Sunday Oct 7 We will be setting up the course at 7:00 am I hope to get registration open by 8:00. We hope to start practice by 9:00 am. Then go into qualifying before lunch. 2 Qualifying runs. Break for lunch around noon. Then racing can start around 1:00- 1:30. We hope to have time to run a clinic after the races. Of course everything depends on how many racers show. The less there are the more time for everything. I will also be looking to you for guidance where this is our first slalom race.
I believe I will have many young skaters who want to see what this slalom stuff is all about. They are street and park skaters who have never seen slalom. I am hoping we can get a few involved to start building a local scene. I have at least one who I am sponsoring and he will be there looking for someone to give him a few pointers.
The weather forecast is looking promising with temps in the 70’s and partly sunny. The city is really looking forward to seeing exactly what this is all about. Remember this is on their main street. And in a city where not a whole lot happens. So I expect you will be the talk of the city an don their front page Monday morning.
Also, there is a great event happing the day before for anyone who plans to come up early. It is called River Fire (hence the name of our event) and it is a great local event with the best part being the lighting of the boom piers on the river Saturday night.
I want to thank everyone in advance who plans to make the drive up for this. It means a lot to me, and the community. GSI has made the investment into slalom and our hope is that this will only be the start of many more slalom races we would like to bring to you. Not just here I Berlin.
10/03/2007 - BERLIN — Androscoggin Valley, get ready for more fun this weekend!
After this past event-filled weekend, can you stand any more excitement? Well, you're going to have to, because the Valley's premier event, RiverFire, takes place on the shores of the mighty Androscoggin on Saturday. A true community event, this is the fourth annual RiverFire and each one has only gotten better than the previous years' as organizers continually sharpen their event planning skills.
RiverFire 2007 will be held this Saturday at Rotary Park and the Northern Forest Heritage Park. The event gets underway at 3 p.m. with the Androscoggin River Duck Race and a hayride, kiddie carnival, and Haunted Village.
At 4 p.m. both a pie eating contest and pie bake-off will be held. These are two distinct events: pie eaters can focus on eating and not worry about judging the pies. At 6 p.m. the "Berlin Has Talent" show will start, and all events should wrap up in time for the spectacular RiverFire lighting at dusk. In addition to the scheduled events, there will be additional food, vendors, and entertainment. RiverFire is sponsored by the City of Berlin, Berlin Main Street Program, the Northern Forest Heritage Park, and the Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce.
"At the moment," City Manager Pat MacQueen said in his manager's report Monday night, "the weather forecast is looking good so let's keep our fingers crossed.
Call 752-1272 for more information or to volunteer.
The excitement doesn't end on Saturday night. Gravity Sports International and the City of Berlin are teaming up for the second attempt at the inaugural event 2007 Gravity Sports Race Series this Sunday. The race itself is a skateboard slalom course that will be set up on Pleasant Street. Pleasant Street (from Rite Aid to the NH Employment Security office) will be shut down from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. so that skateboarders from as far away as Montreal and as close as Berlin can compete in the event. Tim Cayer, who runs Gravity Sports International, sees the event as having two main purposes: to show the possibilities of Berlin to professional skate slalom racers, and to showcase the sport to the community.
Cayer had originally tried to hold the inaugural race in May but it was canceled due driving rain. Despite those adverse conditions, over a dozen competitors showed up. He is hoping that this weekend's forecast of perfect fall weather will grow the numbers of racers. The schedule of the race will depend in large part on the number of competitors, but the course will be open for practice at 9 a.m., with qualifying races held before lunch, and 1 p.m. as the tentative start time for the race. Registration is $25, and pre-registration is not mandatory. The event is free for spectators, and will be a great chance to see the sort of athletes who don't often get a chance to display their talents, as well as being a great continuation of the community festivities of RiverFire on Saturday. FMI is available at www.gravitysportsinternational.com.
Hybrid Class
Class A
1st Curt Debartolo
2nd Pierre Gravel
3rd Pascal Jean
4th Glenn Chapman
5th Rick Floyd
6th Eric Brammer
7th Raylene Hill
Class B
1st Millie Chapman
2nd Meredyth Klotz
3rd Sophia Klotz
4th Andrew Burke
Tight Slalom
Class A
1st Pierre Gravel
2nd Pascal Jean
3rd Glenn Chapman
4th Curt Debartolo
5th Raylene Hill
6th Eric Brammer
7th Rick Floyd
Class B
1st Andrew Burke
2nd Meredyth Klotz
3rd Sophia Klotz
River Fire Slalom Slam Jam
Linear Mode
