ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

well, i got this little problem...namely, i don't know how to find/set up a good slalom spot. there's a parking garage nearby, which would be excellent for a TS setup, except for the fact that it's patrolled by cops all the time. also, there's a park with a one-way street running through it that would also be good for slalom...BUT, i'd hate to have to tear down my course when a car comes by. i can even think of a few public roads, but i don't want to disrupt traffic and risk legal actions by the po-po. any suggestions of where to look and what to look for, to build a 25ish cone TS course?

I use Google Maps to find dead-ends, industrial park roads, and office-park type roads. Pick
a day when the weather is crappy to go out looking for roads, that way you don't waste a good
day of skating. Do you know any contractors, real estate dealers, or general contractors? Also,
lawn maintenance & landscapers. They know where the new stuff is being built, and the
roads are always poured before the buildings go up. Remember, that "Road Closed" sign
means "No Cars" ... not foot traffic.

I'm always more comfortable on a public road with someone else skating with me. This is
that extra set of eyes on the traffic and the cones. Picking up trash along the roadside can
help you keep a spot too. twice last year we were saved from getting the boot by showing the
officer we had picked up other people's trash. We showed we cared and he left us
alone. Now we don't get hassled there at all. Here in the South we "wave and smile"
at everyone that drives by. Kindness counts. If you have a truck, buy a broom and keep it
in the truck bed. You can "test run" a road quick if you need to.

Staw away from:
- University Properties. Campus cops are "iffy" at best, even when dealing with "grown ups".
- Big Brand-Name businesses. They are usually patrolled in some way. Just look for the
Wackenhut trucks. I do have a six-pack-bribe deal for a local spot, so you can try the
"what's your favorite beer?" and see where it goes. But the spot had better be worth the
investment.

Try a park or something. Or maybe talk nicely to the cops and try to look needy.

we do have a network of paved bike paths around here...think that would be worth a shot?

Doug Kadzban wrote:we do have a network of paved bike paths around here...think that would be worth a shot?

Unless it's posted with "No Skateboarding" signs .... go for it. There is one here
that downhills into a tunnel going under a road. Been wanting to set a course on that
for awhile now.

wearing safety gear and keeping your cones off to the side of the road can be helpful

Doug, here's something to try with that one-way street in the park: instead of chalking the runs everytime, grab (at around an hour before the sun sets) some good ol' rustoluem spraypaint in a suitably dark, yet visible, color (I've found dark/med blue is good), and 'dot' your cone placements with that. It'll be nearly invisible to passing traffic, but you can 'preset' your course in record time, run some laps, and move on if needed, Without Disturbing The Peace of Noisy, Polluting, and Badly Driven Automobiles (which, of course, RULE the Free World. Until Lawyers get in the mix, anyhow). Quick, covert setups used to be my speciality, as I'd hike into the Flatlander's Utopia of Mountside CondoLand, and run right on down their million-dollar driveways. My thoughts were always that Gravity, at the least, should be Free, even if the taxload from overgrown mansions on former farmland/woodlots kills ya. Unfortunately, The Cops always sided with the Rich-from-elsewhere... So another low-vis tactic is using tennis balls cut in half as cones. Not 'race legit' by far, but non-harmful to passing HummVees and Benz G-wagons, low-vis overall, and able to be packed up in a 1-qt brown-paper-bag in hurry. Funny how the owners of G-wagons and H-2's ALWAYS have perfectly smooth condo access roads?! Must be that the rigs really don't do MUD very very well....

Last thought; Ask Garmin for one-way streets, use the ones with hills! Or, go to the local Library, and look at Topographical Tax Maps, which can yeild some suprising finds in your area!

I set courses in the parking lot at the local Highschool up the street from my house nearly every weekend. It had been empty until last week but even then it was empty enough to set a good course...that fact that some kid stole 2 red cones pisses me off (I should have been paying more attention while working on my buddies trucks) but that's really not normal. If there is more than just 1-2 people you won't have that problem...now to buy more cones