gilmourian curve and have one of the "outside" cones on that curve stick out further to the outside- this forces the skater to re-think his line as normally the skater would attempt to keep his hips inside the curve- but this stray cone "rips" the hips out to the outside temporarily and the skater has to fight to bring it back in (resulting is some really stretched out body contortions) depending on where you put "the Ripper" either early in the curve or later really affects the body position.

In order to have this be effective the curve has to typically have more than 8 cones to it so momentum is established.

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Thu Nov 28, 2002 3:13 am

A j series of cones is also a pretty cool challenge. Imaging the small letter j now set another straight set of cones after the j going in the opposite direction.

Takes some judgement- but it is fun.

David Hegstrom · Post by **David Hegstrom** » Fri Dec 13, 2002 8:14 pm

Hey John or anybody else who knows:

Is it still called a Gilmour curve if the course is set up with the cones curved in both left and right directions like an "S"? Double Gilmour curve? And, can the Gilmour curve be used on GS courses or is it better suited for tighter courses? Thanks.

Andy Bittner · Post by **Andy Bittner** » Fri Dec 13, 2002 8:49 pm

Regardless of what you call it, if you can set it and it can be ridden, use it. The possibilities are almost endless. If you can imagine a course feature in your head and you DON'T go out and give it a try because you've never heard of someone else doing it, shame on you.

Claude Regnier · Post by **Claude Regnier** » Sun Dec 15, 2002 10:33 pm

You could have a gilmorian curve as part of a GS course if wanted too for training. I wouldn't expect to see it in any race, however. The use of the S type Gilmorian curves are very important. You learn the skill going both sides and crossing the fall line both ways as well. If you have one. You won't be spacing them like you would in a TS and be careful not to make them too fast for the hill or slope.

Andy makes a good point about riding courses. When I set my 1:st course back in 74 or 75 it was in my driveway. Flat and circular. I remember making some that looked like parts of the globe. Australia for instance because of the shape of our driveway.

Use your imagination, set up courses that are makeable but make you work and think and control your speed as well. This is an important part of todays racing. I always practiced to goes as fast as I could from start to finnish. Never even considered slowing down to make a course.

I'm learning it now however. Be ready for anything because you never know what factors will determine the course at the race site.

John Gilmour · Post by **John Gilmour** » Mon Jan 13, 2003 6:42 am

GBJ is right on the money- experiment. try all new cone combos.

If you set a curve to the right you should also set a curve to the left. If you set an s curve try to make sure that the speed for both the left and right curve are close to the same.

cool course components to work with are s curves and step overs because speed can be gathered while running them. These course components are great for setting in areas where the hill isn't giving you much speed. If you are merely coasting in an area of a hill- try s curves or step overs to add complexity and speed in an otherwise possible slow section to keep it all flowing.

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