My imagination of a slalom race......

[Chris Eggers]

On the way home from Grüningen I thought about how great a slalom race could be. Not that Grüningen wasn´t any good, it was well organized and everything, but again, there were very little spectators, no suspense for those who watched........


Imagine:

A good surfaced road in a big city on a nice summer day, about 150 Meters long with a slight slope. Stands on each side giving 5 or 6 rows of spectators a good view of a fast and tight course. Timetables every 20 meters for everyone to see and 4 big video screens catching the action of 6 cameras operated by professional filmers on the course, at the starting gate and the finish line. A professional speaker, or better two, giving info about the sport and every racer going down and keeping everyone informed about the forthcoming of the race. Making the crowd cheer and scream for their favourite racer.
Inviting 15 of the top racers of every nation to the race providing them with accomodation, food and travel.
The finals at night under floodlights.
Food vendors outside, TV and VIP stands.
Couldn´t this be as exciting as a ski race?

I know it sounds like a dream and some of you may say, impossible.......but, maybe someday, someone could pull it off?
With the right promotion and enough money behind it, I think it could be done.
I don´t have the funds, time, power to do it, it was just a dream while driving home for 3 hours, but maybe..........someday..............someone........somewhere........

[Stefano Bellingeri]

Dear Chris,
Life is strange. You know, we drove in opposite directions, you north, me south you dry (by car) me wet (by bike under heavy rain for 150 Km and for other 250 in dry conditions; I arrived in Turin at midnight, BTW). So both drivers and both slalomers. But this is not the point; just similarities.
The funny thing is that it is not enough; in fact, I had the same dream and I'm convinced that there are few sports that could be exciting as a slalom race. You made the example of alpine ski racing. I did several years of this kind of races and I went back to skateboarding because I have the same feeling. Moreover during the Olympics I heard from telly that that skateboarding was born thanks to Snowboarding. It is always the same. Lack of right information and money. We all should continue to push to have a really serious international Federation, rules and sportive behaviour.
Look: despite from my age I’m a sort of newcomer since I restarted my sk8 activity last year. I discover I nice international environment were sport and fun are nicely mixed together and where I’m really enjoying everytime I compete. As mature athletes I think we have the duty to continue and to improve our organization in order to give to the younger slalomers the possibility to have a even better environment for the future.
We started in this direction, here in Turin, were one week ago was born the “Associazione Italiana Board Sport Silver Space”. I was made president of the Association and Luca Giammarco was named “Honorary Vice President” thanks to his fabulous slalom career. Antonallo Gai, Alberto Lomuscio, Riccardo Roma, Stefano Gaidano, Paolo Comanducci, Roberto Sorgente and Vito Ferrero are the other members of the coordination committee. All these people were involved in the Olympic open Ceremony as well. With this organization we are trying to promote competitions again in Italy. We will start, at regional level, with a small competition on May 14th were younger slalomers together with the old school ones will compete for the regional championships. As soon as (and IF) we will have boosted the activity, we will think wider in order to organise events at national and international level. So things are moving!
To sum up, please do not give up to think and dream. Keep it going and you will see that younger generations, may be, will be more lucky than us, by having a more followed sport to practice with and may e they will be able to live as real professional by making money with it. Probably (for sure!), we (you and me) will be to old to get payback time in terms of money, but for sure we are on time to get payback time in terms of let dream happen for the youngers. What could more important than this?
So never give up, in the future there will be glory for slalomskateboarding: we have only to boost the sport in the right way.
See ya in Paris,
Stefano

[Chris Eggers]

O man, shit, yes, we are mature..........how could I forget.....ah yes because skateboarding keeps me young, at least I feel so.
I am pretty sure that the media cannot sell 40+ year old skaters with bald heads and beer bellies to a good audience, at least not in a serious way, so you are right, we have to pave the way, so that maybe someday, we can meet somewhere on a cozy couch, have a few beers and watch Ramon, Adam Schwippert, Karl Floitgraf and other young guns battle it out in a scenario we imagined.
Or maybe even sit in the VIP stands (and race in the veterans race in the morning!!!!)
Great that you started something in your country.
I will start a series of slalom workshops in my town for interested skaters. I have no idea how it will turn out. But I think things like these and yours are the right way to go.

We have been underground for a long long time, so let´s get back up now.
We need new blood (the media needs senstations). I
see it happening in Switzerland.

