Ramón Königshausen wrote:
Who made it clean? - I assume it's those racers who practised well. Let's take Manuel Schaub as an example. He is 41st in Corky's current 4-year Pro Ranking (25th in PK's Ranking) If you go and look up his cone counts all over any race, he will probably be one of the racers who hits very few cones. -
How come?
He's been practicing. He's been running 1.50 straight on a flat surface. He's been running tough special slaloms.
Do you expect to come to a race and do well without practising?
No Ramon I do not and practise as much as my lifestyle will allow, but at 19 years of age I'll bet Manuel doesn't have to juggle with jobs, children, wives and possibly full-time employment as do the majority of the Pro level racers. Also are you saying that EVERYONE EXCEPT the 4 racers who ran clean is not training?
Ramón Königshausen wrote:Now I'm trying to answer your question: "Is there any need to go this tight? What will it prove, with current equipment we could all buy GOGs/Rads and re-drill at 16-17" and do it."
It is not a question of going tighter and tighter, but it's rather to have the level back on the top like it was ages ago. Have a look at this video for example. It shows Luca Giammarco and Daniel Ridoli racing on a slope. Cone spacing was 1.75cm. One cone was hit. The equipment was way behind what we have nowadays. But still you can win on that equipment what Luca well demonstrated last weekend. I couldn't win even though I had high tech gear on my skateboard....btw. my wheelbase is more than 17"
It's in the racers themselves and in their technique which you acquire by practising. And we can be glad too that there exists gear like GOG/Rads/Airflow trucks that ought to make it more comfortable to get through a course.
When interviewed at that period, Luca advocated riding your board EVERY day as he did, clearly this helps to be totally familiar with your equipment, but is it possible for everyone? Those guys WERE the young Guns of the era...single, mostly students etc. Oh, didn't Ridoli show at the 1st or 2nd year at Gruningen and couldn't make the course? I may be wrong, my memory isn't what it used to be...
Luca was riding at that level a very longtime ago and is a superb athlete with great muscle memory, and if I am right is NOT riding on his old equipment ut an Indiana deck (modern), 3DM wheels (modern-like you do) and Bennetts (?)-one of the turniest trucks ever built and currently being raced on again all over the world!
Ramón Königshausen wrote:Now, please don't come up and excuse yourselves like you wouldn't have the skill or motivation to practise. When I saw my rather bad result in Brixlegg's GS last year (I got something like 15th or so...) I went out and practised. I changed my style, learned how to dose the force on the wide cone spacings, and now I feel how it goes better. I feel much more consistant on longer GS courses...
I'm sure you are all eager to improve your technique and do better in tight slalom
.
You have commendably made big improvements and have the right approach to stay at the top long after old dinosaurs like myself are long gone. I saw my results at my 1st Pro race last year and am trying too to make improvements. I have skated everytime that I can since then, but that is not that many and I'm sure a lot less than you.
My point Ramon is that I'm sure that I am not alone in this. Furthermore is the current level of skill, commitment, eagerness present in most of the racers to improve? Yes, I'm sure it is. But is the opportunity there to do it? I can only speak for myself and the experience of the skaters that I ride with when I say no.
In most other sports the title Professional is usually reserved for those who ONLY do that sport and nothing else. Until that is the case with Slalom Skateboarding or it becomes the reserve of only those who have a vast amount of time to train (more likely as younger skaters improve and dominate completely) we are not at that point.
Ramón Königshausen wrote:Summing up:
1.80m in the flat is pure power. Pumping is the keyword. You wouldn't need a proper technique to win here.
If the course is technical and a well set offset course, not straight, then a proper techique is essential to win.
Ramón Königshausen wrote:1.50m in the flat is for skilled racers with a clean technique and mental strengh (concentration). Headless rushing through won't be possible.
Or by those who could choose a very short wheelbase and rush through "headless". Martin Sweeney used to do 4ft (4 feet = 1.219 2 meter) on an inverted 25" G&S Steve Cathey rocker inverted, it made it easy and fast.
I don't want to get ito a long to-and-fro with you Ramon, I don't want to keep you from your training either and I hear my 2 year old daughter getting up from her nap and I have to look after her.
Why don't we let the Organisers decide? See you in Grenoble, hopefully the noise of my bones creaking as I skate will be drowned out by the sound of my hitting cones....
