WOD of the Summer

It was a dark summer morning, much like any other (slightly darker due to the arrival of September), and I trudged my way to CrossFit Stamford half-asleep, teetering just on the edge of 6 am as I walked through the door of the aromatic gym that has come to encompass so many emotions this summer. I was feeling especially nostalgic seeing as I have approximately 2 days remaining at CFS before I head west to move onto the next adventure beneath the stars. I went through the daily routine of stretching and warm ups as I anxiously awaited what was to come. Little did I know, the WOD (workout of the day) of the summer was in store.

Really - there was nothing special about it.
I just happened to think that today's WOD was the most fun, challenging, and rewarding (I almost missed the train after because I could barely run!). In fact I'm pretty sure I will be recovering from this one for a little while.
But since I have made some literary mountains out of molehills, I will share my top 3 WODs from this summer:

1) September 1 - Jumping Mary

10 Rounds for Time:
5 Seated OH Press (25lbs)
10 Pistols
30 Double Unders

TIME - 28:20

2) August 25 - "Quadtastic"

6 Min AMRAP
15 Front Squats (75)
15 OH walking lunges (25)
15 Burpees onto plate (1 armed)
Rest 6 minutes and repeat

TOTAL REPS: 219

3) July 6 - Tino's Two WOD Death (Welcome Back to CrossFit!)

Buy In - 800m/750m Row

5 Rounds:
25 Swings
20 Walking Lunges
15 Burpees
800m Run

TIME: About 30 minutes

After a little less than 50 total WODs at CFS this summer, it has been a GREAT time with a lot of great people. My double-unders are finally shaping up and pull ups are on their way. My OLY technique is just about down - can't wait to get some weight on there! I still have 2 more WODs, and who knows, they might put these WODs to shame. Crossing my fingers for HSPU and 2 armed burpees with a fully healed wrist next month!

Top Paleo Recipes coming up next!

Check out: www.crossfitstamford.com

Powerful Words from a Powerful Man - Steve Jobs Commencement Speech '05

Steve Jobs, who stepped down as CEO of Apple Wednesday after having been on medical leave, reflected on his life, career and mortality in a well-known commencement address at Stanford University in 2005.

Here, read the text of of that address:

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.


And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903596904576520690515394766.html#ixzz1W0E0oNcw

A Mid-Summer's Nugget Dream

Well, HELLO!

It has been a good three months since I last posted. Three months flew by! My absence has been somewhat reflective of my mental and physical state: just trying to recover from the season, while keeping up with the rest of my life. None the less, my days have been filled with dreams of snow. I am dripping with envy everytime I sign on facebook and see a new picture or post from Mt. Hood or Argentina.

I left off in May with my wrist in a red cast. The cast came off around finals at the end of June with my bone "65%" healed. The tan was one in a million.

I was released into the world with a splint. I moved back to CT to start my summer job after an amazing week backpacking with the greatest group of campers ever.

So much has happened!:

The daily attire switched quickly from camp rally

 to business casual.

I filled my days with crossfit workouts

and paleo dinners...

I packed my weekends full of adventure.
 


We lost a great dog who had been a part of our family for 14 years. (We still miss her everyday, but are more than thankful for the great memories. )

My 21st birthday came and went and I drank my first beer EVER ;)

Crossfit games consumed everybody's* lives

*(aka the small community of Crossfit Stamford)
And I've gotten lots of good time with family and friends.


And now, here I am, halfway through summer... I like to say I've grown and gotten a little bit older and a little bit stronger. However, my wrist likes to differ. 5 months later my scaphoid is still broken. Looks like my bones are just about as stubborn as I am...

So the recovery continues. I am taking each day one step at a time, putting any big decisions about my future on hold until I know anything for sure. While being stuck in this gray area of unknown is incredibly frustrating, it has given me the opportunity (or rather forced me) to live in the moment. While the 8:30 to 5:30 office job and 5 am workouts isn't exactly butterflies and mountain climbs and meadows, I am able  to view my life through a different lens for a little bit, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I've got plenty of projects on my plate for the rest of the summer, and will be sure to update soon with my favorite paleo recipes, best crossfit WOD, and summer reflections.

Until then, I leave you this little nugget of winter in the dead heat of summer...



Never stop dreaming!



The Waiting Game

Red is the new hot color. Well, at least for my new cast.

Went to the doctor a week ago for my post-op appointment. Things went well, no major post surgery glitches, arm still intact. As suspected, the fracture had not quite healed yet so I got put in my 3rd hard cast for 4 weeks. I tried to get the cast tech to give me some stripes, but he wasn't too amused, so I settled for fire engine red (the other options being black, blue, and clear... COME ON Stanford hospital... allocate your funds where it matters!).

So the big question is what's next?

Well, I wait. I fill these next three weeks with lots of exercise, clean eating, stretching, sleep, and schoolwork, and then I find out what's next. This is no excuse for me to slack on anything! Except maybe racquet sports. Otherwise, I'm still in the game... I've got the ultimate club arm!

Until then, I'm gonna enjoy this beautiful weather and wear my flashy red cast proud.

Cast tan is the new goggle tan, Duh.


Check out some of these great blogs to optimize how you look, feel, and act:
www.gymnasticswod.com
www.mobilitywod.com
www.whole9life.com

Take 2 Minutes

Life comes at you fast. One minute you will be dodging the speeding bullet coming right at your face, then the next it turns out you moved right into the path of a bludgeon that will hit you from behind. There is not a lot we can do about it, or really prepare ourselves for it. I guess that's when you just gotta roll with the punches.

I've been feeling pretty punched this week. Last week I was running around and working out, then this weekend I could barely even leave bed. I had four days notice to get on top of my work and my life. Life doesn't just stop for you when you need it to. No, it keeps going full force and you better sprint fast because if you don't catch up soon you are only going to fall further behind.  I have been in full sprint mode, stepping one foot in front of the other, stuck so deep in the moment just trying not to fall over. The problem with sprinting is that it exhausts you and makes it really easy to forget how far you've come and only focus on how far you have to go.

