Wings for Freedom

Day 3 of the Virginia vacation and things got busy today. Unfortunately it looks like no amount of snowboarding will be covered this trip or this post. Bummer. Instead I’m going to talk about my time spent visiting my brother. This has been well-spent time because I really haven’t seen him much in the last few years.

He graduated from Purdue in 2005 in the Navy’s officer training corp. He was sent to Pensacola, Florida for his primary flight training, which lasted about a year. During this time I saw him all of about a week and a half at Christmas. After completing this, he was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia to train to become an NFO (Naval Flight Officer) in the E-2 Hawkeye, like the one pictured above. After eight months of intense training, he has been winged and assigned to a squadron. This is the reason we visited him.

We left school after my last class on Wednesday afternoon and drove deep into West Virginia before stopping for the night. We left early Thursday morning and arrived in Norfolk around 12:30. This was perfect timing for us to catch a boat tour of the harbor. We hopped onboard at 2 and circled the bay. We got to see a lot of amazing ships, including an attack submarine, and 3 aircraft carriers. They really are an awesome fleet. With those guys supporting us in a war, I believe we are quite a force to be reckoned with. After the tour, we met up with my brother and ate some dinner at a fancy restaurant downtown. Not much else happened last night, as today was an early morning.

We met back up with my brother around 7 this morning in order to get on base for the ceremonies and such that were going on today for him. After a rather boring presentation on the E-2, we were allowed to go into the 2 different simulators they had on base. Pretty high tech stuff. Basically, three NFO’s sit in the back of this E-2 and monitor about 350 miles worth of air, land and sea. They can tell where everybody is! It’s unbelievable.

But the simulators weren’t the end of the tour. We actually got to get into an E-2 to see what the real thing looks like. I’m about 6’5” and I was bending over at the waist to get through the plane. It was a tight squeeze! By now, it was time for lunch. We stopped by an Applebee’s. We had some time to kill, so my brother drove us around the base and gave us a little tour. At 2 his formal ceremony began where he was presented with his wings and officially became an NFO!

All this was fun and good but the real party wasn’t until later in the night. We had time to grab dinner over at a Logan’s before heading to the party. The party was at a bar called Baxter's. Pretty much all the NFO’s came as my brother’s class was paying the tab. It was a pretty entertaining time.

All in all, I have seen my brother more these few days than I have in the last year. It was definitely time well spent. I just hope I can make it back out here again soon. Oh, and my next post will be about snowboarding. Don’t worry about that.

The Park Project

As mentioned in my last post, I'm on a trip this weekend to Virginia. My parents decided to save some money and we drove out here. That means something like 15 hours in the car. This has given me plenty of time to catch up on some snowboarding reading. Last week’s TWSnow had an article called "DIY or Die." It looks into a new project off of I-80 East in California. The name: Kingvale. The mission: terrain park.


The story goes like this. Some guys get fed up working for resorts. They can't do what they really want there. These guys want to push riding to the next level, and they can't progress at these resorts. So 5 guys team up and decide to build a hill entirely for park riding. Don't worry though, they aren't just some loonies trying to break free. As Snowboard Magazine puts it, between them, they have more then 20 years experience building parks all over the world. Not to mention, one of them runs Railbuilder.com, the primary builder for park features throughout the world.

So how as it worked so far? Last season could be labeled a soft opening. Although it wasn’t open to the public yet, they saw something like 40 pros roll through. Kingvale is planned to open this winter to the public. With a handle-tow taking boarders to 25-30 features, this park has plenty of potential. The dream is to have a lift with five parks from the top to the bottom.

But seriously, these guys have to be having a blast. They can go out to the mountain and just build whatever they feel like. Well…maybe more like whatever they could afford. For now, they are “paying the bills” by running a small tubing hill during the weekends. Other than money, there aren’t really any restrictions to what can be done. They have everything from natural features, rocks and plenty of trees, to man made stuff, rails, scrapped cares, propane tanks, and any other junk they feel is rideable.

These guys are just looking to have some fun. And isn’t that really the point of snowboarding? I don’t know anyone who started snowboarding because they wanted to be an icon or get sponsored. You snowboard to have fun. And that is the mission of Kingvale. To have fun.

Virginia is For Lovers

So my brother is in the Navy and stationed in Virginia for training. This weekend, he is getting his wings. If you didn’t know, this is a pretty big deal. For the occasion, my family and I are driving out to visit him. We are leaving after I get out of class today, and basically I miss half a week of classes. In high school that’d be no big deal, but this is college. I figure as long as I’m out there, might as well check out what kind of snowboarding they have going on.

