So I've run/cobbled together quite a few events in the past (2 outlaws, 631 series, hogtoberfest, and numerous XSS things), and one thing I've noticed is you will ALWAYS ruffle some feathers, stand on someone's toes, piss someone off, find naysayers, call it what you will.
As far as I can tell from chatting to other event organisers, and indeed anyone who's run a session bigger than 10 skaters, someone always comes away with a grumble. I'm guilty of session grumbles, but now I know what it's like organising something big and feeling the heat of a number of grumbles all at once I'm doing my best to be positive and constructive instead of rashn-frahsn-mutter-mumble. If there's an issue, it can be addressed through positive feedback and politeness rather than passive-aggressive behaviour and snide remarks. The sport [longboarding] is growing, but there's definitely a few people out there who'd do well to remember it's roots - groups of friends skating for the love of skating, people just cruising because when it comes down to it, it's fun!
Event organising is a sliding scale of difficulty, and in a way as easy as you decide to make it. Make it financially easy, and someone will grumble about cost or profit or quality/value-for-money. Make it suit everyone ever and run it well and you will have a hugely difficult event to run, but no additional stress from people grumbling. Balance it - normally grumbles happen during/after an event. Can you better deal with problems before or after? You can do a lot to improve an event by advertising it accurately as well - Advertise widely and you need a more generic advert, and you will attract people who don't realise the hill is only 130m long and only really good for hard wheels, and thus get a grumble. Advertise carefully, with more info and you'll attract the right crowd to suit your event and you'll reduce niggles significantly.
To use my own event as an example, I tried too hard to do everything in a short period of time on an outlaw hill this year, and, although the event was a success and everyone had fun, I didn't meet all the hype as the boardercross didn't go ahead, and the grom race didn't happen. The decision on the day was that placing ramps on the narrow path would lead to a lot of people being not happy/not racing (they were difficult obstacles for a majority of the turnout), and that the event would get shut down for blocking the path. Because of this, more experienced riders felt cheated out of part of the event.
The main issue I had here was I had to weigh up essentially total customer satisfaction levels at the end of the day: ramps, and 1/4 people race, with a higher risk of being busted, or everyone race, less chance of being busted, but have some of those riders complain.
Total satisfaction level puts (in general terms) everyone equal in value, so to simplify
scenario 1: 25% people @ 90% satisfaction + 75% people @50% satisfaction = 60/200 satisfaction
scenario 2: 90% people @ 90% satisfaction + 10% people @50% satisfaction = 131/200 satisfaction
This view is very utilitarian in it's application, see wikipedia for more info on it but then again I have a relatively utilitarian view towards longboarding: I try to put the what's best for longboarding first. Getting 20 odd riders who have never raced and have never ridden in big groups to go down a hill together all wearing helmets counts for a huge amount - stoking the next gen of riders and involving them in the scene in an organised and saftey conscious way outweighs the need to provide an event that can only test the skills of the top 5-10% of longboarders. Market-wise as well, there's more less experienced riders and a much bigger potential customer base. But I digress.
I believe someone said aim low, and you will lead a happy life achieving all your goals. It's true, but aiming low achieves very little in the grand scheme of things. Break boundaries, pioneer things, do more, innovate, and be nice, friendly and reasonable throughout throughout. Don't get disheartened if someone decides to get a hump about what you're doing - if you've been reasonable you have nothing to worry about.
Now go do an organise!
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Friday, 18 November 2011
Internet fame and plans
Posting regularly is definitely not my strong point - I have been distracted by all sorts of things, but what's brought me back to earth and into the realms of skating is having my good friend Gbemi interview me for AllAroundSkate. Being frank, it's a little scary being interviewed - I always worry I'll come across as a dick! On the other hand I'm honoured and chuffed that he feels that it's worth putting me on a europe-wide blog, so I hope you enjoy reading it :) .
