The Heat is On at MaryhillDay Two
Georges "Tomahawk" Siddiqi leads off the top.
The Maryhill Loops Road was rippling hot today, and not just from the clear skies and strong sun that drove air temperatures up into the 80’s and pavement temperature over 100 degrees. Skating got faster, at least as far as you can tell from riding down the hill next to your buddies or watching them rip past. The timing system won’t activate until Friday afternoon, when the first round of time-trial qualifying begins. In the meantime, we scored some photos of wheels, gear, boards and trucks new on the hill, along with a few thousand photos of the DH, Luge, Inline and Grav Bike riding today.
Click through for more…
So, Thursday began with homemade breakfast for the campers in the Athletes Village, courtesy of Goldendale locals that rose before dawn to make hot, fresh food. Simultaneously, the Volcanic team and IGSA crew were back on the course, clearing straw and anything blown on course overnight, then checking the safety fences and whatnot before the track opened at 8:30. Three trucks up, and the free rides began with about 150 riders on the hill for the first round. The Edmonton, Alberta crew.
In the pits, we saw some cool new stuff: Tactis has a set of their thermoplastic speedboards on the hill and they’re generating interest. We took a look at these things, made from carbon-loaded polypropylene, and they’re definitely worth another look! Johnny Miller’s racing on their slalom board, but we want to see more of these speed rigs in the near future!
 Tactic Speedboard. Another Tactis. Note the wedging molded in.
We also saw the ultra new Genghis Skates “Monkey Trucks”, a machined, precision truck that’s the brainchild of Josh Rolf. The first box of the trucks arrived via post to Maryhill, and we opened them up with Josh, who’s assembling them as we’re typing this up. You know precision trucks are expensive…not here: a few lucky/smart proto-testers scored their sets for prices more like what you might see on some nice cast trucks, but the Monkey’s sport threaded steel insert axles, spherical bearings on the pivot and more. You’ll see some pics of those, later (we shot ‘em, but we haven’t loaded it yet) and you’ll want to. 
This isn't a "Monkey", it's a Magun opened up.
There’s a funny rumor somebody started about Chris Chaput’s ads in Concrete Wave. Apparently, somebody started telling skaters that Chaput will pay $5k cash to anyone that wins the race on wheels he doesn’t make… and so there are skaters with more Loaded and Landy wheels that you’ve ever seen in one place! Smart marketing for somebody, but a total fake-out by whoever came up with it. (The total purse for skateboarding is five grand of Chapstick’s dough.)
The hill got faster and faster today, and right in there with the fast DH elite were the killer new “juniors”. Yesterday, we mentioned nine-year old Quinn Dubois and today we watched Christian Conaway rip it on his new Honey Longboards speedboard and classic luge, along with the Colorado terror, Zak Maytum. Maytum’s got a box of his new Venom Bushings and they’re on sale for the first time (retail, not bro-down) here in the pits. Hey, somebody catch that kid!
In the late afternoon, one of our favorite Grav-bike racers on the IGSA circuit took a hard stack when a gust of wind blew her off-course. Charlene Mitchell got a wheel off, into the rocks and gravel below the cattle-gate and WHAM!! Over the bars and into rocks that scarred up her wind screen and helmet, banged up her knee and compressed a disc in her spine. That didn’t stop her from peeling her leathers off and walking to the EMT’s but she’s down at The Dalles in a hospital for the night. Total bummer, and it also shut down the course for an hour. Charlene left grinning through the pain and we expect to see her back tomorrow…but as a spectator.
Skaters did well today, and the town came out to the Athletes’ Autograph session at the McDonald’s restaurant. McD’s sent out Ronald McDonald himself, and the dude can skate! He jumped into the skate session in McD’s parking lot and skated around on a longboard, wearing those giant shoes! While the big clown was skating, locals lined up to meet IGSA’s top ranked skaters for autographs and schwag they handed out. It was a good scene with plenty of stoke! Meatballs sez, "Hi!"
Those that didn’t hit McD’s were off to Athletes’ Village, where the Madrid guys’ vandalism was all cleaned up and apologized for, and the party is back on! Tomorrow morning, it’s go-time for the last round of free rides and then single-racer, time trial qualifying for position in the grids. The winds will play a factor, to be sure: they’re irregular with the boost or bind they can give. After the racing tomorrow, the town is putting on a big spaghetti dinner for all the campers, athletes and crew – a great part of this whole scene is how friendly and supportive the local residents are!  Venom Bushings: orange 93, green 90.  Feral Arts' sliding truck assembly.  Grombiz's Balls to the Wall Trophy... to be awarded.
Okay, that’s what we’ve got for today. You want more, don’t you? Alright, here’s what you do: first, click over to IGSA for Marcus Rietema’s daily report. Now, if you don’t see that right away, check back after you hit today’s Maryhill Galleries , then pop into the forums to let us know what you think, give your lame excuse for not being here, etc… Aw, man, take it like we mean it: we wish you were here with us!
See you tomorrow! |
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