Grace Mayernik 12/11/13 Jolynne Berrett ENGL 1010 Snowboarding

Being passionate about something is the most beautiful thing in the world. I was lucky enough to find my passion at such a young age. Snowboarding has been and will be my passion for life until the day I die. Its something I cant and wont live without. Snowboarding has been a passion for people all around the world since it first began in the 1920s. Snowboarding hasnt just created a passion in my life but created a lifestyle that I maintain and live with. Snowboarding is my life, and there are multiple reasons for that. Snowboarding makes me happy, being able to do something I love everyday has given me a different perspective on life. Now that I snowboard I see everything different. It has built and given my life structure and balance. A popular winter sport, snowboarding, is a fascinating hobby involving a deep history, health benefits and the ability to change your outlook on life, dangers, and competitions.

If you consider strapping a piece of wood to your feet and clenching onto horse reins to steer your way down the hill snowboarding then it first began in the 1920s. Skip ahead 40 years to 1964 when Sherman Poppen created a surfboard for the snow, hence creating modern snowboarding. A year after his first home design was made, his idea was put into production. The newly called snurfer (snow-surfer) found its way through toy

stores and under Christmas trees for the next 10 years. Shortly after that people such as Jake Burton started engineering their own versions of the Snurfer. Jake ended up winning a contest with a board he had created on his own and realized there was a real niche with him in that area. Parallel to Burton, the late Tom Sims produced his first snowboards in 1977. Being obsessed with skateboarding, Sims tried to go out in the snow and slide down the hill with a snowboard he built in a junior high shop-class. He glued carpet to the top of a piece of wood, and put aluminum sheeting on the bottom. Reading about these first inventions of snowboards I am grateful now for the technology that has been developed. I am lucky enough to have a pre-made board sent to me and not go mess with scraps I have in the garage to create something that will slide down the hill. Even though that does sound like a lot of fun. Snowboarding has been developing since those early years pretty rapidly. Snowboarding is an awesome sport because you can really add your own sense of style and flair to however you want to ride. Its very open to individualizing and actually encouraged.

The physical benefits to snowboarding are awesome. According to an article entitled The Health Benefits of Snowboarding on the fit day website, the average person burns about 450 calories per hour while snowboarding. Lift tickets are usually for either four or eight hours which means in a session of snowboarding you could burn anywhere from 1,800 to 3,600 calories. I dont know about any of you, but I have certainly never seen numbers like these on a treadmill or elliptical. Snowboarding is not just a cardiovascular workout, but also engages many of your major muscle groups. From your legs to your core to your upper body, each muscle group works

together to balance, turn, stop, and lift you up each time you fall. It helps lead to improvements in both muscular strength and endurance, while also improving your balance and flexibility. Snowboarding offers a wonderful and well-rounded physical workout. The benefits of snowboarding are not strictly physical though, snowboarding can work wonders for your mental health as well. Just like any form of exercise, snowboarding causes your body to release endorphins, the chemicals in your brain responsible for feelings of happiness and well-being. Snowboarding can also help lower anxiety levels and reduce stress. Snowboarding has changed my life completely. It has been a system of support enhancing my emotional and physical health. Not a day goes by where I do not think about snowboarding. My outlook on life has changed because it now revolves around this one sport. It has changed the way I look at everyday features such as handrails and benches and think to myself that would be fun to snowboard on. It has changed the way I look at people, and has taught me to not judge a book by its cover and be so judgmental.

Although the health benefits of snowboarding are abundant, drastic dangers also lie in the path. Snowboarding was rated the most dangerous outdoor sport/activity in 2008 in a study done by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Precautions you can take snowboarding to prevent injuries is wearing helmets/pads and always being aware of your surroundings. Unfortunate accidents happen though that can destroy a life or competitive career. One in particular is the story of Kevin Pearce. Kevin Pearce was a professional snowboarder from the young age of 18. He was fierce competitor to professional and Olympian gold medalist Shaun White and was on track to

compete in the Olympics. A terrible turn of events happened one day while training in the half pipe at Park City Mountain Resort in Park City, Utah. Pearce over spinning a double cork rotation hit his head against the edge of the half pipe wall and was knocked unconscious. He was immediately flown to the University of Utah Hospital, fighting for his life. Pearce then spent the next 27 days after the accident in intensive care. After that, his family and friends began to observe his astonishing recovery. At first he was barely able to move, then he gradually regains the ability to speak, and then they saw him learn to walk again. This terrible accident has caused Pearce to end his competitive career of snowboarding but he made the most out of this situation as he can. A natural fighter, Pearce, who is still only 25, needed a new cause to throw his energy behind. Having experienced brain injury first hand, and having seen the devastating effect repeated head injuries has had on others, he is now a vocal campaigner to make sure all young snowboarders wear helmets, and speaks at schools and other events about the dangers of brain damage. He has also set up a fund to support families affected by head injuries and Downs syndrome.

Competitions in snowboarding vary on the type you are participating. It ranges from freestyle and half pipe that involve airing off jumps and completing spins and aerial maneuvers to slalom racing, which consists of gates you, are obligated to race through as fast as you can down the mountain. The upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia is the first Olympics to involve slope style Snowboarding. Slope style is a judged event that integrates a variety of jib features (rails, boxes, etc.) and jumps (tables, big-airs, etc.) as athletes go down the course, with two or more lines that they may choose. The distance

between the features should allow a smooth transition and performance. The ideal slope style course should be technically challenging, with a wide variety and balance of features in diverse combinations. This opportunity is opening up the doors for many young riders and is making a lot of peoples dreams a little closer to becoming a reality. One of my friends is currently participating in Olympic trials to try and qualify to represent her country of the Philippines in the 2014 Sochi Russia Winter Olympics slope style competition.

Through thick and thin I will always have one thing by my side, a snowboard. I look forward to continuing my life with this sport and hopefully one day am able to have it as a career. I am thankful for all the opportunities it has given me already and look forward to the ones to come. Looking past the danger of it snowboarding has kept me physically and mentally sane. Boasting from a humble history the sport of snowboarding has continued to produce talented individuals and role models to look up to. Competitively or not snowboarding is something someone can always count on, for entertainment, happiness, or moral support. Snowboarding is my true love.

Bibliography

Kaufman, Micha. "Why Every Entrepreneur Needs a Snowboard." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Mar. 2013. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

"Kevin Pearce: My Four-year Recovery from a Snowboarding Injury." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 29 Aug. 0042. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

"C.D.C.s Most Dangerous Outdoor Sports." The Lede CDCs Most Dangerous Outdoor Sports Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

"History of Snowboarding." History of Snowboarding. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://www.sbhistory.de/>.

"Burton Snowboards | History." Burton Snowboards. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

"Smithsonian.com." Smithsonian Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.