Grays On Trays

A couple weeks ago, TIME magazine asked the question, “Is snowboarding getting spoiled by big money?” While the article makes some good points, it’s also annoying.

First, the good points. One, at the professional level, snowboarding is becoming more dangerous. Halfpipe riders are pushing the boundaries of what anyone thought possible, in terms of aerobatics and height. With greater thrills comes the opportunity for greater spills, spills that can be deadly. (I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody dies while trying the Next New Thing in the halfpipe.)

Another good point is that safety equipment can encourage more risk-taking. This is a well-established theory, called the Peltzman Effect, that you see especially in discussions of driving.

And it’s also likely true that corporate dollars have helped accelerate the progression of halfpipe riding, though I suspect that even without Red Bull money (used to build a private halfpipe practice facility), Shaun White would still be pushing back the frontiers of riding.

Finally, a video of Gretchen Bleiler talking about her training routine makes it clear that top riders are truly athletes. (Jump to 2:38 along.)

It doesn’t take long for the nonsense to surface in the TIME article, though: “But as Olympic snowboarders are soaring to new airborne feats, some in the sport are worried about the extreme risks and seemingly endless dollars being spent.” This suggests that the former causes the ladder. Now, it’s true that the opportunity for fame and riches can encourage some riders onward. But there’s also a competitive streak that inhabits the human soul that some people will follow regardless of dollars.

TIME also channels a hippie-style view of snowboarding:

Snowboarders also fear tunnel vision training will be used to “breed” athletes for competition.

“There’s a lot of artistic influence and individuality, which I think is core to what makes snowboarding so awesome,” says Izzo. “We are not necessarily cultivating and developing snowboarders anymore.”

“It scares me,” she adds, “because it really takes away from what snowboarding is and what it should be.”

As the money and risks rise, the loss for snowboarding could be the very things that draw so many to the sport — its accessibility, esprit de corps and sheer pleasure.

I don’t know about you, but my pleasure in snowboarding will be affected if Shaun White or any other elite snowboarder feels like he has lost his individuality, esprit de corps or sheer pleasure. To borrow from a sport that is in season now, golf, playing on the PGA tour must, after a time, be as much of a job as filling out TPS reports each week. But the plight of the professionals does not hinder the pleasure of weekend hackers.

(Thanks to Powd3r for the pointer.)

How fast do Winter Olympics athletes go?A writer for The Wall Street Journal took a radar gun to the Vancouver games and made some interesting discoveries:

• One of the women’s bobsled team’s reached 91 miles per hour (mph)
• Thomas Morgenstern went 59 mph in ski jumping
• Christopher Del Bosco reached 54 mph in men’s ski cross
• Romed Baumann reached 53 mph in men’s giant slalom
• Shani Davis reached 36 mph in the 1,500 meter speed skate
• Zhifeng Sun had a top speed of 31 mph in the women’s snowboard halfpipe
• Torin Koos reached 21 mph in men’s cross-country skiing
• Hockey players skate at 14 to 20 mph
• A Zamboni operates at 11 mph
• Kevin Martin slides down the curling ice at 8 mph

The Journal provides no speeds for any specific downhill skiers, though it puts them at “about 80 miles per hour.” Reed Albergotti, author of the Journal article, does not mention the speeds of racers in the skier cross or snowboard cross events. The Bend Bulletin, for perspective, reports that racers in the parallel grand slalom typically reach “more than 40 miles per hour.”

It’s common for professional athletes to change their roles as they age. George Blanda was an NFL quarterback who became primarily a kicker. As a result, he played 26 years in a league where the average career is only 3.5 seasons. In Major League Baseball, the designated hitter position, to quote Tony Gwynn, “allows older players to play a few more years.” Tennis players, for their part, can extend their careers by moving from singles to doubles matches.

Competitive snowboarding, too, may have a new career path for its old veterans, though as is the case with most sports at the highest level, “old” is relative.

Ross Powers won a bronze medal in the halfpipe competition of the 1998 Olympics–a distant era in the world of snowboarding. He went on to win gold at subsequent Olympic and World Cup events.