But you can't sprint forever (it's physiologically proven!)...

The sprint is the grind. It's that dark tunnel that you have to figure your own way out of. It's one punch after another. Phrase it anyway you want... It's just life.

I've been so busy scrambling to get out of the rut I'm in, I forgot to notice what a beautiful, amazing place my rut is in.

I feel like I could describe my life in a million metaphors right now, but I finally got the chance to just stop for a minute (2 minutes) today and take a deep breath and smell the trees and the flowers and the grass (appropriate because it's earth day). I couldn't help but smile. I didn't need to go anywhere or escape... it was all around me.

Life can beat you down, hard, but I think we are all stronger than we realize. It's important to follow your passion and your dreams and to strive to be the best, but sometimes we need to stop and recognize the simple things that exist as a part of our daily lives.

So take 2 minutes, appreciate the earth, appreciate the people, its all so much bigger than you or me.

Then get on your way and chase those dreams!


Also, check it out:
http://snowboardgreen.blogspot.com/

Naka Family

Pictures as promised. 4/15/11

They really screwed me up!

no pain = so much fun!

The nugget and Nugget The Intern came to visit in style

That big gaping hole is for Anu

Never underestimate the power of family :)

Starting off on the Nugget Road to Recovery

It has been a hot minute since I last updated my blog. Mostly because everything just happened so fast! Following Vermont I went back to Utah for two weeks to pack my stuff and ride park city for a couple of days. It was a fun two weeks, but I just took it easy because I found out that i actually did have a scaphoid fracture. I was casted up in a pretty purple cast  and sent on my way to go get it rechecked a few weeks later. Did not think much of it because the doctor said it was close to my arm so it would be good (silly PC doctors). Had an awesome roadtrip back to the bay, stopping at Tahoe for the weekend. Started school, started working out at crossfit again, and filled my weekends with Tahoe and Kesem. Of course I missed Utah but I was really excited about my classes and happy to see my friends, so I got wrapped up in the whirlwind that is Stanford really quickly.

Monday, April 11th I went to the doctor to go get a new cast after an awesome weekend in Tahoe with the alums. After an xray, Dr. Yao explained to me that the blood to your scaphoid (a bone that already gets no blood) enters in by the thumb so I had fractured my bone pretty much in the worst place possible AND I had not healed in a month. So after walking into the Dr. to get a new cast, I walked out in a new cast and with a surgery date in 4 days to put a screw in my wrist.

This week was a total blur (I swear it wasn't just the pain meds!). Life just went on... I went to class, I played soccer, I went to work out, I dug in the garden, I moved into my new room... I barely had any time to think, let alone get nervous. My phone died permanently on me on Tuesday night (probably a blessing in disguise), so I wasn't even able to get a second opinion... I just did it!

So yesterday, Friday, April 15th, I got surgery! Piece of cake compared to ACL surgery. Plus I was surrounded by awesome people. Anu drove me to the hospital bright and early. Came out of the hospital full of happy juice and my right arm was entirely numb... I felt great! Carl and Zach the Intern were AWESOME and came all the way from SF to hang for a bit after I got out. I am so lucky to have such an awesome support group in my life. I was smiling all day and I know it wasn't just the drugs. Also thank you to everybody who sent me a text, wrote me a facebook, or gave me a call, you are all amazing. I wasn't even lonely when I was by myself!

so now I am on the nugget road to recovery! Pain is only temporary, and hopefully I can start working out again this week! Will keep updating when I am not on painkillers and am able to type with two hands. Thank you so much for all of the support, and I can't wait until I can use my right hand again! Pictures to come



http://youtu.be/j3YrNSw5a2I

US Open (March 6 - 11): Who says you can't go home?

"What is the feeling when you are driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? It's the too huge world vaulting us and it's goodbye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies"

               -Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Kerouac was a literary genius and sought to find beauty in moving forward and new adventure despite the sadness of leaving things behind. Jack's life in On the Road is in constant motion in search of "it." For those who know Kerouac well, he, like most literary geniuses, died a very unsatisfied death, alone. Some will claim it is because he lived his life in pursuit of something that is not tangible, and would not view what was tangible as good enough. Kerouac was so focused on moving forward that he might have neglected to see that this life is not linear at all.

As the season begins to wind down many of us find ourselves leaning forward to the next crazy venture. There's beauty, sadness, excitement, nervousness, and everything that comes with the changing of the season and figuring out what to do next until we can grab a couple of weeks on snow in the summer and then prepare for the next winter. The feeling of moving forward can make you feel like you are leaving things behind, waving goodbye to the specks who defined your life for the last few months. This feeling only lasts so long, because the older we get the more we realize how interconnected our lives really are and forward and backwards become incredibly relative terms. This "too huge" world Kerouac speaks of is actually way smaller than we think.

Over the last 10 years I have, for lack of better words, been around the block. I have had 4 different home mountains spanning coast to coast, one being in Wintergreen, Virginia, so I don't often expect to run into all the people I have grown up with. "Home" no longer just describes one place to me. However, when in two weeks I wind up running into a vast majority of people spanning that decade... it is a pretty crazy feeling. A reminder that no matter how far we go - we can always go home. 

Vermont was an interesting experience (as it almost always is). After years and years of watching the US Open as a spectator, engaging in all the wonderful activities the open brings that do NOT have to do with snowboarding, it was really kind of cool to be on the snowboarding side of the open, however making it nonetheless intimidating. As competition days always go, monday was cancelled due to weather so we actually got to compete on a sunny day on tuesday. We saw the course for the first time Tuesday morning and had an hour to practice before competing. It was a creative course with some interesting features and big jumps. Keeping with the new theme I had not made it through the course before my qualifying run, so I was just trying to get through the course. Needless to say I did not either run, because I managed to overshoot the 70 ft jump everyone else was knuckling (surprise, surprise). I came away with a sore wrist but didn't think much of it, because my ego was far more bruised than my wrist. 

