There will now be a slalom world ranking for 2009!

[Rick Floyd]

Corky has told me that if I get Antrim and Dixie results to him by Wednesday he will then have all MAIN/MAJOR events worldwide and can issue an initial 2009 ranking before the new year, as he has time to work on it some more over the holidays.

I am going to go ahead and submit what I have for Antrim, and we can figure out the DNS/DNF/DQ issues in the TS later. I also want to be done with my part of all of this before Christmas...I had no idea it would be this much work and aggravation, but it is done none-the-less.

Whatever some may think, I will tell you this - Corky has a well thought out system and has done a ton of work on it over the years for nothing more than his own satisfaction. It can be streamlined some in the future, and will be as I understand it. Corky, myself and many others worked to pulled this thing back from the edge of the grave this year. If you raced in even one BASIC slalom race and enjoy seeing your name on a world ranking website, then please shoot him a thank you email.

And I will take this opportunity to thank you myself right now Corky - Bravo on a job well done!!

-Rick

[Steve Pederson]

[Jani Soderhall]

The amazing thing pulling this together is that the contest calendar is growing every day. There are now close to 80 events listed on the calendar for 2009. That's way more than we've seen before. Although the ranking is obviously focusing on the Major/Main and Prime races, I think it's cool that even the smaller races are included. The small ones are assigned Basic status if they have been announced one month ahead of time. Races that haven't been announced, but have submitted their results to the ranking will be assigned PLAIN status.

With a first update of the ranking towards years end, we can still make some corrections and additions, if needed early January, then it'll be set and closed for 2009.

Thanks to everyone for their participation!

/Jani

[Chris Barker]

The amazing thing pulling this together is that the contest calendar is growing every day.
/Jani

That's interesting. Perhaps that is the European trend? The US/Canada has not even had a full slate of Mains for the last 2 years. Essentially we have thrown away a main each year and almost any race can be a Prime if submitted within the timeframe.

That is a step backwards from past years where there was competition for who would be awarded the Major, Mains, and even Primes.

[Wesley Tucker]

The amazing thing pulling this together is that the contest calendar is growing every day.
/Jani

That's interesting. Perhaps that is the European trend? The US/Canada has not even had a full slate of Mains for the last 2 years. Essentially we have thrown away a main each year and almost any race can be a Prime if submitted within the timeframe.

That is a step backwards from past years where there was competition for who would be awarded the Major, Mains, and even Primes.

Chris, I said this in another thread some time ago and it's a reflection on who's going to be the next round of race organizers? The same people more or less who were doing races when I started back in '02 are still pretty much the ones doing it now. We've seen some new faces with Sun Prairie, Antrim, Kentucky and new blood in Texas but is that enough? The Farm, Colorado, California, Oregon, North Carolina and on and on sees the same organizers doing the same work for the same rewards.

I always hate saying this because it ends up sounding like someone needs to put on a race for me. That's not it at all. But when these race organizers who have put on two, three or more annual events decide to give it up then that leaves a vacuum not getting filled. I'm not necessarily complaining as much as making an observation.

[Guillaume Saint-Criq]

The amazing thing pulling this together is that the contest calendar is growing every day.
/Jani

That's interesting. Perhaps that is the European trend? The US/Canada has not even had a full slate of Mains for the last 2 years. Essentially we have thrown away a main each year and almost any race can be a Prime if submitted within the timeframe.

That is a step backwards from past years where there was competition for who would be awarded the Major, Mains, and even Primes.

i think it s the same trend in EU.
There was 2 main slots not used in 2009 here in EU
But there is a lot more BASIC and PLAIN events.

[Rick Floyd]

Some people aren't going to like this, but I'm gonna lay it out there anyway.

If what I am hearing is correct, the new BOD will be making a point of HELPING new people to run events this coming year. I have heard several excellent suggestions in that vein, such as a one-click "how to run a race" on the ISSA home page (thank you Fatty and Joe). Shit, I'd love to run a race, but I am the only person in this area and cannot afford ramps timers etc. on my own - but with help it could easily happen. We now have at least wo timing systems I know of that the owners have volunteered to mail around New England for the purpose of running races. Antrim has two great starting ramps and now a trailer to move them. I know of at least 15 racers around NE who are new to slalom in the last two years. I've coached a number of them myself. Then there are all the kids who tried slalom for the first time at Woodward this summer through the efforts of Joe and his team.

In the last three years, I've heard too many people in the "older" generation lament the fact that they are the only ones running races, or that the sport is "dying", yet no proactive steps were being taken to make that change. It seems there was a lot of "nobody appreciates what I do so I'm quitting" instead of "we need to teach others to do this and help them to do it"...so we can retire (jab intended)...or race without worrying about being an organizer of course.

Speaking for myself, I went to 5 main and 1 major race in the US this year, had a blast, and spent the limit of what I could afford to do so. It may have been different in the past, but my perception was that there was plenty! Throw in the 4 or 5 small outlaws I went to and it was a pretty darn full season. Those outlaws could easily be bigger events if the ISSA had some money behind it to help out - another thing that sounds like it is in the works. A lot of us are good racers, and many are great event organizers, but what is clearly needed is more of a business model and mind behind an organized and active sanctioning body, and that sounds like it is happening. I would have accepted my nomination and run for the board if I didn't have some pressing personal issues which are likely to make 2010 a year of upheaval and change for me - maybe in 2011 - but I'm still gonna give input where I can. Helping to make the world rankings happen this year is just a start.

I've heard the "slalom is dying" lament fairly regularly the past three years too - but the number of new faces, and more importantly YOUNG new faces, I see at races just since I got back into it in 2006 is huge. One comment I do hear regularly from many of the new racers is "why do these people all seem to dislike each other so much"? They hear all the negative talk about so-and-so did this or that, and they read all the contentious stuff on the 'net that we (yes, me too) post...that has to stop or they will get turned off.

I really feel that if we look and move forward, forget past issues and personality conflicts, and really work together with a unified vision devoid of petty disagreements, that there is plenty of room and a strong likelihood of growth for this sport.

I'd love to go to a race, say in 2011, where a bunch of enthusiatic kids are running the show, and Cbark, Mig, Joe, Jason/Terri, Garth and Pat, DHB "elders" (no offense etc. can all just race and hang out, do some coaching, have a beer and relax. I bet EVERYBODY would be happier, and that would attract even more people - nobody wants to miss out on a good time, right?

Jordan's plan for running the Sizzler this year is a HUGE step in the right direction. Let's not look back. It seems things got a little stagnant for some, and understandably. I'm here to tell you I have had the time of my life doing this the past three seasons and I thank all you guys who have worked so hard to run the races from the bottom of my heart - even if you were burnt beyond burnt from doing it for so long. It's a new day baby - let's ride!!

-RF