West LA College, California May 2002

Reported by Jason Johnson

Cinco De Mayo. What a day to kick off the first round of the IGSA California Championship Series. The event took place at the West LA City College in Culver City. Five different disciplines were contested at the event. They were Tight Slalom, inline, Stock gravity bike, 3/4 fairing gravity bike, street luge and buttboarding. The turn out was pretty thin, with the inline guys making up the bulk of competitors. And in a strange twist, only one luge rider showing. The hill was fun. Its a little over an 1/8th mile, that drops straight down into a right hander onto a flat parking lot followed by a short chute. Finally leading you into the crucial hairpin where the race is won or lost. The buttboarding competiton was made up of 4 riders. Jason Johnson, Earl Ross, Scott Peer, and Chase Orta.

The racing was tight between the top three finishers. The start proved to be the factor in Johnson's overall victory in the event. Chase (the youngest buttboard competitor that I know of) did very well and shows endless potential. This kid will be a force sooner than most thought. The next event in the series will be May 19th back at WLAC. Hope to see you all there. It‚s a fun inexpensive way to compete regardless of your skill level.

Classic Luge

1. Jason Johnson

2. Earl Ross

3. Scott Peer

4. Chase Orta

Darren Lott ©2002