Some good things did come out of that day... My parents and my sister were there to watch as well as a special Bunny who I hadn't seen for a good 8 months. I am really lucky to have such an awesome family who are so supportive of what I do. I was glad they were finally able to come to a competition. Happiness is only real when shared. Reconnecting with family and friends pushed the bruisings to the back of my head. The competition was a valiant effort, and definitely not something to be ashamed of due to the size of the jumps, but I came away pretty exhausted.

The next few days the weather was pretty terrible so it consisted more of catching up with old friends than snowboarding. After getting an impromptu xray because of increased swelling, I found out I have a potentially fractured scaphoid (small bone on the inside of your wrist). They splinted up my right hand which has made for an interesting last few days. It's really amazing how useful opposable thumbs are... I'm pretty sure we take those for granted. Luckily we've got two of them so hitting the space bar when we type can be easily substituted. Due to the nature of a scaphoid fracture I have to get re-xrayed 10 days after the injury to find out if it is definitely fractured. Gonna take things a day at a time and the  take it from there.

After the clinic took my right thumb away from me and the Vermont weather failed to get better, I decided to skip out on Rev tour and head back to Utah to get my last two weeks of sacred snowboarding time before I head back to school. I skipped out on the Open parties and went home to Connecticut for the weekend. Got to catch up with some friends, get some family time, and hang out with the dogs. Definitely did not miss east coast snow that much...

I am now en route to Utah, ready to enjoy the last few weeks of my "abroad" time before switching to the daily grind.

While it was a long trip, it was a really awesome experience being able to compete in the Open. I came out of it exhausted and maybe a little broken, but it is all part of the territory. Although it was not my best performance of the year, actually being able to be there was a refreshing experience. Also I got to see lots of great friends and play with the puppies. 

And Mr. Kerouac, while I love and live by On the Road, I think its important we realize its not always goodbye. No matter where we go we always carry the people we have met in our lives with us, because its the people, places, and experiences along the way that have helped us to shape who we are and what we live for, and you can't ever lose that.

Mammoth Grand Prix (March 1 - 5th): Speeding up and slowing down

With a competitive lifestyle, we are currently "on the go." However, this last week the term has taken on a whole new meaning, making the rest of the season seem like a stroll in a park. The last 24 hours have been a full-on sprint. Since 6 PM last night I have made it through 4 states, 3 time zones, 2 separate car rides, and 2 separate plane rides. The best part? I'm not done! We still have a 3 hour drive ahead of us from Boston to Vermont. Talk about a whirlwind! The team left Mammoth last night after Grand Prix finals and a quick change and pack in the parking lot to embark on the 9 hour drive back to Utah. After arriving in Utah at 3 am, I quickly drove to my house and packed my snowboard bag then set out to Salt Lake to catch my 7 am flight, after a short plane ride to Phoenix and a one hour layover, I continued on to Boston, where I'm at now waiting for the rest of the crew to show up so we can do the 3 hour drive to Vermont (major shout out to Dustin for taking the hit on driving for this one). All so we can arrive in Vermont in time to register tomorrow to compete on Monday! Not only are the time zones messing with us, but I can guarantee that none of our sleep-deprived internal clocks have any idea what time it is right now.

By the second plane ride, I was done fighting to catch up on sleep and finally had some time to just sit and think. It had been quite the week and had all gotten caught up in the rush of getting from A to B (to C to D). We had packed Clifford up for Mammoth at 4 am Tuesday morning so we could make Grand Prix registration on Tuesday.  Wednesday and Thursday were scheduled practice days, but we woke up Wednesday morning to 8 inches of snow on the ground. After heading up to the mountain and inspecting the 30-70 ft jumps with 20 ft lips, there was no way practice was about to be held, so it was cancelled and we got the day to explore some powder on the mountain. Thursday morning looked a little more promising in the village, but as soon as we got to the mountain it was completely socked in and the winds were gusting. Pipe was called off and practice was postponed until 1.  At 1, things still were not looking promising, the winds were gusting and the course was put on course hold every 5 minutes, making jumping in this weather incredibly sketchy. A lot of girls were getting hurt, and Elin and I ended up only hitting about half of the features by the time practice was up. Sitting around looking at the biggest jumps I had seen in a while was not good for the mental game, but at least after we got to hit the first jump we felt a little more comfortable. However, we were still going into the competition pretty blind. At this point though, there was not much we could do about it. On Friday, neither of us were really sure what our run would be since we had not hit the whole course. Due to time constraints barely got our full 30 minutes of practice. At the end of practice more girls had taken the third jump deep and gotten hurt, and about 6 girls had pulled the night before, and 6 the day of, and I still had not made it through the whole course - great way to start off my first run. The course was definitely a little intimidating, although I did manage to make it through my first run (falling on the last jump... naturally), and Elin made it to finals, finishing with a 4th. The boys also dominated, Ryan in 4th and Caden in 8th. I unfortunately fell on both runs (good thing I'm being consistent) and did not make it to finals, but was thankful to walk away with two legs. After that, the rest is history...

The girls were forced to play it safe, which made for an interesting competition, but definitely started to prepare us for the US open where we only get an hour of practice before we compete. This is a whole new ball game and a whole new mental game. It forces us to take things as they come and be constantly on our toes. Especially with all this traveling, we kinda just have to go along for the ride. But we also have to remember to slow down. Now is the most important time to look inward and be confident in my self-knowledge and to find the balance between playing it safe and pushing boundaries. Without it, a lot is at risk. But this is why we do this sport, because everyday we grow and we learn something new about ourselves. No one said it was going to be easy.

