The Seismic U.S. Nationals of
Slalom Skateboarding
July 11 - 12, 2009
Overlook Drive
Lafayette, Colorado
June 17, 2009 – Over 50 elite skateboard racers from throughout the U.S. and beyond will meet July 11 - 12 on Overlook Drive in Lafayette, Colorado, for the Seismic U.S. Nationals of Slalom Skateboarding – the highlight of the 2009 season of American skateboard slalom racing. Spectator admission is free.
Colorado is the epicenter of American skateboard slalom racing, and Overlook Drive is one of the best slalom hills in the nation – with smooth, grippy pavement, a consistent 9% grade, and double-wide lanes. Racers will reach up to 35 mph as they speed through twisting courses in both head-to-head and single-lane formats.
Champions in multiple divisions –Juniors, Amateurs, Masters and Professionals both male and female – will be crowned in four disciplines. Hybrid Slalom, Tight Slalom and Giant Slalom are traditional formats, but making its debut at the Nationals is SK8RCROSS – a mashup of slalom, downhill, boarder cross and roller derby. A unique starting mechanism will hurtle competitors onto the Giant Slalom and SKRCROSS courses on Sunday.
Overall titles will also be awarded to the combined champion of each division. Winners in the professional category will receive thousands of dollars in cash prizes.
Local skater Gary Fluitt won the overall title last year in California. His retirement from the Pro class leaves the door wide open for young slalom phenoms Martin Reaves, Zak Maytum, and Joe McLaren. But Jason Mitchell, George Pappas, and Chris Barker, all past champions, will attempt to school the youngsters one more time. It’s a clash of generations as the nation’s top racers face off.
For the third time since 2006, Colorado is hosting the U.S. Nationals and Boulder-based Seismic Skate Systems is serving as the Title Sponsor. Founded in 1993, Seismic manufactures advanced boards, wheels and trucks for high-performance longboarding, cruising, racing and beyond. Seismic products are sold through Specialty Retailers, Sporting Goods Retailers and Distributors worldwide.
About Skateboard Slalom RacingSkateboard slalom racing is very different from the acrobatic events commonly seen on TV. Racers compete against each other and the clock as they maneuver through a downhill course of pre-set gates or cones. Judging is unnecessary. As with ski or snowboard racing, viewers are able to understand and enjoy the sport with no introduction or confusion.
Slalom was one of skateboarding’s original disciplines, taking obvious inspiration from slalom skiing. Virtually all major competitions in the 1960s and mid-70s featured a slalom event, including a famous show-down between Henry Hester and Tony Alva televised on ABC “Wide World of Sports” as part of the 1976 Carlsbad Hang Ten World Championships.
Slalom was prime fodder for network sports television as late as 1978, when CBS Sports Spectacular broadcast the FreeFormer World Championships in Akron, Ohio. But momentum in the late 70s shifted decisively to aggressive styles, and by the early 80s the U.S. slalom scene had mostly dissipated.
A remarkable international slalom renaissance began in 2000, and by now skateboard racing attracts a growing number of participants and spectators across a broader age range than any other skateboarding discipline. The average elite professional is 32, but top competitors range from early 20s to mid-40s.
Recent editions of the U.S. Nationals have been broadcast on the Fox network and profiled in various TV news and lifestyle programs, newspaper sports pages, and specialty skateboard magazines.
Mais info: http://usnationals.coloradoslalom.org
