Monday, January 28, 2008

Back to Colorado?

It's the 4th week in January and the 3rd place I'm heading this month. Yipee for February. SBX NorAm race Wednesday AND Thursday, so this should be good. It will also be good to get home and dig my dog out from under the pile of clothes in my room.

Forgot my handy cord so I can't put any new pictures up. Look, I'm busy, I can't even find my binding straps, all I do is pack and unpack my car, so I forgot. Sheesh. Sorry. New and exciting blogs will be coming this way as yes people, we will be getting internet at my house next week on the West Shore. Thank God. 2008 is it?

So the update for now is there's lots of snow. All I've been doing is leaning on my back leg and surfing the stuff.

Big thanks this week to Sean for hooking up Plumpjacks so we could walk right onto the hill. Big sissy - didn't want to get up early. And Solomon, for another two pairs of goggles. Adidas rock, especially when they're free. Now I can see, if only I can get up the nerve to wear those damn contacts, I might just win one of these days.

Monday, January 21, 2008

"Two shorten the road."

"Yes, and 8 jackass snowboards make it unbearably long," I thought when I glanced up at the Irish proverb on a sign at a restaurant we ate at near Denver airport, after the chaos of the trip.


Two delayed and re-routed checked bags, one misplaced snowboard bag, one lost (or stolen) snowboard bag with about $2,000 of equipment, two arguments with coaches, 10 squished and uncomfortable car rides, 2 frenzied drives to the races and course inspections, and much bickering over trivial things (like where to watch practice video) later, I come home from Revolution Tour stop #2, Copper Mountain, Colorado.


This was the most uncomfortable and irritating trip I have been on with the team. It was the twilight zone of snowboard bags, things lost and misplaced and still not found. Bummer to lose equipment. I didn't lose anything, except the race.


As for that, 42 girls did a time trial each. The top 16 go to finals to get a chance to compete with one another, and win a spot at the Grand Prix in Idaho next month. But, you guessed it, I got 17th. Yuck. I ran a 52.12 second race, the girl in 16th was at 51.55. Jeeez. Okay, I'm riding better, I love these courses, my knee feels great, and a two year hiatus from boardercross is long, but I won't be at peace until I place well. I was so frustrated I didn't watch much of the finals, snowboarded off to ride pipe at the mountain, and didn't really say much to the rest of the team.

I cruised back to watch our fruitcake coaches place 3rd and 4th. I stood about halfway down the course with 5 other people, riders and officials. Riders crashed and flew off course here and there, and after each race the officials had to confirm their section of the course was ready. I listened to the walkie-talkies "Finish: Clear," "Section 5: Clear," all the way to section 1 and "Start: Clear." Then a woman's voice with an Australian accent would announce, "Riders on course." 4 riders would sail over the first jump 5 seconds later, then through the 8 or 9 bank turns that snaked down to the finish. I thought of the conversation the night before, about the fact that the best racers have been around for a long time, and have miles of race courses under their belt. Even younger kids who are 17 and killing it, have been racing since they were 10 years old. Boardercross is a style of riding that takes some time to learn, like pipe and slopestyle. To me it's beautiful because it's fluid, exciting, and unpredictable. I listened to one rider who stood next to me after he was knocked out call it "lotto-cross." The best rider might be clipped by another guy and someone else advances.

At this point I was okay with not making finals, but of course not satisfied. It might take a little more time, more races, but I've improved a lot since I began. I want to be back where I was, and go further than before.

Back to Copper Mt. on Monday for two races for the SBX NorAm: http://www.ussa.org/magnoliaPublic/ussa/en/events/snowboarding/competitions/sbxnoram.html

Happy and excited for that one.


Meanwhile the USASA series begins at Alpine on Saturday. It's good to be home for the moment.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” - Proverb

I crashed over the 2nd big booter in the Belmont park at Squaw Monday, resulting in some large bloody cuts on my right hip, some pain breathing that night, and today as well. It looked like I was trying to do a 180, I was told. I wasn’t - just got off center. I almost like big crashes now, as long as there's no hospitalization. I have something to learn, something to prove to myself still. Or at least that’s what I tell myself after I crash.

This is what the day looked like anyway:










Hey, I'm not in an office, so that's still cool.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Baggage Claim at SFO

SFO is funny. I mean, c'mon. This was the last bag. We saw it as we waited for our "oversized luggage" snowboards to arrive. We were the only ones left though.

I'm curious if the last beer of the night, my last meaningful relationship, the last drag of that joint, the last dollar in my bank account, the last bit of sanity I had are in there too. What's in this suitcase? Really.

I bet there's a bunch of Superman Underoos underwear in there. That'd be funny for the Federal Aviation Authorities to discover.

Blasted! I should've opened it. Thwarted by electrical tape again.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

"If Everything Seems Under Control, You're Just Not Going Fast Enough."

Duluth, Minnesota. Revolution Tour Stop #1. My first race in two years.