I am looking forward to a good trip to my old stomping grounds!

Mid - Season Reflection

The hardest part about the snowboard season is the middle. After two months of go, go, go, you just want to stop. Athletes get beat up, worn out, and over it. When this happens it is more important than ever to believe in yourself and look at the bigger picture. It is really hard to keep the constant beat down of competition scores out of your head. When there is no external gratification, you have to search inside of yourself. We need to understand what being the "best" means, and how we can balance that with our fast-paced, ever-exhausting lives. It takes on a different meaning for everybody, and the key to endurance is finding out how being the best plays in your life. 

We spend our lives living in relativity, who is “better,” “more suited,” “stronger,” “fitter,” etc. Better is a term we use to compare ourselves to a societal optimum. And therefore we like to translate the societal optimum as being the “best.” But is best really a relative term? I don’t think so. I think best is something that comes from inside. It is a term that honors the value of the individual. When you are the best, you are not the best because of quantitative factors. It’s not because you are necessarily stronger or more suited than the people around you. It is because you have found a way to take who you are and what you have to offer and utilize each of these qualities to the maximum effort. We can best use terms like “better” to set goal marks, because we have no other way to measure our progress. But it’s not about how we are in comparison. When you get caught up in the idea of better and worse, you begin to bog yourself down in defeat. Being the best is an individual effort that comes independent of everybody else. You take in what you see and you take your personality, and the opportunities offered to you and you make it your own. No one will ever reach the point of being “the best.” Realistically, there is no right way to get there. We live in a world of billions of people where everybody is living their own individual life and has their own ways of looking at the world.

             Consistency, looking for quality, and positive mental attitude. It doesn’t require any special talent, or special genes… It requires you to believe in yourself and to know yourself better than you know anyone else. There is no endpoint because no matter where you are in life, you will not be perfect and you will still be looking for quality. The “best” take these three things, and apply it to everyday life. Notice, each of these three things has NOTHING to do with anyone else. Then we reach the problem, what about ourselves? Aren’t we our own worst enemy anyways? But like I said, the term “better” is not something to use to quantitatively measure things. Every day we are at a different point in our lives. It is important to understand, know, and accept the past so we can progress, but we can’t lose ourselves in it. We see the progression, we understand where we’ve been, but we deal with life in the present. Sometimes life will throw us a curve ball, and we “fall backwards” in what presume to be our progression. But we adjust, it’s a blank slate and we move forwards. Perhaps the level at where we were changes, but consistency, quality, and positive mental attitude don’t. It is when we understand this adaptability, the variables rather than the sum, that we can continue to strive to become the best. We probably will never be able to quantify what our best is. But quantity does not even hold a candle to quality, and we will never stop looking for quality.


Once we are able to inspire ourselves, we can inspire others to no end. 

Tahoe (February 10-12): Going with the FLOW

Sometimes when life is taking you for a ride you just have to hold on.  It's like riding a bull: you need to learn exactly which way to lean when the bull is bucking, and if you lean wrong you will be thrown. You just can't fight it.  Even when you learn which way to lean, you are going to get bucked eventually - all the good bull riders do. But what separates the champions from the hombres is getting back on the bull and trying to learn more so you can stay on for that one second longer.

The last couple of weeks following the Jackson trip have been crazy - filled with adventure, excitement, happiness, and frustration. It has been a struggle to find a solid rock in a fast moving stream. After Jackson I decided to stay in Utah and enjoy the company of friends. It was a adventure-packed week filled with surprises and new experiences. It ended up being too cold to snowboard for a few days, but life definitely did not lack excitement. I had a good few days to myself, learned some new tricks, broke a board, and just lived and love, and at the end of the week felt ready to dive back in.

The following weekend was the Brighton Gatorade Free Flow Tour. We woke up early and drove to Brighton, signed up, and began practicing. Unfortunately during practice it started dumping snow and the jumps were literally not hittable. To clear the first small side you needed to straight line past all the rail features, and even after making that jump, you could barely get up the lip of the second jump. So at the end of practice the competition was cancelled. While this was a relief for the day, it made things a little complicated for the following weekend...

This weekend was probably the most stacked competition weekend of the entire year, they (whoever organizes competition schedules) scheduled the dew tour, aspen open, revolution tour, and gatorade free flow finals right on top of one another. Because I did not get to compete in Brighton meant that I did not have a guaranteed spot at the Gatorade Free Flow Finals, but since I had placed 2nd in Jackson Hole I had a good chance of being given a wild card, because they had invited all the second place winners last year, but it was not for sure. This made decisions difficult because if I went to Tahoe for Revolution Tour, then I would be driving back the night before finals which would not be ideal. After days of back and forth of going and not going between the entire team, I decided that going to Tahoe would be the best decision because I was not guaranteed a spot in Finals, I have a boreal pass, was already signed up for Rev tour, and had figured out lodging. After a lot of indecisiveness, Scott, Mitch and I finally packed the car on Wednesday to head to Tahoe. As we were getting in the car we found out that Gatorade Free Flow was not giving out wild cards to finals. While this was a bummer, it put a lot less stress on our trip.

