SSSA Bilbao Slalom Race - Euskalduna

Euskalduna, un puente ya mítico en Bilbao, nos ha dejado muy buenas sensaciones este sábado durante la prueba de slalom organizada por la SSSA. Fue un placer poder disfrutar de las impresionantes rampas de Sancheski. Allí se reunieron parte de las máximas figuras nacionales de la categoría de slalom, incluso con presencia internacional del francés Guillaume Saint-Criq, un gran rider que quedo tercero y el uruguayo Santigo Pérez,  segundo. El pavimento del puente fue un escenario idóneo, para ver como los riders bajaban a fuego compitiendo por el ansiado "podiúm". Fué impresionante , como Nacho_Caribbean fue de menos a más, para deshacerse de rivales tan fuertes como Alfonso Pérez, Guillaume Saint-Criq o Santigo Pérez. Quedando el "podiúm" de esta manera:

1º.- Nacho Muñoz-Cuéllar (Nacho_Caribbean).

2º.- Santigo Pérez.

3º.- Guillaume Saint-Criq.

El cuarto puesto lo ocupo meritoriamente Dany Navarro, que en esta ocasión no estuvo al 100%. Un mal día lo tenemos todos.

En Féminas, Paula Carmona después de un primer Round de prueba (DQ) se marcó una segunda bajada muy buena siendo 1ª en Féminas.

Ane Damborenea, en categoría Kids, se batió con Jon Elorriega y ganaba en su categoría.

Todo el evento estuvo espectacularmente amenizado por un gran "speaker" al puro estilo Movember y por el calor y entusiasmo del público bilbaíno.

Fue un día, climatológicamente hablando, complicado, con frío y viento, pero lo pasamos genial. Quiero agradecer la labor desinteresada, una vez más de Fernando Pastor (FERYNAT), Javier Navarro (JaviBoards), Ricardo Damborenea (RD) y demás voluntarios que echaron una mano en el montaje del circuito con los conos, cronos, cables, etc. A Kepa por las facilidades y su amabilidad. Muchas gracias a Javier Sanchez (SANCHESKI) por estar presente en la prueba y dejarnos disfrutar de ese pedazo de rampas. ¡¡¡GRACIAS!!!

Agradecer a todos los patrocinadores, en especial BBK, Caribbean , Sodaramps, Styling y muchos más por su apoyo al slalom.

SurfSkate

SurfSkate presenta este modelo  "The Premier" que como característica es que tiene un eje frontal con un giro de 360º para que su sensación sea la misma o similar al giro en una ola. Sus dimensiones son 42" x 103/4 x 3/8", con un peso de unos 4 kilos, forma pintail con diseño surf y grip en su parte trasera. La tabla esta construida en 7 láminas de arce y los ejes son de aluminio y cromo-molibdeno.



http://surfskate.com/

He Knows Where the Goal Is: Mapping the Modern Football Pitch

The modern footballer must know his place. If the forensic analysis of Zonal Marking is to be believed, most of them are mindless chess pieces moved around at will by their gesticulating manager. But, while the positions they are allocated have well-established names, the areas of the pitch they occupy are still subject to the eccentricity of the football cliché.

Click to enlarge - many thanks to @Steve_Sub for the image!

The Engine Room

Smack-bang in the middle of the park is the British Crown dependency of the midfield engine room, the domain of the Lampards, the Gerrards and the Parkers of this world. As the name suggests, everyone within the engine room must possess an engine, or at least be full of running.

Going Nowhere

You know the drill - a bumbling winger, in a desperate attempt to track back, fouls an opponent as they loiter (facing the wrong way) in this specific, innocuous part of the pitch. Located near half-way and close to the touchline, the vast majority of free-kicks conceded here will be classified as silly.

The Hole

The hole is fast becoming a quaint anachronism in the era of false nines who flit between the lines. A stealthy place to inhabit, the hole confounds opposing defenders who struggle to pick up the deep-lying forward.

The Channels

The thinking man's wings, the channels represent the dire straits between penalty area and touchline where full-backs can be given a torrid time - either by fleet-footed (or jet-heeled) wingers or by their swashbuckling opposite numbers.

The endangered species of the old fashioned winger (centre-forwards and cup-ties can also be old-fashioned) has been forced inside to survive, leaving its former home of the wing (or the "flank") derelict and languishing under the vague term "wide areas". 

