Downhill

downhill events

I started organizing Downhill events in Cisterna in 2012.

In particular:

  • In 2012 one of the stages of the IIDA world cup took place and for the first time a downhill braking race, the ROXA BRAKING CONTEST. For the first time because up until then the slide races were those of the WSSA circuit and were held, as still today, on the flat.
  • In 2013, thanks to the success and approval of the previous year’s event, both from the public and the athletes, the IIDA stage and the braking race were repeated, and I added the Italian Downhill championship recognized by the FISR, then FIHP .
    In 2014 again stage of the IIDA world cup, braking race and Italian FISR championship (FIHP)
  • In 2015 I re-proposed the Cisterna descent as a World Cup stage and the IIDA International Committee officially chose it as the World Championship among the stages this year, thus making it the most important stage of the circuit. In addition, there has always been the braking race, while I moved the Italian FISR (FIHP) downhill championship to the next IIDA stage in S. Stefano di Valpolicella (VR) which took place on 5 and 6 July.

The braking competition, that is the ROXA BRAKING CONTEST, even if it is not part of the international IIDA circuit, was very significant as it represented a link between two disciplines, currently both recognized by the FISR: downhill and slide; not only that but it anticipates a bit what I think will be the future of slide racing.

In fact, when you will be able to do all the braking that exist, how will you judge in slide competitions? Difficulties will have to be added to make a selection!

A difficulty that has already been added, but only for a couple of years (after my Cisterna braking race in which it was already taken into account in the evaluation), is a line at which you must stop without crossing it .

The next one, which still does not exist, will be to arrive faster and to do this, if the race takes place on the track or in any case on a flat space, an idea may be to start a quarter from which to get off the athletes so that they have more speed or if the race takes place in an open space have a small descent at the start before the flat section on which to brake, or even choose the entire course of the slide race on a false floor, from the start upon arrival.

In downhill, you need to know how to brake and descenders who do not use the brake usually use as slides at any speed (even at 80 or 90 km per hour) the drift (parallel), or the Magic They are braking in which both skates slide and therefore they are very effective in the sense that they allow you to brake or slow down in a short time and space. Instead in the races of the Slide discipline, you need to know another braking, in addition to drifting and magic, even if obviously they are practiced at lower speeds.

But the number of possible braking points is limited and in fact in my DVD that I used when I taught, together with Massimo Barsotti, in the FISR courses for coaches, I explained the method to obtain them all, about fifty, classifying them in order of difficulty and reporting in the list some braking that had not yet taken place.
However, most of the braking are figures of style and are practiced on the flat at limited speeds.

In my downhill braking race, as you can read in the regulation, you can use any slide, and indeed the purpose is precisely to see which braking, in addition to drifting and magic, are possible downhill, at a much higher speed.

In 2013 I tried to understand among the various possible slides, those that allow you to slide with elegance and style until you stop, even downhill. An example is shown in this video where I use Acid as a slide:

The Cisterna braking Contest is called ROXA BRAKING CONTEST because I have always had my skate sponsor help me with the prizes, as you can read below.