We trekked the 8 hours on I-80 through the beautiful Nevada desert (mmm, my favorite drive) and arrived late Wednesday night at the Stanford Ski Team cabin. Although it was a new cabin, the familiar drive up northwoods felt like going home. It was the same drive I had made hundreds of times before, and I couldn't help but smile. The next day I rode Boreal for the first time all season, and it felt like nothing had changed. The course was probably the best rev tour course all year: 50 ft jump to battleship box or gap to down rail, to flat down box or gap to flat down rail, to launch box/drop down feature to a 45 ft jump. It was a long course and flowed really well. After getting comfortable with the course I was determined to land my front 3 off the first jump. I had told Scott my goal for the trip was to finally stomp my front 3 in a competition which I had not done yet. I must've fallen at least 10 times trying it on Thursday. The jumps got really icy in the afternoon so I called it a day without landing a front 3 and headed over to pipe to watch Mitch compete. After Scott and I worked hard on my approach into the jumps so I would stop washing out on my landings. The next day was warm and sunny again and the girls were competing in the morning and things were good. I set out to do my safety run, got the first part of the course but then corked out a back 3 and landed on my thumb on the last jump. Second run I was ready to lay down my front 3 on that first jump. I came in just like we had practiced and stomped my front 3. I was so excited that after the down rail I fell on every other feature, didn't have enough speed for the last jump, and then fell getting on the lift. Talk about sloppy nuggets! So all in all, I completely blew the competition, but accomplished the goal I had set out to do. As soon as the adrenaline stopped rushing through my body, I realized I had actually beat myself up pretty hard that morning and was pretty much done for the rest of the day. After riding we hopped in the car and headed back to Utah. It ended up being a very quick and easy trip and relatively very successful. Sometimes success doesn't come in contest wins. `

Now I am back in Utah, enjoying two weeks without competitions. It is time for a much needed break. Sometimes you need a few days to remind you why you do what you do. Everyday I am overcoming new obstacles, and I absolutely love it. It's not always easy, but it's a journey and I feel very positive about where this journey is going.

As for today, it's Valentine's day, and all about loving. So live and love it up.

Jackson Hole (Jan 26 -29): Look out Jackson Town

"We are not grand because we are at the top of the food chain or because we can alter our environment -- the environment will outlast us with its unfathomable force and unyielding powers. But rather than be bound and defeated by our insignificance, we are bold because we exercise our will anyway, despite the ephemeral and delicate presence we in this desert, on this planet, in this universe." - Aron Ralston, Between a Rock and a Hard Place


Every day we see ways humans have fought, conquered, and overcome nature with roads, buildings, and bridges. We watch on the news as mother nature fights back, with tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes. Even Bear Grylls, the ultimate nature man, is up against the wild. However, when man and nature can coexist, it is really something beautiful.

Wednesday afternoon we packed up the van with 4 skiers and 4 snowboarders to head to Jackson Hole for the Gatorade Free Flow tour. I had been looking forward to this trip all year, because the last time I had been to Jackson Hole was in the summer on our Sophomore College geology trip, and driving by the ski resort over and over again was just a taunt. The time before that I was 9 years old and just learning how to snowboard, unable to appreciate the greatness of the mountain. Jackson Hole has a looming presence in the ski world as one of the best mountains in America, if not the world. The terrain is steep and technical and the views are breathtaking. I had known from the beginning that this trip was not going to be about the park. Turns out I was in for a bigger surprise than I had thought.
We arrived under the wyoming stars and I knew it was going to be a good trip. I was filled with flashes of my summer in Crested Butte spending night after night under mountain stars - no light pollution, no city smog... just you and the sky. It strikes a chord somewhere deep down that makes you just smile at the grandness of the universe and the beauty of nature. Its a feeling that gets rid of all the small problems of the day, because you are facing something so much bigger than just you. This is a feeling you often miss in the suburbs of New York, or San Francisco, or even Salt Lake City for that matter. It was a feeling I had been longing for for a couple months now.
The next day we woke up to foggy skies and got out of bed slowly hoping the fog would pass. We had big plans for the day - Dustin was going to take us hiking up Teton Pass and show us his old stomping grounds in Wyoming backcountry. No lifts, no park, no snowboard scene, just us and the mountain. By the time we got out of the house and drove up to the pass, the skies were bright blue and near cloudless, it was warm and avy danger was low... a near perfect day. We set out on the 45 minute - 1 hour hike to the top of Glory Bowl. The sun was beating down and it was a straight uphill hike, so everyone definitely got a good sweat in. Some of the boys were not too stoked on the hike, which I will admit was very steep, especially in snow gear and without water. But after I got over the first couple hundred feet, I was beyond ecstatic. Once again I was filled with flashes of the summer, of long hikes and fresh mountain air. Hiking mountains is an unbelievable feeling, because you feel as if you are doing something that no technology can. You progress beyond civilization to an intimate relationship with you and the mountain. By hiking, you are not fighting nature or overcoming it, you are simply coexisting with it. And after putting your lungs to the test, standing at the top of a mountain looking out over what you just accomplished - its hard to say there is a much better feeling in the world. 
(Chillin at the top of Glory Bowl)

At the top of the mountain we were all feeling accomplished and slightly parched, but the hard part was over. We celebrated for a bit at the top, making friends with our fellow hikers. The best part about winter is that once you get to the top you get to snowboard down. I have to say, my least favorite part about hiking this summer was definitely coming down the mountain. I couldn't escape the bumps and bruises that over took my knees and legs. So coming off of my hiking high, we then set out to snowboard down. We were not sure of what to expect - it hadn't snowed in a week and it was kind of hot. To our surprise, it was pretty unbelievable... almost right out of a movie. The whole way down all 8 of us cruised through the trees and gullies getting untouched powder and hitting natural features. When we got to the bottom, every single person was grinning ear to ear. We hitch hiked back to the car, with smiles on our faces. It had gotten late, so we attempted to go to SnowKing to ride some night park. Unfortunately SnowKing let us down and had no park, so instead we chased a moose. We all fell asleep that night, exhausted but fulfilled after an awesome day of new experiences.

(Clifford "getting lost")

On Friday we attempted to go to Jackson Hole (the resort) to check out the park and explore the terrain. However as things happen, we couldn't get discounts on passes and the bottom was socked in, so by the time noon rolled around nobody was willing to pay $90 to ride half a day. Instead, we headed to SnowKing to ride for 3 hours. SnowKing is a pretty small resort, so after about an hour we had already hiked to the best spots. The top was sunny, so it made for a pretty view, however once we dropped below the clouds things were not all that exciting.

