Where are the Former 90's US and International slalomers

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RL

Where are the Former 90's US and International slalomers

Post by RL » Fri Dec 26, 2003 6:52 pm

Hey all
I found some old ISSA newsletters that had fallen behind the bookshelf and I was wonering what has happened to formers skaters in the mid 90's like Jonathan Morgan, James Westfall, Robert Palmer, Beau Brown and Juniors like Blake Velilla, Don Haidl, Josh Spencer and Wea Wantambe?
Not that I know these guys, I just wondered if those skateing at that time in Europe at contests are still at it. Maybe JG knows. For that matter Im intrested in the top International skaters of that peroid. Jani??

Thank you

Andy Bittner
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Post by Andy Bittner » Fri Dec 26, 2003 9:10 pm

Can't help you out much here, but can tell you that Beau Brown is still actively involved in the slalom community. I believe that he is now something like National Sales Director for Etnies Shoes or something like that. He definitely shows up from time to time/

Jani Soderhall
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Post by Jani Soderhall » Fri Dec 26, 2003 9:26 pm

Ric,

Most of the guys you cite were friends of John Gilmour, or possibly wrote to Slalom! to show their interest.

None of those, except for Beau Brown, were of international racing level as far as I know (but I may very well be wrong).

As for European slalomers of the period, there's a thread in the European Races forum talking about old European skaters. It may need some updating now that a season has gone by and we've learned more about where they are.

/Jani

RL

US skaters in the mid 90's

Post by RL » Sat Dec 27, 2003 4:04 am

Jani, I took all those names out of the International standings 1994-5. I
left out the names that are still at it or I knew like Gilmore, Dunn and Yandall. They must have competed in Europe right?
Morgan was ranked at 48 and Gilmore was 50 the others were in the low 70's and 100's.
I also woundered if the top ranked juniors are still at it.
Maybe JG will comment.
Ric

John Gilmour
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Post by John Gilmour » Sat Dec 27, 2003 12:48 pm

There weren't a lot of Americans who made the trip repeatedly. Which I thought was a pity. The skill level discreptancy was was large between the European pros and the Americans which likely was discouraging.

Luca was faster in the 90's than he has been recently- but I'm sure he can regain his speed. Even injured and slower than he was in the past he managed to win the Slalom at MB2003.

I raced with Yandall in Hombrectikon in '91?- and Chris hadn't slalomed in many years and had a set up more appropriate for La Costa black top skating- very wide trucks (I think 6 tracks or Ex-tracks) the Europeans were running Mid Tracks. we scambled to kluge together a set up for Yandall- but he was looking for a course where the hill gave the speed instead of having to pump for it. Chris had easily gained 150-170lbs since his LaCosta days. Someday if I get a scanner I'll post photos of all of these events.

I was the only competitor in Europe that I saw that ran Full tracks regularly- and likely for those courses my board choice and truck choice hurt my results. In Hombrechtikon '90 I ran the parallel slalom "cold" on a S-camber with 88a stradas front and rear and posted my best results for that year. I was unable to make the course with my Turner. Turner classics faired best on high speed 20+mph courses with the downhill spacing being large relative to the offset and ideal pavement.

After poor results that year I practiced for the following year and I believe improved a bit, but only saw real improvement in 1995 in France.

In 1993 as the USA coordinator for Slalom I was faced with a difficult task. To select a team of slalomers for the USA - difficult since everyone seemed to have retired. There were conflicts over who to invite. In retrospect I likely should have picked more members from the East Coast who were currently slaloming and were able to practice in NYC where there was little snow that year- Tom Armstrong (Very fast) , Johnny "Bluetile" Shea (Not to be confused with John O'Shei) and a few fast New Yorkers. My choices were Roger Hickey for downhill - with the promise that Dunn would train him for slalom as we were to compete in both disciplines, Paul Dunn- how had been in retirement for a while, And Beau Brown, who also was not currently racing. To compound the matter , I had not been able to skateboard for 5 months before the contest due to heavy snows. I pretty much gave up on my chances for the slalom event and focused on the downhill hoping that the Californian skaters with their warmer weather practices would pick up the slack.