[Jani Soderhall]

I've had such dreams too and for more about 2 year I've been pondering some plans on a specific race in Paris. But I've had to concentrate on my business so that race is at least 1-2 years away.

Key points:

- Stands, very important
- Compact race site, ie a street which is not too wide and with the stands close to the racing
- Times being displayed everywhere
- Relatively few racers
- Maybe only Pro class
- Sponsor riders for the travel arrangements
- TV or our own video team of
- Important cash or other prize, so that there is really something at stake for the racers, but also for the audience to "admire"

...but more important than all the rest of the ideas we need major sponsors to carry the costs of such an event. That's the biggest hurdle. None of the rest can be done without the sponsors.

I'm convinced that such a race would be very, very interesting for the audience, the racers and the sponsors. I think it can be done but we need to work hard on the sponsors to make someone believe in the event.

I won't forget about it, but I won't work on it just yet. It's my dream for bringing races to the next level. We don't need to change all of them, we just need one event of this type every now and then.

/Jani

[Chris Eggers]

...but more important than all the rest of the ideas we need major sponsors to carry the costs of such an event. That's the biggest hurdle. None of the rest can be done without the sponsors./Jani

I totally agree. Nothing happens without money.
Which big companies could be intersted in us?
I think they should have a connection to racing/speed/time

Let´s make a list and see who has the connections........


Red Bull
Swatch
Mobile Phone companies
Clothing Companies (Carrhart?-Donald?)
.
.
.
.
.

[Jani Soderhall]

Nobody is interested in us as a sport in an extent larger than what we normally achieve at events.

---> To obtain more you have to present a specific and interesting case to them.

/Jani

[Stephen Lavin]

Skate naked and you'll get much publicity. This should set you up nice for the next bigger event. Not if I skate naked but maybe a couple of the younger folks

I'm very new to the group, and yes, mature - but not new to skating. It's all about promotion, publicity, and an attractive angle or reason people should want to watch or attend IMO. You have to give to get something. For example you skate for a cause, attract sponsorships, organize multiple global events (continuity and brand is key), teach people the sport along the way. You could even have people bet on skater placements and proceedes go to the cause for example (I feel like a horse everyday).

Skating has a "bad boy" image, always has. There can be a "bad older-boy" image createed too. Let's break some records or set our own; most cones skated, longest course, fastest course, etc. We probably need depth as well - slalom by itself has never amassed big crowds except by Tavern on the Green, NYC on a summer day on a weekend.

Tag onto other major sport events, expositions, etc., wherever there will be people anyway - don't try and attract just for "us". Surf championships, kite boarding, X-games. It takes a benafactor or two to get things rolling. Do we have any blind slalom skaters in the group we could promote (bad joke but creativity is what's needed)?

Certainly don't have all the answers, and everything said above is easy to type (doing is another thing) but I share the same dream.

[Tom Mangelsdorf]

It takes people like us to get it going ... I'm organizing a race in my town this June. Even the people in the skate shops around here are like, "Huh? A slalom race? Well, I guess we are seeing more and more people buying longboards." Sheesh! There are 3 skate shops in Madison, Wisconsin. The people that work at 2 of them had the reaction I just mentioned. The guy that owns the 3rd shop is really pumped. He thinks it's a great idea and is throwing in 3 or 4 decks and some t-shirts for prizes. Also the guys from chiXill have offered to come and host a clinic and bnring some goodies to give away too.

The first two shops I mentioned sell mostly popsicle-stick boards to the kick flippers, but have some Sec 9 completes for sale off in the corner. And actually, they have more floor space devoted to skate clothing than they do to skateboards. The 3rd shop is almost all skateboards. He has the usual short board selection, but he also has Sec 9, Landyachtz, Madrid, and Dreggs longboards as well as Randall trucks, Abec11, HAWGS, and Kryptonics wheels. And he sells Concrete Wave magazine. Clearly an enlightened individual.

IF WE CAN JUST GET PEOPLE TO TRY SOMETHING NEW - YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. RUN CONES FOR A COUPLE HOURS AND YOU ARE HOOKED FOR LIFE.

It takes people though. People willing to put the effort intro getting a small local contests going. Hopefully the stoke will spread. I have received tons of support for my little contest from people all over Wisconsin, Illinois (like Stephan), and Minnesota. That is the other key - to support each other. If we start the fire and fan the flames, our time will come.

[Chris Favero]

i agree with jani's points.a real timing system with display monitors,stands right there that encourage peole to watch.also a killer sound system with a great announcer,serious prize money.the problem is most promoters have their hands full right now.some sort of production company could help a lot.in the states here,there are marketing agencies that create whole events just have a a venue for product placement like a mercedes at courseside or what.you would not believe what these companies pay just to have their car parked out front of a charity event,or to have an oppurtunity to give their product away to spectators.hope i made sense.
companies i see?
mountain dew,snickers,pepsi,tobacco,GM,ford.and if you could guarantee event post press,like in a skate mag calling the event by the sponsors name it would be a slam dunk.these agencies market under the tag of "experiential".my 2 cents,cfav

[Laura Bissell]

Chris E- nice dream. Been thinking something very similar, as well.

What came first, the publicity or the sponsors? 'Cuz I had the thought that if we could get slalom in the X Games and eventually into the Olympics (as a sport and not an opening to clarify) that THEN that's when all the $$$ would start coming in with sponsorships and commercials and what not. And then I'm not sure how it would work- would it still be small local guys putting on a race that the big corporate guys would sponsor and tape and have monitors and sound systems- or would we be at their mercy with only the corporate guys holding big races with UN GODLY entry fees and travel halfway around the world to boot?

I just look at snowboarding and all the big competitions they hold that are televised and they all do the same tricks. I do think that slalom is a sport that people would be stoked to see- with the announcers and rows and monitors.

So. You guys want me to call Pepsi or Coke?

[Chris Eggers]

Chris E- nice dream. would it still be small local guys putting on a race that the big corporate guys would sponsor and tape and have monitors and sound systems- or would we be at their mercy with only the corporate guys holding big races with UN GODLY entry fees and travel halfway around the world to boot?

I just look at snowboarding and all the big competitions they hold that are televised and they all do the same tricks. I do think that slalom is a sport that people would be stoked to see- with the announcers and rows and monitors.

So. You guys want me to call Pepsi or Coke?

I think so yes. vert and street skateboarding have big events but you still see small contests around the world.
Ah, and yes, I want you to call them. Do you know someone there?

[Laura Bissell]

I know no one. But I meet people well.

[John Gilmour]

Mine is pretty simple.

Gesmers timing program scrollable- from several locked laptops on pedestals linked wirelessly (read only)

A transluscent overlay (this does not scroll as you scroll the past times) on top of the spreadsheet so you can see the Dual or Single racer(s) times in real time (Yes we MUST get the times back in from the timer- let's be rid of manual entry- so we can concentrate on watching the competitors to make sure the courses (and possible cone interferences) are followed properly)

The real time times would be displayed in a very large font with name of racer and reaction times and so forth. You should be able to read these overlays from at least 15 feet away.

TK and Me doing the commentary- lol. Or Hester and Fluitt.

Perfect pavement- no wind 65 degrees and sunny. Food available nearby, steep city street in a tourist area with cafes on either side for bathrooms and food.

2 larger 40" +LCD flat screens at top and bottom for spectators. Bought as defects- or purchased as old used screens. (You can buy ones from repair outfits that are "ruined" (some busted pixels) but perfectly good for our use for about $300 each)

Cameras mounted on poles- shooting constantly providing different camera angles an a chase cart.

The new Sprint 4g network with 800kb upload or more speeds so we can internet simulcast a race. We pump that into some video server unused daytime capacity (likely from a movie streaming site)

All footage is logged as a pod cast in separate cameras with time code so anyone can edit it- with a Separate prize going to the best edited footage.

how far off? not far- it could be done by this spring. The technology is there now. The cost is very low using an older laptop with a wifi card or a bunch of old monitors with cables.

As it is now.. we could use three camers with ichat and have 3 camera angles if we used wi-fi cards with current EVDO cards. basically 3 mac minis with cameras attached.

[John Gilmour]

snipped-



The real time times would be displayed in a very large font with name of racer and reaction times and so forth. You should be able to read these overlays from at least 15 feet away.

TK and Me doing the commentary- lol. Or Hester and Fluitt.

Perfect pavement- no wind 65 degrees and sunny. Food available nearby, steep city street in a tourist area with cafes on either side for bathrooms and food.

Antrim came pretty close. We did miss TK as joint commentator. Antrims use of a speed box/speed limit display from teh police was almost as cool as having times displayed. I think it should be a regualr request from cops at bigger races.

The speed box is unique because it shows live speeds over different areas of the course...and damn it's simple!