In order to be prepared for the trip, I googled “snowboarding Virginia” and came up with about 1.5 million results. A bit overwhelming, except for the fact the first result was incredibly helpful. Basically, a map of Virginia with spots marking snow shops and slopes.

Because I will be traveling with my family, I have to narrow down where I can check out. For starters, anything not on I-64 or Highway 33 on the way into Norfolk is ruled out. This cuts the field from 35 to 8 or 9. Only 2 had websites linked from skisite.

The first site I looked into was Freestyle, “ your source for adrenaline sports.” At first glance, their website seems to cover 3 sports: snow, skateboarding, and wake. Closer investigation reveals one skateboard on site and few snowboards. However, this could just be a bad representation of their website. Hopefully I can check out the store in person.

The next site I looked at was Galyan’s now known as Dick’s. Not a specialty store, but an overall sporting goods store, Galyan’s had a huge selection of gear. But this is typical of an online superstore. The reality I’m sure to face is, in person there will be a much smaller selection. I can always hope otherwise.

Other than those two stores, I was pretty unsuccessful on find much about any other store. I did find out there are 3 “Play It Again Sports” in Richmond.

As the trip grows closer I really hope to stop at a couple of these snowboarding shops and find out about some Virginia snowboarding.

Bundle Up! It's cold outside...

Midwest skateboarders, not to exclude Canadians, have so much cold weather endurance, Sir Edmund Hillary would be jealous. America’s heartland has been known to have some of the most inconsistent and erroneous weather patterns. One aspect of this weather seems to be the most consistent of all, and that is the stagnate, windy, and frigid winters the Midwest always seems to enjoy or rather suffer through. But the dedicated skateboarders here have learned to adapt to anything the western sky cares to send our way. Being a Midwest-bred skateboarding barbarian myself, I know a few things when it comes to skating during the winter months. So I’d like to take the opportunity to encourage you, the skateboarder who things it’s too cold to skate, to suck it up and go skateboarding.

Before you even leave your place of dwelling or hibernation, I’d suggest dressing in layers. If it’s really cold outside, wear a pair of sweatpants underneath your jeans. This not only keeps you warm, but it also gives you a bit of extra padding when your body slams to the frozen tundra of concrete you call your skatepark. As for your upper body, consider wearing a long sleeved t-shirt or two beneath two or more hooded sweatshirts. A few layers go a long way and you can always take them off if you get toasty. A beanie is a must; I’ve been told that 80% or more of your body heat escapes from your head. Therefore, it’s not a bad idea to cover it up.

The next step regards your selection of spots. Try to look for places that are either in the direct sunlight or have a total windbreak (like an old warehouse). Be careful with that warehouse though, breaking in and entering is a felony. Places in direct sunlight tend to be warmer because the concrete absorbs a lot of heat. However, with no guarantee of a windless skate session, it can be a gamble. Another tip I have is to avoid spots with rough ground. It sucks enough to fall when the ground is cold and frozen, but it makes it that much worse when the ground is rough too.

The final tip I have for you is to store your shoes and skateboard indoors. This will make it easier to do tricks and prolong the life of your equipment, particularly that board. If your Mom throws your stuff into the garage, yell and scream like a five year old. She’ll get the idea.

It is possible to skate during the harsh Midwest winter. Believe me; I’ve been doing it for 6 years now. Just wear a few layers, choose your spots wisely, and care for your equipment and you too can survive through spring. The good news is that winter only occupies one-fourth of the year, so there are another three-fourths to look forward to.

Fundamentals: The Kickflip

Photo courtesy of How2Skate.com

I get asked how to do this one all the time. Kids will approach me at the skatepark, which I give them props for because I can be somewhat intimidating, and ask me how they can do perfect kickflips. I generally ask to see how far they are along with learning it so that I can know whether I am wasting my time. If I decide that I would be wasting my time, I’ll just say go watch a video of Andrew Reynolds or someone with a really good kickflip and learn from them. Otherwise, I will legitimately try to help them out.

The first step is the foot position, if you don’t have this right, you’re not going anywhere. Make sure that you’re the ball and toes of your backfoot are the only part that touches your tail. This will give you the pressure you need to pop. Your front foot should be placed just below the front bolts of your skateboard at about a 30 degree angle. Make sure that only your toes, the ball of your foot, and part of your arch, touch the board. If you have any more foot on your board, the board will not flip. If you have less, your skateboard with probably go vertical when you try the trick.

