RIP Slalom Innovator Howard Gordon

[Terry Kirby]

Howard and his family opened his home to my wife Sandy for an entire week while she skated at a woman's slalom camp put on by Paul Dunn and Jack and Howard. I think they only met sandy maybe once or twice before that.
Sandy and I offer our condolences to Heidi, Lauren and Dylan.

[YOYO SHULTZ]

I am truly shocked and sad to read this.
Man, we met back in 2002(?) in Grüningen at ths Slalom race he attended with his kids and wife. He was so enthusiastic about the sport and even competed no matter what.
If it wasn't for HIM, back then, there wouldn't have been any Slalom wheels available back then.
Ahh,the white Turner Avalons which I still use at every session I skate Freestyle (I have them on my spinning board).
The next spins will be in your memory Howard!

My condolences go out to Dylan, Lauren and Heidi; stand strong during these hard hours of life.

[Michael Stride]

Very sad news. My thoughts go out to his family, Heidi, Lauren and Dylan.

I remember opening a box of Turner wheels in the U.K. at a time when no new slalom specific wheels had been available for years. Another milestone was when the white Avalons were shipped here, I got as many as I could afford, as quickly as possible and at the Brands Hatch Race that weekend if you wern't on Avalons you didnt have a chance. That one wheel made so much of a difference to our sport at that time that many racers still keep a set or have trimmed ones in their bags at races.

Howard was a lovely man to deal with, an absolute pleasure, and when the Morro Bay World Champs were on one year he put me up (or maybe put up with me), along with Luca. He welcomed many skaters to his home, and It was a lovely feeling to know that there were people on the other side of the world you could call friends.

At times like this my thoughts must turn to those left behind.

Howard took Luca and I down to the beach to Pismo for a surf, in his pickup, through the lovely vineyards that encircled his home. I'd like to remember him on that beach enjoying the water and being a fantastic host to two strangers from far away.

A true gentleman.

[Cat Young]

The Gordon family was there the very 1st time I skated around cones in SLO.
I remember how involved they all were with their kids & how nice everyone was.
My condolences go out to the family at this extreme time of sadness.

[Bruce Brewington]

Very sad news indeed. My prayers and condolences go out to Dylan, Lauren and Heidi.

bruce

[Chris Barker]

Wow! I will miss Howard. What a brilliant gentleman. I met him through skateboarding, but will always remember some of the long technical conversations we shared after the races were over. What a tremendous loss for his family and friends.

[Mike Ohm]

I remember having a conversation with Howard in Breckenridge about the Turner (White) wheels and how they progressed the sport so radically. I remember him being appreciative of of that notion.

I was not in SF for the 2nd FCR race that year but remember the BUZZ about some WHITE wheel the you had to have. It was true. I could always count on Howard to be at the FCR races with wheels to sell on race day. A true ambassador to the slalom world. Great man and great family!

Godspeed Howard!

Mike Ohm

[Claude Regnier]

Jack, Thank you for letting us know! Howard we will miss you you dearly. All the best to the family.

Sincerely,

Claude, Mary-Beth and our families....

[Maria Carrasco]

So shocked and saddened at this news. Thanks Jack for letting us know. We were just sharing stories with Stride and others on this race trip about Howard and the kids -- recollections of World Championships past. Our hearts are heavy. God Bless.

[Jack Smith]

It is with a heavy heart that I post the sad news that Howard Gordon has passed away. I first met Howard right after the 2001 World Slalom Championships in Morro Bay. He had attended the race and quickly became interested in racing, along with his children Dylan and Lauren, who both went on to become World Champion slalom racers. Howard's wife, Heidi, was also very involved in the slalom community, attending races and hosting events.

In typical Howard fashion, he quickly immersed himself in the sport. He soon partnered with Bobby Turner and re-established Turner as a leader in the slalom world. He also founded 3DM Wheels and developed slalom racing trucks. Turner and 3DM sponsored many of the major and grassroots events in the early 2000s.

Howard was also a giant in the tech world. His firm wrote compression software for MP3, MPEG and JPEG files. Please take a few minutes to read the newspaper article about Howard's incredible life.