Boardercross: A Journey

Change, is inevitable

2010-08-02T18:30:00.000-07:00

There comes a time in everyone's life where things change. Things will always change, and we as people have to accept, and deal with these changes. There have been some significant changes in my life as of late, but its all part of life.

I will no longer be racing SBX.

I thought that if I were to train hard enough, work at it, and believe in myself, that I could do it.

But things change.

It occurred to me, that SBX wasn't my passion in life, and that's why I could never progress with the sport. Sure, I followed the races, kept on top of my training, kept a keen interest in the sport, but I didn't posses that drive that athletes need to succeed.
All throughout my SBX experience, I've always felt out of place; like I didn't belong there, that I wasn't doing things right.

That's because I DIDN'T belong there. I didn't feel as though I had a firm enough grasp on the sport and its members. There just wasn't any sort of camaraderie, no real reason for me to go back, for anything other than my own satisfaction with the sport; no one to share it with. Everyone I've met out there had their own agenda, and it made it very hard to go anywhere with all these selfish attitudes around.
On top of all that, I didn't really have the skills to compete at the upper echelon I had hoped to one day become a part of. I felt that all the hard work that I had put into this were for naught.

But thats all in the past, and I have something WAAAY the hell better than SBX!

Something that I AM good at, That I DO understand. Something that I can share with those in, and outside the community.

I've even met one of my closest, and most trustworthy friends through this new venture.

Rally.

I cant even describe what rallying means to me. Its given me some of the best memories, and friends I will ever have.
Never in my life, have I felt so accepted, and whole when I'm at a rally.

Based on these new found feelings, and passion, I've decided to pursue rallying.
I've been saving all I can to buy a rally car, and to get out of the marshal bib, and into the driver's seat.

I am forever grateful to my friend, and co-driver, Nicole, for helping me get into this amazing lifestyle.

Heres hoping our first rally goes well!

2nd Annual Rock the Castle FIS Boardercross next week!

2010-03-07T18:18:00.000-08:00

So I found out through fis-ski.com, that there is an FIS event down in castle next Sunday. No mention through the ASA as usual, but I am excited to race again.
The thing is though, once I read that there was an event taking place, I felt nervous, rather than stoked at first. I'm not too sure why that is, but if I can get down there, I'm sure I'll do fine.

I'm still awaiting a reply to my inquiry into the event, but if the ASA wants me to buy a $60 membership for a single event, they can forget it. I'll pay the entry fees and lift passes, of course, but if they wanna gouge me for one event for the WHOLE bloody season, that's just ridiculous. I may not even be fast enough to make the 1/8 finals, so whats the point in dropping over $200 on an event? I'd really like to get some competition experience, but not for that much, when I have no income as of right now due to schooling.

Its frustrating as hell to try to reason this out, but I just have to be patient, a virtue that I unfortunately posses.

I'll know whats going on as soon as I get a reply, I can make my decision then.

2 finals, 2 medals!

2010-02-17T18:48:00.000-08:00

The event i've been waiting for all these years, has finally come, and gone, and with some GREAT (and not so great unfortunatly...) results! Both Mike Robertson, and Maelle Ricker have won medals in the Boardercross events at CypresMountain!

Robertson, ranked 10th(i think) in the world cup standings, comes in on 50 to 1 odds leading to the main event. 3rd overall in qualifying, he went on to win all his heat races! In the big final, however, he was narrowly beaten by American boardercross legend, and one of my personal heroes, Seth Wescott. Still, and incredible finish for Robertson, despite that tiny little bounce on one of the final rollers.

Ricker, had an almost identical set of circumstances as Robertson did leading into the finals. Although there was a bit of controversy involving American Lindsay Jacobellis, Ricker went on to win the Big final, and the Gold Medal!

Props to both of them, and I sincerly hope that C.O.P. Will bring back a Boardercross course in light of these recent results.

Also, Dom Maltais from Quebec, crashed out in both of her qualifiers, due to some extremely shitty weather.

These results have re-ignighted my love of the sport, as I knew it would. Now, all I've gotta do, is get myself ready to kick some ass next season!

The Wait is Finally over

2010-02-11T16:03:00.000-08:00

5 years.

5 years I've been waiting for this(well techincally it starts tomorrow) day.

I tried to make it, but sometimes, life happens.

