Welcome
Welcome to The Snowboarding Zone
Snowboarding was once considered an xtreme sport but is widely gaining attention and appeal as a popular regular sport with some aspirations for the Olympics. It combines the speed of sking with the style and flair of skateboarding.
Lindsey
Jacobellis:
The End of Snowboarding Innocence
by Terry McDermott
Lindsey Jacobellis flew into the frigid Italian
atmosphere as a celebrated and admired snowboarding superstar but,
after an adrenalin-fueled grab at her board in mid-flight, she returned
to earth in a meteoric flameout destined to make her a lock for
membership in the sports Bonehead Hall of Fame. But her gaffe also
represents a watershed moment for a sport once typified by such actions.
Snowboarding
is a serious sport populated by serious athletes. Participants in
competitions throughout the world work and train and sacrifice to race
and win and be recognized as the best in their sport. But the ascension
of snowboarding from a wild, rebellious and carefree winter activity to
a corporately-sponsored, mainstream, Olympic-level competition has
resulted in attitudes and expectations that are radically divergent
from the once-radical personality that dominated the sport.
Lindsey
Jacobellis began snowboarding in rural Roxbury, CT when she was
10-years old. Coached by her older brother, Ben, Lindsey was forced to
compete against boys since there was no girls’ division for the sport.
This co-ed racing helped her develop a highly competitive spirit.
Leading up to the Olympics she trained with the American men since she
is the only U.S. woman competing in snowboard cross. She is, quite
simply, the best women’s snowboard cross racer in the world. But, as a
result of her fall in the Italian Alps, she will not be an Olympic
champion in 2006.
What Lindsey Jacobellis will be, to many, is a
showboating hot dog. She will be derided for being cocky,
over-confidant and foolish. One television reporter stated that Lindsey
had left a “blemish on the sport of snowboarding.” Another said that
the “nation’s hope for a gold medal” in this event rested “solely on
her shoulders.” Her agent is probably on suicide watch after seeing his
dreams of gold medal endorsement deals get swept away in an avalanche
of shattered dreams.
And how does Lindsey feel about all of
this? "I went for the jump because I was having fun," she said.
"Snowboarding is fun, and I wanted to share that with the crowd. ... I
was caught up in the moment and forgot that I had to race.”
Poor
Lindsey. Doesn’t she realize that competing at this level is not
supposed to be fun? That getting “caught up in the moment” was a
reckless, selfish and careless demonstration of naïve exuberance?
How
could Lindsey have been so irresponsible that she would have allowed
the thrill of flying down a frosty hill, free, fast and in first-place
by a snowboarding mile, to be manifested in a flamboyant maneuver for
which snowboarders used to be hailed?
“Used to be…” That is the
operative phrase at the moment. Snowboarding has come of age. Millions
are watching world-class athletes compete for gold, silver and bronze.
Fame and fortune await the winners. Only memories of a temporary place
on the world stage await the rest. But Lindsey Jacobellis will forever
straddle the chasm between Olympic winners and Olympic losers. She now
carries the weight of Olympic silver around her neck and the stigma of
Olympic failure on her competitive resume.
By her self-inflicted
disaster, Lindsey Jacobellis has elevated snowboarding to a premier
winter sport. No longer will the freewheeling, high-flying, “hey dude,
watch this,” X Game-style mentality apply to competitive snowboarding.
It’s about winning and money and national honor and endorsements.
Getting ramped up and having fun are no longer permissible attitudes
for the sport.
Dude, this is serious!
About The Author
J.
Terrence (Terry) McDermott does not ski nor can he snowboard. He does,
however, manage a website that offers tons of ski and snowboard
equipment at SnowboardsandSkis.com. If he did snowboard, he hopes that
he would share the same healthy perspective that Lindsey Jacobellis has
so far demonstrated.
termcder@gmail.com
Tips for Learning
how to Snowboard:
by Danielle Rose
Learning to snowboard is difficult just like
any
new thing that you may try. It will take time to learn, but by doing
simple things and learning simple techniques, you will be snowboarding
soon!
