Westbound Boarder

If you’ve been following along, yesterday I competed in the Burton AM Series at Bear Mountain, CA.  What an experience!  I haven’t competed since my high school snowboard team days (much less ridden through the park this year!) so it was a lot of fun to be a part of the competition.

Now, I know I said in my last post that if you have never competed before, the Burton AM Series is a great place to start… Well, after spending a day in the comp. I might have to revise that statement a bit  Though it was a great time, many of the girls competing were sponsored, and if they weren’t they should have been.  Also, I expected the jumps to be pretty decently sized (after all, it is the amateur qualifier to the US Open!) but one look at the jumps on my way up the chair lift made me think twice about competing, myself… Well, almost  The jumps were HUGE! (Don’t believe me? Check out our pics on Flickr!)  If you’re not used to riding the park (basically, a park expert) it might be dangerous to push yourself on jumps you aren’t quite ready for.

However, cautions aside, if you are comfortable with the park I’d highly recommend you take a look at competing in the Burton AM Series.  The event was well-organized and a ton of fun, and competing in a comp. of this stature is a great way to push your ability and give you something to work toward.  For me, it was a bit of a stretch (especially since the last time I went big in the park I wound up with a broken arm!), but I faced my fears and did it, and I’m glad I did!  Though I didn’t make the top 4 (final qualifiers), I wasn’t last, either!  I was somewhere in the middle, but I’m just glad I did it at all.  It always feels so rewarding to know that you pushed yourself and did the best you could.

Overall, watching the girls compete in this competition was incredibly inspiring and it really made me realize that snowboarding has come a long way for women in the past few years.  When I competed back in high school, jaws dropped in awe when a chick could pull a backside half-cab with decent air.  Yesterday, I saw a girl do a backside 5 w/nose grab, and with killer air!  Oh, and there was a 9-year-old competing in the comp. who was awesome!  I couldn’t believe it; I overheard one of the girls saying that she really wanted to hit the first kick but her mom wouldn’t let her.  Yesterday, I really saw firsthand the advancement female riders are making in the sport, and the industry.  I think men are finally starting to realize it’s not just their sport any longer! 

Hopefully this post doesn’t deter you from wanting to compete in the future.  It really is one of the best things you can do to improve your skill on the hill; the competitive vibe you feel while training for and during a comp. will test your limits to the max, and you’ll find yourself trying things you normally would brush aside in no time.  Stay tuned for part 2 of this post later this week; I’ll give you newbies a few tips to think about while prepping for your first competition!  You’ll be pro in no time.

Traditionally, the US Open (snowboarding) has only been open to pro riders.  Not anymore!  Last year, Burton announced the Burton AM Series, a competition for amateur riders, with men and women champs winning $1,000 and a wildcard entry into the Open Series.  And the second annual series is well underway, with stops in 6 US locations.  

If your new year’s resolution is to compete this year, I suggest you try this one out!  I haven’t competed since high school, but I’ve really wanted to get back into it, so I challenged myself to this one  After researching it a bit (and becoming a tad bit intimidated watching videos of the pro Burton team!) I decided, what the heck… at least I tried, right?  The worst that can happen is I get last place  So, I’m doing it; tomorrow at Bear Mountain, which I’m so stoked about because I haven’t been to Bear Mountain yet, and what a great excuse to go!   

If you’re also thinking about competing, most of the info. you need is on the Burton AM Series Web site.  You can register here (it’s $10 per event; open to 30 women) and you can compete in slopestyle, halfpipe, or both. 

This year’s schedule is as follows:

• Northstar-at-Tahoe, CA: Jan. 10 – 11
• Bear Mountain, CA: Jan. 19 (Slopestyle only; pipe cancelled due to weather conditions)
• Keystone, CO: Jan. 24 – 25
• Snoqualmie, WA: Jan. 31 (Slopestyle only; pipe cancelled due to weather conditions)
• Park City, UT: Feb. 7 – 8
• Waterville Valley, NH: March 14 – 15

The big clincher – the Burton Global Open Series, US – will be held at Stratton Mountain, VT, March 16 – 22, 2009.  Competitors (pros and those who’ve obtained a wildcard entry through the AM series) will compete for the 2009 women’s and men’s championship titles, each worth $100,000, and events at large will take place around the globe (Europe, Japan, Canada, US, New Zealand, Australia).  So whether you’re a competitor or you simply just want to watch, be sure to mark those dates on your calendar because it should be a pretty sweet comp!  I’ll report back after tomorrow’s big event