Here's a drawing of the boardercross course we saw taped to the table at registration. I took a picture because I though it was funny. They never have diagrams for us. Triple, table top, kicker/drop-off thing, bank turn, feature, feature, step up . . . I memorize the course in my head. Pretty fun, although a slow course. Yup, Minnesota.


Here's a short video of a practice run at the top of the course with friends. I'm in the black helmet, brown jacket in the middle. I looked good, I felt good, but I didn't place well in the time trials. I can't stand time trials. I just don't feel like I'm really racing and I tend to relax a bit instead of turning the heat on. It takes some getting used to.

So I think I have to scare myself a bit more, hit everything high speed, and remember that "If Everything Seems Under Control, You're Just Not Going Fast Enough." Auh yeah, Mario Andretti.

It was fun, I felt strong. I'm looking forward to shaving the seconds off my time that I need, and hopefully getting to knock a few people down in a race. All's well for getting a course back under my feet after my hiatus.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Duluth, Minnesota


Team loaded and headed to Minnesota. This is what the general picture looks like. We haul our snowboards, waxing kits, helmets, luggage through airports, car rentals, escalators - I'm looking at another 3.2 months of this. Greeaate.

On the plane I started thinking about emergency/evacuation cards:


"Oxygen gets you high. In a catastrophic emergency, you're taking giant panicked breaths. Suddenly you become euphoric, docile. You accept your fate. It's all right here. Emergency water landing - 600 miles an hour. Blank faces, calm as Hindu cows. " - Tyler Durden, Fight Club.



This picture is whack. With the number of passengers who look at these cards, the amount of travelling that goes on every moment of the day, you'd think they could find a decent artist to draw a few pictures of people getting high.

This kid in the blue looks like a troll. The artist couldn't even get him to look like he's sitting. Maybe the angle of my shot isn't the best . . . no, trust me, it's bad. Who was the artist for all these evacuation cards, the Chairman of the Federal Aviation Authority's retarded son?

I also got to thinking about oxygen. If it's a drug and it really makes us calm, docile, then why doesn't every household have a tank on hand? Seems better than prozac, whiskey, whatever you inhale, for those moments of extreme stress or arguments over nothing. Just take a mask and a big inhalation and everything will slow down - answers, logic, and peace will will present themselves. Right?

I would dig some oxygen right now.

This guy is also weird looking. Anyone seen the movie, "The Mask"?


Friday, January 4, 2008

Blizzard



I've been inside all day. I've organized my bank records, my medical records, moved into my new house . . . watched many movies. Is this why I quit my job and left all my friends in SF? Jeez. It better be pretty stellar on Monday, after this storm has passed. By that time I'll be at my first comp in Minnesota. Minnesota for godsakes. Blech.

We can't leave here. I feel like I'm on house arrest. 145 mph winds? I wonder what that really feels like.

My god I'm bored. At least someone send me a good man and some massage oil! That would be something.

Maybe I'll do yoga, or meditate. Meditate about a good man and massage oil.

I can feel my brain shrinking. I miss you stimulus. Tell everyone I say hello.



POST BLIZZARD:
Snowy and Disel on the street in 3' or 4' of fresh snow. Yes, that is my street. Deep man. Deeeep.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Here It Comes

...THE STRONGEST OF A SERIES OF STORMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT BRINGING HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY SNOW....SIGNIFICANT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AND STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUS AND POSSIBLY LIFE THREATENING WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...MAKING TRAVEL NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE ACROSS SIERRA PASSES. - www.weather.gov/reno

Life threatening eh? This reminds me of all the times I have had to sign those competition disclaimers that read statements like this: "Boardercross is a dangerous and potentially life threatening sport. I hereby promise not to sue that crap outta this mountain or the United States Snowboarding Association if my participation in this race results in serious injury or death, broken teeth, the need for facial reconstruction, and total loss of all pleasure or ease in such simple acts as walking and bending over when I am 57, if I am to actually reach such an age ." I find those hard to sign, at times, depending on how hung over I am of course. Sometimes it's just amusing.

The first big storm is coming, and I feel like we're going into bomb shelters up here. My friend, my roommates, even my dog (you better take your crap now buddy) are preparing - stocking up on food, movies, lot and lots of condoms, er, and, good books. Yes, good books. It's annoying and it's stimulating to be both victim and victor to the lashing of the weather again. Stuck inside while 110 mph winds blow through the whiteout, and riding the 8 feet of fresh snow down the mountain when it's done. RIDERS ON THE STORM. In San Francisco, there are two seasons: Foggy and Not Foggy, High 72° Low 52°. November, May, whatever - I often forget what month it is when I'm walking down the street on a sunny day in that city. Hawaii is the same, roughly, except for the size of the waves.

If I write again, you'll know I didn't make the mistake of driving through the LIFE THREATENING Sierra Passes on my way to get my nails done. If not, well, it was a good run, but not that good. I never have climbed a palm tree to its top with my bare feet and hands - one of my life goals. Sad.

I've got to make it to the spring.