The next step is the pop and flick. This is one, fluid motion with two steps. The first is to stomp the tail of your board down with your back foot. Be sure that you’re not a victim of lead foot syndrome and release pressure as soon as your tail hits the ground. Regarding the flick, you want to roll you front foot forward and to the side, to get your board rotating. Imagine your foot like it’s a curve ball. It will spin outward and then return inside.

The next step is sucking your legs up and catching the board. Sucking up your legs is pretty self explanatory. Do it like you would if you were trying to jump over a chair or a short fence. Catching the board can be kind of difficult and takes a lot of practice. You’ll need to time your kickflip so that once it is done flipping, you put your feet down to land the trick. This is harder than it sounds, so don’t give up if you can’t do it right away. Skateboarding is about fun and progression, not getting upset.

The final step is landing. After you’ve caught the board, you want to land with your weight evenly distributed between your two legs. You also want to land with your knees bent to avoid falling and looking like a robot.

As hard or as easy as a kickflip sounds to do, I’ve found that there are some easy ways to learn the trick faster, particularly in the sequence of steps I mentioned about.

The first thing I suggest with learning kickflips is to try them while standing in between two chairs and holding on to them to support your body and make yourself feel lighter. This will allow you to get a feel for how you are doing the trick and what you need to change. It will help you perfect your flick and time your catch.

The other tip I have is to try them rolling into the grass. Learning any trick means a lot of falling. Practicing your trick into the grass will help you last longer and sustain more falls.

The final tip I have is to just have fun. It took me well over a year to learn how to do the trick, so don’t expect yourself to learn it overnight. Just enjoy yourself while putting the time and effort into learning something new.

Underwater Pumpkin Carving

This sounds soo cool. I would love to learn some of the ways that people do this. I am sure that there are some who just go underwater with a knife, a pumpkin, and there scuba gear, but according to Saipan which also has a link to a forum some of these guys have actual gear for this.

I think this is probably one of the more interesting scuba diving hobbies that I have heard about so far. I probably won't ever get the chance to do it since I don't live near any good dive sites, and usually don't go anywhere around halloween. Oh well, it doesn't mean i won't try it on something some time though. Maybe I'll get the chance some time. Either way I thought this was pretty cool and will try to look a little more on the forum link. I am at least really interested in what some of the people carved.

Global Warming Can Blow Me

So check it out, Tribe Films is getting ready to release a new movie December 1st. This Croatian company has gathered some of the best Croatian riders for their sophomore release. These guys really get me pumped to go snowboarding. They are always smiling and look like they're having fun the entire time. I think you will be able to download the movie after it is released.

Living in the midwest I was excited to hear a resort was opening. WildMountain is offically open for riding. However, only a few of the intermediate slopes are ridable and very few jibs. But it's a start.

What really pisses me off is the weather here. Today's forecast, 60 degrees and partly cloudy. Seriously, we aren't going to get snow until January. All the time I read about resorts opening and awesome weather, and here I am still stuck in the middle of fall.

I remember as a kid, it was freezing by the start of November and snowing midway into the month. I remember school getting canceled because of the snow.

Now days we haven't even had a frost, let alone any snow. It is raining at mountains when snow should be falling. If this isn't a sign of global warming I don't know what is. And all you idiots who don't think global warming is real, WAKE UP!

Luckly, Thanksgiving break is coming up next week and I'll hopefully I'll have a few days to get away. I look forward to colder weather.

Mark Gonzales and a bit of pondering

Courtesy of Fourstar Clothing

As weird and as lame as it sounds, I’ve been pondering. I know it might be the sign of a romantic academic, but I do believe that thinking about things makes one a critical thinker and well-versed person. One of the main things that came to mind as I pondered today was the “Day in the Life of Mark Gonzalez” section of the 2006 film by Fourstar Clothing, Super Champion Funzone. I think that Mark is probably the most insightful professional in the skateboarding community and always has plenty of interesting things to say in every video he appears in. In this particular clip Mark mentions how skateboarders want everything to be perfect. For example, they don’t want any parts of their skateboards missing or damaged. Or they want to land the tricks they are trying in the way they are supposed to be done. He uses these examples to draw a few observations about the state of American education. Mark laments that our culture often teaches kids to “settle for less” such that they wouldn’t even pay attention to the intricacies that skateboarders do in their trade.

I thought about this statement more and more; eventually arriving at the realization of its true power and insight. I think our society has, of late, ingrained this external locus of control into many of our young people. We, as an American culture, are buying into the belief that most everything being outside of our control and we consequently leave everything up to fate. I suspect that the American dream is no longer about working hard, bettering yourself, and establishing and providing for a family. Now it seems that success requires hitting a streak of luck or being at the right place at the right time.

