This event marked the first sanctioned IGSA race in the province of Ontario, Canada. The small town of Picton, Ontario became the host of the 2010 Canadian Nationals, located 2hrs outside of the Greater Toronto area. The course shot straight into the town with speed of 75 km/h being reached by the downhill skateboarders and up to 85 km/h by the street lugers.
The event was met with rain over the entire weekend but was largely drowned out by the wonderful sunshine on Saturday. The practice and qualifying on Saturday went smoothly and with plenty of runs for everyone. Pavement fixes to the course had ultimately created a chicane element that many had grown to enjoy the whole weekend! Spectators were out, very curious to see what new event had been brought into town by local Kolby Parks, event organizer.
The friendly residents of Picton made everyone feel welcome and created a great atmosphere. Saturday finished up with many satisfied riders heading to an organized racer signing session at the local skatepark, followed by a spaghetti dinner that was topped off with apple pie and ice cream! Mmmmmm, I had 3 servings! After dinner a small sprinkle of rain foreshadowed a slippery transition into Sunday.
Rain. Rain. Rain. Did it stop the race on Sunday? No. It rained during the morning practice runs and into lunch with scattered windows of rain. Riders continued to skate the hill having a blast in the wet conditions, while I decided to try to stay warm and wait out the weather. After lunch the rain had stopped and the wet road remained slick and I decided to race.
Racing was fun and interesting on the 1.2 km track all the way to the end. I had adapted to the wet road quickly and made it into the semi-finals in the lead. Coming into the last left, I broke hard but it felt like not enough. I slid a bit and gripped up a little bit in the drying pavement just enough to throw me off balance and crash me out. I tried to get up as quick as possible but the flat exit of the turn had set me behind as the two riders behind me avoided me and slipped by knocking me out into the consolation round.
I started in 3rd for the consolation heat and moved into 2nd place out of the chicane and on my way into into first at the end of the straight prior to the final left. I let the rider in front of me know I was on the outside of him and this must have startled him into a wobble which took out my board from beneath me and sent both of us to the ground. I was sliding backwards looking uphill watching my board get further away from me knowing all hope was lost. I finished in 8th place overall but had a fun time being challenged by the competition and the small but crafty course layout.
Congratulations to Patrick Switzer on becoming the 2010 IGSA Canadian National Champion! The PEC Gravity Fest was a great success and was definitely one of the best organized races I have attended. I had a great time and look forward to returning to Picton next year. Thank you to Kolby Parks for organizing the event and to everyone that made it possible! Also thanks to the entire town of Picton, Ontario for giving the event the thumbs up!