This might not be news to you, but when I heard it the other day, I almost lost my mind. A friend of mine coaches at Windell's. He says people actually sign up for the academy, plunk down tens of thousands of dollars per term in 'tuition,' have lofty expectations of shred stardom and have yet to strap into a board. Wow! Just let that sink in for a second. That would be like signing up for a college journalism program without knowing how to write.
So much for wanting to go out and have some fun in the snow. From the first time these kids touch it, they're on a career path. Parents, I think you skipped the 'lift ticket and lesson' step. Maybe splurge on a private lesson. Snowboarding is officially on baseball's level. Big time. Academies pumping out single-minded stars. Is this what's been going on back east with all the 'mountain schools'? Are we in for a generation of snow-bots?
Kids are stoked. They get an amazing opportunity at a world-class facility. Parents are either madly in debt or have too much money to care. At that age, they're probably also stoked to send the kids away for a bit. The Academy is stoked. Did I mention tens of thousands of tuition dollars? Seems like a 'win' all the way around.
But what about the sport? That's one less kid who got hooked on riding down a hill at a local golf course. One less kid who patted down three-foot jumps to flat by hand and hucked herself 'til she couldn't see straight. One less kid who just wanted to get outside and hang out with his friends in the wintertime. All for one more kid who can do one more cork.
Here's hoping it doesn't kill the experience for them. Snowboarding isn't math. Maybe they learn to have a good time.
Showing posts with label Competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Competition. Show all posts
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Funny, I Don't FEEL Like a Warrior
The first people I see are dressed in spandex unitards: one poison-frog green, the other flamingo pink. This would be strange if I wasn't planning on donning a ninja's garb with six of my friends. Plastic swords included. Farther down the road, dozens in various states of muddiness do their best to clean themselves in a pond the color of German chocolate. Those emerging only slightly cleaner than those entering. Up the hill, past registration, the race's end comes into view. First, hundreds of tires. Then, two small rows of flaming logs, maybe 50 feet apart. Finally, the mud pit. Dive in, crawl under six strands of barbed wire and down the muddy slip n slide to the finish. This is, of course, the reason we're all here, the Warrior Dash.
 | ||
| Ready to rock or ready for bed? |
 | ||||||||
| Ruthless |
 | ||
| CHAAAARGE! |
 |
| Like something out of a John Woo movie |
 |
| You'd think this was a forced march, but we paid THEM |
 |
| Comin' to git ya! |
 |
| Is that all you got? |
 |
| Which way to the showers? |
 |
| Seriously!? |
 |
| As clean as I get |
 |
| Enjoying a warrior's dinner (thanks to Jackie for all the photos) |
(Note: My project at giveforward was a success. I raised $290, which is why you saw me in a rad costume. That money is going to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help out some real warriors. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed, including my one anonymous donor. I really appreciate your support on my first ever running event. More importantly, the LLS appreciates it. Also, I would like to thank Bob Horning and all the folks at Horning's Hideout for hosting the Warrior Dash. It was a great venue. I could do without all the hills for running's sake, but the ponds and amphitheater were great. See you again next year..?)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Change in Pace
I am not an athlete. In the summertime you might find me in a gym trying to 'get stronger,' 'get in shape' or 'get fit,' but I am never 'training.' Training involves working toward a specific goal. Semantics, all of it, really. Outdoor activity is what summer is all about. Hiking, biking, skating. Well, add one to that list. The least likely one of all for me. Running.
I am certainly not a runner. Running has always been the antithesis of fun for me. Punishment. Run a lap. Run sprints after basketball practice. Get chased by some meathead and barely escape with your face on. I guess this summer I just thought I needed a challenge. I saw the incessant ads for the Warrior Dash. What do you know, it actually looks like fun! An obstacle course spread out on a three mile run. Seems doable. If I could run three miles in high school, I could probably get there in two months. It's on! Time to start training...
The first thing I found out when I started running (jogging interspersed with walking, mostly) is that my shoes were woefully inadequate. They were actually the same shoes I just used for an all-day hike around Mt. St. Helens. Fortunately, opportunity came knocking. Through volunteer work the Snowdays Foundation, I've gotten several invitations to visit the Nike Employee Store. The foundation won a grant from Nike and ever since we've gotten the invites to the store a few times a year. I've never taken them up on it. Until now, that is. Running shoes at wholesale prices are better than running shoes at retail.
Never thought I'd buy a pair of these...
Now I just have to break them in without breaking my feet. Also, the weather is not cooperating. The last few days have been sunny and in the high 90s. I'm not a warrior yet, I'm a warrior in training. I sit inside next to a fan and eat popsicles when it's 97° outside. Speaking of frozen treats, I've even developed a reward for myself.
Best ice cream ever. If I fail, I'm giving it away.