Its the 21st Winter olympiad, Vancouver 2010 of course! And I am BEYOND stoked! I've been keeping up with our athletes (not just the boardercrossers), and I have a VERY good feeling that we are going to win this year! We are the only host nation in HISTORY to have not won a gold medal on home soil.

Well, thats about to change.

I have, and I will always support our athletes, because I know the dedication, the hard work, and the sacrifice it takes to get to the olympics. I just wish I had the support to get me there.

Good luck everyone, and I know I wont be dissapointed!

2010, not so great so far...

2010-01-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

No races at all at C.O.P.

Not even a course this year.

How's a guy supposed to get competitive if I cant even train properly?

I've started to train again, albeit, not as hard as I was a year ago.
Im mainly just been doing a certain amount of pushups and crunches a day, and seeing where that takes me for the time being. Also began to eat a little healthier, that always helps the cause.

Still kind of depressed though, girl stuff mostly, which is odd, considering I dont even have a girlfriend. There is a promising lead, but I'm still uncertain as to whether or not she even feels the same about me.

Quite the conundrum.

For she's not only my friend, shes also my partner, and if I mess things up somehow, or things get awkward and weird, then im out both.

I have no idea what I'm going to do about this, its eating me alive it is. I just cant seem to confirm my suspiscions, which sucks for a guy like me. In case you havent noticed the last 7 lines were just on the one problem, and nothing else. That answers your questions as to where my thoughts are going.

I do, however, have a feeling that this whole situation will work out for the best, whether she and I start a relationship, or we just stay partners.

Now all I've gotta do is to wait for February 12th of course...

2010 here I come!

2009-10-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Im really stoked for the 09/10 season, but there arent many races that I feel Im eligible for. So far, all the FIS caliber races are all NorAm Cups, and Im not sure if a novice like myself could even enter, let alone qualify for.

The problem here, is that If I make it alll the way out to the race, I've gotta pay for airfare, hotel, and all that jazz, and would all that be worth it, if I fail to qualify? And the worst part is, I can't really get any experience otherwise, so its kindof a double-edged sword here.

I also dont really have to money for it just now, but in a couple of months I think ill be fine. And, to help with the costs, I've started building lonboards in my spare time! You can all check out the facebook page here:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Compston-Longboards/158050609928?ref=ts

I'm also going to start rally car racing within a year or so, so its going to be a HUGE squeeze, but I can probably do this with the right attitude and approach.

Its been a while...

2009-07-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

...and I haven't been training very well.

So here's the story.

After the last race at Castle, I sort of fell off the world of training and sunk into a deep depression, mostly brought on with job dissatisfaction, constant rejection, and just general laziness.

Needless to say, I've got to turn things around if I ever want to achieve my dreams of becoming an Olympian.

In the last 2 weeks, I've racked up about 60 Cumulative kilometers on the bike, and, well, lets just say that the lack of working out was REALLY evident on my rides.

I WILL keep going, even if it kills me. I've got so much riding on this, and I really want to be there, at Sochi in 5 years.

And I just have to remember that Vancouver is just a couple of months away! That'll give me a much needed morale boost!

A little late for this, but....

2009-03-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ok so the last race of the season was 2 weeks ago, and I just never really got around to writing it down. So as the story goes, I met up with Eric down there at Castle mountain, and we just got set up for the day. Did a couple of exploratory runs down the hill, then got down to business.

The course was REALLY nice, my fav by far. The berms were really tight, it had lots of features, both big and small. It was smooth, even and most importantly, long. It was a bit narrow in some points, but that made it more interesting.

As for the races, they were also pretty good.

Heat-1
I got the hole-shot out on the first stages of heat one, but I got caught by everyone coming up to the first berm. Wrong wax? Didnt work the rollers quite right? Im not too sure, but I have to fix the issue. After 2 guys pass on the straight, one guy goes down in the berm, and I snag second.
The heat is going really well for me at this point. Im staying second, and Im in control. But in the 3rd last berm, I dump a ton of speed, and get my slow ass run over. I ended up placing 3rd with a DQ, but I was relegated to the LCQ(Last Chance Qualifier)

LCQ-1
Hole-shot again, but got caught again. This time, I managed to shut the door on two other riders in the first berm. Im laying 2nd at this point, and I have that "oh-yeah-im-actually-doing-this" kind of feel going on. Near the last 3 berms past the large jump, I can hear someone scraping behind me, and I manage to keep my 2nd place line to the finish, and I qualify for the semis!

