Snowboard Diaries: The Winter X-Games 14 Who’s Risking Injury to Improve New Tricks?
If you haven’t been reading the papers, listening to the radio, watching television, scanning blogs, googling Vancouver, or keeping your eyes open by now, the 2010 Winter Olympics are coming to Vancouver, British Colombia for what will be an epic showdown of the world’s top athletes. This year’s U.S.A. Halfpipe Snowboard roster compiles some of the most innovative and youngest guns in the sport who are ready to show the rest of the world what the 50 States are made of. The one thing that really tickles my noggin is that they will all be competing in another Winter competition just weeks before the opening day. That’s right, you heard me correct. The Winter X-Games 14 are coming to Buttermilk Mountain in beautiful Aspen, Colorado January 28 – 31, 2010.
Now, for a normal Olympian, who trains day in and day out, eats the perfect amount of nutrients, practices 24/7, and gets to bed early every night for another crack at it the next day, this idea may sound ludicrous. But for the few that don’t really fit into that category, their routine consists of bloody wrecks, high-pressure competitive training, partying, and making sure their pants are extra baggy and hang just right. These select few are part of the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team, picked to bring home the gold medals in both Men and Female competition. The Men’s Halfpipe roster includes 19-year old Greg Bretz from Mammoth Lakes, CA, 22-year old Scotty Lago from Seabrook, NH, 21-year old Louie Vito from Sandy, UT, and of course 23-year old Shaun White from Carlsbad, CA. The Women’s Halfpipe lineup consists of 28-year old Gretchen Bleiler from Aspen, CO, 26-year old Kelly Clark from Mt. Snow, VT, 20-year old Elena Hight from South Lake Tahoe, CA, and 23-year old Hannah Teter from Belmont, VT. White and Teter are both returning to defend their Olympic Gold medals. Even though the Olympics may be considered their main course, these athletes aren’t afraid to stuff their faces with X-Games appetizers.
Is this smart? Is this stupid? Is this genius? Is this strategic? Is this legal? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. This group of classy individuals have been training their whole lives for every competition that is presented to them. They perform above and beyond at every event and they continue to test the limits of gravity and physics, while looking extremely stylish all at the same time. Other competitors may ponder their decision to compete in the Winter X-Games weeks before the Olympics, but this is where they get their true practice. High-pressure situations physically and mentally challenge the competitors to stomp new tricks, fix imperfections, and give the crowd a little teaser. “What if they get hurt?” a boring, safe athlete asks. Well, that is a risk they are willing to take as they embark on the road to invent new maneuvers, improve their style, and test it in front of millions of eyes. Some even go the extra mile by practicing in their own privately-built Superpipe, courtesy of Red Bull. Now who do you think has the leverage and the skills to pull off a concept like this? Yeah, you guessed it (check out Shaun’s little project here.)
I am interested to see how the 2010 Winter X-Games will play out this year. But I am even more eager to see who will survive to represent our beloved U.S.A. Be sure to tune up and tune in.
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