First Slalom Race...

**sethgoesfast** · 07-17-2009 07:40 PM

I had a rough time. At the Hood River GS race I started out great and made all the cones but after about twenty cones i was picking up more speed than i would have liked. I got the dreaded wobs and ate it.

I got back up not giving up that easily but history repeated itself and fell in another twenty cones from wobbles.

At this point i decide the course was t much for me. I had trouble feeling comfortable on a slalom board i could barley foot break on it when i can all day on a longboard. Tomorrow I'm going to give the down town hybrid race a chance it seems easier. Any pointers or trips for a beginner would be great so i dont have to do any more body slams on the pavement. thanks in advance.

**Parallel Man** · 07-17-2009 09:33 PM

Seth,

You're at the Worlds surrounded by the best skaters in the world. Ask them. Have them look at your setup and ask them about what they saw. They aren't prima donnas too important for you. They are all very cool guys who would love to talk to you about your skating.

Any advice you get here about your setup or your skating is going to be blind guessing. So just side step the internet and talk to the guys all over the hill while you've got this golden opportunity.

**livefortoday2007** · 07-17-2009 10:44 PM

parallel man, I love your sig!

**sethgoesfast** · 07-17-2009 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by Parallel Man

Seth,

You're at the Worlds surrounded by the best skaters in the world. Ask them. Have them look at your setup and ask them about what they saw. They aren't prima donnas too important for you. They are all very cool guys who would love to talk to you about your skating.

Any advice you get here about your setup or your skating is going to be blind guessing. So just side step the internet and talk to the guys all over the hill while you've got this golden opportunity.

well sadly i dont have my own slalom set up.... im borrowin on of gareth roe's because my dad works with him so i reall can't twek my set up much im pondering getting my own tho its great fun as long as you dont get wobs

**Joe & Nick** · 07-20-2009 03:52 PM

Good for you Dude, for getting out and trying it. I would suggest that you look to try some smaller races there in your area. Gareth and those guys have them all the time. What you did is akin to learning how to ski at the giant slalom during the Winter Olympics or learning to dive off the high platform at the Summer ones. It was the World Championships, right?

I still think you've got balls of steel for giving it a try anyway.

**sethgoesfast** · 07-20-2009 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Joe & Nick

What you did is akin to learning how to ski at the giant slalom during the Winter Olympics or learning to dive off the high platform at the Summer ones. It was the World Championships, right?

Yeah i knwo whatyour saying pretty much all that flashed through my head right before i pulled off the starting ramp....

I talked to a lot of people in my area about praticing and stuff so im going to ride with them try out some different set ups and evetntually get my own and enter a much easier race.

**Joe & Nick** · 07-20-2009 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by sethgoesfast

Yeah i knwo whatyour saying pretty much all that flashed through my head right before i pulled off the starting ramp....

I talked to a lot of people in my area about praticing and stuff so im going to ride with them try out some different set ups and evetntually get my own and enter a much easier race.

Cool dude! Hope you had fun and come back and do it again.

To answer your question more specifically, the WOBS. That happens when your front truck and back truck try to do the same thing at the same time. To prevent or kill it, T-U-R-N. That and not freaking out is all it takes.

But consider what you usually do. Stiffen up, go straight, freak out. Next time do the opposite.

**tedzepplin** · 07-20-2009 08:33 PM

I was there too. I had a similar experience. The GS and TS hills were steeper and faster than what I'm used to. The hybrid hill is the type of hill I'm comfortable with. I asked other racers for advice and got lots of it from many people. for the GS, I put harder bushings in the trucks and tightened them down to minimize wobbles. I borrowed a deck with a longer wheel base, I borrowed smaller and softer wheels to help slow things down. another racer explained to me how to turn early around the cones - and to turn wide to slow down. Other advice I got was to start at the bottom of the hill and walk up a short distance and ride down. then walk up again a little further and ride down. keep doing this until you finally reach the top and can ride the entire hill. then go up again and start at the starting ramp. I did this on both the GS and TS hill. More than half of my practice runs on GS and TS weren't from the starting ramp. I had never foot dragged stopped before - I had to learn in a hurry.

**sethgoesfast** · 07-20-2009 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by Joe & Nick

Cool dude! Hope you had fun and come back and do it again.

To answer your question more specifically, the WOBS. That happens when your front truck and back truck try to do the same thing at the same time. To prevent or kill it, T-U-R-N. That and not freaking out is all it takes.

But consider what you usually do. Stiffen up, go straight, freak out. Next time do the opposite.

yeah i agree i can usually minimize wobs on my longboard doing that but some people were saying to use big soft bushings to absorb the wobs but for longboarding i aways hear different, use hard bushings to be stable. im not sure if that guy was right or not, but i also think having a tight/stable back truck and a loose/turny front truck like downhill guys would translate well to slalom.

**Eddy Martinez** · 07-28-2009 08:07 AM

Brother you tried and that is half of the battle. My first contest was Luna Slalom Jam 2003 I went through 3-4 cones and then went straight. Now that Fondren hill looks so small to me. Keep at it. It is addictining. Gets in your blood. Plus you have a great slalom crew around you. Who knows you may end up winning on the tour someday. Your Amigo Eddy Texas Outlaws. Jack Smith coached me for that C-Class win. That was a rush. Being on the Podium with Joe I, Richy C.

**Mig** · 07-28-2009 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by sethgoesfast

but i also think having a tight/stable back truck and a loose/turny front truck like downhill guys would translate well to slalom.

Seth, that IS a slalom setup and always has been. Quick turning geometry, positive wedging, soft bushings up front combined with stable geometry, negative wedging, way harder bushings in the back...

**skully** · 07-28-2009 11:09 AM

Seth, just keep hanging out with the Roe's and you'll be dodging cones like a pro in no time at all....

tedzepplin, you kicked A$$ at your first race. The worlds were also my first race. I had no expectations of even being able to make it through any of the courses, but I knew I wouldn't get the opportuninty to go to the World Championships for a long time, if ever again. The GS was the most fun I can remember having on a skateboard in a LONG time, HS and TS were right up there too...