World Cup Races on flat surface - not anymore!

[John Gilmour]

Flat is okay only if you are on exkate power boards that can go 40mph

Only Simon Levene can make flat look good. He is the only one with massive accelleration so he can make flat look like a hill in 4 cones.

I have never had any interest in flat anything.

On flat we are limited by our pumping speeds.... which quite frankly on flat are not all that impressive.

The only think I think is notable about flatland slalom is that we are able to do it at all. Same for inline slalom. If you held ski races on flat and or on beginner slopes with nearly no pitch so that the racers were going as fast as we went on slalom boards on flat... would you bother to stay and watch for more than 5 minutes? I think we would think it was pretty stupid looking...like imagine we came across a snakeboard race on flat... we wouldn't bother to watch...we would likely even make fun of it.

But if we saw a snakeboard race on a hill with them charging 35 + mph...we would watch (perhaps just for carnage) but it would at least be interesting. you'd still have the rush of a human beaing whizzing by you fast. Even Inline slalom at speeds over 30mph...hmmm wait a sec...maybe 45 mph is interesting to watch.

Leave flatland for the really good Korean flatland freestyle slalom inline and roller skaters..

If you let a promoter convince slalomers to run on flat- then he might push for a smaller area,,,then a bad surface- and perhaps into the wind... in the effort to get twice the spectators we just end up boring more than half of them.

Flat is ok for practice... nothing more. Some famous guy said that...

[alavoine jean paul]

Flat should be for freestyle only!

[David Rudnianski]

I love both flat race and slope race. I agree with you ramon, a non technical race on flat is very boring. All race should be technical. for example somebody of my weight is penalized in large flat course.
As I say in an other topic, we should alternate flat and slope, but technical flat.
What we will try to do this season for our Pirate Champ is to alternate all type of slalom... small slope, bigger slope, flat and maybe ditch and full pipe. I thing a good skateboarder should be good in each categorys

[Donald Campbell]

the 70's killed slalom sort of...remember the boring contests in germany we had then?
you had to be an absolute enthusiast to dig that stuff.
good example chris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hackett and his ideas might sometimes be a bit too far-fetched but a good accumulation out of reason and goforit character will drive the sport to bigger attention.

[Chris Eggers]

Like I said before.

Flat is dead.

Flat was in the 70s (1970s that is............)

[Donald Campbell]

absolutely agree with what ramon says
death to all flatland bs.
grenoble:two races in flat? unacceptable

[Joe Iacovelli]

Agree

[Ramón Königshausen]

Ramon,

I assume your post has something to do with the Grenoble race? I would race flat or uphill to have the chance to compete in Olympic stadium. You do get that, right?

Joe

Yes,I agree on that. That would be an acceptable reason for holding it in the flat. The condition only was: set the course tight enough so that "all those spectators" have something to watch...


rmn

[Claude Regnier]

I myself was disappointed that 3 events (5 races) we're to be held on flat. In only one case however the organizer did not notify the racers in advance.

In both other situations the organizers had to change venues due to local municipalities changing the parameters or another event had a cancellation and it affected the slalom event that was to be held in conjunction.

In two cases the race promoters notified the racers at the earliest possible time. Unfortunately for me tickets and plans we're already made. It was too late. The personal commitment to travel in 2006 and talk to people about ISSA was just as important as the racing itself.

I heard from a lot of people and have a good feel for what the slalom community wants. I personally would like to at least see one of the two Special or Straight/Tight races be on a slope if there are going to be multiple events. It is better for the racers and certainly for the spectators as well as the sport.

It will be up to the racers to decide what they want to attend. This voting will perhaps lend itself to the Ranking of said race. If racers choose not to go because it features flat then the status will need to be changed or perhaps appointed 30 days before or something like that.

This is an entirely knew topic of discussion which is very valid. I was going to bring it up in the ISSA discussion Forum but then did not want to pull away any of the excitement of the Grenoble event since I was approached about the event while in Antibes.

As statuses will not be given till next year long after ISSA's rules are re-written, everyone will know where they stand. Your vote counts.

[Joe Iacovelli]

Ramon,

As I was not at the races you mentioned, I do agree that "flat" and slalom do not together except for dead of winter practice.

BUT

I assume your post has something to do with the Grenoble race? I would race flat or uphill to have the chance to compete in Olympic stadium. You do get that, right?

Joe

[Ramón Königshausen]

The past season we ran a few races on flat or almost flat surfaces; Hannover (Prime) and Antibes (Main) to name only the bigger ones of those races I'm talking about. Hannover luckily had different courses for Amateurs and Pros, but in the Straight Slalom you still had to use your bigger deck (for me the C81, wheelbase 56cm) because it was like 1.80 in the flat. In Antibes, which even had Main Status, I had to use my bigger deck for all three discipines which were called "Giant Slalom", "TIGHT/Straight Slalom" and "Special Slalom". Both, special and straight slalom were held on flat surface, and either of them were for Pros as well as for Amateurs. (Straight, which was also called "tight": 1.80m, won on a big deck/long wheelbase; Special, although a nice course and set by Claude Reginier, also won with a long deck.) Wide cone distances in the flat make it quite hard to accellerate - a guy who's got a very good technique (=high level, good skills) but not that much power to accelerate such a long board in such a wide course on flat surface has no chance against someone that's "only a strong guy".
I'm lucky to be given both, technique and physical strength - though I find a techniqual course on a hill is more interesting to race on, more fun and much more exiting to watch! Skills and not only power are demanding the racers.

Awaiting your opinions...

rmn