ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

Ok...seeing that the DHB is getting this mapped out, it's time to say FOR CERTAIN if this is the location the skate racing community wants for the 2007 worlds.

Put it to vote:

they have my support. Ill be there.

They have my vote....I will be there...oh wait, I am there!

But Yes! I support Juggy!

the germans think think the same!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The poll is up........cast your vote

One thing I think is very important is course quality. This year at Antrim NH we had a race on a near perfect hill and a surface that was simply amazing. The town paved it for gravity racing (soapbox derby).

I was very impressed with the GS hill at Nationals in Colorado. It was wide and well chosen.

Given the current skill level of the racers involved- I think it is time to look for an increase in steepness for the TS and Hybrid hills. With this increase in steepness- we will also need a good surface.

I'm not sure where the criteria for a hill like this is met other than in Antrim NH. But I am sure that there must be other hill alternatives.

Boston has repaved the Boston Common and has some excelent pitches. I am sure we have some options in other cities as well.

If the DHB hosts the Worlds it would be great if they could find a faster grade hill for the tighter events. If they are already looking for a GS hill why not upgrade all of them. Hobby Park currently needs resurfacing nad has odd wooden barriers on the sides.

There is something nearly magical to all of us when we find a great hill. The thrill of riding the perfect hill with vibration free high traction surface- the talk that continues afterwards. Antrim was one such hill and I am sure there are others.

At this point in time we still have enough Old pros and new skaters. We finally have enough skaters to get attention of Ski resorts who ultimately should be our biggest backers.

I am not in Aspen yet, but I think have a World Championship at a ski resort shoud be an ultimate goal. Salt Lake City is a major airport with many direct flights. I also think the response to Martin Draytons race was very good- and certainly would not be untypical for a ski town such as Sumitt County Colorado, vail, or Aspen Colorado.

But I certainly don't want to think of ski towns only in America. Towns like Zermatt, St. Moritz, and Tignes come to mind.

Most ski towns have some sort of summer festival which we could align ourselves with.

I just look at a World Championship as a possibility to showcase our sport. And to have all that talent in one place...well it would be great if we could have an audience that might easily be swayed to try it.

Years ago I would talk with Bob Turner for hours about the direction the sport should go if we could only get enough racers with a high skill level for a televised event. Bob had the idea of ski resorts sponsorship many years ago. Skiing is big business and has the pockets to give the Prize Purse a big lift.

Plum TV is already situated in ski towns and is about to expland from 6 Markets ( The Hamptons, Telluride, Aspen, Vail, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket ) to get this.......60 markets in one year. This is a cable TV network that is starved for programming (with the hghest per capita income demographic for any network) and yet has 50% of its current markets in ski towns. So what better to make everyone happy than to have a summer sport that could relate to the ski towns yet sill relate to the summer only venues?

Slalom Skateboarding is ideal programming for all of Plum TV's markets provided that we showcase the people and the technology behind the racing.

So I know everyone was very happy with Dixie, and I know it is very easy to go with that momentum. I would rather see Dixie host the US Nationals and have the Worlds at a ski resort- and frankly it can be at any MAJOR ski resort.

Thoughts for East Coast ski resorts are Stowe Vermont (has a world class downhill on Rt. 100)
Stratton moutain (also great downhill on access road (for once the Schwipperts wouldn't have to drive far for a major race).

Summit Country, Vail, Beaver Creek, Aspen, all are Major ski resort powerhouses- with one further benefit----->
Airfares to ski destinations tend to be inexpensive during summer months to keep air ridership up. Also lodging is readily available inexpensively. Yes even in A$pen (which has a massive number of employee housing units (because employees can not afford to live in Aspen in winter without them) which would be unused in summer months to put up racers for free) Those aspen employee units are actually nice condos.

California - La Costa. and for California ski resorts... Squaw Valley, Heavenly (who knows we might get a Casino sponsor- they like long shots right?)

With such a strong Colorado team I would think that ski resorts would like to profile this as cross training.

So while there is tons of Stoke about Dixie and obvious strong town ties and lots of people liking the idea of more racing in Dixie- I think we should have the Worlds at a MAJOR Ski location to try and get some strong backing. and tie several ski resorts to sponsor a series- AND provide SERIES prize money in return for advertising at our regular venues.

I also believe that a ski resort has the cash to prep a perfect hill(s)- and they often repave their access roads.

