French Freestyle Slalom Champion Whirls Through Skateline Bishan Park

Former Freestyle Slalomm champion Sebestien Laffargue wowwed skaters and park-goers with his tricks at Bishan Park on Sunday (5.30pm, April 17). Sebastien has a long string of slalom titles under his belt, most recently first place for the men's FreeStyle Slalom at the Lugdunum contest last October in Lyon (France). His name is often found on the top spots of freestyle slalom competitions across Europe from Switzerland to The Netherlands. The well travelled slalom elite has travelled many countries in Europe and Asia to showcase his skills and promote the growth of the discipline.

On this special appearance at Bishan Park made possible by vice president Eddie Chua of INSSAS, Sebastien demonstrated freestyle slalom and speed slalom moves, plus a bonus showcase of special ways of stopping, many of which are seen for the first time in Singapore. Sebastien was wearing his specialised MX brand skates, which are specifically designed for slalom. The skate has been developed over a year with direct consultation from Sebastien, who feels that current freestyle skates on the market still has technical limitations for slalom. The MX features a rare diagonal strap across the widest part of the foot, as well as very stiff boot base more akin to speed skates than fitness recreation skates. The frame mounting also caters to seven different positions for mounting for exact positioning. The MX skate or its variants are expected to debut in Singapore before the mid of this year.

Sebastien's tour of Singapore is part of promotional activities in Singapore's bid to host the slalom world cup competition here. It is understood that negotiations are still underway between the local associations and the competition organisers. Slalom enthusiasts should start practicing early while hoping for a positive outcome! [Ed]

See more of Sebastien at this profile page :
http://funky.man.free.fr/English/Slalom/Riders/France/seblaffargue.htm

and one of his most watched slalom videos here:
http://funky.man.free.fr/English/Videos/slaffarguelyon04.mpg