The Voice from the Pacific Northwest Newsletter [ Page 2 ]

Glenn Koshi is the face in North America for Australian based BONT International. His seventeen years of exposure in the skating industry has provided him with a vast knowledge of what is going on, what works and what equipment people prefer to skate on. He provides us with his invaluable service to grow our sport. As the manager of Team Bont North America his days are indeed full (he is also responsible for sales, customer service, shipping and marketing), but has found the time to answer a number of questions.

Q. There has been a lot of talk all around about the different wheels/frame setups. What are your thoughts and comments on where the skating industry is heading to in this respect?

G.K. I'm a bit worried that the simplicity of the sport might be a thing of the past. It seems that it might come to the point where skaters will have different setups for different race conditions. Owning one set of frames seems to be an exception rather than the rule now. However, I think a lot of people are getting into "strange" setups without really devoting the time required to answer the question, "Is this setup really faster than my previous?" I think some people are putting on a particular frame setup, skating, and then saying "This setup is definitely faster that X setup," without quantifying it with real numbers. And just because one skates X distance on Day One, on one setup, and is faster on Day Two with another setup doesn't necessarily mean that setup number two is faster. There are dozens of factors involved...what did you eat that day versus Day One? Wind speed and direction? Are your bearings exactly the same as Day One (probably not)? Maybe on Day Two, you had a bad day at work, and you skated harder because of it. Maybe on Day Two you had a Doberman chasing you down the street!

Tony Muse has a 5k track in his backyard. If there's anyone who is consistent on one particular track, it'll be Tony. When he went from a 5 x 80mm to a 5 x 84mm setup, he said he felt slower and less stable. However, his watch kept reading times one minute faster than with the 80mm setup. Consistently. Now, that's what I would call positive results.

Q. From the sounds of things there has been some testing with BONT of a new lighter prototype wheel. This information is supposed to be released soon. Can you give us a little glimpse into what we can expect?

G.K. I don't think it is anything that hasn't been done before, to be honest, but we're trying to improve on what has been done. This wheel, called the Cragar, will accommodate 688 (mini) bearings. It's also a bigger diameter hub, as big as we felt we could make the hub. I heard that it's coming in at around 19% lighter than our Generation 2 Invasions, at 84mm. The wheels should be ready by mid April.

I'd like to touch on the subject of mini bearings, if I could. The term I keep hearing out there is "spin out", that the mini's tend to wind down quicker. I've heard, from engineers (I'm not one, and I don't claim to be one) that the further the balls in the bearings are from the circumference of the wheel, the faster the setup is. I've heard this from several engineers, so I imagine it to be true. If so, why the negative feedback about the mini bearings? One, I think that the skaters were just on inferior bearings. Two, there are the conditions, again, like I mentioned in the previous question. For instance, was wind a factor? I know that I've been skating on the mini ceramics, and in 17 years in this business, I've never skated on anything faster.

Q. Having said that, what equipment is Team Bont International skating on for the 2004 season and what results have already shown?

G.K. Well, I can't mention just yet...but it is a 5 wheel setup. The engineer who makes our wheels gave us a report on what he feels is the fastest setup (quantity of wheels and size of wheels). We've modified the sizing a bit to be more user friendly, and we're going with it. Frames and wheels should be ready to go in May.

Q. What has been the most exciting development in the realm of BONT for this year? Other than the wheels, is there another revolutionary product that is being introduced to the market?

G.K. Revolutionary? Other than the wheel quantities and sizes, the changes have been minor, I think. I would say that all manufacturers have their hands full just experimenting with wheel sizes. The problem isn't making frames...that's relatively inexpensive. Wheels are a different story. Every time we come out with a different wheel size or profile, it's US$25,000 before the first wheel has even been poured. As far as revolutionary, with the failure of the clap, I think manufacturers are less likely to produce a component that strays too far from what's been proven. Bont is working on a short track ice blade, though, that has been making tidal waves in the ice industry, which has been dominated by one blade manufacturer, Maple.

Q. On a different subject, at what events can we expect to see you and Team BONT North America, and what is your favorite event?

G.K. I'll certainly be at what I call the Big Four. Disney, St. Paul, Duluth and Long Beach. There are others, of course. My schedule can be seen at: http://www.bont.com/racemeet.htm. My favorite event? I really like them all. From the grass roots events like the Cactus Classic in Tucson to the granddaddy, Duluth. I also love going to the ice events. Being at a world class ice event is unbelievable. I was at the Junior World Long Track Championships this past winter, in Minnesota, and it was just great. If you can get to one of those events, like the World Cup short track event, it's well worth it, just to be there - even if you're an inliner.

Q. Can you tell us a little something about your personal life? What keeps you going?

G.K. Hmmm...well...personal life, huh? First, I love what I do. I consider myself very fortunate to be able to make a living from of these sports (ice and inline). I love working for Bont because they are honest and ethical. That's what keeps me going, if you're talking about work. They're wonderful people to work for, and to deal with. There are some out there that may disagree, but then we know that we cannot please everyone. We try, but we can't...it's just the nature of business.

I live in Southern California. I will probably never leave, I love living here (I'm 1/4 mile from the beach). Those of you that have visited Huntington Beach probably know what I'm talking about! Right now, my personal life revolves around work, play (!) and my dog, Sadie. And the Lakers...GO LAKERS

Q. Lastly, wWho do you think has the best chance of winning the BONT bachelorette competition and will go to Belgium for a date with Britta?!

G.K. Oh, definitely Peter Doucet, until I tell her that he skates for Mogema! Sorry Peter! :)

Thanks, and happy skating to everyone.

Glenn

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