#divine wheels

Catalina Two of Two

Most of the reason we're allowed to do this race on this sleepy little retirement community-cum-island-tourist-attraction, it seems, is how professionally it's run, and how sleek it looks.  The dudes behind Resource Distribution (Divine Wheels, Paris Trucks, Riviera Boards, Decent Hardware...) threw a hefty chunk of change and some name recognition of their most well known brands towards what they hope will become the future standard on which skateboard races will be run.  The city hosts a motorcycle race every year on a similar course to the one we utilize and even uses the same Soft Blocks (the best replacement for hay I've ever seen) that we do, so they're marginally used to concentrated levels of anarchy descending upon their little island paradise.  Our race is also held on the same weekend as a rugby tournament (likely by design, as to keep the total amount of time of visiting miscreants to a minimum, as rugby players and downhill skateboarders famously like to party).  

The race probably only draws a few hundred people - participants, families, friends, but on such a small island you can really feel the influx in density.  Cruising around town the night before the race there was a strange feeling in the air.  Tourists window-shopped off the gluttonous memories of dinner, hawaiian shirts and bermuda shorts don'd as skaters putted in and out of the nightlife, fists pounding with promotional Pabst and stealing glances at promiscuous pumas; grom's congregating on the street-corner eating ice-cream and chattering about their setup's and debating the winner of tonight's party or tomorrow's race, too young to partake in the evening's revelries and too inexperienced with their steed to race in the Open Classes just yet.  

Catalina Freeride

Every year on Catalina Island (for the last two, anyway) the whole trip there’s always one generally pervasive thing gnawing away at my mind:  ”I CAN’T believe they are letting us do this”.  Held on Cinco De Mayo weekend, the Catalina Island Classic gets it’s name from the legendary downhill and slalom skateboard races of the same name that took place on the other side of the island in the 70’s.  There’s the customary day of practice riding and some sort of qualification thing.  As i was just shooting (and partying) that weekend so we hopped on a late ferry on Saturday and got there just as the day’s runs were coming to a close.  

The next morning I awoke with a broken phone and a generally positive disposition, all things considered, and got up to shoot the course after the requisite supplies had been foraged from town.  The event is an invitational, making sure that only skaters with big name sponsors skate in the event, but also ensuring this is very few racer’s first rodeo.  The shred level was high right out of the gate, with some of the skaters (Levi) even neglecting to put his hands down during a race heat.  The course winds it’s way down a beautiful mile of mountain asphalt, with four sliding corners and a 40mph top speed, making it moderately slow by modern racing standards.  Retirees would make their way into their robes and out of their timeshares, hop a golf cart (which are absurdly ubiquitous on the island - it’s got a 17 year waiting list to get your car out there) and buzz up to the race course to get a taste of the action, listen to Striker announce and maybe buy themselves a collapsible water bottle from a sponsor tent.