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Longboarders put on a show

Thousands turn out for inaugural Whistler Longboard Festival

The first running of the Whistler Longboard Festival couldn't have gone better with roughly 3,000 spectators turning out to the Whistler Sliding Centre on Sunday to watch boarders race each other down the service road. The sun was out, there were no (serious) injuries, there was lots of passing and the final race of the day in the men's open had a crash and some controversy.

Event director and racer Lee Cation said it was a good start for the event.

"We had an amazing day, everything went off better than expected," he said. "The most positive sign is the response from Whistler - from the residents, from the Whistler Sliding Centre, Whistler Blackcomb, the resort municipality."

The course, which featured seven turns from top to bottom, plus a 300 metre vertical drop, also lived up to its reputation. There were crashes, as can be expected when groups of four and six longboarders race down a steep, curvy track, but nobody was injured beyond cuts and scrapes.

"The course was super challenging, and I'm confident to say that it's the most challenging and fun racetrack in North America. And I'm super-stoked that everybody made it out alive, so to speak, and that everything turned out fine."

Cation has big plans for the festival, and one day he plans to turn it into a multi-day, multi-venue event that shows off other roads in the Whistler area. In the short-term, he said he'd like to get some cameras on the course so spectators at the bottom know what's happening on the upper part of the track.

"It's a large playing field like alpine skiing so you can't catch all the action, you can't see the whole field, just a couple of curves," he said. "What it needs to pop is cameras on each corner. With live feed streaming, a beer garden, then we're cooking with fire. But it just doesn't happen in one year, it takes two years, three years."

Cation is also blown away by the growth of longboarding, but he's urging skaters not to poach roads. He's concerned that someone will be hurt or that stakeholders that allow events like the festival to happen will feel disrespected and shut down future events.

"We have to work with residents," said Cation. "They have to respect us and they have to be familiar with our activity. But it's growing so fast that it's very hard to control. It's growing like wildfire."

Cation also raced on Sunday, placing first in the men's master category for skaters over the age of 30. He was followed by Jim "JimZ" Zimlanski, Elskey Crozier, Wes "Hollywood" Sampson and Frank Cote.

The open class was the most professional group. While the top Canadians are recovering from injuries or in Europe, that opened the door for California's James Kelly to take the event. He came from behind in the finals, making a pass in the last turn that resulted in some contact and a crash.

"It was a little close," said Kelly. "There was definitely some heated racing. It was one of those situations where I was coming in hot and had to make room for the pass in the corner and there was a little contact. But that's downhill skateboarding."

Some crowd members were chanting for a rematch - which are common in the sport when there's been some contact - but Cation said the skaters would have to settle it at the next event in the longboard downhill circuit.

Kelly agreed that it was one of the best courses in North America. "It's everything downhill skateboarding wants," he said.

The finals were particularly challenging.

"There were six of us bunched and the line, with Zac (Maytum) and Kyle (Martin) leading into the first straightaway, then I was leading into the first right. That was the most interesting part of the race, it was super-exciting - there were six guys all trying to rally through this right turn at 50 miles an hour. We were right next to each other. I almost fell after I got my back wheels clipped... and it was just gnarly close racing. Everybody slid out except for me and Kyle."

Kelly kept trying to pass but seemed to make a mistake in every corner until he finally got the edge on Martin at the bottom.

With thousands of spectators, Kelly said he was blown away by how much the sport has grown in recent years.

"This is my fourth year doing the circuit and watching the sport change and progress over the last four years has been amazing," he said. "I feel so lucky to be involved in this community. I really think this is a special thing happening right now, and I mean all over the world."

Louis Pilloni was second, Alex Tongue third and Martin, back on his board, finished fourth. Zac Maytum and Andrew Chapman were fifth and sixth in the finals.

There was also a junior category. Vernon's Brendan Davidson took the win over Australian Kelly Carter, with Aidan Lynds and Alex Johnston following up.

Davidson said the course was similar to roads he trains on in Vernon so he felt right at home. The surface was also on the rough side, making it a little slippery in the turns.

"The final race was definitely tight up top," he said. "Alex Johnson was coming up on me in the first corner and I went out front and held it - and Kelly Carter was hot on my ass the whole time although I broke away a little at the bottom."

That was Davidson's plan - to make the hole shot and hold the lead the rest of the way.

Only 16, Davidson missed most of last year with an injury, although he did manage to get out to the Maryhill Festival of Speed in Washington State. Next year he hopes to enter more international races and get to Europe and Australia to race.

For more on the Whistler Longboad Festival, visit www.whistlerlongboard.com. There is also a Facebook page.