Here is the article that I wrote about my week in Beijing for the competitions:

naomi-2007-beijing-ispo-slalom.htm

Submitted by Naomi [/html]

I've just heard about a Battle competition in Russia in February, very cheap flights make a week skating in Russia an amazing opportunity. Check out the forum thread for more details.

Forum Thread

Submitted by phil

Im feeling a little tense & nervous, so please excuse the rather stiff update.

Cheryl & I have been in Korea (Incheon & Seoul) for a week now, and tomorrow will travel with the Korean team to Shanghai. Theres about 200 people registered for one competition or another.

Seb etc & half the Australians will also arrive tomorrow, not sure about the Singaporeans or the Russians. The Other australians will cut it fine & arrive on friday.

Judge training has been happening since yesterday (6th Aug), so a couple of the Koreans are already out there.

Its rained a great deal in Korea since we arrived. its not usual for it to rain here, but this is the rainy season...

Olympic park's surface is one of those really slippy ones if there is a drop of rain on it, so the weekend in seoul was tricky, though Yeoido park has a normal surface (tarmac), and in Incheon, the surfaces is like that of Olympic park, but they have that super smooth area underneath, in the subway station, that Ive seen in vids.

I haven't really practiced my combo for shanghai whilst ive been here, as have been trying to learn some new things, particularly some really great basics. We've both been really lucky with the help that we've been given.

They are all extremely friendly. Weve been hanging out with Crazy Slalom, No Break, Remix & Narsha (the freeride part of No Break). Craxy Slalom are based in Incheon, No Break & Narsha were at Olympic Park (though they came to Incheon tonight for the indoors area), and Remix skate at Yeoido Park.

Im really nervous about going to shanghai & meeting everyone. I think tomorrow will be a tense & pretty scary day. Ive been skating now for 13 years, and its been a peculiar and varied journey, with various turning points, & periods of discovering more about myself and what skating is to me... if that doesnt sound to touchy feely. Im pretty sure that im in the middle of one of those right now.

Its weird because many of the people Ive been hanging out with this last week are people that I knew (from vids) before I met them. Im used to being the one on the other side of the situ, and the last time this really happened to me was when I met Seba for the first time, after using his vids to teach myself slalom back in 2003. It feels different now though. back then I was starry eyed and excited. this time, im... kind of fearful instead, and less hero worshippy.

its going to be an exciting competition, especially with the two australian competitors. Its their first competition, and they are my 'students' from melbourne & brisbane. They will be the first Australians to compete in a competition. Talk about baptism by fire. If im scared, I can only imagine what they are.


Submitted by Naomi [/html]

Well, there is a competition at ISPO China in Beijing next month, and in a flurry of spontaneous excitement, I decided to go. So I just bought my tickets. Not sure the format of the competition, but hey it'll be fun... Its about 550 stirling for return flights if anyone fancies coming over too - guarranteed to be fantastic fun & a great experience, and the great wall is pretty close too, so im staying an extra day or two to do that sort of thing too!
Submitted by Naomi [/html]

Naomi Grigg has written a review of a recent Battle format competition she helped judge in Singapore for the main London Skaters site.

"Singapore's biggest annual Slalomania competition yet, with over 70 competitors took place on Saturday 28th October on a huge 5-basket ball court sized open air sports ground."

read more here.