The end result. Hickey did well in the Downhill getting a Gold- and certainly was the best prepared skater by far, I won a Silver, and Swiss skater Andres Sidler won the bronze medal.

Slalom was a different matter. None of the Americans qualified in the top 16. Dunn would have been 17th and I believe I would have been 18th. I think Beau Brown or Martin Sweeny (UK) was last (Very unusual for Beau as he is a very good slalom skater, and actually very skilled at pushing wider trucks through tighter cones). Hickey decided at the last minute to not compete in slalom. So for the American Team (Team Turner) unfortunately the slalom was a disaster. The course certainly was difficult for a rider on a Turner Deck- a slow ramp start onto flat with extremely tight and extremely offset cones (Course was set by Dematos (offsets a specialty), Sweeny (Super tight and offset), and an Estonian skater Kalpo Kulki who seemed to have less influence on the course than the other two. To make matters worse (if that is possible) the "flatland" course had been reoriented to have the fairly strong winds at our backs- though now the riders were going slightly uphill (The oval was to be a flat course- but there was a slight grade to it). Last minute the winds shifted in the opposite direction so we have an extremely slight gradient and were skating into the wind. Speeds were in the 10-14mph range.

Winners of the slalom event 1st Luca, 2nd Sidler, 3rd DeMatos.

***Unusual upset- it appeared that the bracket order had been changed to a modified "french" version which put Jani facing Luca early on- Jani had some fast times which would show that he should not have been facing Luca until the final. To complicate things- Jani's time was confused with a Teammates Andres Auer, and that landed Jani against Luca. Showing good sportsmanship towards a fellow Swedish Teammate Auer, Jani did not protest the mix up in times which would favor his teammate. As a result Auer was able to continue to the next bracket and though I am not certain I think this is what may have caused Jani to face Luca Early. This was a pity because Jani was skating very strongly that day and most of us thought that Jani would win one of the top 2 spots.

--Other Americans---
I never met Morgan, or the other florida slalomers- though I always hoped to meet them. Jim Korten made a custom deck for me- and also sold me two Naked skateboard Slalom decks from an East coast snowboard manufacturer- one of which I loaned to Andres Sidler in 1993 because h did not have a downhill board. The LArge Naked Slalom deck was certainly not a board I would have liked to downhill on- but better than Siders tiny s-camber, and Sidlers skill made up for the boards short comings.

The other American slalomer that is missed is Jeannie Clarke- who is interested in getting back into slalom.

In technical slalom on moderate pitch the Europeans in their best years still are unmatched- despite the equipment advances we have made. I never saw anything like it- the dudes were boneless. At this point I'm not sure we will ever see skill like that again.
One good turn deserves another
john gilmour

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TOP 90'S US SLALOMERS...

Post by Gianluca Ferrero » Mon Dec 29, 2003 5:29 pm

Personally I've met and skated with Jim Korten. We (I and Dani Ridoli) met him in late 1990 in Oceanside after a visit to G&S HQ and H. Hester.
Jim was a fast and well styled US slalomers, full of technique in Giant and incredible fast on narrow courses (4 foot) - He explained us to practising also Luge at that time, and he showed us all he was able to do....and he was amazing with a slalom board. He shared his life with Shirley Mc Lelland, an officer of Oceanside Cop. Also Shirley was not bad in slalom for a woman at that time, but not at the top level that me and Dani had seen in Europe. My sister Antonella Ferrero was in Junior class faster than Giammarco Luca when Luca was at the top in Juniors....

Well there we also skated some nights with Beau Brown, Dave Criddle and others...

In 1993 JONATHAN MORGAN and a young guy Mark Wiggington of his team came in TURIN WORLD CUP 93 sponsored by SAAB and Fila. They were from Florida-Tampa.

Mark was able to get a second place in Giant and a first place in Juniors and at that time junior class was also at hill level with Swiss guys, Latvians and of course Italians with Vercelli, Campiglia etc.

Jonathan used a custom board called perhaps Cadillac that looked like a Fusion old type foam board. He was friendly but not so fast with his feet too narrow on the deck. We lost contact with them.

That's all
ciao gianluca ferrero

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