Join the ISSA 25 cone series. One cyber race every second month!

Regular sessions allow newbies to join our community and discover slalom racing.

Pat Chewning

and since all this trouble actually rests on a pack of lies (particularly a sense of danger that is mostly fabricated), I have to disagree: I think "all this trouble" is a direct result of real danger and a heightened sense of security as a result. Even before the terrorists attacked the World Trad...

Pat Chewning

OK, Adam you asked for it. More PG pictures to get you jazzed up: Here is a picture near Corvallis OR. If you look down, you will see a bald eagle circling in the same thermal that I am in: http://home.comcast.net/~pchewn/Photos/Bald-Eagle.jpg If we have a slalom race in Hood River this year you can...

Pat Chewning

It has been done. Need more unstable air to get high without too much wind, then off to Cannon Beach.

We also have a beach N of Seaside that we can drive on and tow up behind a pickup truck to 4000' .

Pat Chewning

All of the roads are too wet to skateboard here in Portland OR. So I spent the day at the beach paragliding over the cliffs at Ecola State Park. Nice! http://home.comcast.net/~pchewn/Photos/Launch-Ecola.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~pchewn/Photos/Fly-Ecola.jpg http://home.comcast.net/~pchewn/Photos/L...

Pat Chewning

Happy Birthday to me: A brand-new Roe PS Crossfire board arrived today for my birthday. All I need is a couple of hours of sunshine to dry off the streets... In other news: We will soon be anouncing the Cascade Slalom series of races. There will be approx 1 race per month (April to September)forming...

Pat Chewning

Couple of comments: The strengths and "capability" I posted for the bolts is when you load them straight in tension which is applied slowly. Of course, when used in a skateboard truck you also have impact loads, flexural loads, and repeated loads which can lead to fatique failures. So I would't put ...

Pat Chewning

Grade 8 bolt capability in yield (stretch) = 130,000 lbs / in2 x .03349 in2 = 4354 lbs minimum Grade 8 bolt capability in tension (failure) = 150,000 lbs / in2 x .03349 in2 = 5024 lbs minimum Copied from : http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/fasteners/index.asp Grade 5 bolt capability in yield (s...

Pat Chewning

2nd, with that said, the bearings will still work as a Pair and share the load because by being pressed in the wheel and locking the outer rings, Sorry, I just can't see how the slight press fit of the bearing into the wheel can be made to share the axial load of the wheel across the 2 bearings. It...

Pat Chewning

Try this experiment: Take your speed rings, bearings, and spacers. Place them on a 5/16" bolt (or 8mm bolt) tighten with a nut as tight as you can. Spin the bearings. Compare the spin when the nut is loose. I'll bet there is no difference. That's because all of the "Pre loading" is carried by the in...

Pat Chewning

I've been thinking of getting a full-face helmet for skateboarding and for paragliding. A full-face helmet might prevent injuries such as this nose demolition to a skate brother here in Portland Oregon. He was going too fast on his longboard, got speed wobbles, and fell face first into the curb. <im...

Pat Chewning

Wes, A combination of your suggestions 2 & 3 are used in ski racing. Trained "gatekeepers" are used. They record which gate(s) are missed on a form. The collection of these forms are the evidence used if a protest is made by a racer. For slalom skateboarding, you could assign each cone a number, and...

Pat Chewning

I can't wait until I start physical therapy next week just to see what the therapist's reaction is to "I can skateboard completely naturally, but I can't walk right." Karl: "Doctor, now that my leg has healed will I be able to skateboard?" Doc: "Yes, I don't see why not." Karl: "That's wonderful ne...

Pat Chewning

On Nov 7,8,or 9th (depends on the weather) in Portland Oregon we will be having a race at night under the full moon. We will probably put some glow sticks on the cones, and perhaps on our boards too. It might make for nice photos. If you've raced at night and have some suggestions, please send them ...

Pat Chewning

This is the way I do it: 60 MPH = 88 FPS FPS is feet per second. S = D/T * (60/88) Where D is distance in feet, T is time in seconds, S is speed in MPH. This is the same as the previous equation, but I have the 60MPH = 88FPS conversion factor embedded in my memory from using this type of calculation...

Pat Chewning

I also had DQ's from too many cones. Yep, I admit that I'm a cone whacker. I sort of like the idea of a "bonus" for a clean run -- if that is something we want to emphasize. All the racers and spectators at the tight slalom on Sunday gave extra loud cheers for the clean runs, so why not reward the r...

Pat Chewning

My pictures located here:

http://home.comcast.net/~pchewn/Picture ... s-2003.htm

Hope you enjoy.

-- Pat

Pat Chewning

The wet season in Portland Oregon is approaching and I'm looking for some wheels that can keep me going on wet surfaces. (See "Random Slalom Topics" -- "Practicing in the Rain" -- some discussion about whether this is a good idea or not) Anyone have experience with any wet-specific wheels? Anyone mo...