Semi-2
Im feeling great at this point because I know that I have another 2 races in the bag. Making the finals that day was a huge win for me, because that means I've beaten out about 19 other riders to get there. Gate pull was a little lacking off the start, so I end up laying 3rd the whole way down. That is untill I get down to the 3rd last berms again. (This set tends to eat riders whole I've come to find) Eric was in the lead, a commanding one at that, but something happened, and I ended up passing him and another rider. By this point im in 1st place, and on my way to the big final. right until the very next berm. Thats when I hit some chatter and lost an edge, and slid past the gate and ended up with another DQ and a relegation to the small final. No big deal though, a final is a final, and im glad I had made it that far.

SMALL FINAL
Didnt get the hole-shot, but I managed to keep 3rd place till the first berm. I noticed that another rider was coming up fast to my right, and rather than smashing into him at the berm, I decided to pull back and not risk a potential injury. So the final went as smooth as milk. Incident free, but pretty tight. I ended up finishing 8th overall.

And thats pretty much the whole race from my perspective.

And I've started a new tradition among bordercrossers: Get a beer glass at each new resort you race at, and ride down the SBX course with a full mug, ala "Out Cold." I've got my Castle mug with "8th Place Rock the Castle SBX march 14th 2009" engraved on it. And im pretty sure some of the other guys have done it too.

Thats it for the SBX season, but im still going to be training through the summer with my sprint kayaking and mountain biking. Because I've gotta shape up if I wanna do well in the FIS next season.

The Race

2009-03-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, So I just got back from the first ASA race this year, and it was a blast!
I met some really cool guys n gals up there at COP, and I got a lot of competitive experience as well. I wont go into detail of any of the heats, but I will say that the course was WAY better than it was yesterday. There were a bit of sketchy spots throughout the course, but I still found a way around em.

But to make a very long story short, I came in 3rd in the ASA Men's non FIS 20+ big final. If you go to the ASA blog, you'll see me with a huge goofy grin on my face.

And I feel that this year, Im just out to get some good experience. But next year, Im going to get my FIS card and try to get better and more competitive.

Weak to say the VERY least...

2009-02-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

Ok so here's the rundown of the "race" today.

I get up there at 7:45 and go through all the registration and all that good stuff, get out to the hill, do some practise runs in the terrain park, no big deal right?
Then at around 9:45, (15 minutes late I might add) they open the course up for our "inspection" runs. This is just the runs before our training runs, where we just slide down the course and "case the joint" so to speak.

So all is good up to that point. No issues there

Then came the "Hot runs"
This is where we gun it as fast as we can, and get to know the course better with speed. And I was feeling really ready for the race by this point. I was in control, I was getting pretty speedy through the whole course, and it just felt right.

Still no problems

That is until the time trails came around.

The way the race was set up, the FIS guys went first for their time trials. And we got through about 5 riders or so before things went wrong.
A couple of these so called pros went down fast and hard, yet they were bailing really badly at the end of the course. And one of the berms in the beginning of the race would really eat your speed.

So they decided to change up the course to make it a little less dangerous through that last 3 set.

Thus ending the race and my good feeling.

They've rescheduled the race for tomorrow, so that's good, and I got a pass for tomorrow as well, so that's all cool.

I just wish they didn't cater to the FIS guys needs. I didn't have any problems with that 3 set, mind you, I was going a bit slower.

But I thought the whole aspect of this sport is to adapt to whats built there. I didn't think they'd actually change the course to make it less hard.

But whatever.

They'll fix the problems for tomorrow, and all will be cool.

And I still have a good feeling about my chances tomorrow

Still Nervous

2009-02-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

The more and more I think about this race coming up on saturday, I keep getting nervous, and I STILL dont know why. Maybe its the thought of all the other racers that have had more experience than myself, maybe its the thought that this is the first race, and medal event for that matter, that i've been in for 3 years.

I just gotta remember that this first race, is just for me to get some compettitive experience, and experience against other racers. I find that this point is very important, for I dont have anyone to train with, therefore not gaining that confidence for racing head to head.

I know I can do this, and I figure that, on the first competitive run of that race, i'll be able to get myself to really grab a hold of the situation.