It also reminds me of my neglect for this one! Recently my skate focus has all been about XSS - indoctrinating/stoking this year's freshers into skating more and skating lots more, getting involved and really immersing themselves in the scene. And it's been awesome. Our first session? We ran out of boards to lend. Our second session? Ran out of boards to lend. We're still thin on the ground, and it's a month and a half later! Everyone is clamouring for gloves, for boards, for sessions and for it to NOT RAIN. Its excellent, and it's only going to get better as the weather improves :)
My plans for the next month you ask???
Here's what's in store:
1) Sourcing some imperial allen bolts for the benefit of XSS, and Reskue skate store. They'll be about the same price as most shops if we can find a good supplier.
2) Prototyping some gloves, with a view to teaming up with Jamie's Puck Shop if they're successful. More news on that later, like, when I have money.
3) Getting some XSS teeshirts/hoodies done up so we all match when we attend events. If they seem popular we may extend to do some non-team teeshirts for general sale.
4)??????????
5) Profit! Well, any profit made from any of the above will be going towards future events or club gear. Now the club has so many members we are going to shred through gloves, mangle boards and wheels and probably use up our 1st aid kits at a rate of knots. Stoke the scene! YEAH
6) Start chatting to the council about running skate events. And writing the 9001 page risk assessment to go with it.
7) Breaking myself doing some traditional hard-wheel sliding
8) once broken, catch up with 4 other draft posts I've been meaning to throw into the information bucket that is the internet for about a month now.
Skate more!
timmy
It also reminds me of my neglect for this one! Recently my skate focus has all been about XSS - indoctrinating/stoking this year's freshers into skating more and skating lots more, getting involved and really immersing themselves in the scene. And it's been awesome. Our first session? We ran out of boards to lend. Our second session? Ran out of boards to lend. We're still thin on the ground, and it's a month and a half later! Everyone is clamouring for gloves, for boards, for sessions and for it to NOT RAIN. Its excellent, and it's only going to get better as the weather improves :)
My plans for the next month you ask???
Here's what's in store:
1) Sourcing some imperial allen bolts for the benefit of XSS, and Reskue skate store. They'll be about the same price as most shops if we can find a good supplier.
2) Prototyping some gloves, with a view to teaming up with Jamie's Puck Shop if they're successful. More news on that later, like, when I have money.
3) Getting some XSS teeshirts/hoodies done up so we all match when we attend events. If they seem popular we may extend to do some non-team teeshirts for general sale.
4)??????????
5) Profit! Well, any profit made from any of the above will be going towards future events or club gear. Now the club has so many members we are going to shred through gloves, mangle boards and wheels and probably use up our 1st aid kits at a rate of knots. Stoke the scene! YEAH
6) Start chatting to the council about running skate events. And writing the 9001 page risk assessment to go with it.
7) Breaking myself doing some traditional hard-wheel sliding
8) once broken, catch up with 4 other draft posts I've been meaning to throw into the information bucket that is the internet for about a month now.
Skate more!
timmy
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Hill hunting - a five-point guide to finding a race/freeride
Hill hunting - a five-point guide to your next race/freeride hill
So with everyone wanting more freerides, and with a scene in Europe and the States/Canada that are all a pile of sanctioned races ahead of us, I thought I'd share some insight as someone looking to put on events in the coming year.
Arguably the most difficult part of setting up an event is finding the perfect venue. The UK is short of these, simply due to the huge amount of effort it takes finding the perfect spot then making things happen there. So if you find yourself bored, take a few minutes out to scroll through Google Maps to scout a few new spots.
Here's what would make a good hill:
1) The hill itself.
If you've raced, you know what you want, but don't discredit slightly mellower hills: having mellow freerides is better than not having freerides, so include any slower/less steep hills as well.
Points include:
Goes without saying: Beer, warmth, food, getting there and back. It doesn't have to be too close, but it really helps! When you find a hill, just check where the nearest things are. if you're 30 miles from the nearest shop, organisers have to put a lot more effort into filling the void left by the pub, and the cost of attending tends to go up
3) Camping & parking.