Pat Chewning

October is almost here. That means that the daily chance of rain in Portland Oregon goes from 30% chance (beginning of October) to 60% chance (end of October). Then it gets worse in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, March. Even if it doesn't rain, the roads and sidewalks stay wet forever. We won't be assured of d...

Pat Chewning

I've been riding the new Seismic for about 3 weeks now. Question: Do you find it nearly impossible to get the spring tension adjustment screws to turn? Mine feel as though they are rusted in place -- extremely difficult to move in either direction. Other than the lack of good adjustability, they see...

Pat Chewning

Yes, the final race of the season was quite a nomadic affair. We were all set to race on June 6th (Saturday) on 167th Ave in Beaverton. Then "Krispie Kreme" donuts opened a new shop (one of the first in Oregon), and car-fulls of donut-crazed people were detoured onto the race hill. So I went door-to...

Pat Chewning

The final race of the NW season is coming up. Everyone is getting faster and better, so this promises to be a very competitive event. NOTE: DATE AND LOCATION CHANGE DUE TO RAIN Date: Sept 6 2003 (Saturday) Time: 11:30 course open for practice, and racing starts very soon after 11:30 (Hint: be there ...

Pat Chewning

We ran a "double jeopardy" ladder at our race on 7/27/2003. We had 2 qualifying runs which seeded the 24 racers into the 24 spots in the ladder. Racers had 2 runs for each final round. In total: 24 racers X (2 Qual runs + 6 final runs) = 192 runs. We started about 11:00 and were done by 2pm. The lad...

Pat Chewning

We had a wonderful day of racing on July 27. We ran a 40-cone slalom. The big winner for the day is the Lowe Syndrome Foundation, which will receive a $525 donation thanks to the generosity of the racers. We ran a ladder system instead of the normal elimination brackets. This allowed all racers to g...

Pat Chewning

Coverage of Skate Across America in today's Oregonian newspaper (7/24/03) Front page of the Oregonian sports section has a long article (20 paragraphs) about the upcoming start of the Skate Across America. Picture of Jack Smith and Jeff Raynolds. Small insert telling about the benefit race this wee...

Pat Chewning

We are on for July 27, at the <B>park and ride near</B> WSU in Vancouver. It is a benefit race for the Lowe Syndrome Association. The date of the race is perfect, since the next weekend (Aug 2) is the start of the Skate Across America for Lowe Syndrome -- starting in Newport Oregon. <font size=-1>[ ...

Pat Chewning

The race on July 27 is a benefit for the "Skate Across America for Lowe Syndrome". The following weekend, Aug 2, several skaters are starting out in Newport Oregon for a 3000 mile trek to raise money for the Lowe Syndrome Association. Participants in the race will be asked to give a generous donatio...

Pat Chewning

Jon Warburton Posted: 2003-06-28 06:46 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the real issue is to ensure you are covered for RACING as it is often excluded from ordinary health policies. ================================ The point in my previous post is that...

Pat Chewning

Another side of the insurance equation: I don't think it is a good idea to buy "hazardous activity rider" insurance and here's why: 1) Don't you expect your health insurance to pay for health services NO MATTER HOW you aquired an injury or ilness? It pays for lung cancer for smokers, it darn well be...

Pat Chewning

The placement into the ladder is after 4 qualifying runs.

It should be noted that our races in Portland are (so far) small events with around 20 people. This ladder system might not work so well at larger events.

-- Pat

Pat Chewning

Here is the bracket system we use for our races in Portland. Some noteworthy items: 1) If racers are consistent with their times, then they will end up in the same place as they qualified. 2) Possible to gain 5 places (see "Winner" in example) 3) Possible to lose 5 places (see "Loser" in example) 4)...

Pat Chewning

Final reminder: Portland Oregon Grass Roots race this weekend (one day only)June 29th. Hybrid Slalom. $0 entry fee. Prizes from our sponsors: Daddies Board Shop, Pleasure Tool (Ed's Bearings), Roe Racing, Bogus Sportswear, Curve Skateboards, and Poliwog Skateboards. The course is 720' long, 68 cones...

Pat Chewning

A discussion of bracketing alternatives (to make it more exciting than 1vs32 ... can be found under the "Random Slalom Topics/Double Standard" http://www.slalomskateboarder.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?topic=253&forum=43&13 In our race series in Portland Oregon, we are using a "ladder bracket" system whi...

Pat Chewning

The next race in the 2003 Portland Grass Roots 2003 Series will be June 29th. We will be having a tighter more challenging course, trophies, computerized timing/scoring, and plenty of prizes! We will be returning to our site at 167th and Cornell Rd in Beaverton. We have a couple of racers who will b...

Pat Chewning

The next race in the Portland Grass Roots 2003 series will be the "Mid Summer Burn". It is moving to Sunday June 29th at the request of our sponsors and a number of our racers who cannot be there on Saturday June 28th. What it is: June 29th, Sunday 10:00 AM A more challenging, tighter slalom race co...