(Top of snowking above the clouds)
There were a lot of races going on, and SnowKing was not too stoked on a bunch of park rats dressed in bright colors at their mountain with no park, so after a series of incidents and a covert mission through the trees, we headed to Billy's hamburgers to grab some of the best burgers in town. We headed home to change, and then drove through the Wyoming sunset to registration for Gatorade Free Flow. Once again, exhausted, yet fulfilled we all fell asleep.

(Wyoming sunset on the way to teton village)


The next day was probably the first beautiful competition day we have had in a really long time. The sun was shining, no clouds, and no wind. It was too bad that when we got to the course, there were two 15 ft jumps that you had to go as fast as humanly possible into. The course was questionable, but it was whatever. Good thing Jackson Hole is not known for its park. After practice I went to explore the mountain, finding a couple of Jackson's stash parks (all natural features) and riding up the tram (which was beautiful). It was hard to believe that it was ten years ago I had been first thrown up the tram and told to snowboard. Where does the time go?

(View from the top)
 Girls finally got to go at around 2 after all the guys and skiers had gone. Unfortunately we did not know the speed at all and it had been warm all day so it was only natural to believe that the speed had gotten slower. I started off the starting block for my first run and went in to do my back 3 off the first jump. As things go, I overshot the 15 foot landing to flats and over rotated my 3, not landing the jump. Second run I was ready to stomp it. I started BELOW the block  and rolled in slowly thinking I would have no problem because all the big guys had been knuckling all day. Of course, I once again overshot the jump. So I didn't land a run, but ended up in second and got a lot of gatorade. Overall - it was an okay day. The two days before definitely made the trip. I have faith though... a landed run in a competition will come eventually. I'm still hungry.
It's hard to be hungry when every time you start to attack your food you get food poisoning. Yet, we can't stop needing food. We need to be fed and nourished to survive and need feeds desire. Maybe that desire will be dulled every once in a while, but there is a reason you desire to eat. Once you have found that hunger, there is not much you can do to get rid of it, except feed yourself. And even after being fed, the hunger returns. The key to food poisoning is not to gorge yourself once the hunger returns... because your stomach cannot take all that food at once. You also cannot back off completely, because you will starve. It's all about finding a happy medium, with the confidence that one day you will not get food poisoning.

So overall, we definitely took advantage of our Jackson trip. We all headed home happy and tired. It was a great trip and I am so glad I got the opportunity to return to Jackson. I can't help but feel at home under those stars. Half the crew is heading up to Canada for the Canadian Open, and the other half has already departed for Colorado for a fun trip. As for me, I will be in Park City regaining my appetite, ready to stomach a full meal again.

Park City Burton Am (Jan 22): Patience - The Lost Virtue

In our fast paced, high tech, ever-progressing world we have become accustomed to getting what we want, where we want it, when we want it. With high speed internet, cell phones, and fast food restaurants, speed just becomes an expectation. When your sonic burger takes more than 5 minutes, or the internet won’t bring you to the page you want fast enough, or you can’t connect a call, it means that something must be wrong. What was once a luxury is now a given. We cram our daily lives with as much as we can on the basis that things will run as expected, and a screw up, like 10 minutes to get a latte instead of 5, can mess up your whole day. While all of these advancements allow us to run at the highest efficiency possible, it inevitably takes away the ability to be patient. It’s hard to believe that once upon a time people had to wait weeks to simply get a message that we can type on our smartphones and send cross country within seconds.

           

            Sometimes we forget that we can’t just expect things to happen before our eyes, especially in a sport where muscle memory and repetition are the keys to success. We expect because we wish it to be so, it will just happen.

            Well, unfortunately this is not always the case. For the lucky few, the action will just click and the trick is there. However for the majority of people, it requires throwing the trick multiple times and understanding the mechanics of the trick before it becomes a stomped trick. It requires patience.

            It is almost easy to work hard and be dedicated in comparison. Hard work and dedication requires a physical effort, whereas patience requires a mental effort. Waking up early and putting your body through physical routine pales in comparison to overcoming a repeated bodily beat down trick after trick, doing things you know you can land. The mind is our own worst enemy. The pain of a physical beat down will go away eventually, but the wear and tear of a mental beat down can cause life-changing decisions. Our bodies are much more accustomed to overcoming physical pain than mental pain; it requires a discipline unlike any other.

            As it always go, Saturday brought snowy weather and high winds for the Burton Am at Park City. The day before was a beautiful, sunny day. We had been hitting the course all day and figuring out the speed, stomping tricks over and over again. The jump line was looking promising and I had my run all set up. I was feeling confident going into the competition on Saturday, but the winds were definitely gusting. The flags were blowing hard, but that didn’t seem to deter many people. We started out the day checking the speed. It was definitely different than the day before, the first run I knuckled the first, and the second run overshot all three. We had one final run to go before practice was over, and regardless of my speed issues I was still feeling pretty confident. I came into the first one a little slow and barely knuckled, and then took the regular turns into the second. The minute I took off the lip I knew I was going to knuckle the 35 ft step down. At the same time a gust of wind came, and I came down hard to the knuckle to my face and chest. The knuckle and I got very up close and personal. I knocked the wind out of myself pretty badly and got a nice battle scar on my nose. 

Needless to say, I was a little shaken up, both physically and mentally. I knew I had stomped those jumps over and over again the day before, but I couldn’t help but feel like I had just been smacked in the face. I went to go freeride to get my feet back under me, and when I came back a couple hours later for my runs, the jumps had been taken out of the competition because the speed was so slow and the winds were so high. It ended up just being a rail jam, and it was so snowy it was even hard to hit the rails. I was feeling pretty beat up, but competed anyways and once again Jessika Jenson got first (even in a competition with three rails!). It was definitely a little bit of a rough day.