Learning how to snowboard can be difficult and certainly
can be painful if you don’t learn how to fall correctly. Before ever
setting foot on a snowboard, you need to be aware that you are going to
fall, and learn how to do it properly.
Taking beginning lessons
is a good idea, because it will teach you the basic concept of falling.
It may sound simple, but it will also teach you that the snowboard
slides down the hill, and teach you to keep your balance on it. Once
this is achieved, you can begin learning how to control the snowboard,
and how to turn it. Shifting weight from the toe-side to the heal-side
edges of the board is what is going to allow you to steer the
snowboard. http://www.mountainsnowboarding.com/learntosnowboard/
One
thing you might want to do before you ever go out to the hill is
practice on the carpet first. If you set up your board and do some
“carpet riding” in order to get used to standing on the board, it may
help you be more comfortable out on the hill when you get started.
Setting yourself up on the carpet will help you get used to your stance
and practice with bending your knees before you are going down the hill.
It
is easier on the carpet to change your stance to see if you are more
comfortable riding goofy or regular (right foot forward = goofy, left
foot forward = regular). It also gives you a chance to see which
muscles you will be using and practice with pivoting and shifting your
weight before the board is going to slide too much on you. Practicing
on the carpet first will allow you to be comfortable with the board
before you start your lessons up on the hill.
It’s difficult to
learn because one concept you need to be comfortable with is leaning
down the hill. By nature, when we are being pulled down the hill, we
want to lean back, but in snowboarding that isn’t how it works. When
snowboarding, you need to control the board with your front foot,
putting your weight going down the hill.
Keys to learning the
basics are remembering to keep you knees bent, and to look where you
are going. Keeping your knees bent is going to help you relax and keep
your balance going down the hill. Looking where you are going is the
same as with a lot of things. If you look down, you are going to fall.
Looking at your feet is not going to help your balance, but if you look
to where you want to go, your feet can follow your eyes.
Getting
out on the hill for the first time can be very scary, but also can be a
lot of fun. Remember to wear the right clothing for the weather, so
that you are warm and comfortable. If you are cold and wet, your
snowboarding experience isn’t going to be fun. Dressing in layers is
recommended. Experienced riders can be fine out on the slopes in
snowboarding pants and a sweatshirt, but for a beginning rider who may
spend a lot of their time in the snow, layers are a good idea.
Also,
remember to warm up your muscles and stretch before going out onto the
hill. The experience can be ruined by pulling a muscle while going down
the hill. Snowboarding is a physical activity, so it should be treated
as one. Warming up and stretching before going out, but also not
overdoing it on the first day. Snowboarding takes time, and trying to
learn when you are exhausted will only make you more frustrated.
After
the first day, it may seem as though you are never going to learn, but
don’t give up. Falling can be frustrating, but it happens to everyone.
Given time and practice, you’ll be fine. Once you have the basics,
you’ll be able to go wherever. Don’t give up! It may take time to
learn, but it’s worth it in the end. Snowboarding is a fun recreational
sport that can be done by everyone. It can be a family event, or and
event with friends.
Remember, time and practice is what it takes
for you to become a good snowboarder. You are not going to be an expert
right away. Snowboarding is more difficult to learn than skiing because
balance is easier with speed. A person who is uncomfortable with
snowboarding is typically uncomfortable with speed. However, once you
overcome this fear, and learn the basics, snowboarding is easy to
master. You will feel comfortable because you have learned to control
the snowboard, and can feel free to explore the mountain or back
country as you please.
About The Author
Danielle
Rose is a featured writer for http://www.mountainsnowboarding.com, a
site dedicated to providing info about Snowboarding. To learn more,
visit our site. http://www.mountainsnowboarding.com/FJ/howtosnowboard/.
Disclaimer
To the best
of our knowledge these are all from either the public domain or free to
use, and a link either has been or will soon be placed on our link page
whenever possible to credit the sources of the photos and tips.
If for some
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We hope you enjoy these photos and tips.