This was the first year that Slalom Skateboard Racing had been showcased at The NASS Festival. After a few initial teething problems - the main one being the relocation of the slalom course from the one that the UKSSA (www.ukslalomskateboarding) went to check out - twice - prior to the event. As it turned out we were relocated closer to the main hub of the event and adjacent to a very nice beer tent!All competitors where issued with a wristband that gave access to the competitor campsite, complete with toilet and shower block. The wrist bands also gave us entry to the Relentless athlete lounge were you could escape the mayhem of the festival and relax with the freebies on offer, play xbox360, poker, pool, cans of Relentless, fruit, free beer (all of which was consumed on Friday night!) and Nandos chicken (if you were lucky enough to be there before the BMXr's and street skaters when it was being served up)
Saturday saw some 24 skaters take part in the hybrid slalom. The course was set by Clingfilm and challenged most skaters with some wide offsets. Simon, the latest addition to our number, was given the unenviable task of being "Mr PA" and race commentator, a task he carried out exceptionally well - talk about on the job training!! Pistache Clothing rider Louis was blazing nearly as much as the sun and showed that all that practice really does pay dividends, although he was just nudged out of the top four by an on form Sam Gordon. The finals saw some very close racing with Paul and Michael battling for the top spot while Chris Linford and Sam slugged it out for 3rd and 4th.
Mick Reiss ably assisted by Bish set a good tight course for Sundays racing and this again produced some very fast racing and exciting close finishes for the spectators. A short rain interlude meant we had to stop racing for half an hour or so but the sun soon broke through again allowing the finals to go ahead. The 1st place showdown was a repeat of the previous days final with Paul again just gaining the upper hand over Michael while the 3rd and 4th spot was contested between Sam (Pavel rider) and Louis (Gecko/Pistache rider). This time youth triumphed over experience and Sam had to make do with 4th.
I would like to thank everyone who took part and helped the UKSSA get a "foot in the door" at this event. Special thanks go out to our sponsors, Pistache Clothing, Octane Sports, and Glastonbury Ales.
Pistache Clothing provided some fantastic tshirts as prizes for the racers, and TONS of stickers that were quickly snapped up by eager skaters and bmxr's.
Octane Sports provided wheels as prizes, and also provided the ramps and timing equipment.
Glastonbury Ales provided essential nourishment throughout the weekend, day and night, and a couple of mini kegs of their finest brew as prizes.
This was the UKSSA's first race at NASS, billed as an exhibition/test race, and it was a great success which could not have happened without the hard work of many at the UKSSA and all our sponsors. The sponsor support will help us to secure next years racing at NASS and make it an even bigger event with international competitors, so a huge thank you to Pistache, Octane, and Glasto Ales!!!
Results:
Saturday - Hybrid
1st Paul Price
2nd Michael Stride
3rd Chris Linford
4th Sam Gordon
Sunday - Tight
1st Paul Price
2nd Michael Stride
3rd Louis Selby
4th Sam Gordon
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Finsbury Park Open:
This grassroots type race was all brought together by racers Pat Holden and Rich Norbury, with backing from the council and the park. Everything had been planned perfectly, with all authorities very keen to have us racing, but the one thing that they couldn't control was the weather. It rained, and rained some more, but eventually several hours after we were meant to start the rain eased off and we found enough dry(ish) tarmac to run the race! Unfortunately by this time a few of the racers had to leave, but things went on without them.
We kicked things off with a Dual lane Tight Slalom on a shallow slope. Racing was fast with close times!
The top four were:
1. Paul Price (Pavel/Vans/Carhartt) - 13.63 seconds
2. Louis Selby (Pistache/Geckodecks) - 13.74 seconds
3. Michael Stride (Octane Sports) - 14.26 seconds
4. Chris Linford (London Pride) - 14.82 seconds
Later we moved things up the hill and held a fast single lane Hybrid style race. This event was a jam format, meaning no scheduled racing with all racers getting as many recorded times as they could in the time we had with the best times deciding the rank.
Top four were:
1 Michael Stride (Octane Sports) - 16.05 seconds
2 Louis Selby (Pistache/Geckodecks) - 16.15 seconds
3 Sam Gordon (Pavel Skateboards) - 16.70 seconds
4 Chris Charalambous - 17.09 seconds
Many thanks to all involved in organisation and racing!
Also, thanks to Pistache Clothing for keeping me in dry and sweat free garms all day!