Heres hoping I can pull through

Nervous

2009-02-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

Im getting a little shaky whenever I think about the race next Saturday. Every time I think about the start, and just the competition itself, I just get really nervous. Even as Im typing this my hands are shaking. This is really getting to me, and It really shouldn't. I've been training out there at COP at least 8 times in the last 2 months, not to mention hitting the gym for the last 5 months. And yet, Im still feeling a bit chicken about the whole thing.

I know I can do it, its just a matter of keeping myself together, and calm. I just have to conquer my fears and forget about all the scary features out there. For instance, I was out at the Source terrain park hitting the jumps there, and I was getting huge airs, and it didn't bother me.

Now when I go over to the boardercross track, I lose it again. Im not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the track itself. I guess I'm over thinking it too much. I just gotta remember that its just snowboarding. Its not like boardercross is a totally different sport. Look at most of the other athletes in the sport, they came over to boardercross as freestlye and slopestyle athletes, and they're really good at it.

I just gotta keep calm and remember, that Im not out to win this race coming up. Im in it to get some good competitive experience, and to really try to shake all this nervousness while im out there.

Ill be out there at the track tomorrow practising again.

Scary Stuff

2009-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

Ok so I took the weekend off, due to both the gym being closed, and the temperature outside to be unseasonably warm(Not so good for boarding on a melty course). In doing so, I just relaxed and rested up for the next training week.

I've also looked into various cross-country ski gear, as its a very good cross-training activity for Boardercross.

I also caught the tail-end of the Skicross race from Les Contamines, where Canadian Chris Delbosco won the silver medal. As I watched these guys race, I really got a sense for how fast and high in the air these guys were going. It was INSANE! This is going to be one of the biggest hurdles I've gotta get through if I want to succeed at the intense sport of Boardercross.

Just gotta focus and keep at it.

Baby steps.

For every champion was once a noob

A Blessing In Disguise

2009-02-01T13:29:00.000-08:00

Ok so it seems that the race cancellation, was actually a blessing for me.
I was out training at C.O.P. today for just over 3 hours, and I got a taste of the real competition.
I was racing against a guy named Eric, and he has CLEARLY raced before. He was real good too, he knew how to handle himself out there on the course.

Good news is: I got the hole-shot.
I had him beat up until the first big roller. That's when things got a tad dicey.

Bad news is: I've still got some work to do with confidence with the bigger features. I also have to find a way around some of the berms. It seems that I tend to dump a lot of speed in the berms, and I'm not quite sure why.

All I know, is that I can do this, I just have to keep at it. More training, and more time at the gym.

Because all you really need to win is to just be better prepared than the other guys. More hours on the track and more at the gym and bam! you're set.

Lost of Work to do

2009-01-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

OK so here's the story so far:

I've been out to the mountains(mostly sunshine) to really get a feel for the speed aspect of this insane sport. Unfortunately for me, that's not quite what I need right now. For you see, I've just got back from a training night at COP where the next SBX race will be held this Saturday.

What the Hell have I gotten myself into?

Its a LOT more difficult than I can remember.

The drop from the gate is very steep, and the rhythm section immediately following is very treacherous. I'm also having some problems coming out of a roller, I seem to drift sideways a bit at the top. I feel this is in turn to my lack of experience with the whole sport.

Bottom line:

I need to keep getting out there and doing my very best. I gotta get up after every fall and really focus on what I need to work on.

I am a very good snowboarder on the alpine slopes. I just have to find a way to take that confidence up about 300 notches.

Annnnnnnd....... GO!

2008-11-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, ill be on the slopes for the first time this season. Unfortunatly, I'll be alone, which is a first, but it'll be a chance to really push myself, and to get used to the season. And I also need to get some MUCH needed on board training.

Quick workout at SAIT, Upper body, Biceps, lower back, and legs

Snow In the forecast

2008-11-03T17:12:00.000-08:00

Seems that this dreadful(yeah I said it) warm weather is at the end of its leash. Theres some flurries on the way here the next couple of days, so thats something to look forward to.
As far as my training has been going, I've kinda been slacking off a little. For instance, I should be at the gym today, but instead, im here writing in this stupid thing. But tomorrow I'll be out there at SAIT. Im also dying to get out on my skis. I havent really gone out very much the last couple of years, but I really should. The cold air should be good for me. (If we ever see more than 5 cms this year.....)

oh yeah

SUNSHINE ON SATURDAY.

