Written by Kristy Byrd. Photos taken by Tate Nations and Joe McLaren.
Mississippi Grass Roots Slalom Skateboarding held its annual Luna Slalom Jam April 26-27. In Brandon, MS, the 2024 race boasted a brand new hill proving to be a true main event!
Friday night, racers took on the GS course under the glow of the streetlights. The new location brought out many spectators, cheering on each racer as they barreled down the course. Josh Byrd took 3rd, with Joseph Kyle Smith and Lou Statman battling it out for the top spots. In the end, Joseph Kyle Smith claimed 2nd and Lou Statman came in 1st.
Photo by Tate Nations.
A Class – Giant Slalom
- Lou Statman
- Joseph Kyle Smith
- Josh Byrd
B Class – Giant Slalom
- Marcos Soulsby-Monroy
- Isa Ruiz
- Bobby Thomas
C Class – Giant Slalom
- Paul Graf
- Jeremy Coffman
- Chris Larson
Racers got an early start Saturday, as both Tight and Hybrid courses were scheduled. The wind dictated Tight Slalom would be the first course of the day, with racers going head to head for the win. Siblings Josh Byrd and Sarah Byrd-Compton had an exciting matchup for 3rd and 4th place, with Josh Byrd ultimately claiming 3rd. Jonathan Harms swept in and claimed 2nd place, and Joseph Kyle Smith took 1st.
Photo by Tate Nations.
Photo by Tate Nations.
Photo by Tate Nations.
Photo by Tate Nations.
A Class – Tight Slalom
- Joseph Kyle Smith
- Jonathan Harms
- Josh Byrd
B Class – Tight Slalom
- Jeremy Coffman
- Marcos Soulsby-Monroy
- Richy Carrasco
After a small lunch break, with sandwiches and cookies provided by local Girl Scout Troop 4313, the Hybrid course was ready for action. Racers gave it their all to round out this year’s race, with Lou Statman placing 3rd. Josh Byrd and Joseph Kyle Smith battling it out for the top two positions. After a close race, Josh Byrd took 2nd place and Joseph Kyle Smith secured 1st.
Photo by Tate Nations.
Photo by Tate Nations.
Photo by Tate Nations.
Photo by Tate Nations.
A Class – Hybrid Slalom
- Joseph Kyle Smith
- Josh Byrd
- Lou Statman
B Class – Hybrid Slalom
- Isa Ruiz
- Marcos Soulsby-Monroy
- Bobby Thomas
C Class – Hybrid Slalom
- Francesca Rosario Custodio
- Kevin Kamins
- Chris Larson
Once racing ended, racers gathered for awards. Each discipline had A class, B class, and C class medals for the top 3 racers; however, the top 3 overall for men and women won prize money! Overall men winners included Josh Byrd in 3rd place, Lou Statman in 2nd, and Joseph Kyle Smith in 1st, making it his second year in a row to win Luna Slalom Jam overall! Overall women winners included Isa Ruiz in 3rd place, Sarah Byrd-Compton in 2nd place, and Lynn Kramer in 1st place!
Overall Placements – Men
- Joseph Kyle Smith
- Lou Statman
- Josh Byrd
Overall Placements – Women
- Lynn Kramer
- Sarah Byrd-Compton
- Isa Ruiz
The racers weren’t the only winners this year, though. The event also raised $1224 for Friends of Children’s Hospital, a local non-profit benefitting the Children’s Hospital of Mississippi. This new partnership is a way to give back to the community, while also educating and spreading the word about slalom skateboarding. After the awards ceremony, all racers went to Mudbugs to celebrate!
Clifton "Raddog" Jennings
This year’s Luna was missing a familiar face – Clifton “Raddog” Jennings. A long-time Luna supporter and MS Grass Roots Slalom Skateboarding figure, Clifton unfortunately had to sit out this year’s race due to health concerns. While not there in person, you could feel his presence with racers giving him many shoutouts throughout the day, even signing a poster with “Get Well” messages to be presented to him at a later date.
MS Grass Roots Slalom Skateboarding would like to thank OffTheRailsTV for their live broadcast of the weekend’s events, Boy Scout Troop 229 for being excellent first-time cone judges, cone marshall Lisa Ordono, Caitlin Foreman and Friends of Children’s Hospital, Meredith McCullough and the Brandon Main Street Association, Mudbugs, Girl Scout Troop 4313, Photographer Tate Nations, DJ Jayce, Stephen and Juliann Blane for timing, Jonathan Harms, Marcos Soulsby-Monroy, and Lou Statman for emceeing, La Costa Racing and USA Slalom Skateboarding for showing up and having a blast. We’d also like to thank ASSET Engineering, Revell Ace Hardware Reservoir, Allen’s Supermarket, Lucid Ink, Lucky Town Skate Shop, Sk8Kings, RipTide, Pat’s Risers, La Costa Racing, USA Slalom Skateboarding and the ISSA for supporting our race as well as every single person who came out and made Luna Slalom Jam 2024 a true success!