Pat Chewning

June 28 is the scheduled date for the Portland "Summer Burn" slalom race (but I am getting heavy lobying to move it to Sunday June 29th).

So if you are here on the 28th/29th, then please join us.

-- Pat

Pat Chewning

Very interesting reading.... My Chrono-Cone 2003 home-made timing system will (eventually) allow user-selectable menus for all of these various ways to time a race: 1) Common vs individual starts. 2) DQ penalty 3) Cone penalty 4) User-selectable cadence of start tones/voices/music 5) User-selectable...

Pat Chewning

I am just about finished with a prototype of a new timing system, better than the 1st one I built. This new one has several improvements that will make it easier to process the results, more versatile, and easier to change. I'm calling it Chrono-Cone 2003 . One of the big problems I had in running o...

Pat Chewning

We ran our 1st race using the "Ladder" system in the finals, and many people thought it worked well. The races were close, as expected. We had 16 racers. One racer gained 2 place positions over the 4 final heats, one racer lost 2 place positions, three racers gained a position, and three racers lost...

Pat Chewning

For a 1st-time race, we did OK. We have a few improvements up our sleeves for next time, so I hope that we have a bigger turnout. I suspect that the questionable weather on Saturday, and our switch to Sunday may have decreased the attendance. I should mention that the race fee was $0, that's right, ...

Pat Chewning

The timing system has been to the hill a couple of times, and I'm pleased to say that it works well. I finished documenting the construction of this system and will make it available on http://www.slalomskateboarder.com as soon as I figure out how to get a MS WORD document to show up here on the sit...

Pat Chewning

RAIN DELAY: April 26 race will now be held on APRIL 27th. We have had the rainiest March and April on record in 50 years, and that's a lot for us in the NW. Rained every day in March, and just about every day in April. This is why Michael Dong practices in the "Bat Cave". We are moving the race from...

Pat Chewning

I'll follow up with more details later, but I just finished up building a two-lane timing system for our races. Attributes: Low-cost Electronic circuit to ignore the back wheels and only trigger on the front wheels. Disected stop watches are the source of the timing. These are matched in time and vo...

Pat Chewning

Chris, In this "Challenge Ladder" system nobody is ever "out". Everyone remains in until the end. In the example you gave, #2 qualifier went against #1 qualifier. #2 did not beat #1. Therefore, the relative position of #1 and #2 remains the same and in subsequent rounds #2 will again meet #1 for a c...

Pat Chewning

When Gareth Roe, Michael Dong, and I sat down and discussed what goals we had for our Northwest Series races, we wanted a format that did not "eliminate" anyone -- we wanted participation to continue til the end of the event. We also wanted races that were really races, instead of "byes" where the f...

Pat Chewning

April 1, 2003 – (AP) San Luis Obisbo California MOAST Technology announces new slalom skateboard truck design. MOAST (Mother Of All Skateboard Trucks) Technology today announced its “Kone Killer” skateboard truck, marketed for the discriminating slalom skateboarder. Throw away your stone-age trucks ...

Pat Chewning

We have rescheduled one of the Portland slalom races:

WAS: Sep 13
IS: Sep 6

The latest info is on the Portland Grass Roots homepage:

http://www.pgrass.00sports.com

Pat Chewning

Good news: 1) Roe Racing is a new sponsor of the 2003 races being held in Portland OR and Vancouver WA. 2) The Portland Grass Roots Slalom Association is teaming up with the Cascade Slalom Association (also a Grass Roots chapter) to put together an expanded series of races in the Pacific Northwest. ...

Pat Chewning

Here's one way that ranking is used in ski racing, which might be applicable to skateboard slalom: There is a race program called "NASTAR" (National Standardized Racing). It is based on a "handicap" system. It allows racers anywhere to be compared to other racers. 1) There are NASTAR pacesetters ava...

Pat Chewning

I'm trying to get all the plans in place to put on 3 races in Portland Oregon this year. Every site owner I have talked to is requiring event insurance to the tune of $1M (yes, million) dollars. Just so that 25 or so beginners at slalom can race down a hill. The site owners range from a local univer...

Pat Chewning

The Portland chapter of the Grass Roots Slalom Association is putting on 3 races this year. I want to make up some posters and other promotional material. What I'm looking for is a great photo of some slalom action, along with permission from the owner of the photo so that I can use it. I know there...

Join the ISSA 25 cone series. One cyber race every second month!

Regular sessions allow newbies to join our community and discover slalom racing.

Search found 916 matches

More PG Pics

Yes, you can soar to Cannon Beach if conditions are right

Too Wet to Skateboard, but not too wet to go paragliding.

2004 Cascade Slalom Series

Grade5 vs Grade8, strength and cutting

Grade 8 vs grade 5 strengths

Bearings share axial loads? I don't think so.

It depends on how long the spacer is.

Full-face helmet protection.

Tracking cones (e.g. with different penalty for some cones)

Full Moon Slalom - Nov 7,8,or 9