In a figurative sense, one of the worst places a footballer can find himself is on the periphery, from where it is very difficult to get into the game.

David Beckham Territory

A hotly disputed area, but various attempts to annex it permanently over the last decade have proved fruitless, many coming to a ignominious end up in Row Z.

It is the most popular strategic base to launch attacks on the tiny enclave in the top corner of the goal - known as the postage stamp - located just next to the angle of post and bar.

 

The Mixer

There's a distinct whiff of Big Ron about this (Ronglish was an unsanctioned splinter lexicon which is thankfully fading from view), but the mixer remains a great leveller. From Sunday League to the top flight, last throws of the dice find their way into this perilous badland. The mixer must be accessed with a hopeful long ball - no team has ever attempted to walk the ball into the mixer.

To further emphasise the stresses of the mixer, it often gives proverbial nosebleeds to no-nonsense defenders who venture upfield, often with the kitchen sink tucked under their arms.

Click to enlarge - all credit to @jon_foley for this...

No Man's Land

A horrid void in which hapless goalkeepers are said to have "gone walkabout". Littered with suicidal backpasses, this is where the custodian feels most alone. But it's not the only danger that 'keepers face...

The Corridor of Uncertainty

One of the most poetic of all the football cliches. Originally a cricket phrase, as many seem keen to point out, but now undeniably adopted by football. The narrow corridor of uncertainty straddles the six-yard line, and is permeated regularly by crosses fizzed in from the channels.

Whether you're marauding, swashbuckling, rampaging, venturing, flooding, backpedalling, gliding, ghosting, wandering, drifting, racing, slaloming, jinking or simply ambling, 

always know where you are.

Rayne Avenger

 

Esta tabla de Rayne, la Avenger  esta totalmente renovada tanto en su aspecto exterior como interior. El dibujo es de nuestro gran amigo Jee, personalmente a mi me gustaba más el dibujo original de Jee que no el que se ha plasmado en la tabla, que tiene ligeras variaciones, en referencia a la parte donde esta el logo de la marca. En relación a las mejoras podemos decir que el prensado y diseño se ha realizado en 3D, en su parte central tiene un cóncavo en W y en las partes próximas a los ejes el con cavo carece de W haciendo que los pies encajen y se acoplen muy bien, el nose y el tail aumenta considerablemente de grosor en el laminado en relación con la parte central de la tabla, es lo que se denomina construcción Fat Bottom. Sus medidas 37" x 10" y la posibilidad de tener una distancia entre ejes de 28,25"/29"/29,25" y 30". Como características diríamos que destacan sus cantos finos que la hacen ligera, su Bottom Core Bamboo y su pre tensado de fibra de vidrio la hacen resistente, el 3D hace que las ruedas no toquen con la tabla. Muchas mejoras en una tabla que se sitúa entre las primeras para Freerider y DH. En este supuesto se ha montado con tornillos Tracker, pads de Paris de 1/8", ejes Paris de 180/50º Gold/Black, spacers, roadmientos SKF de precisión 608ZZ y ruedas Orangatang Durian de 75mm/80A.

www.humanflytattoo.com

http://www.raynelongboards.com/

Elephant Jason Adams

Esta tabla la Elephant Jason Adams/Fire Still Burns es un clásico renovado con unas medidas de 8,625" x 32,5" y una distancia entre ejes de 14,5". En este caso se ha montado con un set up ya usado en otra tabla. La lija que hemos puesto ha sido combinada en negro en la parte delantera y transparente en la trasera.

TSUNAMI Priestess

La Priestess de Tsunami es una tabla para todos los estilos. Un longboard twin-tip de 37 x 9  pulgadas. Su forma, dimensiones y ligereza la hacen ideal para descensos con carveos y trucos. Destaca tanto en las calles con pendientes más pronunciadas como en trayectos urbanos tranquilos, carreteras de montaña y en cualquier otro sitio donde pueda rodar. Esta tabla no te dejará indiferente por su gran control y maniobrabilidad. Sus dimensiones y mezcla de bambú y arce consiguen una flexibilidad justa y un control fuera de lo normal. Esta construida con tres capas de bambú y dos de arce. Montada con tornillos autoblocantes, pads de 1/8", ejes marca blanca G & W de 7"/180mm, rodamientos precisión ABEC 7, spacers y ruedas de poliurethano Soul Rider de 70mm 83A. 

