Practicing in the Rain?

[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 dry pavement until May 2004 .....

So I'd like to find out if anyone has had success practicing slalom in the rain. Flat land or hills? Concrete or asphalt? Wheel selection? Things to watch for?
I really don't want to be at the mercy of the weather. I want to skate when I want to skate.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Gianluca Ferrero]

you are a really slalom fellow,man.
I can tell you that in Italy we practising on rainy surface in past for training us in races ,because till some years ago if a comp was scheduled you did it even if it should be rain....

Personally i remember perfectly a parallel final among two great champions PAOLO GATTI AND LUCA GIAMMARCO ,in flat parallel course setted at 1.75 mt ,in wich you saw so much water splashing out the cones...AND THEY PUSHED THE FASTER AND FURIOUSER THEY CAN.

Well ,my advice is : use old wheels like OJ
or others, well porously used or other tipe....the shape and the size aren't so interesting on grip...you ahve to test them ,before carefully and slowly...when you'll feel the nice type you could do the same turns you did on normal dry surfaces.

Probably you could tested 3dm ,the smoother white CAMBRIA,using a old set of bearings..but till now ,since the whell is new i'ven't got time to test them....
PAY PARTICULARY ATTENTION TO POROUSLY
good rides gianluca

[Jani Soderhall]

I remember seeing wheels with parts of the running surface cut out to imitate a car tyre. It might work if you want to be adventurous.

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend skating in the rain unless you're out to slide and want to practice falling.

In races, I don't see it coming back. There is no way to race as fast on a wet surface as we usually do on a dry surface. And if we can't go full speed, why race?

I can also inform you that the Super G at the European Championships on September 20, 2003 in Antibes was cut short because 3 skaters fell on the first two meters of the course just because of a light evening moist. Ask Maurus Strobel, Michael Dong or Francesco Ugolini if you want to skate on wet surfaces.

[Gianluca Ferrero]

there is another thing to be noted for a wet surface skating:it is the same as in car driving.....when surface is not not wet,at the beginning,it's impossible to skate there,Jani remembered the case of superG and he was right.
But when the surfaces are full of rain ,then you could do your skating ,with a full safety equipment....
well ,now i remember some of the best wheel mostly used when we raced on rain : road Riders n.4

good luck gianluca

[Wesley Tucker]

Pat,

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say about your situation. This afternoon I finally realized what it is that distresses me about the idea of practicing in the rain. Quite honestly I can't see where you can "practice" in the rain and then bring your best on race day.

Let me put it this way: rain and wet roads leads us as skateboarders to be hesitant, cautious and certainly slower. So the question has to be, "what skills are enhanced by purposefully practicing at half speed with easy courses?" I really can't think of any advantage from this.

Yeah, I know, other sports play in the rain. What sports? Well, football, soccer and Japanese baseball come to mind. Curiously, though, football players and soccer players don't have to "lay back" in order to perform at full speed. Lineman still block, goalies still tend their boxes, kickers can still kick and quarterbacks and receivers can still catch and throw. They have no real need to back off except when they lose their footing. Where that contradicts with what we do is that falling down is a part of their game. It's certainly NOT under any circumstances a part of ours.

We can't practice or much less perform in the rain at full speed. It won't work. Sure, they raced in the rain in West Virginia. How? On a very easy course with the cones spread way apart on a gentle hill and running about 50%. No one wiped out, but all the racers approached the hill with caution. Not the best way to attack a slalom course.

So I would have to say that your inquiry into how to practice in the rain leads me to say, "don't." What will come of it? Again, there's the chance that even in the rain you'll get a good workout and stretch and condition certain muscle groups. The same thing, though, can be accomplished with a good aerobic workout and running two miles. Skating in the rain, though, will only lead to you developing an attitude of caution and tentatively approaching the course instead of attacking it in a way that leads to podiums. Where's the advantage in that? As we all know, you only skate on race day as well as you practice. So unless you are practicing to ride a slalom race in the rain, I can't see where praciticing in the rain will really get you anywhere.

I also understand your frustration with the weather. Sure, it's probably going to rain every day between now and Easter and that's a lot of lost time. I would suggest that when it rains is a good time to do other things that make you a better skater: cardiovascular exercises, muscle resistance training and maybe a little meditation to get your head on straight?

THEN, when it is dry you can go out on the course in better physical shape in the right conditions to find a faster line and pump a faster run to get to the finish line.

I guess the only thing to add is to ask if someone can think of something that is to be gained by riding regularly in a tentative and cautious frame of mind? Personally, all I can see coming from it is a tentative and cautious racer under all conditions.

[Brian Parsons]

Pat, I was one of the skaters that raced in WV last year. I had an absolute blast racing in the rain. The course was easy and the hill was mellow, but we were all on slalom boards and going for it.

I rode 3dM Avalons, Chris Chaput won the event on Flashbacks. Paul Dunn cut groves in his Avalons but it did not appear to give him any grip advantage.

