Competitive Events One way to enjoy snowboarding is to engage in competitive events. Yes, even Grays on Trays compete. LIFE IN THE USASA If you're interested in competitive riding, take a look at the United State of America Snowboard Association, better known by its acronym, the USASA. It bills itself "the first governing body exclusively for competitive grassroots snowboarding." The USASA conducts open as well as age-specific events, including some for the "seven and under" set. But once you hit 30, it has four different age divisions for snowboarding adults: Master (30 to 39 years old); Legend (40 to 49 years old); Kahuna (50 to 59); and Methuselah (over 60). Note that in the Bible--in Genesis 5:27--Methuselah was said to have died at an age of 969 years old. How's that for durability? While the management of GraysOnTrays.com enjoys simply riding the mountain, it does encourage other "gray" riders to learn about the variety of snowboarding activities, including competitive racing and freestyle (tricks) events. U.S. Snowboarding U.S. Snowboarding is the snowboarding division of the United States Ski Association. Created in 1904, the USSA is "the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding." FIS (Federation Internationale de Ski) Ever see "FIS" on trail maps? Well, the FIS is the international organization of the world's national skiing associations, and the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS) Snowboard Division is one of several organizations "administering one or more sports at world level." Olympics and X Games Please see our pages on the 2006 Olympic Games and the Winter X Games. Notable older snowboarders The November 2005 edition of Snowboarder magazine listed the following people as "Over 30 but not over the hill." We're not sure who some of them are, but apparently they're notable enough to demonstrate that age is no barrier to getting noticed. Mike Basich Tina Basich Tom Burt Tara Dakides Jessica Dalpiaz Dave Downing Chris Engelsman Daniel Franck Terje Haakonsen Bryan Iguchi Victoria Jealouse Mikey Leblanc Peter Line Marc Frank Montoya Axel Pauporte JF Pelchat Lance Pitman Todd Richards Kevin Sansalone Peter Strom Rio Rahara EVENTS CALENDAR For information on snowboarding events (eastern U.S. only), see What's on Snow. It's mostly a list of competitions, but there are some expos and other events as well. BoneheadX is a good source for Michigan. Return to the