I cant wait. It's going to be EPIC. IF anyone decides to show up.......

ASA still hasnt posted the race schedule yet, so Im still in the dark, but I'm going to call em and see when the first race is.

A shout out to the Kooks!

2008-10-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

I just wanna take a tiny bit o time to congratulate my good friend Sam, For her teamates and herself of the Calgary Kookaburras have won the 08 U.S. Nationals in Women's Auisse rules football! (I realize that this happened a while ago, but still.)

And So It begins.........

2008-10-15T16:28:00.001-07:00

Went to COP today and got my ASA competitive membership, so now ITS OFFICIAL BITCHES!!! First Race appears to be in February, but im none too clear on that one, schedule should be up soon.

Also, did 100 freaking squats yesterday. Gimmie an I-N-T-E-N-S-E! It was tough, but both Crystal and I got through it alive. Very productive workout yesterday.

Good Pho

2008-10-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Went to work out on Saturday, but the weightroom was closed, so I just had a nice bike ride.
Today however, I worked shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms, and deltoids. Good 45 min workout. I am going to try and get my ASA membership on tuesday.

Also went for pho with mark. Twas grand

Frustration Factor 9

2008-10-10T16:21:00.001-07:00

Ok so I try to get my ASA competitive liscence to really get the SBX thing rollin, so I call ahead. They say to come in ANY DAY OF THE WEEK 9 TO 5! So why is it that when I get there at 4 on a friday, dodging horrific traffic accidents, killer volume, and other strange occurences, that THEY ARENT EVEN THERE!? IT MAKES NO SENSE! But ANYWAYS........

Had a Great workout with Crystal on the tuesday, worked on legs and learned a few more tricks. Then yesterday, I worked chest, biceps, and forearms. It was a good workout and I feel that Im really improving myself, and that I should have a great chance at getting many a hole-shot this season(IF I EVER GET THE DAMNED ASA MEMBERSHIP)

Issues....

2008-10-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

Something isnt right about my training lately. I was out on the water on Sunday, doing my usual route with my new paddle(which worked wonders by the way), and I decided to sprint the last 400 or so meters to the Island. But I noticed a distinct lack of power and energey, almost as if my blood sugar was really low, which may have been the problem. As of now, im having the same sort of feeling, which is why I decided not to work out today: on fears of collapsing either in the Gym or on my ride back home. So Im just going to try to get my Blood Sugars up, and do some situps and pushups, and maybe review some footage of the SBX and K1 racing; just to get myself back into the groove. Hopefully, ill be feeling a little better tomorrow, since ill be at the Gym doing some lower body workouts and forearm excerscies.

Thursday October 2nd 2008

2008-10-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

With good weather, comes good workouts.
45 min upper body workout at SAIT.
Did some squats too. 100 pound squats to be exact. Not too much else to say, but I'll be kayaking again this weekend, if it isnt too windy. Been REAL keen on trying my new paddle out.

Happy Birthday Char

2008-09-29T21:26:00.000-07:00

Upper body workout at SAIT plus bike ride to and from

Special Thanks to Mikey and Crystal for hangin with me on my birthday at the gym.
Still no word from COP, but its still monday. Hopefully, ill be back out on the water this weekend, and maybe get my last paddle of the year in. Cant wait to try it out.

Gained 3 pounds of muscle since my initial weigh in at 145 pounds.
Bicep development is going really well. And I've upped my load for the leg press-250 pounds

Saturday September 27th 2008

2008-09-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

Went to the COP today for the job fair. And Unfortunatly, I had to wait 2 hours to get into the interview. Several times I thought about Bailing out, but I realized at that moment, that I have to stick it out no matter what happens. I just have to hang on and keep trying. no giving up. no surrender. This mentality paid off. I was offered a position with the ski patrol as a medic. It'll be tough, but it will be a great opportunity to really test myself and my skills. I do have medical experience: I have my 1st level 1st aid, and had 2 years of basic sports medicine, so I think i've got a good chance at getting a job as ski partrol

First Post- Friday September 26th 2008

2008-09-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is the first of what will be many updates on my progress as a Boardercrosser and Sprint Kayaker. Hopefully someone will lend me support in the form of encouragement, but really, this blog is just a tool I'm going to use to keep myself focused, and to keep the dream alive.

Stick