Now, Powers may compete in the 2010 Olympics. He just won’t do it in the halfpipe. He’s running in snowboard cross, which is something like a track meet on snowboards, with elbow jabs expected. He placed third in a recent qualifying event, in Telluride, Colorado.

According to the Ski Channel, Powers was inspired to take up snowboard cross while he was an alternate in halfpipe at the 2006 games: “I grew up doing a little of everything, racing gates, doing freestyle. In 2006, I was the alternate in the halfpipe, went over to Torino, watched these guys do snowboardcross, and I was fired up about it.”

Since Powers started snowboarding at age 9, he’s not exactly someone in my target audience–people who take up snowboarding after age 30. After all, he is … 30. But it’s good to see him adapt and succeed. I’m looking forward to seeing him race next year.

An article about a 43-year old science teacher in Iowa gives us a good portrait of a mature rider who enjoys the sport as a way to challenge herself.

Susan Maurice, who teaches at a middle school, says that her students can benefit from her example. Then again, so can the rest of us.

My message is this: If you don’t try something you are not proficient at, you will never begin to address the obstacles on the road to success. I did it – I was fearful and anxious, but still persisted in my lack of ability. I am hoping that when my students see my attempt, they will know that the success is in the trying what is not comfortable – and you can achieve if you believe.

She received a couple of medals in a statewide event. Granted, she was the only person in her age group in the halfpipe and slopestyle event, so a podium finish was guaranteed. And that which was once not comfortable is now something she enjoys and can take pride in. That’s an accomplishment.

So did you watch any of the Winter X Games this last weekend? I did, in part so I can “revisit” a portion of Buttermilk, where I have spent a fair number of days skiing and riding.

Here are a few thoughts on what I saw. They’ve not necessarily connected to each other, so I’m putting them in bullet points.

* Would I like to see the games in person? No way. There were 18 to 20,000 people attending each event, from what I remember, and it looks like I would have to try to catch a peek at from behind 30 rows of people. Or I could look up at the big screens on site–which would be a little like watching the games at home. But being on site would have several disadvantages: I would be cold, since I’d be standing and not moving around); I’d have a headache from the 90 db music and public address system; and I’d have to make my way through throngs of people to get to the restroom.

* Though I haven’t ridden on a snowmobile since I was in junior high, I might enjoy taking a spin on one someday. But sled races and jumps seem out of place. Skiing and snowboarding are largely silent sports, and the roar of the snowmobile events is a bit jarring. Still, I have to admit that there were some interesting parts in a few of the races. But the aerial tricks make me wonder “Why would anyone put themselves at risk like that?”

* I hope my VCR recorded the men’s slopestyle event on Saturday. I enjoy watching that more than the halfpipe since there’s more variety. A rider or skier can choose between a box and a rail, for starters.

* I watch the halfpipe action and sit amazed. It’s hard enough to see what each competitor is doing, let alone imagine doing anything like it.

* Kelly Clark flies out of the pipe more than the other women. I wonder why. And why do skiers get more “big air” than snowboarders?

* The men’s big air contest on skis made me long for the days of the mysterious judging panel. That event, unlike the others, was decided by a popular “vote” of people sending in text messages. The gold medalist, Simon Dumont, performed one trick (two different times) that was certainly fun to look at. But it wasn’t gold-medal worthy. Whatever happened to “progression,” as in rewarding athletes for innovative and more difficult tricks? Dumont’s tricks were so old school that they were doubtless performed on straight skis.

* Congratulations to Shaun White for becoming the first snowboarder to win back-to-back gold medals in the history of the Winter X games. But did he deserve it? I’m inclined to agree with commentator Todd Richards, who said something like “If Shaun wins with this run, it will because of his reputation.” Arguably, he should have won silver.

* I’ll admit to a bias: I enjoy seeing Anti Autti do well, since he wears Flow bindings, which I enthusiastically endorse. Who says that you can’t do well wearing an unconventional binding? Unfortunately, this former gold medalist managed only a fourth or fifth.

