Whether your thing is “surfing” the Esplanade, busting out massive slides, or nudging 100kph on Conrod Straight, longboarders are riding the new wave, with the heart and soul of where skateboarding all began.
Longboarding as a sport requires a couple of different skills to street skating, but the courage, commitment and stoke to be your best is the same. Longboards are a stable platform that handle all kinds of pavement, are easy to push, fun to slide, and very fast. Longboard racing requires race-grade safety gear such as leathers, full-face helmets and sliding gloves, but for a day surfing the Esplanade you’ll only need a helmet and a grin.
Racing at Bathurst (Photo courtesy of B Griffiths)
The most important skills required for any longboarder are the ability to stop quickly and safely. These skills are developed through various sliding techniques.
When you get your sliding steeze, cornering at high speeds, and holding a tuck for minimum air resistance and maximum speed will get you into the race.
You also need to plan your skating, and only use areas that are as safe as possible, also skate in a group so that you can look out for each other.
The best way to hook up for a skate session in Melbourne is via the Facebook group:
Melbourne Longboarders and Old School Skaters
New for Melbourne!
The Yarra Ranges Festival of Longboarding
2nd December 2012 at Baynes Park Road Monbulk
Victorias first legal, closed road slalom/dh race event.
A great success…… See results on news pages
Watch the Video…….
Newtons Nation 2013 - Registrations now open
Australian Longboarding’s Premier International Event
See the fastest skateboards in the world, take on the famous
Mt Panorama Race Circuit….for possibly the last time.
Click here for Newtons Nation 2013
Competitor Registrations now Open!
Link to Videos of 2012 Bathurst Races
Slalom racing is dodging cones at speed in a head-to-head shoot-out, or finishing a clean run down a drainage ditch, where the winner is judged by stopwatch, or crosses the finish line first. Anyone who can skate can race slalom.
Chris Miris Ditch racing in Canberra (Photo courtesy of Dave Pang)
Get set for lots of slalom events in 2012 and 2013!
The Melbourne round of the National Championship will be on 11th November, and a special downhill/sliding and slalom event in the Dandenongs will be soon after
See ASRA Events for slalom races and longboard competitions for the latest updates on Victorian and other events across Australia.
Competitors can earn points for the Australian Skateboard Racing Association (ASRA) national ranking system. ASRA is recognised by the VSA as the national sanctioning organisation for downhill and slalom skateboard racing. The ASRA website www.skateboardracing.org.au contains plenty of information on how to ride safely, organise races, and contains a forum so that you can hook up with others in your area for sessions and competition. ASRA is also affiliated with the International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) and helps to promote Australians competing internationally in a rapidly growing sport.
national rankings links:
ASRA National Slalom Rankings ASRA National Downhill Rankings
Ditch racing in Canberra (Photo courtesy of Dave Pang)
VSA and ASRA recommend helmets be worn at all times when riding a longboard and are developing a schools program to explain basic road safety and longboard sliding techniques.
Note: According to Victorian Road Rules, longboards must not be ridden on any road that has either a speed limit of more than 50kph, or a dividing line or median strip. See VicRoads or ASRA for further info.
Slalom racing in Melbourne (Photo courtesy of Haggy ASRA)
Ditch Racing at Bulleen Snake Run May 2012
Long Board racing near Geelong June 2012
Pic by Roy Santiago
Downhill Racing - Baynes Rd Monbulk 2/12/12
Emily - Slalom Racing - Baynes Rd Monbulk 2/12/12