After seeing how easy a race was organized with a town and ski resort coming behind it ----> Antrim, I think this is the correct model to chase for 2007.

Joe I. organized the Antrim race but I think had the easiest time of ANY organizer because of the support of town (Brian Behl, Antrim chamber of commerce, provided cops- porta potties, food, offered free lodging in a school house, fireworks , radar speed display) and Crotched Mountain ski area (They did all the race fencing). NPR provided radio coverage.

Mind you Crotched Moutain is one of the smallest ski areas in the North East (Tiny I've been there) most of the larger Northeastern resorts are dwarfed by any "small" sized midwestern resorts.

I don't think anyone would object to having Dixie host the Nationals. It wold let Barker, Fluitt and Weatherwax rest to get ready for the Worlds. lol.

But now is the time to get slalom skateboarding in front of ski resorts. It has been a long time since we have had larger cash purses- this could change all that. I notice a decline in California participation without prize money and we need California's skater input.

John Gilmour wrote:Given the current skill level of the racers involved- I think it is time to look for an increase in steepness for the TS and Hybrid hills. With this increase in steepness- we will also need a good surface.

Richie, Maysey, Pirnack, the McLarens, Axe Army and a few others love fast, tech TS. In general, there is always a lot of bitching about a real fast TS where your speed quickly gets out of control. The Longmont TS was dumbed down this year to minimize the bitching.

I think the Longmont Hybrid on Bross St was as fast a hybrid as anything I've ridden in a long time. Tech TS on that hill would be crazy fast.

John Gilmour wrote:So I know everyone was very happy with Dixie, and I know it is very easy to go with that momentum. I would rather see Dixie host the US Nationals and have the Worlds at a ski resort- and frankly it can be at any MAJOR ski resort.

COSS is already behind DHB having the Worlds in 2007. We are happy to just have US Nationals. Marion has some good plans for improved course venues.

Regarding ski resorts, there are many issues. The unpredictable weather is the main factor. The other factor is that we all live hours from the resorts and it is a lot harder to coordinate with the city personnel if it is not close proximity.

John Gilmour wrote:I don't think anyone would object to having Dixie host the Nationals. It wold let Barker, Fluitt and Weatherwax rest to get ready for the Worlds. lol.

Fluitt has been trying to get out of race organizing for several years. Wax has said he will not be involved this year. Longmont is my town and they want the annual event. The dates are set and the race will go on.

John Gilmour wrote:Boston has repaved the Boston Common and has some excelent pitches. I am sure we have some options in other cities as well.

Hey John, you remember when you me and wenztle set a course there for all of about ten minutes before we got kicked off? As far as boston races are concerned, the suburbs are going to have to do. The great success we had in needham this spring has resulted in more support from students and the PTA at Needham High School. We are currently looking over the possibility of having a world class giant slalom if we can get a better hill shut down. If not Needham is still going to be a good event because of how many people we have already working for us.

I certinly do remember getting tossed out of the common many times....lol

The idea would be to get permission for a World Championship.

Which brings me to another point.

With the name "World Championship"...it brings a lot more clout to getting races hosted in areas that would normally be hard to get permission to close down a road or park.

The larger the City..it seems the harder to close anything down.

Of course...it makes me think. Why not have a "World Series Championship" so that towns would be more aggreable to closing a road.

"World Series" sounds cool and is recognizable to Americans who would think of Baseball..

The way I look at it. For 2008 why not use the World Championship- or World Series name to get a race held where we have not been able to have one before?

Sure a race in New York would be cool- or in Washington DC- or in Chicago- or why not Zurich- Munich, Berlin- Moscow?

So for 2008 we should try to leverage the World Championship name to get skating in the most Prominent venues OR into venues to cement sponsor relations.

In 2001 this would have been difficult since the major concentration of Pros was in California and not all would travel. Now with skilled slalomers all over- we should revisit the idea of hosting world Championship races in major cities and ski resorts. I would like to see a surge of new particpation after every World Championship.

I enjoy all of the regional races and think they are invaluable as feeders into venues to bring new particpantd into the fold.

So the Dixie cup- Luna Slalom Jam, St. Louis, Texas Sizzler, Red Clay Cup (I hope 66 has another) , The Farm, Oregon races etc.... are all essential steps towards funneling skilled competitors into larger cities. We would have no sport super vibe without these fraternal like races.