In order to have a reward, I need to set up some goals, though. First, I need to start the race. Harder than it sounds. Real commitment involved. Inherent in that goal is the preparation. Since I never start anything I don't plan on finishing (yeah right) I also resolve to complete all the obstacles and finish with a time, not a DQ. Check out the course map on their website. This could be tricky. Finally, I want to finish in the top half of the field. My age group is going to be full of people who are 'fit.' Probably even people who were running before they heard about this race. I'm banking on a bunch of heavy drinkers and octogenarians to pull the numbers down. That last one's more of a bonus. I'm not depriving myself of ice cream-y bliss just because other people are out for medals. If I finish the race and have fun blitzing the obstacles, then these two months will be worth it.
Here is where all of you come in. By now you can tell I'm the noob of all noobs at this. If anyone has any advice on running, endurance nutrition, willpower, etc. I'll take anything. I put myself out here so that I could hold myself accountable in the end. Between here and there are more 97° days and sunburns and I want the Ben and Jerry's at the end of the rainbow. Let's bring it home and never speak of this weird running shit again.
I am certainly not a runner. Running has always been the antithesis of fun for me. Punishment. Run a lap. Run sprints after basketball practice. Get chased by some meathead and barely escape with your face on. I guess this summer I just thought I needed a challenge. I saw the incessant ads for the Warrior Dash. What do you know, it actually looks like fun! An obstacle course spread out on a three mile run. Seems doable. If I could run three miles in high school, I could probably get there in two months. It's on! Time to start training...
The first thing I found out when I started running (jogging interspersed with walking, mostly) is that my shoes were woefully inadequate. They were actually the same shoes I just used for an all-day hike around Mt. St. Helens. Fortunately, opportunity came knocking. Through volunteer work the Snowdays Foundation, I've gotten several invitations to visit the Nike Employee Store. The foundation won a grant from Nike and ever since we've gotten the invites to the store a few times a year. I've never taken them up on it. Until now, that is. Running shoes at wholesale prices are better than running shoes at retail.
Now I just have to break them in without breaking my feet. Also, the weather is not cooperating. The last few days have been sunny and in the high 90s. I'm not a warrior yet, I'm a warrior in training. I sit inside next to a fan and eat popsicles when it's 97° outside. Speaking of frozen treats, I've even developed a reward for myself.
In order to have a reward, I need to set up some goals, though. First, I need to start the race. Harder than it sounds. Real commitment involved. Inherent in that goal is the preparation. Since I never start anything I don't plan on finishing (yeah right) I also resolve to complete all the obstacles and finish with a time, not a DQ. Check out the course map on their website. This could be tricky. Finally, I want to finish in the top half of the field. My age group is going to be full of people who are 'fit.' Probably even people who were running before they heard about this race. I'm banking on a bunch of heavy drinkers and octogenarians to pull the numbers down. That last one's more of a bonus. I'm not depriving myself of ice cream-y bliss just because other people are out for medals. If I finish the race and have fun blitzing the obstacles, then these two months will be worth it.
Here is where all of you come in. By now you can tell I'm the noob of all noobs at this. If anyone has any advice on running, endurance nutrition, willpower, etc. I'll take anything. I put myself out here so that I could hold myself accountable in the end. Between here and there are more 97° days and sunburns and I want the Ben and Jerry's at the end of the rainbow. Let's bring it home and never speak of this weird running shit again.
Friday, August 21, 2009
X-Games 3D: The Movie Review
As the X-Games brought 'extreme' sports to the public, so X-Games 3-D: The Movie brings the X-Games to the public. Unfortunately, the folks that get the most out of this movie are the ones who are already on board. If action is your thing, like say Transformers if the stunts and effects were real and without the bad acting, grab a popcorn and some Buddy Holly-looking 3-D specs because this one's only in theaters for a week.
Let's get one thing straight, X-Games isn't out for any Oscars. It's most popular subjects are on the low end of the household name spectrum. Hell, most of the footage isn't even new. If you watched X-Games 14 last summer, most of the movie is ruined for you. Where this movie shines is the 3-D action. If ever you could feel like you're standing on a halfpipe watching Bob Burnquist skate, this is the movie that brings it to you.
By the way, this is not the blue and red glasses 3-D. Not the Super Bowl commercial 3-D. This is the new digital 3-D that's supposed to get viewers away from their home theaters and into the real theaters. The effect in X-Games is not the same as some of the animated movies out recently. No gimmicks will have you reaching out as if you could actually touch the action. No yo-yos bob tantalizingly out of reach. Like I said, it's just like you're on the deck of the Mega Ramp talking with Danny Way, which is much cooler anyway.
Why check out the movie when you already saw 2008's X-Games? In a word: information. First of all, the camera angles will wow you. Then, you'll take them for granted. Then, you'll realize that you took them for granted when you see just how small people look next to the Mega Ramp at the end. Impressive. The other bit of information is the subjects' backstory. You, the viewer, get to learn about training in foam pits. You get to learn about the athletes. You get to learn about the sports. Problem is, you don't get to learn that much.