Another competition day, another beat down. It’s all just a test – coming down to how we handle it and how we move on. I have two options: 1) dwell on the falls and the failures and remain stuck in the past or 2) move on, confident in my own ability, with hard work, dedication, and patience. Number 2 is really the only option in my mind. Learning how to be patient isn’t always easy, but in the end, as a good friend has said to me, through endurance we conquer. 








On another note...




First Urban Feature in Colorado on trailer





Write up in the Stanford Daily:
http://www.stanforddaily.com/2011/01/26/better-boarding/

Colorado (Jan 13 - 17): Going Green

Sometimes its not hard to wonder why we wreck ourselves day in and day out, sleep on floors, sit in cars for hours on end (and eat in more fast food restaurants than I can count on both hands), and endure freezing temperatures, when there are many other more appealing options. We ask ourselves why we CHOOSE this lifestyle over hundreds of other that might be more comfortable or more secure...

But then something happens, and it's a feeling you can't quite explain. It's a little glimmer  of hope, and the knowledge that you are pursuing the life you want to be living. It could be a stomped trick or a perfect day, or a piece of the puzzle that fits into the larger picture you are trying to create. It can even be as simple as an encouraging smile or a text message. It is a moment of clarification stronger than any cloud of doubt, and the promise of more of these moments that keeps us going.

We set out on the 9 hour drive to Colorado on Thursday afternoon. On the way there, I took a big leap: I switched out the board I have been riding for 4 years for a new one that I had never ridden before. I had tried a couple different boards over the past few years, but every time I returned to my Rome. However, as time has its ways, I realized it was time to move on. Switching snowboards is like moving houses: you leave everything you know and love in the hopes that the new one will be all that and more, but you run the risk that it won't be. I had heard good things about Niche snowboards from the boys, and I strongly supported the eco-friendly construction, but for the most part I dove in head first, hoping I could trust what I heard.
Call it green-washing if you'd like, but as soon as I held my new Niche in my hands things felt right. It was more than just a snowboard; it was values I believed in. The board is made of recycled materials with a sustainable wood core and a digi-print topsheet that doesn't use lacquer and cuts up to 60% of the material and 75% of the energy wasted during alternative printing processes. This is true progression of the sport - providing a sustainable alternative in a changing world. Obviously there are still a lot of materials and energy that go into making the board, however as we move into the future, industries need to find ways to make their footprints a little smaller as our resources begin to deplete. Niche is taking a bold step forward in leading the snowboard industry to take action in order to save the industry. Without snow, there are no snowboards. Michael Pollan says in his book, Second Nature: "We won't get anywhere until we come to terms with this crucial ambiguity about our role [in nature] - we are at once the problem and the only possible solution to the problem." We all need to believe we can make a difference, and every little bit helps.
Maybe green-washing helps me snowboard, because the next day on snow was one of the best days all season. Keystone's park was unbelievable, the sun was shining, and the feeling of a new board under my feet was amazing. I had put all my trust into my Niche Minx, and I felt like there was so much more than just a snowboard under my feet. It had all the pop of a new snowboard, and all the enforcement of my beliefs... it was all that my Rome was, and so much more. We had an awesome day of filming on endless features at Keystone and returned to our condo exhausted, but grinning ear to ear. Life was just awesome.
We woke up early the next morning to head to Vail for the Gatorade Free Flow tour. The morning started out a little rough with cloudy skies and sore bodies from the day before. The course wasn't great - a little on the small side and it was pretty hard to see. For a while, things were looking pretty dim. But we had 4 hours to turn our attitudes around, and as 2 pm rolled around and after a long day of sitting and waiting the girls finally got to go, the clouds broke open and it was sunny! We actually got to do our runs with blue skies and perfect visibility. I hadn't landed my run in practice, so I was just hoping I would be able to land it in the competition. Things started off really well, I landed my first backside 360 ever in a competition off the first jump, and unfortunately got a little too excited and ended up overshooting the third jump by about 20 ft on a straight air (oops) and didn't end up landing my run. That aside, I was ecstatic for having landed my unnatural 3. Jessika Jenson once again swept the competition and got first place, making her undefeated up to this point, and the boys both made it to finals. All in all, a crappy day turned into a very exciting one and we once again returned back to the condo tired, but happy.
We got to sleep in for a little on Sunday morning then headed back to Keystone to ride the awesome park. Unfortunately the light was a little flat, but we made a day of it on the rails (there were so many!). It was ridiculously crowded because of MLK weekend, but ended up seeing some old friends which is always nice. After riding we headed to Woodward, where we can trampoline and hit snowflex ramps on our snowboards into a foam pit. Learned some new tricks, perfected some old ones, and had an overall good time.
We woke up Monday to the wind howling outside. As it always does, weather overtook us and Keystone was closed. After working hard for three days, we finally packed up Clifford and headed home. Overall a very successful three days in Colorado: stomped some new tricks, had a perfect day, and added a piece to the puzzle of the larger picture I am trying to create. It is so important to live a lifestyle you believe in and believe in the lifestyle you live.

Moral of the weekend:
Find what you love... Then find a way to make the world a better place for everyone around you.

Oh yeah, and did you know there are no recycling bins at Colorado gas stations?  Come on Colorado! Step your game up.

Thanks, Niche for the awesome board! Keep doing what you are doing.

Mammoth (Jan 6-10): Only place to go is up!

The beginning of the season competitions always set the bar for the rest of the season. The good thing about setting the bar low, is that its pretty much guaranteed that you will improve! 