Unless event organizers are pressured into holding events rain or shine I personally don’t see an advantage to practicing slalom in the rain. However, I am a supporter of holding events rain or shine. I would do it in the DC outlaw series but racing alone would be no fun. My opinion is not a popular one among the DC locals. And there also are no sponsors to please or expenses to recover.

West Virginia was a special situation. The sponsors laid down tons of swag, Red Bull was there with tents and PA systems and free red bull. There was a larger than usual crowd out to see a slalom race. All of the elements aligned to make this a very viable option. And everyone who raced had fun, no complaints.

I think wheels with a rubber type compound would be the best option for rain riding. A taller wheel, which allows for more roll, seems like would be best. Avilas may be a good choice.

Check out:

http://www.xtremewheelz.com/

They make a rubber rain wheel. I have not tried them but may pick up a set just in case it rains again this year in WV.

[Vlad Popov]

Dalv and I skate on wet all the time (last time was last night). For the fun of it. No racing on wet ever. DC/DC racetrack is almost as grippy in the rain as it is undah the sun. When a local highschool track-and-frield was changing its pavement, 90+A wheels where grippy on their track. In the rain.

Oh, we raced on a couple of wet spots last weekend. One lane wasn't drying fast enough. So no one pushed hard on a couple of gates. But it was 100% safe.

So if it's flat&grippy (pavement that is ), and the wheels are like super soft, say 88A, why not (PRACTICE)?

[Dan Mitchell]

Pat,
The only reason I can see for practicing in the wet is if you might race in the wet.
In motorcycling, for example, it's good to know how your setup ( tires, brakes, etc.) works in the wet in case you need to run in the wet.
In slalom skating, however, when racing in the rain rarely, if ever, occurs, you're probably wasting your time.
Of course, if you've practiced this and a wet race happens, you'll be light years ahead of everyone else

PS, you might want to check out those XTreme rain wheels.


_________________
Dan Mitchell, aka PA Dan

[Gianluca Ferrero]

well,i've read all your posted lines and i am agree with Vlad: you can have fun and also clear and technical fast courses with you have the right weighting and unweitghting.On wet surfaces you can't arrive longer on a tight gate,YOU HAVE TO DO always the right line.
The years i used to compete and practising on these surfaces were exciting and useful for expecince.
If i well understand Pat asked some advices concerning materials . we did them.HAVE FUN
Gianluca

[Chris Chaput]

If RACING is going to occur in the rain, then practicing in the rain makes perfect sense. Skating in the rain is an unfortunate fact of life. In streetluge and buttboarding, we RACE rain or shine. If someone is unprepared for racing in those disciplines (no rain tires or practice), he has no one to blame but himself.

It's not as clear cut in slalom because the precedent until recently has been to postpone or cancel races due to rain. If we knew in advance that "the show would go on", we may not like the rain but at least we would know where we stood. Riding or not would be a personal choice but promoters wouldn't have to concern themselves with lost revenue and/or rider votes to make a decision.

We did downhill time trials in the (heavy) rain twice in the last month and it was a blast. The only thing that bothered me was that the decision on what to do wasn't known in advance.

If the answer is "no" and they hold the race anyway, shame on them.

If the answer is "yes" and I am unprepared, shame on me!

[Dave Gale]

I'm new to this forum..
But will defend the racers elective to race in the rain!

[Vlad Popov]

I'm new to this forum..
But will defend the racers elective to race in the rain!

Is it becasue your race is coming up and it might rain? Or is it really your belief that racing in the rain in fine?

[Dave Gale]

Vlad, You silly little man!! I just read that, and it is certainly because I believe in races being held for racers that want to race!!

[Vlad Popov]

Me no silly. Me only curious.

I have a big problem with racing in the rain but no problem with races held in the rain if this format is announced in advance. If it’s raining and racers are racing, it’s their choice.

Little Man. Big Pain.

[Vincent Berruchon]

I've been slaloming in Paris streets under the rain a few times last week, most of the pavements are quite good and some are very very smooth (not concrete but stone pavement). On these slick surface it was really a mad exercise!
A bit too strong pumping movement automaticly provoke "SuperQuick-90+°-slidin-turn" (don't know how I didn't fall... but I could have broken a few bones)

So Pat, for safe training under the rain, I would suggest you to search for bad surface spot. Road asphalt is a good choice, bad concrete could be too

I'm still waitin for more advice on wheels...
I've got Red 3DM Avilas, 75A I think (rear, front wheels where 78A Flashback), on asphalt they were quite good even under rain,
But 75A really didn't help on slick surface, avilas are not porous at all...

[Chris Linford]

Crystal Palace has a flat area (on the bridge) which is grippier in the wet than in the dry. I can not work it out but it is true. You can slalom tight in the wet and with full on pump.
Where can we get this surface?

Chris