The cursory attempt at exposition soon gives way to one of many lackluster attempts to build drama. This is where the movie misses its mark. These are real people. They have real stories. Then, just when they start telling them, we have to get to the action. It's like seeing an outline of Shaun White's accomplishments when what we really want is him spilling the gory details. Just five more minutes per athlete would have brought this movie into the 'compelling human interest' zone. Instead it felt like watching a rerun of the X-Games, but instead of commercials, we got snippets of biography. Not bad, but it left the sour taste of wasted potential. I know they're aiming this thing at the MTV generation, but give the audience a little more credit. On a similar topic, the incessant rotating billboards during the X-Games footage seem to make actual commercials redundant. How many times do we need to see those logos anyway?
Ever see that snowboarding movie First Descent a few years back? This one's similar, but instead of documenting snowboarding or any particular sport, it's documenting the X-Games. I find that unnecessary. Yes, the X-Games are culturally significant, but they've only been around 15 years now. Give them a little more time. Then maybe the movie will feel less like a sales pitch.
In the end, you will like this movie if you are a big fan of action sports, unless you're more about who they are than what they do or you've already seen the X-Games in question (especially if you went live). Not an X-Games fan? This one's not going to bring you to the land of extreme. Always wanted to go to the X-Games, but you live in Azerbaijan? Buy the ticket, watch them ride.
Let's get one thing straight, X-Games isn't out for any Oscars. It's most popular subjects are on the low end of the household name spectrum. Hell, most of the footage isn't even new. If you watched X-Games 14 last summer, most of the movie is ruined for you. Where this movie shines is the 3-D action. If ever you could feel like you're standing on a halfpipe watching Bob Burnquist skate, this is the movie that brings it to you.
By the way, this is not the blue and red glasses 3-D. Not the Super Bowl commercial 3-D. This is the new digital 3-D that's supposed to get viewers away from their home theaters and into the real theaters. The effect in X-Games is not the same as some of the animated movies out recently. No gimmicks will have you reaching out as if you could actually touch the action. No yo-yos bob tantalizingly out of reach. Like I said, it's just like you're on the deck of the Mega Ramp talking with Danny Way, which is much cooler anyway.
Why check out the movie when you already saw 2008's X-Games? In a word: information. First of all, the camera angles will wow you. Then, you'll take them for granted. Then, you'll realize that you took them for granted when you see just how small people look next to the Mega Ramp at the end. Impressive. The other bit of information is the subjects' backstory. You, the viewer, get to learn about training in foam pits. You get to learn about the athletes. You get to learn about the sports. Problem is, you don't get to learn that much.
The cursory attempt at exposition soon gives way to one of many lackluster attempts to build drama. This is where the movie misses its mark. These are real people. They have real stories. Then, just when they start telling them, we have to get to the action. It's like seeing an outline of Shaun White's accomplishments when what we really want is him spilling the gory details. Just five more minutes per athlete would have brought this movie into the 'compelling human interest' zone. Instead it felt like watching a rerun of the X-Games, but instead of commercials, we got snippets of biography. Not bad, but it left the sour taste of wasted potential. I know they're aiming this thing at the MTV generation, but give the audience a little more credit. On a similar topic, the incessant rotating billboards during the X-Games footage seem to make actual commercials redundant. How many times do we need to see those logos anyway?
Ever see that snowboarding movie First Descent a few years back? This one's similar, but instead of documenting snowboarding or any particular sport, it's documenting the X-Games. I find that unnecessary. Yes, the X-Games are culturally significant, but they've only been around 15 years now. Give them a little more time. Then maybe the movie will feel less like a sales pitch.
In the end, you will like this movie if you are a big fan of action sports, unless you're more about who they are than what they do or you've already seen the X-Games in question (especially if you went live). Not an X-Games fan? This one's not going to bring you to the land of extreme. Always wanted to go to the X-Games, but you live in Azerbaijan? Buy the ticket, watch them ride.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Press P-Tex for Peace
I'm not much of a jibber, but that only means less competition for the rest of you this weekend. Up at Meadows the Wham Bam Charity Jam (seriously people, is it that hard to think up an original name for an event?) is set to go off on Friday and Saturday. The AM event (as in amateur, not morning) is on Friday (as good a reason as any to skip school) with the top three finishers from a 15 and younger and a 16 and older division getting to compete against Marc Frank Montoya and the pros on Saturday for cash and prizes. Proceeds go to help Invisible Children Inc. a charity dedicated to peace in northern Uganda. Let me guess, you didn't know there was a war going on in northern Uganda. Neither did I. As of the info on their site, it's been going on for 23 years. If you're a jib star and want to help out some people who truly need it, this is your chance. If you just want to know more about Africa's longest running war and help out without fear of reconstructive surgery, check out this page for screenings of their movie near you. If you just want to see some live action on the man-rails show up at Meadows Friday and Saturday. Josh King and the park crew will set it up and MFM and the pro crew are sure to tear it down.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Competition or Community?