Is there space for 30+ tents and a load of cars right next to the hill on suitably flat ground, ideally with trees to serve as wind breaks? Ace. If not, is there some next to the pub or within a mile? Because that's just as good! Have a look around the area - a dedicated camp site nearby (within a mile) can be useful, but they don't like rowdy skaters disturbing people in the caravans.
4) Space beside the road.
Check for lay-bys, passing places, adjacent fields or areas of land that look unused or suitable for setting up a marquee on. Freeride/Race control will need a marquee at the top and the bottom - the main rider areas will ideally be beside each of these, so more space is better. You'll need to park an ambulance somewhere, and if the event is big or near a town, spectator areas and access may be needed.
5) Document your find!
Ideal tools include Google maps, where you can build your own map with lines markers etc. There' more pointers on this example - http://g.co/maps/h9338. I tried saving multiple hills on the same map but if you have more than 2 or 3 hills it gets messy and difficult to read.
Another tool is Youspots, but generally you need to have ridden the hill to post it! Also, it's a good idea to keep your find a little quiet otherwise people may go session a hill that you've never been to and hurt themselves because the description doesnt match the actual road - ie it may be a very busy road.
If you go out to the hill in person, be very careful - you'll be riding on open roads, with blind corners. The best thing is scout them in a car - it gives a good impression of the hill and reduces the risks associated with riding new hills without spotters.
I'll add pictures soon, promise!
So with everyone wanting more freerides, and with a scene in Europe and the States/Canada that are all a pile of sanctioned races ahead of us, I thought I'd share some insight as someone looking to put on events in the coming year.
Arguably the most difficult part of setting up an event is finding the perfect venue. The UK is short of these, simply due to the huge amount of effort it takes finding the perfect spot then making things happen there. So if you find yourself bored, take a few minutes out to scroll through Google Maps to scout a few new spots.
Here's what would make a good hill:
1) The hill itself.
If you've raced, you know what you want, but don't discredit slightly mellower hills: having mellow freerides is better than not having freerides, so include any slower/less steep hills as well.
Points include:
- width,
- surface,
- length,
- shutdown zone,
- alternate route to the top - so cars can be diverted and the uplift bus can gun it round quicker between runs
- how major the road is - smaller roads are narrower and have worse surfaces but are easier to close. Difficult balance!
- are there houses or farms on the route? They'll need access during the days the road is closed. It can be done but it becomes difficult. Less = better
Goes without saying: Beer, warmth, food, getting there and back. It doesn't have to be too close, but it really helps! When you find a hill, just check where the nearest things are. if you're 30 miles from the nearest shop, organisers have to put a lot more effort into filling the void left by the pub, and the cost of attending tends to go up
3) Camping & parking.
Is there space for 30+ tents and a load of cars right next to the hill on suitably flat ground, ideally with trees to serve as wind breaks? Ace. If not, is there some next to the pub or within a mile? Because that's just as good! Have a look around the area - a dedicated camp site nearby (within a mile) can be useful, but they don't like rowdy skaters disturbing people in the caravans.
4) Space beside the road.
Check for lay-bys, passing places, adjacent fields or areas of land that look unused or suitable for setting up a marquee on. Freeride/Race control will need a marquee at the top and the bottom - the main rider areas will ideally be beside each of these, so more space is better. You'll need to park an ambulance somewhere, and if the event is big or near a town, spectator areas and access may be needed.
5) Document your find!
Ideal tools include Google maps, where you can build your own map with lines markers etc. There' more pointers on this example - http://g.co/maps/h9338. I tried saving multiple hills on the same map but if you have more than 2 or 3 hills it gets messy and difficult to read.
Another tool is Youspots, but generally you need to have ridden the hill to post it! Also, it's a good idea to keep your find a little quiet otherwise people may go session a hill that you've never been to and hurt themselves because the description doesnt match the actual road - ie it may be a very busy road.
If you go out to the hill in person, be very careful - you'll be riding on open roads, with blind corners. The best thing is scout them in a car - it gives a good impression of the hill and reduces the risks associated with riding new hills without spotters.
I'll add pictures soon, promise!
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