* Cheering for an athlete because of his sponsor. Isn’t that a NASCAR sort of thing?

* Speaking of NASCAR, I enjoyed watching the skier cross and snowboard cross, which are roughly speaking NASCAR on the snow, but without engines. (The obvious comparison is the snowmobile race.) These events are something like roller derby, in that some bumping goes on, leading to some competitors falling down. (Unlike roller derby, the contact is supposed to be incidental, not intentional.)

* A race without much competition is boring. Exhibit A: The monoski race. Sure, I have to admire the competitors for responding to their paralysis or other injuries by finding a new way to engage the snow. But the winner of the men’s event–was there one for women?–was so far ahead, it was like watching a downhiller from some third world nation take on the Austrians in an alpine race. No contest.

* I know that Buttermilk is a great place to host the Winter X games, and Aspen is a fine mountain town. But I also feel a bit for my ski companions (now in their 70s and 80s) who have lost a part of their favorite mountain. They should be arriving in Aspen next week, but the halfpipe and the berms of snow used for the snowmobile events will still be constricting the base of Buttermilk. It used to be a joy to cruise down the main face of Buttermilk, from the summit to the base. But I’ve found in recent years that the final approach is so constricted (prone to icy buildup) that it’s best to spend all day on the Buttermilk West or Tiehack flanks and avoid the base of the mountain until the end of the day. Sigh. The price of a wildly successful event.

I’m always open to adding new snowsports-related blogs to my reading list. A new one on my list is Skiing and Snowboarding by Martin Griff, published by NJ.com. Griff writes a regular ski column for the Times of Trenton, and added the blog in December of 2007.

I haven’t had time to browse the collection, but it has a mix of photos, short commentaries, and links to full-length columns he has written. Check it out.

One blog entry that caught my attention is “That gray haired guy is a competitor!” It’s about Dick Schulze, a retired attorney who teaches snowboarding in Tahoe–and competes in snowboarding events. Somewhere in one of my e-mail boxes, I have a letter from him or from someone else about him from a few years ago. It’s good to see that he’s still going strong.

Now if you were going to be a 62-year old competing in snowboarding events, which would you pick? Slopestyle? Halfpipe? Big air? Boardercross?

If you’re a snowboarder, your participation in the sport may not be limited to your own turns down the mountain. You may find out that your children want to participate in competitive events. Watch out; that may break the bank.

The Pocono Record makes this point in an article published earlier this year. (“Snowboarders pay price for fame, glory,” January 7, 2008)

It mentions a series of competitions at the local and regional level that culminate in a national event held in Colorado. The competitions are sanctioned by the United States of America Snowboard Association (USASA), the leading organization for amateur events.

“But many children who qualify for nationals don’t get to go,” we read. “Why? Their parents would have to spend a fortune to take them there.”

Consider that as a parent taking your children to regional events you’re already paying a significant chunk of change for lift tickets, food, gas, gear, team fees, event fees and hotel bills. The costs multiply at the national level:

“Stephen and Shirley Messina of Churchville in Bucks County estimate they spent $10,000 to bring their sons Stephen, 17, and Christopher, 13, to the 2007 Nationals in Lake Tahoe, Calif.”

The reason: hotels, tickets, registration fees, and food, among other things.

So did you watch the X Games?

I saw a few segments: the men’s one-trick competition, the men’s superpipe final, some slopestyle heats, and perhaps the skiers slopestyle.

Even though I can’t do any of those tricks–and given the risk of injury had I tried, I don’t really want to attempt them–I can enjoy them. It’s much like watching a PGA professional stick a fairway shot to three feet within the hole. I frequent similar venues and use similar equipment, but the results just aren’t the same.

Last year I put together a list of 30+ year old competitors in the X games. Of the 18 podium slots available to snowboarders (men’s and women’s superpipe, slopestyle, and boardercross), only one was snared by a 30+ rider, 30-year old Soko Yamaoka, who took third in the women’s superpipe competition.

It looks like this year’s version of the official site, EXPN.com, doesn’t have bios of every invited rider. If you happen across a link, drop me a line in the comments.