This weekend two of the most opposite contests in the history of competition are going down: the 24th Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom and Red Bull's Snowscrapers. One is a long-standing race that gets hundreds of groms, pros and old souls together for a few days of racing with nothing more (or less) than locally-made prizes and a trophy fashioned after a roll of duct tape. The other is a first-time mega-jump with uber-sponsors and hyper-promotion (and-I-love-hyphens!). Battling it out for spin-to-win supremacy and 100G's in prizes will be 16 hand-picked combatants.
Tonight, the first ever Red Bull Snowscrapers kicks off in New York City. The scaffolding jump is reminiscent of Air and Style, but with a hip landing; a gap hip, if you will. I've never seen anything quite like it. Not sure what will go down. Initial reports say the speed isn't quite right, so I hope they got that fixed. Anthrax (the band, not the disease) is set to make an appearance. Oh yeah and the prize pool is 100,000 bucks, so everything is huge, large and/or epic. Check out the info at Red Bull and watch it live at GO211 from now 'til around 6pm Pacific Time.
Tomorrow the qualifying runs start for the Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom, one of the most storied snowboard races of all time. Tomorrow night, Jamie Lynn's band, Kandi Coded, will rock the Joowanna Café in Maple Falls. Coincidence? Probably not. This is one event that might be more about people getting together off the hill than throwing down on it. Run in the same natural halfpipe since 1985, the LBS course changes a little every year, but the basics are the same: banked turns and high speeds. On the same run are everyone from 10-year-old amateurs to 60-year-old grandfathers. The last chance to qualify is Saturday, then the finals on Sunday determine who takes home the tape. Oh yeah, they have a baked salmon dinner and a bonfire on Sunday, too. That's it. No live broadcast, no commercial interruptions. Money donated to causes infinitely exceeds prize money because there is no prize money. Really. A contest with no prize money. And it's not a qualifier for other contests that do have prize money. If you don't get it, you might have to drive east on WA 542 to find out.
An interesting connection: Travis Rice and Terje Haakonsen are listed as competing in both events. Also, the band Valient Thorr is playing Snowscrapers while they played in Kandi Coded's spot last year. Maybe the two events aren't so different after all. It's all snowboarding, ya know?
It's a little late to get to NYC, but GO211 has the live coverage of Snowscrapers right now. I'm making the drive up to Baker tomorrow and might even have a blog from there for you. Not that the internet can capture the legendary vibe, but maybe it will get you to check it out for yourself next year...
Tonight, the first ever Red Bull Snowscrapers kicks off in New York City. The scaffolding jump is reminiscent of Air and Style, but with a hip landing; a gap hip, if you will. I've never seen anything quite like it. Not sure what will go down. Initial reports say the speed isn't quite right, so I hope they got that fixed. Anthrax (the band, not the disease) is set to make an appearance. Oh yeah and the prize pool is 100,000 bucks, so everything is huge, large and/or epic. Check out the info at Red Bull and watch it live at GO211 from now 'til around 6pm Pacific Time.
Tomorrow the qualifying runs start for the Mt. Baker Legendary Banked Slalom, one of the most storied snowboard races of all time. Tomorrow night, Jamie Lynn's band, Kandi Coded, will rock the Joowanna Café in Maple Falls. Coincidence? Probably not. This is one event that might be more about people getting together off the hill than throwing down on it. Run in the same natural halfpipe since 1985, the LBS course changes a little every year, but the basics are the same: banked turns and high speeds. On the same run are everyone from 10-year-old amateurs to 60-year-old grandfathers. The last chance to qualify is Saturday, then the finals on Sunday determine who takes home the tape. Oh yeah, they have a baked salmon dinner and a bonfire on Sunday, too. That's it. No live broadcast, no commercial interruptions. Money donated to causes infinitely exceeds prize money because there is no prize money. Really. A contest with no prize money. And it's not a qualifier for other contests that do have prize money. If you don't get it, you might have to drive east on WA 542 to find out.
An interesting connection: Travis Rice and Terje Haakonsen are listed as competing in both events. Also, the band Valient Thorr is playing Snowscrapers while they played in Kandi Coded's spot last year. Maybe the two events aren't so different after all. It's all snowboarding, ya know?
It's a little late to get to NYC, but GO211 has the live coverage of Snowscrapers right now. I'm making the drive up to Baker tomorrow and might even have a blog from there for you. Not that the internet can capture the legendary vibe, but maybe it will get you to check it out for yourself next year...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)