"Where's the Talking?!" - Part II

Last January, Football Clichés detailed ten of the most mindless Sunday league phrases heard week-in-week-out in public parks up and down the country. Attempting to cash in on Inspired by today's prolifically trending #sundayleagueshouts, here's ten more Sunday league trademarks for the 2012/13 season...

1) "Who's got tape?"

The gold-dust of amateur football, despite being available in any hardware shop. As the sole provider of tape, once you declare and dispense it, you will never see it again.

2) Injury Prevention

The warm-up routine of the typical Sunday league team is a complex one, drawing on the game's modern obsession with sports science:

- Jog from one touchline to the other
- Run back again - knees up at the front
- And again - heels up at the back
- And again, "picking it up a little bit"
- Sprint to the line, having left around 70% of the team by the wayside

The substitutes, should your team be fortunate enough to have any, are spared this tedium. They have the important task of firing the ball at the goalkeeper from the six-yard line as part of his carefully-tailored warm-up programme.

3) "Ref! Ref!! How long?"

Usually asked by an overexcited player from the leading team, with surprising desperation. Whatever the answer, the player will always add about 10% on before relaying the revised figure to his teammates. 

4) "Watch the short!"

It is considered a cardinal sin to let an opposing Sunday league team pass a goal-kick out to a full-back. Precisely what sort of devastating attack an average Sunday league team are expected to be capable of, deep in their own half, with the ball at the feet of statistically the least capable player in their ranks, is anyone's guess.

Traditional goal-kicks, thumped aimlessly as far down the pitch as possible, aren't often the task of the goalkeeper. As the designated goal-kick taker for my side, I can confirm that fetching the ball in preparation for this moment is one of the more soul-destroying aspects of life at around 11am on every Sunday between September and May.

5) "They're fighting amongst themselves!"
An extension of "All day! All day!" from Part One, this is the ultimate psychological blow you can land on the opponents, so gleefully is it delivered. 

6) "One of you!"
When a Sunday league midfield is so often instructed to "get a [insert team's shirt colour] head on this", you often witness an unsightly clash of [insert team's shirt colour]-clad bodies as they attempt to perform their primary duty. It is left to a team-mate to helpfully point out that only one of them was required on the scene.

7) How to Insult a Sunday League Opponent - a 3-Step Guide

The Respect campaign is yet to trickle down the grassroots, it seems. Sunday league pitches can be horrible places, as devoid of joy as they are of any real wit. With that in mind, it seems pertinent to document the standard procedure for unpleasantries. When angry adversaries clash, the following hierarchy of verbals should ensue:

1. Appearance - Latch on to anything you legally can. Having ginger hair or (in my case) no hair puts one at a significant disadvantage here. Should you be on the receiving end of this, though, my advice is to act genuinely horrified and heartbroken - no-one's prepared for that.
2. Presumed social status - neither big, nor clever, but this is barrel-scraping territory.
3. Footballing ability - Surprisingly, the last bastion of offence in any on-pitch exchange. A simple "you're shit" often seems to suffice.

8) How to Befriend a Sunday League Opponent - a 2-Step Guide

Amid the snarling testosterone-toting, the hand of friendship can still be extended. Exchanging cheerful words with your opposite number can seem a little odd, and the moment is fleeting, usually because of the sheer banality:

Ask them "how they're doing in the league" - an answer he is unlikely to be able to accurately provide, which is fortunate since you don't actually care.

Ask them if that's their regular goalkeeper - Often squarely to blame for all eleven goals that have sailed past him, the goalkeeper is a worthy spectacle to discuss with his striker. Sharing in his resigned despair at a floundering teammate is a tenuous kinship, which borders on patronising.

9) "Don't let it bounce!"

A rare example of a phenomenon that afflicts a Premier League side just as much as it does your Sunday league rabble. Letting the ball bounce, especially there, is (like raising your hands to an opponent) traditionally asking for trouble.

10) "See it out!" vs "Leave it!"
The former is perfectly acceptable, the latter an absurd taboo. Physical and verbal abuse is dished out in spades but no-one's ever conceded a free-kick for shouting "L**ve it!" after the age of about thirteen. 

Thanks to Twitter for providing the occasional few #sundayleagueshouts that weren't about being "pissed from the night before" and which helped compile this.