We packed Clifford, the big red van, to the brim on Thursday morning and set out to mammoth for the Burton Am. After nine hours of top 40 hits, a couple dead birds, and a lot of nevada gas stations, we made it to Mammoth. Friday was a beautiful sunny day, and we spent the majority of the day hitting the airbag. It was strange at first to be throwing myself into a big blue bag, but after a couple runs of running into the bag instead of landing on top of it (oops), I started getting a little more used to it. We went to check out the competition course, and besides a little head wind and couple massive overshoots, things were looking good. After a good day of riding we headed home to rest up for the contest on saturday. Woke up Saturday morning feeling confident and ready to take on the day. The competition set up was perfect with 3 jumps (about 35 ft, 40 ft, 45 ft), a hip, and two rail options. The jumps were immaculate. Feeling pretty confident after a couple runs of practice, all the girls sat around for about an hour and a half waiting for the boys. Finally our turn was up. That confidence did not last very long as I overshot my frontside 360 on jump 3 to my back on my first run. Ready to combat the second run, toning it down a little bit in hopes of making it to finals since hardly any of the girls were landing their runs, I took an extra subconscious speedcheck between jump 1 and 2, and landed on the knuckle then bounced about 20 ft down the knuckle to my face, and finished up the run with some rail tricks. To say the least, I did not make it to finals. However, wasatch project rider Jessika Jenson swept the competition and landed best trick. After a long day of beating myself up, I headed home and pretty much straight to bed. We woke up Sunday with hopes of hitting the airbag, however it was so windy that the airbag wasn't up and everyone was so sore, we hiked a rail for an hour or two instead. We packed up Monday morning and tried again to hit the airbag, but once again the wind and cloudy skies overtook us, so after a couple of pictures with the mammoth, we packed up Clifford and began the trek back to Utah. 

While the competition did not go as well as it could have, it was still an awesome couple of days at Mammoth. I got to hit my first airbag, and am feeling more and more comfortable on snow everyday. I have got to give props to their park for probably the smoothest jumps I have ever ridden. It's nice to be home riding Park City for a day or two. 

Off to Colorado on wednesday for Gatorade Free Flow!

Just a thought...

“Strength” has taken on a new meaning in my life. The word has come to encompass not only physical strength at peak condition, but also mental, emotional, academic, and spiritual strength in all conditions, but most notably, finding strength when it is almost impossible to find. To be strong in all of these areas ultimately makes a person invincible. While sometimes I like to imagine I am invincible, I know that I am far from it. However, it is the struggle for the invincibility that contains the sweat, dreams, tears, frustration, sacrifice, love, and most importantly the beauty. All of these struggles are a part of living the dream, but more importantly, living my dream. The convergence of “the dream” and “my dream” has become an important concept to me, because this is all part of a larger picture than just me. How I pursue my dreams, how I live my life, and what I choose to do with my education is just a reflection of who I am and what I believe. This is a picture that I am painting for the world to see. The people in my life have shown me their pictures and inspired me to create something so unique, that sometimes I can’t even believe it. But their inspiration reflected on me has instilled in me a great desire for people to experience the world the way I do: to see every day as opportunity and grasp that opportunity, embrace the hard times as a learning experience, laugh endlessly, give back to a world that has given so much to us, and ultimately just live. I’m not perfect, I’m not invincible, I’m not always going to have the best day of my life, I will not always perform at peak performance, I’m not going to be the best at everything or change someone’s life everyday, and I might even make some mortal enemies. But I am beginning to come to terms that all of this is okay. It’s okay to be knocked down hard. It’s okay to be frustrated. It’s okay to want to give up. Everyone is going to reach rock bottom at some point in his or her life and feel like there is no light at the end of the tunnel. This is the tipping point, the denoument, whatever other synonym would fit in here. Here is when ordinary turns into extraordinary. I will not give up. Do I know if the end will be worth it? No. But I don’t care. To me, it is not about the end goal. It is the picture I am painting, what I am taking from my life and giving back to the world around me. Accomplishing great things are only really worthwhile when they are great for the people around you. A fabulous university is not the end of my academic career. In fact it is only the beginning. I have been given the opportunity to have an impact on the world and I will not take that for granted. An athletic opportunity to pursue competitive snowboarding not only gives me the opportunity to pursue my dream to the fullest, but hopefully can inspire others to dream big. I don’t really believe anything is impossible. I believe there are a lot of barriers, but when you set your heart to something that is worth it, those barriers only make things more exciting, and I’m ready to take on those barriers with all I’ve got: sweat, tears, frustration, and all…

New Beginnings in 2011

Welcome to my blog! This blog is dedicated to all family, friends, teachers, and coaches out there who have been a part of my life, and have supported (or challenged) all of my endeavors. If you are reading this, then you may already know that I have decided to take winter quarter off of school to pursue competitive snowboarding. After years of taking tests on the road and traveling with 100 pounds of books to snowboard competitions, it became clear that I wasn't just going to let snowboarding slide off the radar. Finally, as a junior at Stanford, my major allowed me to organize my classes in fall and spring so I could take winters off to snowboard and give my back a break from all the books (thanks quarter system!). After rigorous strength training and trampolining in the fall with my roommate and partner in crime, Anu Khosla, and the one and only pterodactyl-man-coach, Carl Paoli, I packed my room into my subaru and moved out to Utah to train with Dustin Linker and the Wasatch Project (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wasatch-Project/90694842548). With the help of Carl, and Naka Athletics (www.nakaathletics.com), I felt prepared to take on the season at full strength. Two years after ACL surgery, I finally said goodbye to my knee brace. This season is about pushing boundaries, defying odds, and dancing with dreams. I am a firm believer 1) in full recovery from injury (in one way or another) and 2) that you will never recognize your full potential unless you go for it. The Wasatch Project has given me the opportunity to take my fall training to the snow, as we travel around the United States to competitions this winter. I am very grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to see what adventures this season has in store.

With my winter schedule already packed, I figured I would create a blog to document my travels, achievements, not-so achievements, and everything else that comes across my path in the next couple of months. To all of you out there - thank you so much for all the support throughout the years, I wouldn't be where I am without all the people in my life who have inspired me to get here. Stanford, I'll see ya in April!

Enjoy!


"Seize this very minute; whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe