ISSA - International Slalom Skateboarding Association

So today I was skating with a bunch of longboarders doing a little dh riding. The subject of slalom came up and a couple of the guys said they had no interest in slalom right off the bat. It turns out that the main experience with slalom all the guys had was that video of Martin Sweeney doing that 100 cone tight record. An impressive feat but not something that inspires non slalom skaters to try slalom. Or so I gathered from the conversation today. This is the first vid that pops up on YouTube if you search for slalom skateboarding too.

So, is tight slalom scaring off new skaters? I've got nothing against tight. I like it. However I know there are plenty of guys that skip the tight events at races all the time and those are guys that are into slalom already. So when someone is curious about slalom and looks for video to see what it's about, does it hurt that the first video that pops up is a crazy looking tight slalom video? What image can we put out there to show how much fun slalom can be?

I'm not saying we need to put a stop to tight slalom but we might need to try and get some other video that might be more persuasive and looks like more fun to pop up as the number one video on YouTube. You know what I'm saying? We got to work on our P.R. Showcase the fun we are having. Not scare people away with feats of super hard technical achievements. Nothing against Martin and his accomplishments.

Here's an excellent video that bridges the gap between DH - Longboarding - Slalom.

http://www.zideo.nl/?zideo=6c594b546e46 ... 556f563972#

Martin's Video is a victim of in own sucess - it is the most watched skateboard slalom clip on the net and obviously the record stood from 1991 for many years after. Who knows if Janis' record stands the test of time his clip will replace Martin's Record Breakers footage.

How about a button on the home page with "Latest Slalom Videos" or something and show racing on hybrid and GS courses to help encourage crossovers from longboarding?

I think you'll find Martin's clip will continue to pop up for a long time to come. People often come up to him at races now and talk about it.

A button is a good idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvW6Z5CGa00

i would ten to say that dom's and also gregs videos are the best out there to attract newbies to the sport.
both are role models and also show the spirit of modern racing,maybe they should be embedded on the -soon to come-new homepage?

Good ideas and easy to implement.

Can someone help me do a list of videos to link to and I'll add them to site. It should be easy to collect up to 10 of them.

I need a short title for each. Ideally also the producer and rider. Possibly a year?

Thanks,

/Jani

Louis has a fun video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbUVbzCjpns

Here's one from Hog Hill a while back taken by Steve Rhodes (aka Munchh) from Pig City Boyz.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kpoArVlwmY

Czech TV did a good job with the finals in Hradec Kralove last year....

http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1019 ... alove.html

Maybe a great way to show riders that someone out there take this seriously?

....and the US Worlds 09....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR74oyubFJQ

....08.....

http://www.lifeinthecity.com/sports/200 ... kate-vm-08

.............

A lot of newcomers to slalom racer over the last few years have left slalom for downhill mainly because it can be funner and requires nothing but a board to do it.

If they want to be good at it then it is a whole other ball of wax. Tight slalom is a specialty and requires a lot of tight practice. The easiest of the 3 slalom events to attract newbies is by far a Hybrid. Practice and set-up is not as drastically required just to do it.

Although GS can be easy for many downhiller's it may not easy for those that have never gone down a hill at some of those speeds.

The Overall winners for years have all practiced everything. Most riders that have won have had to focus on their weaknesses.

Of all the street skaters out there over the years. There is a high percentage that have never tried a handrail (twice) or stairs. A lot of guys never rode a transition.

It is a good idea to get some links up there. I think Vincent has a Slalom group on You tube.

Great post Jeremy.

orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr we could just post videos of topless chicks running cones and win them all over

Good Idea Ron!!! That is why we pay you the big bucks and put you on the board. While we are on the subject. Now that you have mentioned this you can continue to race in the Kilt but there is no taking off your shirt

Maybe we should get the grandfather off the front page of this website?

This is a really good topic... that German video is 100 times more goodwill than that old 100 cones record.

Films and pics is something that have been planned for the world ranking site since the very start. It's just that we have never come that far... there is even a section ready for it "News & Media". It's just not used for anything. It has the sub sections...


News / Articles / Interviews / Pictures / Film


Maybe this time around we will manage to get this part going as well. The idea is having only the best film gathered on the site. And they should all be stamped/registered so that you get them linked to person, event, spot and type of footage. So that you can automatically get all pics and film of Dominique connected to his ranking racer home page for example.

And we could have people voting on the pics and images as well. To get them sorted on that. On front page we should really try and have a film link or something that motivates people to get interested into slalom.

Then I could even do a ranking for photographers and videographers as well depending on what score they get from votings. Only ISSA members can vote... he he. Or maybe all that have a login at slalomskateboarder.com

I'm glad you can comprehend my post. I just re-read it and it's not the most comprehensible thing I have ever written. It's hard to compose when someone is yelling in your ear.
I love my wife. I really do.
and a special "I'm sorry" to Rick. I'm sure you cringe at all my grammatical errors. I did graduate from a rural Alabama public school after all. barely. I'm just lucky I spell at all or count above 21 without having to get naked.

I love that vid or Louis. That's a good one. It has been pretty popular over on silverfish.
I LOVE Ron's idea. Someone should get working on that.

Ron Barbagallo wrote:orrrrrrrrrrrrrrr we could just post videos of topless chicks running cones and win them all over

The Playboy Channel has done it on a show called Badass. I saw it and Olson appeared in it...

Jeremy Coffman wrote:I love that vid or Louis. That's a good one. It has been pretty popular over on silverfish.

It got almost 3000 views in the first week, which I think is pretty good for a slalom vid...

But.......we allready have the naked part covered.

I like Louis Sizzler 09 video too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtjJ_Wb1gk0

Me too. When I was just getting started last spring, I spent a good amount of time on YouTube watching slalom videos to see where the sport was now after 25 years. The 2009 Sizzler video was the one that I kept going back to. A very attractive balance of what is fun, competitive and cool about slalom and made me want to be a part of it. I also really like the Farm videos! . Maybe we could incorporate Ron's idea into the next Farm Video. I think the sport needs a Farm XI.

Jeremy Coffman wrote:I'm glad you can comprehend my post. I just re-read it and it's not the most comprehensible thing I have ever written. It's hard to compose when someone is yelling in your ear.
I love my wife. I really do.
and a special "I'm sorry" to Rick. I'm sure you cringe at all my grammatical errors. I did graduate from a rural Alabama public school after all. barely. I'm just lucky I spell at all or count above 21 without having to get naked.

I love that vid or Louis. That's a good one. It has been pretty popular over on silverfish.
I LOVE Ron's idea. Someone should get working on that.

Hey, for the record, I said NOTHING, and there is no deleted post either. I just "hope Neil Young will remember!"

Rock on JC, as fer as I'm consernid youz iz a mighty edumacated dood!

-RF

Well, I've read some of your facebook posts and just assumed.

I saw a video of some girls skating a bowl in the nude. So maybe Ron's naked slalom video idea isn't far off from becoming reality.

Hey, I've said it before and I'll say it again,

THERE IS NOTHING WORSE FOR THE NONSKATING PUBLIC OR THE NONSLALOMING SKATERS TO WITNESS THAN 100 CONE STRAIGHT & TIGHT SLALOM.

Yes, I've done it, yes, I have admiration for how hard it is to do, but I don't participate in it anymore.

We need to STOP POSTING VIDEOS OF IT(or have it accessable only, and ONLY on a slalomspecific website like this and NOT on Youtube for instance), and if we do keep having 100 cone events(or anything in a tight straight line)we need to run those events early as possible in the morning at any race so the least amount of nonparticipants will see it.

It's about as fun and inspiring as watching a sewing machine or inspiration as watching crochet of badmitten, it looks about as lame as lame can get and I agree, it almost instantly makes any nonslaloming skater think all of slalom looks like that.

Spectators often have a 5min or less tolerance to watching it as well.

And to everyone else posting videos of any other kind of slalom, THANKS!

Just my 2 cents - Paul Howard

setting courses that make riders DQ is worse, people on the sidelines would be saying to eachother is this racing or some kind of puzzle, every hill or road is different and race courses need to be set so that the challenge of cutting at speed is needed without speed killer cones. It is true about most kids think they are downhill tough guys like the ones at Salem park tucking at 30 and think they are really doing something rad. I got a bunch of kids out here in So Cal that are charged out on learning ! I had them running 6fters with curves their second time out and they want to know when the next session is! You gotta find the right kids that are not lazy and love to skate.

The same kids saw Joe macs vid and think its rad!

So what are some real good GS vids you've seen? I was thinking that GS video might interest more of the longboard set.

In the words of Richard Milhouse Nixon,

"Let me make this, perfectly clear"

Just so noone is misunderstanding me, I'm NOT saying anything against "Tight Slalom" per se, tight slalom that is NOT on a straight line and has curves, offsets, etc is a crowd pleaser for sure like anything else and In my opinion probably the best thing to show the nonskating public and is attracive to nonslaloming skaters, I am only pushing to not make 100 straight(a form of tight, but the very very most boring form of slalom to watch and the biggest turn off for nonslalomer skaters to watch and wait around for) overly visible and not the first thing that pops up on Youtube. Bad press it is.

Tight slalom video(or live) with mixed features and rythem on the other hand is rad and looks rad and gets people more excited, much more excited.

I'm fine with 100-straight at events, but if you want to get people on the sidelines into slalom, get it done early before spectators(skating and non-skating) start showing up. Let them see any other form of slalom and go home with that in their heads. That will be much more productive.

Again, that's my 2 cents -Paul

I think it is question of race track setup.
If Usain Bolt would be running 100 meters alone, that would be not so much thrill.
Same aplies to straight line slalom, but there 2-4 guys running parallel same time and there is much more action and stuff to look.

I haven't thought much about how it actually looks, but you're probably right Paul. My interest in 100 cone is the record challenge. I think that in itself is super motivating. It's the first time we've been able to create a standard category of slalom that can be used to perform records. I've been dreaming of putting on a high profile World Record event, with Guinness present, and a location superbly suited to this kind of racing. I would never let a 100 skaters enter the event, only the top 10 in the world, because as you say it's boring to see the same thing over and over again by skaters with no chance to actually beat the record. With a good speaker this event could be really rad!

/Jani

Paul -- 100 cone is a specialized event and there are not a lot of venues that can be worth setting it up at. Salem is one of the better places -- it has the same pitch as Trocadero in Paris but longer smoother and wider with a runout. Antrim is tough to set it up at with differnent pitches and elevation changes. Jani, at Antrim we ran 100 cone for the top racers who would have a shot at a record and Joe was able to do it on his last run! I remember when Mollica showed up for GS with a speed suit and helmet, alot of the Gnar guys were saying neg stuff to him. Not me I wanted to see this guy go all out and he was winning for a long time! Same thing with the six wheelers. We need to have an open mind to progress this sport and find the right youth to pass it on to! If we listen to negativity from new era skater kids who are shown by the marketing guys who run the industry that having a big neg mouth is being rad and being down on anything other than street (that brings a huge flow of cash to the marketers) then we are missing the big picture of what we are doing and that is having a blast racing!

I don't know... It seems to me that what we do is pretty atractive to skating and non-skating population, irrespective of the format.
Our crew mostly skates on nice parking lot in Coquitlam BC, 5*-6* pitch, somewhat short, nice runout. We do not have space for 100 cones, nor whole crew rides at the same level, so we don't set anything too crazy: 25 to 35 cones, either propper TS or HS, or 5.5' straight, mostly without timer. This summer we got into a habbit of setting both, HS and straight course, parallel - it gives us great variety. No mather what we do, we always have people stoping to watch and ask the questions. The spectators included City Mayor, pro photogrphers/writers, longboarders, shortboarders, cyclists, students, families, granies and grandpas going for a walk... Comments are always positive and full of amazement. Longboarders often come to try, some convert part, or full time. Just recently, a longboarder father with 2 sons...
It seems that most convincing part is when, the guys who can do it, after completing the run, carve around and pump up the hill, back to start, without even putting a foot down.

I believe that slalom is more interesting to watch, for general public, then a downhil race. You see all of the action, all the time, with a lot of turning going on. While DH, well, you just see the guys whoosh by in a tuck. At the best, if you are at a good corner, you'd see some sliding action and few whipeouts...

We also came up with few other games, to entertain ourselves, that seem to be very intersting for spectators:
- Train (or chase) - From run-up, when first rider enters the first cone, the next one follows, then next, etc. If the 1st guy hits a cone, he starts last next run. No stopping if a cone is missing ahead of you, just ride around the mark. Very fun, mass of guys in the course, cones flying everywhere.
- Uphil slalom - 25 cone staight course, pump, pump, pump.
- Skate cross - ideal for flat land with some obstacles, like parking garage. Very mild loop course, GS to SGS spaced, with some straights. Friendly for longboarders too, both push and pump permited. 4 to 6 riders at once.

My 0.02 CAD...

OK, so I think we're mostly on the same page here, I don't wish to "ban" 100 straight, it is hard to do (I have actually done it multiple times) and I see the reason for wanting to standardize something for world records, but I still say do it early or late or something so the main crowds see something more inspiring.

Richy- The Salem Soap Box Derby Hill is about as good as it gets for most anything slalom.

In terms of Speed suits: Mollica's attire I can live with, but one of the best sights for anyone's eyes is John O'Shei in that purple speed suit of his, especially just walking around, hanging out. OK, so I'm kidding on that one. He'll probably beat me up for that one, too bad "Arab" never had one.

Boris M- Those are some pretty good ideas you presented there.

Schlater- Paul

The stuff that looks good is speed, gnar and not old.


This is not an example of what I'm talking about.


This isn't either, but I like it.


The thing is, things we see as fast, might not look that way to others that don't do it. Yes, that's IGSA's Marcus Reitema on an Axe I he borrowed for the first time that day (double gnar points at 25mph in that corner).


Looks kinda slow and boring if you don't know how fast those guys just went. Where's the blood, where's the risk?



Personally, I think the trick is getting people to come out and try it.

Okay okay, one more for you.


Chris Leach, in flight.

This is my favourite. Plenty of action! Nobody can doubt the speed here!



/Jani

Ha, ha, while we doing the "flying" photos, here's another "Superman". A bit blurry, though...

A problem with image and perception. Chapter 2.

For gods sake burn those bicycle helmets and buy yourself a normal skate helmet.

SlalomGangBang Member Tomas Fiala on his big epic day... :-)

So today I entered in "slalom skateboarding" into the search on YouTube and Martin Sweeney is still like the number one video to pop up. BUT with the name "slalom skateboarding" and over 75,000 veiws that is to be expected. However there are a bunch of other good videos that pop up under that.
If you just enter in "slalom" you get a lot of roller skate and in line skate slalom videos. just fyi.

....and Martin still helps out at races!
Rumour has it that we may even see him back on a board this year?