History of Slalom(abridged) By John Gilmour

Slalom skateboarding emulates Ski slalom style racing, where slalomers race against the clock or side by side with another competitor in an identical prescribed course. Time penalties are assessed if the cones are struck. Slalom speeds range upwards of 30 mph with competitors rounding 5-6 cones per second.  
 
Today's top money making skateboarders like Tony Hawk are recognized for their aerial abilities riding up vertical walls while performing various tricks. Yet in the early 1970's the top money making skateboarder of all time was Henry Hester, a slalom skateboarder.  
 
Slalom skateboarding has spread well beyond the boundaries of its California roots, finding cross training participants in ski country. In 1978-79, The ARA series (Another Roadside Attraction) was born in Summit County Colorado.  
 
In the 1980's nearly all the focus of skateboarding coverage shifted to "vert " skateboarding- though many of the racers remained loyal to this facet of skateboarding, without any way for racers to obtain slalom racing gear, or coordinate information about races, skateboard slalom seemed doomed in the USA.
 
USA Slalom  gear found its way into the hands of enthusiasts and by the mid 1980's, in  parts of the UK as well as Switzerland, France, Sweden, Germany, Spain, and Italy prompting the production of the SLALOM! the sport's first international slalom magazine. Ironically the most slalom equipment was produced behind the former Iron Curtain. Contests flourished in Latvia, Estonia, Russia (Leningrad, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Saratov), and what is now the Czech Republic. In 1993 the French and Spanish Olympic Committees recognized the skateboarders as the most organized in an Extreme Sports games.
 
A series of races held by Marcus Reitema at West Los Angeles College, helped bring slalom racing to life. Skaters came from all over to compete in this series. Later Jack Smith and a classic slalom racing club, Fat City Racing, decided to join forces in 2002-2003 to create the FCR series of slalom skateboarding and  nationally televised some slalom skateboarding races in California locations such as Lake Tahoe, Catalina Island, La Costa, San Francisco, Lake Elsinore, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, and races outside of California in Breckenridge, Colorado, and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
 
Other promoters hosted separate race events  that have become "Annual Events" ensuring that slalom racing's future. Slalom racing is now happening in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York,  Washington D.C., West Virginia,  Mississippi, Georgia, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Maryland,  California, Florida, New Jersey,  and other states- many with multiple events.
 
Germany, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, France, Venezuela, Sweden, Latvia, Russia, and Japan revived their slalom scenes as well. Just go to slalomskateboarder.com or ncdsa.com for information on the latest upcoming events, order a board online and start practicing! You may find yourself at a slalom race next to the Eiffel Tower, downtown Tokyo, at England's Brands Hatch Grand Prix track, or on the French Riviera, or in the start ramps at La Costa California where it all began. Just ask 2003 World Champion Kenny Mollica who started slaloming 3 years ago and hails from….Columbus , Ohio!