Push Start Dual

[Karl Floitgraf]

So I was thinking, ramps are great but real skaters push. It's more even practice anyway. If you gave me the option I like to push into a course hot and come out hotter. My idea for a race format is you have a start box about 20 feet away from the courses. Two racers start pushing to the course. So you are not just racing in the course, you are racing to the course.

Why? not just be to be cheap not to make ramps. Because pushing a skateboard is just a much of a racing technique as pumping. Some people have said it's not fair but it's just as fair that one guy can pump faster than another guy. I've raced like this before it's a lot of fun to actually take someone out of the gate.

And anyway every single person with cones and a skateboard can practice push starts, most have to go to races to learn ramp starts.

Not trying to push for sweeping changes in the sport but just think about it. If we do Needham again next year, we're going to get a good road shut down and do it this way.

Any thoughts?

[Wesley Tucker]

Karl,

It's a losing battle. I agree with you, but it ain't gonna happen. Start ramps will be the norm for now and long into the future.

Personally, I like push starts. I have a GREAT push start. It's all I practiced for 30 years. My crow hop is incredible. In the few races where I've been able to push I'm consistently the first to the cone. I like to brag that at Folly Beach I even beat Gilmour out of the box and led the race . . . for about 50 feet.

Start ramps, though, have everything going for them: better audience appeal, better start management (much easier to regulate false starts) and sometimes a faster start. Plus, like FCR did you can add fancy gates and gizmos to give the race an even more appealing aspect.

I fought it for three years and finally gave in this past year. I had to adjust my stance, more or less start over with slalom and come back with a whole different approach to racing.

Sure, there are going to be grassroots events where ramps are too excessive and then maybe a good push starter can show his stuff. The way of the future, though, is going to be start ramps and pull starts. With Byrddog's plans a standard now there's even very little variation in the kinds of ramps. Most everyone knows (at least in the USA) what to expect on race day. I can't imagine a scenario where we'll ever be going home again.

[Robert J Herten]

No offense, but I think its pretty lame to start from across the street and go into a course. Anybody with longer legs are going to have an advantage. I'm not complaining, I'm 6'2 and do long distance skating alot for the Central Park race every year, but I think anybody shorter is going to have a dis advantage, especially young kids. There's no way a 12 year old kid's leg muscles are going to be able to match say a 15 or 16 year old's leg muscles. Pumping requires form and technique, pushing just requires conditioned legs and stamina.

[Brian Peck]

What if someone built some smaller, more mellow start ramps, and left a bunch of distance from the ramp to the first cone, so you could push after the ramp if you want? You get the the false start detection and timing of a start ramp, as well as the appearance, and guys could either push or pump up to the first cone.

[Karl Floitgraf]

It's strange to say that it's not good racing because someone who would be faster might win. Physical ability is always of course a factor. Maybe if I were an italian free face rock climber I could skate at Luca's level, but I eat far too many twinkees so I remain in the mid B pro. (that and a number of other reasons)

I think everyone can learn to push fast (most longboarders).

One last point: it's not always wise to push full speed into the top gates, something that can carefully be tuned with course setting. Make it a really tech top and people will actually have to guage their speed into a course adding more interesting parts to racing.

Again I'm not trying to change anything just thoughts.

[Robert J Herten]

One last point: it's not always wise to push full speed into the top gates, something that can carefully be tuned with course setting. Make it a really tech top and people will actually have to guage their speed into a course adding more interesting parts to racing.

That's exactly what we did with the tight course yesterday here at the Jersey race. I left it as an unlimited push, but since the course was so tech I knew nobody would start from real far away and come in hot. In fact, most people weren't even pushing and starting right up next to the timer. The few guys that came in real fast DQ'ed.