So how much does our societies locus of control relate to skateboarding? Well actually quite a bit. You see as a skateboarder, I have learned what the fruits of hard work can be. I try a trick over and over again until I land it. That’s persistence paying off. Sometimes I won’t be happy with how I landed it, perhaps it was sketchy, and I will do it again until I get it better. That’s the pursuit of perfection. And why do I continue to throw my body down onto the ground again and again until I’ve done what I set out to do? The reason is that it is gratifying and fun. Yes, it took a lot of hard work, pain, and a hell of a lot of practice, but the rewarding feeling of success was worth it in the end. I think our culture needs to wake up and realize that kids need to be taught that persistence and the pursuit of perfection do pay off.

When will kids no longer settle for less? When will we shift our collective locus of control from being the fate-based, fallacy-riddled external type to a more achievement and hard work oriented internal type? Excelling in skateboarding isn’t about luck. Just like any other sport, it’s about hard work, determination, and the pursuit of perfection. I believe that the people who learn these values will prosper in their future endeavors. So for God sakes get up off your ass and work hard. Don’t settle for less!

To Board or To Ski: Which is Right?

Which is easier to learn, skiing or snowboarding? Many first time visitors to the slopes ask this question. This depends on your definition of easy. Do you want to be able to ride the lift right away? Or would you rather be able to ride that black diamond in a day or two? There are advantages to both skiing and snowboarding.

Skiing is most like ice-skating or rollerblading. You have the ability to use both of your feet independently of each other. For some of the less coordinated this can be a disadvantage, but with a little practice it can become easy. Another advantage to learning to ski is having poles to help you balance. These two shafts help you move around on flat ground and help keep you in place on sloped plains. On the first day skiing, you should be able to ‘snowplow’ or ‘pizza’ your way down the hill. This simply involves pointing your toes towards each other, slowing you down. This should allow you to ride the lift to an easy slope or even intermediate run in the first day. In the next couple of days, parallel carving should be easy enough. After this however, the learning curve begins to slow down.

Snowboarding is most like skateboarding or surfing. Although your feet are strapped to one board this can be helpful. No crossing of skis keeps your legs from twisting up. Also you don’t have to worry about keeping both feet together as they can’t really move that far apart. Snowboarding takes a few days to get the hang of. Learning to control the edges of the board is tough. If you use too much edge you can loose you balance and fall, but not using enough edge can cause you to catch the other and once again fall. Finding the balance between the two is one of the most important skills when first learning. Once you can turn and stop, which are very closely related, snowboarding becomes very easy to learn. Riding intermediate and advanced slopes within the first few weeks is very possible. Hitting jumps and grinding rails are two other options that open up very quickly when learning to snowboard.

Both skiing and snowboarding are easy to pick up if you have a little patience and a little time. Which you choose is ultimately up to you. So why not take a ride and try both? I guarantee both will be fun and well worth your time.

Planks vs. Boards: The War Rages

Ever since snowboards were created in the 60's, a “rivalry” has existed between snowboarders and skiers. There are many ideas as to why there is a tension between the two. My next couple of post will cover snowboarding vs. skiing.

When people are asked which is better, snowboarding or skiing, it is really an unfair question. Although both take place on snow, snowboarding and skiing are two very different sports. Snowboarding did not originate from skiing; rather it comes from a long line of surfers and skateboarders (via about). This being said it is hard to tell which is “better” because they are so different.

I can almost guarantee that every skier would say skiing is best and every snowboarder would say snowboarding is better. It is true both have their up sides and both have down sides.

Skiing:
Easy entry and exit of bindings. No hassle bending over.
No blind spots because you are constantly looking downhill.
Easy movement on flat areas.
Faster than snowboards.

Snowboarding:
Secure bindings don’t fall off when you fall, letting you get up quickly.
Less equipment to bring from the car: wear boots, carry board.
Boots are more comfortable to walk in.
(via grays on trays)

These are just a few examples of advantages of each sport. It really upsets me when either side decides to take a stand and unfairly represents the other side. A good example is in this slide-show. Every claim made for skiing can be made for snowboarding besides the speed. Snowboards are evolving. Skiers are just as unsafe. Both require skill and can do a variety of riding. Both have advantages when learning, and are nerve-racking at the beginning. This fellow just needs to open his eyes and look at the other side.

Which do you think is better? What advantages and disadvantages does each have in your opinion?

Next post will discuss which is easier to learn.